On 9 February at 20.00 the Mariinsky II will be hosting the premiere of a new production of Richard Strauss' one-act opera Salome staged by Marat Gatsalov. The Mariinsky Orchestra will be conducted by Valery Gergiev.
The roles are being rehearsed by Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre soloist Elena Stikhina, Mlada Khudoley, Yevgenia Muravieva (Salome), Yevgeny Nikitin, Edem Umerov, Vadim Kravets (Jokanaan), Andrei Popov, Oleg Balashov, Andrei Zorin (Herodes) and Olga Savova, Larisa Gogolevskaya, Elena Vitman and Natalia Yevstafieva (Herodias).
In 1905 Richard Strauss' one-act opera Salome, innovative in terms of spirit and musical language and based on the play by Oscar Wilde, created a sensation in the music world. The uncommitted review of critics and censors merely served to fire the public's interest, and, regardless of unanimous bans, the opera was staged at many theatres throughout Europe. After one premiere the composer wrote to his wife that "Salome went well, it was a great success, the public applauded for ten minutes until the fire curtain was lowered."
The Russian premiere of Salome took place in 1924 at the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet (the Mariinsky Theatre) and ran for thirty performances (until 1929). Following a lenghty interval, the opera was twice revived in the repertoire under the direction of Valery Gergiev – in 1995 (directed by Julie Taymor) and in 2000 (directed by David Freeman).
The new production at the Mariinsky Theatre has been developed by a team headed by stage director Marat Gatsalov, for whom Salome marks his debut in opera. "In our version of Salome it is not a story about a fornicatress who passionately desires Jokanaan. We see the collision of great ideas, between which the protagonists find themselves as if between a rock and a hard place. Salome's passionate desire to kiss Jokanaan is probably the desire to drown out the voice of new truth," says Marat Gatsalov. The set designs and costumes have been produced by designer Monika Pormale and the design duo MAREUNROL'S comprising Rolands Peterkops and Marite Mastina-Peterkopa. The video graphics are by Katrīna Neiburga.
The first performances of the opera Salome continue on 10 and 28 February.
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