Elektra

Richard Strauss (1864–1949)

DESCRIPTION

Recorded in her vocal prime, Ursula Schröder-Feinen proves herself an Elektra of exceptional stature, wielding both the sheer vocal amplitude necessary to contend with Strauss’ massive orchestration and a striking sensitivity to musical detail. Her approach reveals a finely etched understanding of the score, at moments suggesting the lyricism of Strauss’ Lieder rather than the opera’s brutal core.

Opposite her, Gwyneth Jones—a notable Elektra in her own right—brings to Chrysothemis a vocal presence of such comparable force that it subtly reconfigures the dramatic architecture. The familiar contrast between the sisters is here unsettled by an unexpected parity of power. Jones’ Chrysothemis is no fragile counterpart but matches Elektra in resolve; her strength lies in her unyielding determination to escape the trauma that binds them. Her longing for a life beyond the palace walls is imbued with the same steely clarity as Elektra's, no less potent for being directed toward renewal rather than revenge.

Christa Ludwig, as Klytämnestra, completes the central trio with a welcome richness of tone. Yet in the passage depicting the queen’s tortured dreamscape, the accuracy of her pitches wanders from Strauss’ notated path. One might attribute this to interpretive liberty, but the vocal line is so integral to Strauss’ intricate harmonies that the deviation registers less as expression and more as imprecision.

CAST

Elektra – Ursula Schröder-Feinen
Chrysothemis – Gwyneth Jones
Klytämnestra – Christa Ludwig
Aegisth – Hans Beirer
Orest – Theo Adam
Der Pfleger des Orest – Frederick Guthrie
Die Vertraute – Axelle Gall
Die Schleppträgerin – Margarethe Bence
Ein junger Diener – Karl Terkal
Ein alter Diener – Alois Pernerstorfer
Die Aufseherin – Szófia Peterdy
Fünf Mägde – Margarethe Bence, Axelle Gall, Gertrude Jahn, Milkana Nikolova, Lotte Rysanek

DETAILS

Location: Wien
Date: October 11, 1977
Conductor: Horst Stein
Catalogue Number: OD 12298-2
Label: Opera Depot
Number of Discs: 2
In Mono

NOTE

NEW MASTER
Pitch corrected and sound improved.