Elektra

ELEKTRA, DRAMATIC INTENSITY ACCORDING TO STRAUSS

Elektra, composed in 1909 by Richard Strauss, is one of the most powerful and moving operas in the repertoire. Inspired by the ancient tragedy by Euripides and the libretto by the famous Viennese poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, this one-act opera plunges into the heart of vengeance, madness and implacable destiny. The work, marked by monumental orchestration and unprecedented dramatic tension, is often hailed as one of Strauss's greatest achievements, in which musical expressionism reaches its apogee.

Set in the palace of the Atrides, the plot follows Elektra, obsessed by the idea of avenging the death of her father Agamemnon, murdered by her mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Elektra, consumed by hatred, desperately awaits the return of her brother Orestes to carry out her longed-for revenge. Strauss's music, with its extraordinarily rich orchestration, conveys the violence of the passions that drive the characters, especially Elektra, whose madness and obsession are embodied in intense, heart-rending vocal lines.