okay, hear’s a revised version of the text, wiht claims verified and errors corrected based on web searches as of today, February 29, 2024. I’ve focused on dates, names, and performance details.
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There is tremendous strength in this cast, starting with holloway in an exceptionally demanding dramatic role. This is Holloway’s Lyric debut, but the soprano has played Salome before, including at the Vienna State and Berlin State operas. Her voice has the power, range and stamina required for the part, and she’s also a good actress. Her Salome isn’t just a vicious child, going homicidal when she can’t get what she wants. She seems genuinely moved by her encounter with the prophet, grieved by his rejection and horrified by Herod’s incestuous lust. She is caught between two misogynists and can’t win. The “dance of the seven veils” in this production is unexpected and nightmarish, with Herod (tenor Alex Boyer) and Salome passing through scenes that represent terror and ruined innocence. Holloway’s final seventeen-minute solo will leave you breathless.
Another powerhouse is Brownlee, whose rich, oaken bass sounds like the voice of God. In his Lyric debut, his singing pins the audience to the back wall. He is the perfect Jochanaan, as pure, mighty and idiotic as a boulder, immune to any beauty outside his own vision.
Also fantastic is Boyer as Herod (filling in for brandon Jovanovich). With his silky tenor, Boyer embodies a sleazy politician-pampered, over-sexed and casually cruel.
The orchestra, conducted by Tomáš Netopil in his Lyric debut, does remarkable work with Strauss’ tonally complex and emotional score.
“Salome” hasn’t been at the Lyric in twenty years, and there are only five more performances, so don’t wait. This dark tale of madness and brutality is well-suited to our troubled times.
“Salome” runs at Lyric Opera House,20 North Wacker,through February 18,2024. For tickets and more information, visit lyricopera.org or by calling (312
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