Strauss: Elektra

Strauss: Elektra

1980
1h 50m
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Overview

It's hard to imagine confirmed Straussians not wanting this starry Metropolitan Opera performance of Elektra. Strauss and his librettist, Hugo von Hofmannstahl, transformed Sophocles' take on Homer's tale into a harrowing opera noir. Elektra lives for one reason, to kill her mother, Klytämnestra, and her stepfather, Aegisth, the murderers of her father, Agamemnon. In contrast to Elektra's vengeful obsession, her sister Chrysothemis desires to get on with life. When their long-missing brother, Orestes, returns to do the deed, Elektra celebrates with a dance of death and, her sole purpose in life fulfilled, dies. Strauss joined the hermetic plot to music of the utmost opulence, violent and yearning by turns, evoking the cardinal principles of Greek tragedy - pity and terror.

Status: Released

Language: EN

Production Information

Production Companies
Deutsche Grammophon The Metropolitan Opera
Production Countries
United States of America
Spoken Languages
German

Keywords

Quick Facts

Release Date February 16, 1980
Status Released
Language EN

Cast

Mignon Dunn
Mignon Dunn

Clitemnestra

Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson

Elektra

Leonie Rysanek
Leonie Rysanek

Crisotemis

Robert Nagy
Robert Nagy

Egisto

Donald McIntyre
Donald McIntyre

Orestes

John Cheek
John Cheek

Tutor de Orestes

James Levine
James Levine

Conductor

MET Orchestra
MET Orchestra

Key Crew

David Stivender
Director
Hugo von Hofmannstahl
Writer
Herbert Graf
Director