Description
RICHARD STRAUSS: ELEKTRA / Philharmonia Chor Wien / OPUS ARTE
UPC: 809478010463
- Aspect Ratio : 1.78:1
- MPAA rating : Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 5.47 x 0.71 x 7.56 inches; 4.37 Ounces
- Director : Andreas Morell
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Widescreen, Color, NTSC, Classical
- Release date : January 25, 2011
- Actors : René Kollo, Albert Dohmen, Manuela Uhl, Linda Watson, Jane Henschel
- Subtitles : German, English, French, Spanish
- Producers : Magdalena Herbst
- Language : German (DTS 5.1), German (PCM Stereo)
- Studio : Opus Arte
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
Summary
The richness and intensity of Richard Strauss's masterful one-act opera, in Herbert Wernicke's compelling production, vividly portrays the relentless pursuit and ecstatic realisation of vengeance. Linda Watson, as a merciless Elektra, joins Jane Henschel as Klytämnestra and Manuela Uhl as Chrysothemis to head a magnificent cast which sees commanding performances also from Albert Dohmen as Orest and René Kollo as Aegisth. The Munich Philharmonic, under the exquisite direction of Christian Thielemann, brilliantly captures the score's dual demands for overwhelming power and finely balanced delicacy throughout. Recorded in High Definition and true surround sound.
Sung in German with subtitles in English, French, German and Spanish.
Conducted by Christian Thielemann, this performance was the sensation of the 2010 Baden-Baden Festival. A one-act masterpiece inspired by Greek mythology, it is a dense, jagged cry for justice and vengeance. With its powerfully expressive chords, spooky waltz rhythms and mad dance of triumph, it shakes the audience to the core. Herbert Wernicke's legendary production for the Bayerische Staatsoper stands out for its clear lines, classical structural elements and striking colour contrasts. Linda Watson, one of the great Wagnerian sopranos of today, superbly masters her role debut as Elektra, one of opera's most demanding roles.
"Watson has physical stature, an expressive face...the necessary intelligence and a suitable instrument, which is saying a great deal in this most formidable of roles...[Henschel] makes a capital Klytämnestra, lavishing lovelier tone on the role than it usually receives...Never do Christian Thielemann and the Munich Philharmonic overwhelm the singers: they make chamber music, in effect, with no bombast whatever. " (International Record Review)
"Perhaps taking its cue from Electra's repeated cry of 'Allein!' ('Alone!') the production presents all its characters as both alone and alienated from one another...Possibly in reaction to the statuesque starkness of the staging, Thielemann seems to want to tone down the score's mythic violence and tease out its moments of human (essentially womanly) warmth. " (BBC Music Magazine ★★★)
