Strauss, Salome (1905) – Final scene excerpt (Maltifano) (CC-English)

Performers: Catherine Maltifano, soprano; Berlin Opera Source: 2002 movie: =sr_1_46?keywords=salome movie&qid=1576608164&sr=8-46 “Fair Use Notice“ Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use“ for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted. - I have provided the English subtitles and shortened the scene. This is an excerpt from the marathon last scene where Salome kisses the severed head of John the Baptist. The clip comes from a 2002 Berlin Opera movie featuring Catherine Maltifano as Salome. Maltifano is an American operatic soprano who I think does the best job depicting insanity. She also has an amazing vocal range and sings the low notes when others have to resort to speaking them. I have provided English captions. Despite its shocking and depraved libretto content, the opera has very significant musical milestones that piqued the imaginations of the next generation of 20th century composers: (1) Strauss ended this very short opera very abruptly. The audience was in habit of receiving a kind of wind-down of music and story to calm them and let them ponder the message (do you sit and watch/listen to the movie credits at the end of the show?). (2) He gave Salome a motive that sometimes was in the key of the moment and sometimes was not (in order to enhance her mental instability). Using the dissonance of cross key relationships (polytonality) was quite novel. (3) To enhance the peak of Salome’s insanity, he brought her kissing scene to a cataclysmic climax by having the orchestra play two giant chords containing ten and then all twelve notes of the octave! No one had used such dissonance before! Listen for the motive (“da-dee-daaaa-doh”) and the big chords.