Listen to a Sample:

So as not to deceive my beloved customers, I will lead with the fact that the quality of this recording is not very good (see the sample below.) That said, if you love this opera as well as excellent singing and excellent conducting than this might be worth your while. Georg Solti created a legendary recording of this opera with Birgit Nilsson and Regina Resnik who also join him in this performance. As red-hot as that recording was, unfettered by the logistical concerns of recording schedules and multiple takes, this performance is even more “electrifying.” He pushes the tempi even further in this performance whipping the players of Covent Garden into a frenzy. Birgit Nilsson sings the title role, harnessing all of the characters single-minded vengeance and channeling it in the form of gleaming high notes that must have been deafening in the house. Regina Resnik, no stranger to the role of Klytämnestra, displays a woman who is both broken yet hasn’t forgotten that she is still queen. Helga Dernesch is an interesting addition as Chrysothemis and although the role may be slightly out of her comfort zone, she manages the most challenging moments intelligently and never sacrifices any of the unique color of her instrument. Charles Craig almost sounds too beautiful for the role of Ägisth, and Donald McIntyre is in excellent voice as Orest.

OD 11151-2