Anja Silja was one of the few Salomes who not only looked the role, but sounded it too. Her voice was never one of conventional beauty. It could get squally or whiny sounding, but she always gave 110%. Here she is a wonderfully bratty Salome, given to some sprechstimme at times. She has the stamina for the part though and makes a terrific impression in the final scene.Niels Moeller is an excellent Herodes really singing the part instead of screaming it. The supporting cast is very strong - not a Wobbler among them. The conducting of Krombholc is persuasive and exciting. He whips the orchestra up into a frenzy in all the right places. The sound is from a broadcast and is very good.Which brings me to my primary gripe about this release: both the Jokanaan and the Herodias are misidentified. I know both Franz Mazura's and Ruth Hesse's voices well and neither sings here. I'm pretty sure that's Gerd Nienstedt as Jokanaan. The Herodias is very good, but it isn't Hesse.Nevertheless all Salome or Silja fans should get this.

I have to agree with another reviewer who said this recording was "satisfying"—not the greatest performance ever, but still a truly worthy one and captured in very good sound.For me, what makes or breaks a Salome is when she first asks for the head of John the Baptist (here, Caballe, Behrens, and Stratas are exquisite) and the very end of the final scene (where Nilsson, Borkh, and Varnay take the cake). Silja passes both tests, falling somewhere between these two groups, as does Ljuba Welitsch. She definitely proves she has the pipes to wail out the high notes, but the lowest notes are often a snarl, shout, or a whisper. And more than once she chooses to cackle or ululate more than singing, which is effective if not 100% faithful to the score. I'm looking forward to listening to her Elektra, which I also ordered from Opera Depot.Franza Mazura is a fine Jochanaan, handsomely sung. And Niels Moeller a solid Herodes, free from wobble or excessive strain. Really, a cast like this is a rare find indeed these days. The conducting is really not bad considering the complexity of the score which seems nearly impossible to keep together. Definitely an unusual and hard-to-fin- elsewhere recording to add to add to your collection along with major label releases from Leinsdorf, Karajan, and Solti.

This is a completely satisfying performance of this much recorded opera. Anja Silja was a dynamic singing actress, her lean lovely body, made her a provocative Salome on stage, and with her lean athletic girlish voice she was the full package. Here she is 28 and at the height of her talent.For me, Franz Mazura's resonant, powerful and gritty Jochanaan is simply the best. Niels Moeller's Herod is marvellously fluid and oily and the rest of the cast is first rate. Ruth Hesse gives us a bright expressive Heriodas.The sound is very good.