Elektra (1989 TV Movie) User Reviews

Brilliant production of an operatic masterpiece

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 8 October 2011]

I love opera, and I have always been very fond of Strauss' music. Elektra is not my absolute favourite of Strauss' operas, that's Der Rosenkavalier, but for me it is perhaps his most powerful. While I highly recommend the 1981 and 1994 productions and the 1980 Met performance is perhaps the best available, this production is brilliant. In fact I don't think I have yet seen an Elektra that I have been less than enthralled with.

The costumes and sets are nothing fancy, but they aren't meant to be. Actually considering the tone of the opera, I think they're very good. The lighting also helps to enhance the atmosphere. Musically, it's wonderful. Strauss' score has nothing to fault it, Klytemnestra's murder scene is so chilling, and the orchestra play this difficult yet riveting music superbly and Claudio Abbado's conducting is nothing short of rock solid.

Elektra's(1989) sound quality doesn't harm the dramatic impact of the opera at all, and the video directing and picture quality are first rate.

All the productions I have seen of Elektra have had great singing. This is no exception. While Eva Marton is past prime, having a wobble in her voice, the voice itself still has its power, and dramatically Marton is a revelation. It is every bit as good, if not better, than her Turandot and Tosca, and I think better than her La Gioconda, Leonora(Il Trovatore) and Elisabeth(Tannhauser) performances, though I liked her very much in all those roles and think her a great artist.

For me of all the Elektras, though Deborah Voight and Leonie Rysanek are amazing too, only Birgit Nilsson for me is more thrilling. Marton has a wonderful support cast, Franz Grundheber is a good Orest(his and Marton's duet is just exquisite here) and Cheryl Studer is a commanding Chrystothemis. Walking away with the acting and singing honours is Brigite Fassbaender as the demented mother Klyntemnestra.

I cannot think of enough superlatives to describe how phenomenal Fassbaender's performance is. Vocally, she is sly and powerful, and while I admire Astrid Varnay very much in the role, Fassbaender literally has evil and repulsiveness dripping off her, and it is so riveting to watch.

All in all, simply brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Most Thrilling Elektra Ever Staged

[FloatingOpera7 · 10/10 · 4 May 2006]

Strauss'Elektra (1989): Eva Marton, Cheryl Studer, Brigitte Fassbaender, James King, Franz Grundheber, Conductor Claudio Abbado, Vienna State Opera Orchestra And Chorus, Director Brian Large.

This 1989 Vienna State Opera production of Richard Strauss' Elektra is, for me, the greatest and most thrilling version ever staged, despite the fact that many cherish and praise the unforgettable 1980 Met performance starring the one and only Birgit Nilsson, now deceased. Italian conductor Claudio Abbado masterfully handles the dramatic, pulsating, dissonant score. Soprano Eva Marton is a revelation as Elektra. Her volcanic voice is wholly suited to this role, and while perhaps she may not be singing it the same way she sings her heavy roles-Brunhilde, Tosca, Turandot, she completely morphs into the character and taps into Elektra's tormented, psychotic nature. I can't begin to describe how her Elektra thrilled me. I was completely blown away. If you don't know the story, Elektra is a tragic figure of ancient Greek lore, and this opera was drawn from Sophocles' play. Elektra is the daughter of King Agamemnon, who had fought in the Trojan War. When he returns home, he finds that his wife Clytemnestra (Brigit Fasbaender in fine performance) has betrayed him with another man, Aegisth (James King) who together murdered Agamemnon. Together with her sister Chrysothemis (Cheryl Studer) they await for the arrival of Orestes (Fraz Grundheber) whom they had sent away. Upon his return, they will carry out their revenge by killing their mother and her lover. This production was quite modern-looking, and not designed to resemble older Elektra performances, which mostly resembled Greek theater. Special lighting reveal moments of tension, suffering, love, violence and even mystery. There is a lot of darkness which the characters emerge out of and disappear into. There is even a flogging conducted on stage. The violence and dread has never been heavier. The costume and art design seems to reflect Art Nouveau, which was the prevalent artistic and architectural style of Richard Strauss' time. We see a lot of red to stand for both royalty and blood, Eva Marton, a stout woman, is attired so that she can be confused for a man, obviously to indicate she had as much resolve as a man, though she must ultimately wait for Orestes to take action. Dramatic tenor James King, a great figure of Wagnerian opera in the later 20th century, shows no sign of wear and tear despite his old age and performs the part with great aplomb. It is unfortunate that his part is a lesser light to the ladies, who quite frankly own this opera. German soprano Cheryl Studer successfully takes on a role that would normally slay a lyric soprano like her. As Chrysothemis, she equally as powerful and commanding in her singing and acting as Eva Marton's Elektra. Birgitte Fassbaender's Queen Klytemnestra is sung in a rather subdued and sly manner, but she completely gets the wicked and duplicitous aspect of the Queen. The three females in this opera are remarkable, the likes of which I've never seen before. The finale, in which Elektra expires after her exaltation, just as Orestes arrives, stained in blood but triumphant, is phenomenal. This is one of the greater Elektras you are likely to see in opera.