Why was Richard Strauss’s opera Salome considered controversial when it premiered?

Richard Strauss’s 1905 opera Salome was considered controversial primarily because it was regarded by many contemporaries as blasphemous and obscene.1

The opera, based on the play by Oscar Wilde, depicts a highly provocative narrative. In the work, Herod Antipas is portrayed as lusting after his stepdaughter, Salome, while Salome herself becomes obsessed with John the Baptist. After John the Baptist spurns her, Salome satisfies her corrupt desires by kissing the lips of his severed head. Additionally, the opera features the "Dance of the Seven Veils," an erotic performance that became synonymous with the character, further fueling the perception of the work as scandalous.2

Due to these themes, the opera faced significant pushback; for instance, the censor in Vienna famously forbade Gustav Mahler from staging the production. Despite this initial controversy, the opera was a major success, and the royalties from its performances allowed Strauss to build his villa in Garmisch.1