Salome Succeeds Poem by gershon hepner

Topless, Salome succeeds
in making John the Baptist headless
by going topless, shedding weeds
like melted sunburnt wings of Daedalus.
Her conduct surely was most odious,
for she demanded, when unveiled,
from Herod and his wife, Herodias,
head from the Baptist she had tailed,
but never managed to persuade
to satisfy her lust. Beguiled,
she danced and shed her weeds to trade
for sex appeal like Oscar Wilde.

Inspired by Anthony Tommasini’s review of a new production of Richard Strauss’s “Salome” at the Metropolitan Opera (“Passion, Intensity and 7 Vanishing Veils, ” NYT, September 25,2008) :
One of the most frenzied ovations that I have ever witnessed at the Metropolitan Opera occurred four years ago, when the soprano Karita Mattila appeared for a solo bow following her vocally blazing and dramatically shattering portrayal of the title role in Strauss’s “Salome, ” the premiere of a new production by Jürgen Flimm. So the expectations were enormous on Tuesday night when the glamorous Ms. Mattila returned to the role, in the Met’s revival of this modern-dress staging. Certain elements of the production did not have quite the same impact. The fine conductor Patrick Summers took over this “Salome” run on relatively short notice after Mikko Franck withdrew because of illness. Mr. Summers led a vigorous, glittering and insightful account of Strauss’s rhapsodic and graphic score. Valery Gergiev’s performance four years ago, though more untidy, had a special madness and rapture.
Still the production remains a triumph. And I cannot think of a performance on any stage in New York right now that tops Ms. Mattila’s Salome for courage, intensity and emotional nakedness. As before, her portrayal culminates in a fleeting moment of real nudity, during her gender-bending performance of the 10-minute “Dance of the Seven Veils, ” choreographed by Doug Varone. Appearing in a Marlene Dietrich-like tan tuxedo, she vamped and shimmied along with two male dancers who twisted and lifted her. Toying with King Herod, her lecherous stepfather, she removed item after item of her costume until in a moment of delirious triumph she stood, arms aloft, completely naked.
Vocally Ms. Mattila is born to this daunting role, singing with an eerie combination of cool Nordic colorings and raw power. She can spin a Straussian melodic line with sumptuous lyricism. But when Salome erupts in a spasm of twisted desire or childish petulance, Ms. Mattila unleashes chilling, hard-edged top notes that slice through Strauss’s king-size orchestra. She also penetrates this psychologically baffling character, as created by Strauss, who adapted the libretto from Hedwig Lachmann’s German translation of Oscar Wilde’s play. Not exactly narcissistic, Ms. Mattila’s Salome is a young woman fascinated by the effect she has on people. The leering men of Herod’s court and the smitten king himself (the bright-voiced tenor Kim Begley in a dynamic portrayal) are constantly ogling her. But Salome is exasperated by Jochanaan (John the Baptist, sung by the imposing Finnish bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo in a strong Met debut) . We first hear him booming from the underground cistern where Herod keeps him prisoner, and then during a crucial scene when he appears in chains and is taunted by Salome. Jochanaan alternately bellows condemnations of Salome’s incestuous mother, Herodias (the earthy mezzo-soprano Ildiko Komlosi) , and issues prophesies of Jesus’ divinity.
Salome does not get it. Does this man have no desires? Is he a pompous fool? A seer? She swings between a strange desire to kiss Jochanaan’s rosy lips and stroke his austere white skin, and unhinged spasms of physical disgust. If he will not be smitten by her, as others are, then with biblical vengeance she will smite him, by bending Herod to her will.Mr. Flimm’s production, with sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto, uses modern imagery to good metaphorical effect. On one side the set shows a moonlit terrace of Herod’s banquet hall (depicted as a swanky, somewhat tacky lobby of some Middle Eastern hotel) and on the other, the sandy mountains of a nearby desert (an abstract series of sloping cliffs) . Herod’s soldiers wear Arab turbans and skirts, their chests crisscrossed with straps of bullets.
The lyric tenor Joseph Kaiser gives a poignant portrayal as the young army captain Narraboth, so overcome with desire for Salome that he kills himself. The formidable bass Morris Robinson as the First Nazarene is another standout. But this is Ms. Mattila’s show. In the punishing final scene, some 15 minutes of musically voluptuous necrophilia, when Salome kisses Jochanaan’s severed head, Ms. Mattila looked and sounded possessed. Even more shocking than her bursts of orgasmic vocal intensity were her lyrical passages, infused with unabashed romantic longing.

9/25/08