Salome: The first press reviews are in!

„The audience cheered with enthusiasm.“ (Kronen Zeitung)

„The orchestra and ensemble are well studied and deliver a remarkable performance. Often one seems to hear from the pit an extra joy in successful virtuoso gestures and colouristic valeurs.“ (Die Presse)

„Luc Bondy, his widow, Erich Wonder and Lucinda Childs tell the story without kitsch or any other distractions (...); And the Volksoper has the right cast for it. For example, Astrid Kessler as the vocally flexible Princess Salome. Kessler masters all the challenges very well and is convincing as a performer. The same goes for Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke. A better tetrarch, so sexually obsessed, will hardly be found today. A grandiose singing actor! As the prophet Jochanaan, the Finnish baritone Tommi Hakala not only has a lot to sing, but also a lot to say with emphasis. A gain for the Volksoper. Ursula Pfitzner, on the other hand, is a delightfully unagitated Herodias, who always pulls the strings in the background fabulously.“ (Kurier)

„Salome by Richard Strauss at the Vienna Volksoper is also a very successful bow to the theatre magician Luc Bondy and musically captivates at every moment.“ (Kurier)

„And the cheers for all were considerable.“ (Kleine Zeitung Kärnten)

„Astrid Kessler sings Salome with total commitment, power and energy.“ (Kronen Zeitung)

„And Omer Meir-Wellber on the rostrum of the great orchestra? His 'Salome' is a musically highly energetic, sometimes a little too loud, but always full steam ahead psychological thriller. The outgoing music director takes no prisoners with Strauss. And that, too, is a good thing.“ (Kurier)

„At the end, Marie-Louise Bischofberger-Bondy, the director's widow responsible for the scenic rehearsal, led the almost 80-year-old Erich Wonder and the rest of the production team to the cheers of the audience: a premiere delight almost like back then.“ (Der Standard)

„Astrid Kessler is a ravishing Salome, the voice not too big and not too small, with colour and radiance.“ (Kleine Zeitung Kärnten)

„With Richard Strauss' Salome in the reconstruction of Bondy's widow Marie-Louise, the Volksoper has scored a coup at the start of the season.“ (Kronen Zeitung)