Grotesque and gripping: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unveils a new Salome

Thomas Blondelle (Herodes) and Astrid Kessler (Salome)

Astrid Kessler (Salome) and Kostas Smoriginas (Jochanaan)

Astrid Kessler (Salome), Angela Denoke (Herodias), Thomas Blondelle (Herodes) and ensemble

Thomas Blondelle (Herodes), Angela Denoke (Herodias) and Astrid Kessler (Salome)

Angela Denoke (Herodias), Thomas Blondelle (Herodes) and ensemble

Astrid Kessler (Salome) and Kostas Smoriginas (Jochanaan)

By Mark Pullinger, 29 December 2024

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“as the biblical debauchery climaxes... Salome's acolytes quaff Champagne and munch popcorn”

Reviewed at Opera Vlaanderen, Antwerp, Antwerp on 29 December 2024

Strauss R., Salome

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Alejo Pérez, Conductor

Ersan Mondtag, Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Sascha Zauner, Lighting Designer

Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Astrid Kessler, Salome

Angela Denoke, Herodias

Florian Stern, Herodes

Kostas Smoriginas, Jochanaan

Denzil Delaere, Narraboth

Linsey Coppens, Herodias' Page, A slave

Reuben Mbonambi, 1st Nazarene, Cappadocian

Leander Carlier, 2nd Nazarene

Igor Bakan, 1st Soldier

Marcel Brunner, 2nd Soldier, 5th Jew

Daniel Arnaldos, 1st Jew

Hugo Kampschreur, 2nd Jew

Timothy Veryser, 3rd Jew

Hyunduk Kim, 4th Jew

Rites in Antwerp: a towering triple bill for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Elsa Giovanna Simonetti, 17th January

In Rites, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen confirm its status as a leading contemporary dance company with a formidable triple bill, technically demanding for both dancers and orchestra.

****1

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s Parsifal: digital drama, celestial singing

Simon Thompson, 14th October

Digital projections make Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s Parsifal seem alienating and strange, but the singing is terrific and the orchestra sounds sensational.

***11

A powerhouse: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Shechter’s Grand Finale

Deborah Weiss, 26th September

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen powers its way through an exciting revamp of Hofesh Shechter’s inimitable Grand Finale.

****1

Marcos Morau’s Romeo + Juliet: lessons in volatility

Deborah Weiss, 3rd April

An unconventional dance take on Prokofiev's ubiquitous ballet for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Antwerp is not for the faint-hearted.

***11

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: how to win over an audience

Deborah Weiss, 13th December

Two very diverse works that complement each other and show off the depth of talent within Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.

****1

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: PUUR is a challenging but relevant work

Graham Watts, 23rd March

A challenging work about birth, death and rebirth, superbly danced and thought provoking.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Grotesque and gripping: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unveils a new Salome in Antwerp