Princess Salome of Judea is infatuated with Jochanaan, the prophet of new faith. When King Herod invites Salome to perform a dance for him, she demands a ruthless price in return – the princess wants the prophet’s head… The veiled events tell a story of obsessive love, more powerful than rational thought. Although the action is set in ancient Judea, in his latest production, Director Alvis Hermanis transports us to future Israel, where ideologies and religions have tangled in a tight knot, more so than anywhere else in the world.

Oscar Wilde originally wrote his drama, Salome, in French. It was later translated into German and became the libretto for Richard Strauss’s masterpiece, which premiered on December 9, 1905, at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden. The Latvian National Opera stage has seen four striking productions of Salome, where the principal part was interpreted by the outstanding opera singers Milda Brehmane-Štengele, Žermēna Heine-Vāgnere, Solveiga Raja and Ieva Kepe.

Performance language: German
Translation in surtitles: Latvian, English

Strobe lighting effects will be used during this performance.

Recommended age: 12+

Please note that the performance has no intermission. Latecomers will not be admitted into the auditorium after the performance has begun.

Synopsis

Narraboth, the Captain of the Guard at the palace of Herodes, the tetrarch of Judaea, is captivated by the beauty of Princess Salome. Despite warnings from the Page of Herodias not to gaze upon her, Narraboth is unable to resist. From the palace cistern, where he is imprisoned, the voice of the prophet Jochanaan rises, proclaiming the coming of the Son of Man.

Salome, disgusted by the lustful glances of her stepfather Herodes, leaves his feast without hiding her contempt. Jochanaan’s voice resounds again, calling on a sinful woman to rise from her bed of profligacy. Salome, along with others, believes the prophet is addressing her mother, Herodias, the tetrarch’s wife.

Having learned that the prophet is a young man, Salome is desperate to see him. Despite the tetrarch’s strict orders that even the High Priest must not speak to Jochanaan, Salome persuades Narraboth to disobey. Powerless to resist her, the Captain of the Guard gives in to Salome's pleas and allows Jochanaan to emerge from his cell.

Entranced by the prophet, Salome begs for permission to touch his flesh, hair, and lips. Overcome by jealousy and despair at Salome’s passion for another man, Narraboth takes his own life. But Salome is so consumed by her desire to kiss Jochanaan that she fails to even notice Narraboth’s death. Jochanaan, repulsed by her advances, declares that only He who speaks to His prophets in Galilee from a fishing boat can save her from sin. Undeterred, Salome continues to yearn for the prophet. He curses her and retreats back to his cell.

The tetrarch arrives and demands to know why his stepdaughter has ignored his request to return to the feast and his guests. As he slips on Narraboth's blood, he takes it as a bad omen. Ignoring his wife’s calls to execute Jochanaan, Herodes becomes engrossed in debates with five Jews, who argue over the likelihood of anyone having seen God since the time of Elijah. The tetrarch is shaken by the accounts of two Nazarenes, who claim that the Messiah is even capable of raising the dead.

To distract himself from these unsettling stories, Herodes implores Salome to dance for him. The princess agrees, but only after securing his oath to grant her anything she desires. Enthralled by her Dance of the Seven Veils, Herodes’s joy soon turns to dread as Salome reveals her demand: she wants the head of the prophet Jochanaan, presented on a silver platter. Herodias exults in her daughter’s request while Herodes desperately tries to dissuade Salome, but she reminds him of his binding oath.

Reluctantly, Herodes consents, and Jochanaan is sentenced to death. When Salome receives the prophet’s severed head, she kisses his lifeless lips, realising that the mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death. This scene is illuminated by a moon beam, witnessing the death of Salome, as the tetrarch of Judaea orders her execution.