Strauss: Elektra - Varnay, Synek, Madeira, Esser, Meghor; Kaufmann. Wiesbaden, 1964
$9.95
Description:
In college I fell in love with Astrid Varnay's legendary performance of Elektra from Salzburg, 1964 conducted by Karajan. As iconic as that performance was, I can honestly say she hits an even higher mark with this one. Everything about the voice is working perfectly, and one gets the sense that she is holding back absolutely nothing. The true achievement may be how she scales back her voice for some of the more intimate moments—no easy feat after spending more than an hour in pitched battle with a 110-piece orchestra.
Liane Synek matches Varnay's intensity and abandon without any trace of the hardness that would eventually creep into her voice. Jean Madeira manages to find moments of beauty as Klytämnestra without white-washing the grotesque aspects of the character.
The orchestral playout after the Elektra/Klytämnestra scene is missing from this recording.
In Mono
OD 11943-2
