Rating: 
Summary: stunning and brilliant performance
Review: A truly outstanding performance by all involved. So many things stand out, like John the Baptist's voice booming up from his prison and frantic, drunken King Herod desperately looking for thrills, then even more desperately trying to go back on his promise. As for Salome and her dance, it is shocking to see a great artist like Maria Ewing standing there totally naked at the conclusion. How she can give a great performance and be naked at the same time I cannot comprehend.
Rating:
Summary: DECADENT.......DEPRAVED ....... DELIGHTFUL!
Review: AUDBREY BEARDSLEY AND MR. OSCAR WILDE would probably applaud this 'extreme' production ~ a sinful pleasure to see Maria Ewing unlayer this troubled teen's 'tormented' soul . . .the translation's pretty good too ... almost along the lines of mall shopping, but such a pleasure and inspiration to see how Miss Ewing deals with the subject ~ superbly! A consummate artiste we have here - one who not only can emotionally immerse herself in the character and deal with the vocal demands, but also is very technically superior regarding recording 'live'. Here there is no margin to yell "Cut" to deal with a problem costume or a touch of excessive persipiration - this is all dealt with during the long takes - and dealt with superbly. This Lady is a rare beauty!The rest of the cast? Along the lines of Mel Brooks "Brief History of the World Part I" intentionally funny in a dark, dank way, very dark and dank. Iokannaan? [John?} Another major challenge, practically nude - except for that loin cloth, the blue body make-up and the dreaded dread-locks complete with the Joan Crawford scarlet lips! Almost too much, but it all works ..... Not quite for the neophyte, but an experience worth savoring over and over again ... a brave but accurate vision of the work and the original. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Sensual
Review: Definitely the BEST Salome on DVD / Laser. Maria sang with full emotion, perfect german. Stratas on Laser (lipsing) is nothing compared to this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Ewing never a stable singer
Review: I am surprised to read the raving comments about Ms Ewing. I watched the production as it was broadcasted by C4 about 10 yrs ago. The whole performance was just wierd. I cannot say I could enjoy the production, esp. Ms. Ewing's singing.
Rating:
Summary: Living Hell in your own living room.
Review: I have seen "Salome" at Covent Garden (not this production) and the Met, but I have never felt so felt its intensity. I think this may be, in a curious way, a "chamber" opera; its focus is so on nuances of obsession (usually sexual, of course) that it benefits from close quarters. I have seen Maria Ewing only in this one role, but in this she is stunning; first sinister, then frightening (because wierdly believable), then monstrous. Her two foils are this production's Herod: coward, lecher, bully, but in the end convincingly holding to some limit to indecency; and Johannan (the Baptist), chaste as ivory (as the lady says) and as passionately so as the lady is vile. The orchestra is good, the musical interpretation is right (neither tame nor manic) and the staging, with its creepy moon, suggestive dungeon, and hommages to Klimpt and Beardsley just exactly right. Terrific! Turn your own living room into Sodom and Gommorah.
Rating:
Summary: Living Hell in your own living room.
Review: I have seen "Salome" at Covent Garden (not this production) and the Met, but I have never felt so felt its intensity. I think this may be, in a curious way, a "chamber" opera; its focus is so on nuances of obsession (usually sexual, of course) that it benefits from close quarters. I have seen Maria Ewing only in this one role, but in this she is stunning; first sinister, then frightening (because wierdly believable), then monstrous. Her two foils are this production's Herod: coward, lecher, bully, but in the end convincingly holding to some limit to indecency; and Johannan (the Baptist), chaste as ivory (as the lady says) and as passionately so as the lady is vile. The orchestra is good, the musical interpretation is right (neither tame nor manic) and the staging, with its creepy moon, suggestive dungeon, and hommages to Klimpt and Beardsley just exactly right. Terrific! Turn your own living room into Sodom and Gommorah.
Rating:
Summary: Oh,Please...Is This Singing?
Review: Just glance at Salome score;what the hell is she doing?Lots of groans and guttural speech in substitution to music!This evasive vocal performance by Maria Ewing can deceive ROH audiences but not Strauss' music lovers.Moreover,her calculated grimaces was always the same as to Carmen,Dido,...In despite of all his diligence,Devlin's singing hardly can be regarded appropriate to Jokanaan.In fact,he completes his performance so exhausted,just like he was drowned himself on the Sea of Galilee.After all,this is the worse Salome I've seen.There are much better on Cd's and the Malfitano/Terfel Dvd.
Rating:
Summary: Salome superb
Review: Maria Ewing's interpretation of Salome is absolutely stellar. A chilling, sensuous woman with a voice to match her dancing performance. The presentation of this Richard Strauss' opera leaves you in an emotional turbulence long after the opera is over.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful!
Review: Maria Ewing's performance of Salome is simply the most powerful that I have ever seen in my life. I have seen it more than ten times, and I still find it devastating. Her performance is a work of art in itself. This is one of the things that works of art are supposed to do: they are supposed to break your heart, that you may grow in strength and depth of character.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful!
Review: Maria Ewing's performance of Salome is simply the most powerful that I have ever seen in my life. I have seen it more than ten times, and I still find it devastating. Her performance is a work of art in itself. This is one of the things that works of art are supposed to do: they are supposed to break your heart, that you may grow in strength and depth of character.
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