Metropolitan Opera Archives

On April 7, Sue Patchell sang her single scheduled performance as the Judean princess. She did honorably without reaching Mattila's vocal or theatrical level. Her voice is in the right category, although some high notes early on went flat, and the word "Todes," which pulls the mystery of death down to a low G flat - inaudible. Her acting had lots of fiery temperament within a range narrower than Mattila's, and her expert dancing ended in a body-stocking that still proclaimed a perfect figure.

The post-[premiere] cast-changes also included Bryn Terfel's well traveled Jochanaan, and once out of that below-stage dungeon, his invincible bass-baritone and histrionic attack electrified the house. The Met's tinny amplification system, however sabotaged his offstage singing. Siegfried Jerusalem's Herod was properly nuts and occasionally lyrical, without equaling Glassman's standard in the role. Victoria Livengood sang a nicely furious Herodias, and Lucy Schaufer gave us a cute little page with an incisive, good-sized mezzo.

At the last performance of the run, on April 10, Scott Bergeson filled in for Gergiev, announced as ill, and did superb work, drawing sumptuous sound from the orchestra. Mattila and Terfel exceeded themselves, the amplification behaved better, and at the end, Salome didn't die before curtain-time, as on [first] night, but waited eagerly for the executioner's snickersnee.

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