From ‘Killing Beauty’ (Shā Lè Měi) to ‘Killing Me’: On the North American Premiere of McVicar’s Salome
By Elizabeth Jia Before attending the dress rehearsal of Salome at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, I had braced myself. Having been forewarned that the opera isn’t exactly “easy on the ears,” I had playfully pre-translated its title using a Chinese pun. The standard Chinese transliteration of Salome is “莎乐美” (Shā Lè Měi). By shifting the tones and characters slightly, it becomes “杀了美” (Shāle Měi), which literally means “Killing Beauty”—a fitting jab at my anticipated aural assaul
