San Giovanni Battista, June 2025

I saw Stradella's opera San Giovanni Battista at Catapult Opera on June 11, 2025. This was my third Salome opera in four months, a record I'm sure will never be broken (at least by me):

February: Heartbeat Opera's production of Strauss's Salome (the oddball chamber version with eight clarinet players)

May: the Met's production of Strauss's Salome

June: Catapult's San Giovanni Battista

I knew going there that it was a Baroque opera being done in a modern production. I'm not sure I had heard any Stradella before and the program notes were super helpful - - I think of Baroque opera as being either Handel or French (Rameau, Lully, Charpentier, etc). This opera was written ten years before Handel was BORN and it made me think this was the kind of Italian opera he would have been hearing, this was the template he was using for his own operas. And let's not forget that though Handel wrote his operas in Italian he himself was German. Maybe I'm essentializing, but I'd describe the Stradella as being more sunny than Handel. You can feel that warm, Italian sun in the music. Bravo to Neal Goren (previously of Gotham Chamber Opera) for conducting with such crisp rhythm and varied color.

The opera itself (originally an oratorio but why split hairs) was fascinating with gorgeous music and impressive opportunities for the singers. Catapult used the same solution as Heartbeat had used for Faust - - dispose of the chorus and have the handful of lead singers do the occasional chorus. I was pleased they did it in Italian (with titles projected onto the wall behind the set).

The venue was the same decaying old church where I had seen the Heartbeat Salome. Here's a picture of the set:

Counter tenor Randall Scotting played the title character, John the Baptist, looking super sexy in his denim and boots Brokeback getup. He has a gorgeous, golden voice, unusually rich and warm for a counter tenor. He's resolutely manly in his appearance, a burly guy with a rugged beard - - a fascinating counterpart to him singing in such a high register.

Soprano Raven McMillon played Salome. I heard her in the Met auditions online in 2021 and while I wasn't impressed with her she was one of the winners. Clearly the judges heard something I didn't because she was spectacular in this. A creamy sound, high notes for days, a firm middle voice, she'll have some Verdi and Puccini in her future for sure. She had a great feeling for the style and for the Italian. She was especially impressive in one of Salome's arias late in the show. Stradella wrote her an extended line that went bit by bit from her low voice to her high voice. I saw in the program notes that Maria Callas had recorded this role early in her career and whoa, I want to hear that.

Bass Joseph Beutel was Herod. He has a firm voice and his low notes were generally nice and strong (a bass's low notes are just as essential as a soprano's or tenor's high notes). His rage aria in the first act was impressive. He and Scotting had sizzling chemistry - - director Timothy Nelson set up the show so that Herod and J the B had history, something barely hinted at in the libretto. It was made super overt in this staging with some snuggling and a few kisses. Hm!

Soprano Olanna Goudeau was Salome's mother, Herodias. She was the one slightly weak link of the singers, her voice had a lovely sound but wasn't really right for this rep. It was too fluttery, I often couldn't discern the pitch, especially when she was singing some of the rapid-fire coloratura that these Italian Baroque composers love to write. The notes sounded sort of approximated.

Tenor Patrick Bessenbacher was the Councilor, sort of an advisor to Herod. He was good, he didn't sacrifice clarity for warmth. Like everyone in the cast, he totally gave himself to the director's vision.

The staging was full of wonderful touches. Do you see the rectangular rock-like thing center stage in the picture? J the B stood on top of that at the start of the show in his aria when he said goodbye to his followers before going to Herod's court. The rocky texture of the set piece and the dappled lighting gave the impression of him being in a forest somewhere in spite of the tacky 70s flowered wallpaper directly behind him. The magic of the theatre.

A white cloth was placed over it in the next scene, in Herod's house. Herodias brought out a birthday cake, they were celebrating Herod's birthday - - goofy hats, candles, the whole bit. Salome sang an aria to Herod over by the TV after the party. She cut the hair off one of her Barbie dolls and removed its head. A clever bit of foreshadowing.

J to B showed up and talked truth to power, urging Herod to remember their previous life together (ahem) and cast aside his wicked ways. Herod spurned him - - the rock structure was spun and became a cage! J the B was placed in the cage, making me think back to an episode of HBO's Real Sex back in the 90s when they visited a store on Castro Street in San Francisco.

There were some fascinating overlaps with the Oscar Wilde play and Strauss opera - - Herod offers Salome half of his kingdom in both and Salome asks for J the B's head on a platter, also in both. Salome is her mother's puppet in this version while in the Wilde she's completely self-driven.

The tenor put on the apron (the one Herodias had worn earlier when frosting the birthday cake) and went to into the cage with a knife (the same one used to slice the cake) to cut of J the B's head. Herodias watched this with a mixture of horror and delight. As expected, the head was placed on the platter in the middle of the cake. Creepy as hell.

Herod had a brief aria talking to the head and eventually kissing it. The opera ended with him remorseful and Salome triumphant.

Here's my future sister-in-law Sonya Yoncheva singing Salome's lament: