Today's Pick: Florent Schmitt, The Tragedy of Salome, 1907 Version (Conducted by Altinoglu)

Florent Schmitt:
The Tragedy of Salome, Op. 50 (Complete 1907 Original Version)
Élégie for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 24
Alpha, ALPHA941
Amber Blade (soprano)
Philipp Stubenrauch (cello)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alain Altinoglu
Recording dates: January 2021, June 2022

In May 1907, Richard Strauss's (1864–1949) opera Salome was performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and achieved great success. Robert d'Humières, the artistic director of the Théâtre des Arts (now the Théâtre Hébertot), wanted to capitalize on that success and decided to produce a stage work with the same protagonist, Salome, for which he wrote the libretto himself. This production was a pantomime featuring the American dancer Loie Fuller as the heroine, with music by Florent Schmitt (1870–1958), and it premiered on November 9, 1907. The conductor for this performance was the future master conductor Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht.
(Incidentally, Loie Fuller was popular at the time for her stage performances in which she danced while freely manipulating several giant veils. There is a theory that the piece "Voiles" (Sails) from Claude Debussy's Préludes, Book I, was actually written about the "veils" manipulated by Fuller. Since the Préludes contain several numbers based on popular shows, this theory seems quite plausible.)
This The Tragedy of Salome differs significantly from R. Strauss's version in terms of its story. While Strauss's Salome seduces John the Baptist and, angered by his refusal, seeks to bring about his death, this young girl follows the biblical account, dancing only as her mother commands, with no intention of John dying at all. Because of this, she is shocked to learn that she is the cause of John's execution, and she seizes his head and throws it into the sea. The plot of this stage work concludes with the sea turning the color of blood as a signal, and the world collapsing. Furthermore, Schmitt's music is not sensual or luxurious in the sense of Orientalism, but rather barbaric and powerful. It is said that this was strongly influenced by the images of Islamic societies in Morocco and Turkey that he visited while studying in Rome after winning the Prix de Rome. His Psalm 47, composed in 1906, which led to him being commissioned for this music, was also deeply connected to such barbarism.
Now, Schmitt's 1907 music was about an hour long, and due to the constraints of a small theater, the score was written for a small orchestra of about 20 musicians. The version of The Tragedy of Salome known today is one that was adapted for a large orchestra and shortened to about half its original length. That version premiered as a concert suite on January 8, 1911, by the Colonne Orchestra conducted by Gabriel Pierné, and was later staged as a ballet by the Ballets Russes and Natalia Trouhanova, among others.
For a long time, only the suite version of this work was known, but the first draft used in the 1907 premiere was recorded in 1991 by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Patrick Davin and released on the Marco Polo (Naxos) label, who recently and regrettably passed away. Later, in 2023, Les Apaches! conducted by Julien Masmondet was released, recorded with a small orchestra of 21 musicians that recreated the instrumentation of the premiere. Therefore, this recording by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (hr-Sinfonieorchester) conducted by Alain Altinoglu is the third recording of this original version.
Now, as I just noted, Masmondet recreated the instrumentation of the premiere, recording with a small ensemble of two first violins, two second violins, two violas, two cellos, and one double bass, but both Davin and Altinoglu in this recording use a standard orchestra. In particular, while the Altinoglu disc seems to be conscious of the original instrumentation, with the wind solos recorded with a somewhat close-up feel, the strings possess an unmistakable thickness. This might seem like a betrayal of the original version. Indeed, the chamber-like transparency and the intertwining of instruments with a certain rawness that the Masmondet disc showcased are not present here.
However, this is not a problem that can be dismissed simply as a betrayal of the original work. I wrote earlier that the characteristic of this piece is its barbarism, and the power required to realize that barbarism is difficult to cultivate with a small ensemble. The Masmondet disc was recorded after many stage performances, and that power is sufficiently compensated for by a seasoned ensemble, but even so, it cannot produce the sound of a full-sized orchestra's tutti. In addition, as far as the score of the later suite version shows, it does not seem that the sound was noticeably altered when it was revised for a large orchestra. If that is the case, it is possible that the scoring here was intended for performance by a larger ensemble from the start. If so, the option of daring to perform and record with an increased number of string players cannot be thoughtlessly excluded when performing the original version. Considering these points, I think this choice of instrumentation is acceptable. It might be a performance that draws out the potential of the score while considering continuity with the sound of the later suite version.
Altinoglu's performance employs an orchestra that boasts excellent ensemble skills, and based on a somewhat neutral and clean singing style and sound production, it is likable in that it allows the listener to hear powerful music that makes full use of the orchestra's dynamics, while remaining sophisticated and never becoming overly grandiose. Although the Masmondet disc, which excels in the balance of sound that reproduces the premiere's sound and in the maturity of its narrative, would be more suitable as a first choice for the original version, it is also true that the appeal of this sound is irresistible.