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Notes
Desire. Brutality. Lust. Slyness. Anxiety. What a fascinatingly menacing thematic melange is seething in this Salome. Richard Strauss, the “nervous contrapuntalist,” immediately recognized the potential of Oscar Wilde’s play, and proceeded to add to it a musical meta-plane, which resulted in Salome becoming the scandalous new point of departure for opera in the 20th century.
In its vivid psychological depiction of a corrupt world, Salome is, at the same time, both child of and witness to the dawning of the 20th century – a reflection of a moribund late-bourgeois era, captivated by its own putrefaction. The opera hit the nerve of the times. Strauss poured the Salome catastrophe into a one-act opera lasting a mere 100 minutes. However, these are 100 highly condensed minutes, which demand the listener’s full and uninterrupted attention; first torturing him emotionally and then trickling the venom of sweet, seductive music into his ears and mind; laying his nerves bare, then making him tremble in aroused expectation.
This album, featuring the young, up-and-coming conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada leading the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (= formerly Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a live recording of a concert given on September 10, 2016 in Frankfurt. The critics were enthusiastic: “The title role was wonderfully relaxed, all the essential components were in general harmonious, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada emphasized the power of the orchestra.” Indeed, Orozco-Estrada surrounded his Salome with outstanding soloists of the German opera repertoire: Wolfgang Koch (Jochanaan), Peter Bronder (Herod), and Michaela Schuster (Herodias). The American soprano Emily Magee made her début as Salome in Berlin in 2011. Since then, she has developed into a true Strauss specialist – and not only in this role. The Frankfurter Rundschau praised her “readily appealing, powerful and untiring soprano voice, which never gets drowned, not even in the orchestral tutti. Her face was a fascinating reflection of the slyness, the caprices, the bitchiness of a pampered princess.”
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Reviews
"...This is an aurally sumptuous recording of a 2016 performance from Frankfurt, with a cast and conductor worthy of the technology..."
Allan Altman - American Record Guide - May/June 2018
"... warmly recommended."
Hugo Shirley - Gramophone magazine - January 2018
Record of the Month
“He’s [Orozco-Estrada] a maestro on the rise and this beautifully crafted, deeply felt recording is another feather in his cap. Only an intimate knowledge of the complexities of Strauss’s highly-strung blend of the frenetic and the sensual allows a conductor to triumph at the sometimes expansive pace Orozco-Estrada adopts here. A keen ear for orchestral detail brings out a wealth of colours that other recordings leave buried, and yet he can be massive when called for... American soprano Emily Magee is the leading lady in a performance of total conviction and enormous reserves. Intensely knowing and totally engaged with the text, Magee’s princess comes across as damaged goods from the start... Her Jokanaan is Wolfgang Koch, a Helden baritone with plenty of ping at the top. He’s a good foil for Magee, quivering with disgust by the end of their confrontation. Peter Bronder is a fine Herod, his insightful voice dripping with lust – listen to his creepy interest in the dead Narraboth (a lovely lyrical performance from Benjamin Bruns) before moving on to his next passing fancy. Michaela Schuster’s firm mezzo makes Herodias less of a battle-axe than is often the case, and the small roles are generally well taken. With its frequently histrionic edge, this is a performance very much on the verge of a nervous breakdown and may not appeal to all tastes, but for sheer grisly operatic horror, it’s pretty hard to beat.” ****
Clive Paget - Limelightmagazine.com.au - 4 January 2018
Performance **** Recording ****
"... Definately to be experienced ..."
David Nice - BBC Music magazine - January 2018
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