Salome opera promotional poster by Richard Strauss, emphasizing dramatic and sensual themes.
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Salome Opera: Scandal and Richard Strauss Makes His Career

ByBill LeFurgy

When Richard Strauss attended a Berlin theatre production of Wilde’s play Salome in 1903, he imagined a Salome opera, feeling the play “cried out for music.” By choosing this provocative story for operatic treatment, Strauss courted controversy—perhaps in hopes of drawing attention. As Alex Ross notes, the composer “felt drawn to sexually charged material throughout…

Salomania - Maud Allan
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Salomania: A Sensational History of Salome in Art, Dance, Film, and Opera

ByBill LeFurgy

Salomania was a performance phenomenon and cultural craze that swept through America and Europe during the early years of the 20th century. It sprang from a popular reinterpretation of the story of Salome, a figure alluded to in the New Testament who danced for a king and, as a reward, requested a head on a…