Unknown versions of Strauss' "Salome"
The project "Critical Edition of the Works of Richard Strauss" of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities presents two unknown versions of "Salome" and a new edition of "Elektra".
"Salomé" in French was of particular concern to Richard Strauss: he wanted to present more than a mere (re)translation. He therefore drew on the original French text of Oscar Wilde's play and completely rewrote the vocal parts in order to adapt them perfectly to the prosody of the language - a unique case in the history of opera. This completely different-sounding version is now available for the first time as a printed score.
The "Dresden retouched version" from 1929/30 is also part of the new "Salome" volume: an arrangement for lyric soprano in the title role, which celebrated its premiere in Dresden in 1930 with Maria Rajdl under the direction of the composer. Strauss deliberately lightened the orchestral accompaniment for the title role in order to be able to cast it with a lyrical rather than (as usual) dramatic voice.
Photo above: Library of Congress / wikimedia commons
