Salome Review – Righteous fury and dynamic clarity give the Regent’s Opera its head | Opera

TThe program describes it as “Strauss’s most serious opera.” The company’s website advertises them as “the palate cleanser of the 20th century,” which—given the relentless intensity of the work—is supposed to be a joke, but perhaps they’ve earned it. Strauss’s Salome is the latest project from Regents Opera, the hugely ambitious fringe company that last year installed Wagner’s entire Ring cycle in a historic East End boxing venue with an orchestra of just 18 musicians, to critical acclaim against the odds.

Back at York Hall, Regent’s Opera now mustered a 24-piece ensemble. The orchestra, sitting at the end of the space away from most of the audience and playing a custom arrangement by Nigel Shore, sounded somewhat distorted. Despite conductor Ben Woodward’s seemingly boundless energy, there was no possibility of capturing Strauss’s more opulent textures with so few players, and the contrast between the score’s vast climaxes and its more eerie, hollow moments was limited. What emerged instead was an extraordinary degree of clarity – not to mention a built-in balance aid for the singers, who also benefited from a 20-metre head start over the players thanks to the amphitheater-style stage that jutted out from the crowd.

This does not mean that some singers need support. For example, Freddie Tong’s Jochanan had a voice on a Wagnerian scale, his seething rage still alive with his back to the audience. As Narrabutt, James Schouten was still more forceful, his tone rich and warm from bottom to top, while his uncanny stage presence had a certain amount of dramatic feel. May Hagedorn’s Herodias is sharp rather than pretty (its tone is dark but impractical in its upper extremities), making for a surprisingly effective double act with Herod played by an underpowered Robin Whitehouse – in this production a kind of petty gangster in a white suit who is in danger of being outdone by his loud shirt. Among the smaller roles, Felix Kemp and Davide Basso stand out.

Ultimately, though, Salome relies on her main role. Kirsty Taylor-Stokes is this production’s best asset: a singer who is the equivalent of Strauss’s sinister vocal writing – her soprano voice is rich, her low notes are sultry and her upper register is only occasionally shrill – and who can also cast the role convincingly. Director Mark Ravenhill’s modern production (East End flat caps, 1980s shoulder pads, and his ornate outfits for Herod and Herodias) begins with Herod’s birthday party, where rebellious teen Salome wears a Guns N’Roses T-shirt. The Dance of the Seven Veils sees her appropriating pieces of clothing from others rather than stripping them, and Taylor Stokes moves with the confidence of a trained dancer. Where in the opening scenes Ravenhill uses the entire space dynamically, by the end the rest of the cast simply stands, averting their eyes from Salome, who is mesmerized by Jochanaan’s severed head. Taylor Stokes’ closing monologue was as compelling — and disturbing — as it gets.

· At York Hall, Bethnal Green, until 23 April