... were it not a bit too "bootleggy", but it´s okay in the sense of "better than not having Tinsley in this role". You get used to the technical flaws, because the performance is just outstanding.I reprise the recommandation of Mr. Inverne, I pasted the first seconds into this recording from Keilberth´s 1948-Salome and the command to kill that bitch comes from Bernd Aldenhoff - it works quite fine.And while you´re at it with c/p-ing: Try Alexander Wassiljewitsch Mossolow: Iron Foundry as a substitute to Strauss´dance (as an extra kick) :-) ((you dont´s have to try this with this recordung, any will do))

One wouldn't think of Brighton as the place to go for idiomatic Strauss but it certainly was on June 4, 1977, when this inspired performance of Salome was given under Nicholas Braithwaite's sure baton. Pauline Tinsley is a first-rate Judean princess, her beautiful voice cleaving the orchestra and her diction most incisive. Graeme Matheson-Bruce's slightly bleaty tenor is more Narraboth than Herod but he holds his own against Tinsley. Grace Dives harangues him wonderfully as Herodias and Patrick Wheatley is a capital Jokanaan. The in-house recording is often good enough to pass for broadcast sound. Even if the very beginning and end of the opera have been lopped off, this is still a performance worth having.

,,, and for her performance she deserves to survive. Maybe that´s the reason, why the bloodstained fínal is missing (but why do we nor learn at the beginning, that this particular evening she is outstandingly beautiful?)Apart from that, and in spite of that: it´s a great performance, she is surrounded by a great cast and what HAS survived is well worth listening.btw, I corrected in the same way as Richard, some other Salome is killed, in my case fate crushed Christel Goltz - not really undeserved, she was also responsible for quite a number of Jochanaan-beheadings. Justice done (more or less)....

If you've ever wanted to imagine Salome surviving her bloodlust at the end of this opera, this is the recording for you. For whatever reason, the last 40-60 seconds of this performance are missing as well as the opening few minutes. It's not a deal breaker though because every moment of Pauline Tinsley's Salome is here and her performance alone is worth the price of the set. She captures all of Salome's brattiness, her vulnerability, and her ultimate madness while singing with sure, steady tone. Never is there a doubt that she can handle anything Strauss has written. The fact that she could sing just about anything else is also amazing (Opera Depot has her Turandot (twice), Dyer's Wife, Elektra, Amelia, Aida, Queen Elizabeth, Senta, and more).But she is not the only good thing about this performance. The Herods are sung and acted with great flair by Graeme Matheson-Bruce and Grace Dives while the Jokanaan is the extremely good Patrick Wheatley (I'd love to hear more of his work). Alan Woodrow is a strong Narraboth (he would later be a capable Siegfried for several companies). There are no weak supporting players; they're all excellent. Braithwaite is one of those unsung heroes that people tend to forget about rather quickly. He leads an exciting performance. The sound is very listenable, the voices very slightly recessed, but certainly audible. The tapist sits still most of the time though he (or she) gets a little fidgety during the Dance of the Seven Veils.

Although a great fan of Pauline Tinsley (and I saw her perform several times) I have held off from buying this performance for years, mainly because of the missing music, especially at the end. Thanks to Andy's usual generosity with free downloads, I have finally heard one of the most exciting Salomes I have ever experienced!Tinsley is simply astounding and I can add little to Andy's comments. Patrick Wheatley is a very fine Baptist, just a shade -only a shade- below front-rank (Van Dam, Howlett, Bailey, Terfel...). I remember him from ENO - Wheatley once substituted for Norman Bailey as Germont and was cheered to the rafters. Matheson-Bruce and Grace Dives are involved and characterful as the Herods; Woodrow less satisfying as Narraboth; a little strained. Braithwaite leads a swift, sure, commanding performance with a very good, earthy "pit" orchestra; he was another favourite ENO stalwart - see his SW/ENO Carmen, Lohengrin and Fanciulla broadcasts in the OD library; all of them excellent.I "corrected" the jarring lack of an ending by the simple process of "grafting on" the final minute or so from another OD performance which I had bought, including applause. Whilst "cheating", this at least allows the listener the catharsis of the final bars plus audience reaction, albeit a different audience...and with Fritz Uhl standing-in for Graeme Matheson-Bruce! I may do similar for the opening...but the existing fade-in is less damaging.Just don't let this one get away!