MUSIC: Strauss 'Elektra', ORTF France 1964 (Silja, Lindholm, Madeira, Nienstedt, Giraudeau)

Strauss 'Elektra', ORTF France 1964
(Silja, Lindholm, Madeira, Nienstedt, Giraudeau)

 

ELEKTRA

Opera by Richard Strauss

Elektra - Anja Silja

Chrysothemis - Berit Lindholm

Klytemnestra - Jean Madeira

Orest - Gerd Nienstedt

Aegisth - Jean Giraudeau

Orchestra ORTF

Conducted by Georges Sebastian

France, 1964

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OUTLINE

(00:00) - Elektra's monologue. Elektra vividly recounts seeing her father being murdered by his wife and her concubine lover. She vows to restore his honor and offer sacrificial dances and to slaughter his murderers.

(09:20) - Procession and entrance of Klytemnestra. She had a nightmare about Orest strangling her to death and the whole household is awake, doing sacrificial rituals to banish her nightmares.

(19:24) - Klytemnestra wishes to speak to Elektra alone and reveals her troubles to Elektra. There has to be magical rites and to find the correct sacrifice so her nightmares would finally end.

(25:48) - Elektra reveals that she knows the rites and who should be sacrificed, playing a guessing game with her mother

(30:12) - Elektra reveals that her mother Klytemnestra herself should be the one to be sacrificed and killed so all nightmares would end.

(31:59) - Klytemnestra receives news that Orest is dead and goes back into the house, bursting into hysterical laughter as she is ecstatic with the good news

(34:26) - Orest tells Elektra that her brother is alive. Elektra does not recognize her brother, that he is alive, but he gives her a hint and she comes to the realization that it is Orest she is speaking to.

(40:19) - Murder of Klytemnestra and Aegisth

(47:58) - Chrysothemis rushes into the scene to deliver news that Orest has come home and will be their savior.

(53:52) - Elektra bursts into a frenzied dance and then suddenly falls dead on the floor (the dance was probably more exhausting the The Rite Of Spring?). Her sister calls out for help but nobody hears them.

(57:43) - Super coloratura aria from Mozart's Queen Of The Night.

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