A great example of witnessing two great artists at the earlies stages of their careers. Mark Elder (now Sir Mark Elder) and Rosalind Plowright (now OBE) in her first ENO stage role.

Josephine Barstow sang in the United States only occasionally and that was our loss. She is an exciting singer-actress and here she was in superb voice. Her enunciation of the English translation is not the clearest (a frequent criticism), but her intensity cannot be denied. She soars through the final scene like a blazing comet.The entire cast, made up of ENO regulars, is terrific. Neil Howlet's ringing, beautiful Jokanaan is one of the best I've ever heard. His dismissal of Salome at "Niemals, Tochter Babylon" (or whatever it is in English) is devastating. Sarah Walker sings and acts Herodias with great distinction while Emile Belcourt does the same for Herod. Ramon Remedios sings very sweetly as Narraboth, making us wish his part was larger. The distinct timbre of Rosalind Plowright can already be heard in the low-lying role of the Page. Singers like Clifford Grant, Stuart Kale, and John Tomlinson make their marks in even smaller roles.Elder's conducting incites the entire cast to give their best. The orchestra is unusually good in this performance. The sound is excellent though some crosstalk with another station can be heard faintly in the background on the second disc, a little annoying during the final scene's closing moments.All Salome or Barstow lovers need this!

I saw this production in performance and no one can deny Barstow's commitment to the role. She was over-reached towards the end, but she had been on stage for over 100 minutes and had danced as well, stripping off to pasties and a G-string. I relived the evening with great pleasure. One comment about the cast list. In the performance I saw, Narraboth was not sung by Alberto Remedios, but by his younger brother Ramon. I am almost 100% certain that it is Ramon on this recording, as his voice is sweeter and not as heavy as Alberto's. But no matter, it is an enjoyable performance.

WELL SINCE YOU'RE ASKING HERE GOES

Superb

This is a wonderful performance (I was there on the night!) It espouses not only Barstow, who had just entered her more luscious-sounding vocal period to compliment her dramatic skills, but also the fantastically-decadent and louche Herod of Emile Belcourt! Neil Howlett is a Jochanaan simply to be set in the same class as Hermann Uhde. Mark Elder conducts with deep understanding of the Strauss idiom.However, note that the Narraboth is NOT Alberto Remedios, but his younger brother Ramon, who sang more lyric roles with ENO for several years.