Program
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- Salome
- US premiere
- LA Phil commission
- with generous support from the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund
Artists
About this Performance
In seasons past, the LA Phil premiered two of Gerald Barry’s daring operas, and now Thomas Adès leads the US premiere of Barry’s Salome.
The opera is based on Oscar Wilde’s play Salome, with deviations from the original. Just as surreal as Barry’s other Wilde-inspired opera The Importance of Being Earnest, Salome belongs to the fantastical world of his Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, based on the Lewis Carroll text. Both operas share madness, ecstasy, humor, and murder.
Opera Now raved about the “tantalizing language and imagery” in Barry’s acclaimed new work, calling it “a surreally decadent, absurdist world…. [that] approaches the subject matter from a radically new angle—so radical that any comparison with a certain other famous Salome opera is rendered all but superfluous.”
In just a little over an hour, Salome covers a range of themes: voyeurism, the moon, French, God, punishment of sin, misunderstanding, sex, the metronome, suicide, hysteria, hunger, blood, typing, speaking correctly, sterility, The Blue Danube, the wind, fever, art, Wilde, dreaming, beheading, Frankenstein, and kissing.
And, in Barry’s unique production, Salome doesn’t dance, she types! Soprano Alison Scherzer portrays Salome, the typist who agrees to transcribe Wilde’s letter “De Profundis” as dictated by the king.
Lead support for this performance is generously provided by the De Marchena-Huyke Foundation, with generous additional support from Raulee Marcus and the Marcus Fund for New Music.
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Enhance Your Experience
Upbeat Live with Veronika Krausas
Event starts at 7:00PM
Before the concert, some of the sharpest musical minds around–including guest artists–guide you through the evening’s music. This free event is held in BP Hall accessible after your ticket is scanned.
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