Strauss - Salome / Inge Nielsen · Hale · Goldberg · Silja · Schønwandt

With so many fine recordings of Salome already available, the question must be asked if this new recording was really necessary. The answer is an emphatic "Yes!" The reason: Inga Nielsen is an extraordinary, magnificent singing actress in the title role. Her voice has something of the legendary Ljuba Welitsch's girlish innocence, and her way with the text reveals an artist totally attuned to every dramatic nuance that Strauss offers. From its innocent beginnings, her portrayal reaches a positively terrifying apotheosis of decadent savagery in one of the most disturbing final scenes on disc. Comparisons with such illustrious names as Nilsson, Borkh, and Goltz are completely justified. Nielsen's is, above all, a complete Salome, a total characterization such as happens only rarely on disc. The supporting cast is also very strong, and Schonwandt conducts with passion and urgency. Toss in magnificent recorded sound, and the result is a performance for the ages from a source that no one could ever have expected. --David Hurwitz