The story of Salome, the niece and stepdaughter of the biblical King Herod, and her pursuit of John the Baptist has inspired countless works, from theater productions and paintings to films and sculpture. Among the most famous of these adaptations is Richard Strauss’ 1905 opera, which includes a libretto translated from Oscar Wilde’s stage version.
Union Avenue Opera is bringing this landmark production to St. Louis audiences this week as Strauss’ Salome takes the stage for two weekends of performances at Union Avenue Christian Church. While many modern productions of Salome have chosen to transport the biblical tale to more contemporary settings, UAO is keeping things classic with their “opera of desire and destruction.” Colorful costumes and a multi-level stage design will transport audiences to the ancient Palace of Herod.
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St. Louis native Kelly Slawson is taking on the title role, including the physically demanding “Dance of the Seven Veils.” The dance is followed by a final, emotional monologue that runs about 20 minutes in length, making for a half-hour gauntlet of a performance. Slawson is believed to be the only soprano to sing back to back performances of the role since its premiere 120 years ago, and she’ll be doing it two weekends in a row.
“I grew up here so it’s nice to have all my friends and family here for this and to be able to do something that really no other soprano has done before because the role is just so taxing, so intense, so demanding,” Slawson says. “It’s just an honor, and the fact that it happens in St. Louis is pretty incredible.”
Slawson hopes to bring dimension and empathy to the role of Salome, who is often seen simply as a villainess and seductress. Salome, she believes, is a product of the environment she is trapped within and in many ways misunderstood.
“She oftentimes is portrayed as the spoiled brat who’s a seductress, and there is some of that going on there, but obviously she comes from a pretty unhealthy family dynamic,” Slawson says. “There’s some implied abuse between her and her stepfather, who’s also her uncle…I think her story is one that’s very tragic. She’s 16 years old. She’s just trying to figure out how to do the best that she can with the environment that she’s been raisd in, and unfortunately chaos is unleashed pretty quickly.”
That chaos is captured in a lush, intense score by Strauss that Slawson describes as almost heavy metal in its sensibilities. Salome’s story is a bloody one, and it is firmly a tragedy. The traditional production of this classic is essential viewing for opera fans, but Slawson says it holds plenty of appeal for the uninitiated as well.
“I’m a rock and metal lover. That is uh that is where my heart is as far as music goes outside of opera,” Slawson says. “Salome is probably the most heavy-metal opera that there is. It’s just a lot of the orchestration, a lot of the very atonal melodies that certain characters have, it feels very, very metal. It has sort of a rock vibe. I think that in and of itself would be great for somebody who maybe The Marriage of Figaro wasn’t for them. Maybe Barber of Seville wasn’t for them, but they love Metallica or they love Slayer. If you’re gonna give opera a chance, Salome is the one to do it with.”
UAO’s Salome will be sung in the original German with projected English supertitles. The production runs approximately 100 minutes with no intermission and is recommended for adult audiences.
For tickets and more information, visit unionavenueopera.com.
