Strauss - Salome

Conductor – Kwamé Ryan

Director – David Leveaux

Designer – Vicki Mortimer

Lighting – Paul Pyant

Salome – Cheryl Barker Photo Neil Libbert

Herod Antipas – John Graham-Hall

Herodias – Sally Burgess

Jokanaan – Robert Hayward
Narraboth – Geraint Hylton

Herodias's Page – Rebecca de Pont Davies

Nazarenes – Michael Druiett & William Berger

Salome is probably the best of the three revivals that ENO have presented so far this season. I missed the production on its previous showings, so I was seeing this black and decadent staging for the first time. Just a pool of light illuminated the jagged courtyard wall and trapdoor to the cistern where Jokanaan is incarcerated. To either side of the stage there were glimpses of to the left the warm glow of Herod's banqueting chamber, and to the right a garden, part of a wider, more innocent world.

There are really four principals in this piece, and the interaction between them is crucial. Of these John Graham-Hall's portrayal of Herod was probably the most complex, blending princely power with moral weakness. Unable to break from his complete thrall to his step daughter, yet constantly haunted by strange portents, his every word was audible and telling. Sally Burgess was a supremely elegant Herodias, always a significant presence on the stage, with a good streak of malevolence never far from the surface.

As Jokanaan, Robert Hayward certainly looked like a man who had been imprisoned for some time and sounded like a charismatic visionary – introducing a persuasive tone into his strong authoritative voice – powerful enough for his words to carry even from the depths of his cell.

Cheryl Barker's Salome conveyed the wantonness of a spoilt teenager inside her sophisticated exterior and rich scarlet robes. She also has the voice to cope with Strauss's soaring music, though a good proportion of her words failed to project to the back of the Coliseum stalls. Salome's dance no longer shocks, but it does need to fully engage the audience. Wayne McGregor is credited in the programme as choreographer and Odette Hughes as dance rehearsal director, but the result was a pretty nondescript affair – I overheard several wistful comments regarding occasions when a separate dancer had been employed. However, once Cheryl Barker got possession of Jokanaan's head, she gave a powerfully repellent display of her infatuation.

Amongst the many minor characters, the Nazarenes (Michael Druiett and William Berger) stood out, and the five Jews were collectively excellent.

The young conductor, Trinidadian Kwame Ryan, is quite a find – I haven't heard the orchestra play better in a long time, and am delighted to read that he will be returning for Death in Venice .

© Serena Fenwick