Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This performance has so many strengths that it seems almost churlish to complain. The production design is totally effective, with none of the missteps that undercut the effect of the new production at the Met in New York. The 20th century costumes and set decoration update without distraction, and the "downstairs" atmosphere of the main playing space--as though in a kitchen/slaughterhouse--is stark and dramatic. The choice of having the executioner on stage, holding his sword, during the whole performance adds a sense of menace without forcing a symbolic element (like the winged angels of death in the Met production), and his descent into the cistern stark naked and his return with his body covered in blood certainly make powerful stage imagery.
The performers are almost uniformly superior. Narraboth looks his part and sings it well; Herod is especially effective in conveying the psychological weakness of the character. Herodias is, perhaps, a bit too much the ordinary matron, avoiding the caricatured portrayal of, for example, Astrid Varnay. Crucially, Jokanaan has a powerful voice and a powerful, if somewhat older than described, visual presence. The direction of the interactions between him and Salome is particularly effective and harrowing.
The weak link is Nadja Michael's Salome. She acts the role interestingly, and I think her characterization is defensible and effective, but her voice--rather light and high pitched as compared with other great performers in this role--is a problem. She has a noticeable wobble that she may be deploying to intensify the emotional effect of Salome's big moments, but unfortunately, it often just sounds like a wobble. Worse, she often fails to hit the notes, especially the crucial high notes that a Nilsson or Mattila punch into the stratosphere. Michael comes in under the pitch and sounds as though she is avoiding the really tough notes. I don't say her performance is bad, but for anyone who knows great performances of the role, hers sounds undersung.
Finally, Philippe Jordan's conducting is extraordinary--subtle, carefully thought out to provide insights into the interplay of orchestra and voices--he uses the orchestra to carry the drama but does not overwhelm the singers.
On the whole,I am very happy to have this video, and I know I will look at it again and again, but the Stratas performance remains, for me, the most powerful available on DVD.
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