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Elektra
Conventional wisdom holds that Elektra is a role best reserved for dramatic sopranos nearing the end of their careers—those with the technical experience to survive it or the willingness to spend their remaining vocal capital. Inge Borkh defied that logic, virtually owning the role throughout the 1950s and 60s while still in her 30s. The result is an Elektra of searing intensity, driven by single-minded vengeance yet never stripped of her royal bearing. Borkh's youthful timbre brings clarity and fire to the part, especially in her charged exchanges with Margarete Klose's Klytämnestra.
Klose, for her part, brings a surprising maternal pathos to the role. Despite Klytämnestra's monstrous crime, Klose's portrayal adds a tragic weight that underscores the opera's moral ambiguity. Ferdinand Frantz is a commanding and emotionally resonant Orest, and sharp ears will catch a young Christa Ludwig making an early impression as the First Maid.
As a bonus, the final 30 minutes of a performance of Salome from the same year has been included, featuring Borkh and Klose, along with Ludwig Suthaus as Herod. The sound of the excerpt is less ideal, but it offers a fascinating postscript to the Elektra performance.
Track List
Elektra
1. Wo bleibt Elektra?
2. Allein! Weh, ganz allein
3. Elektra!... Ah, das Gesicht!
4. Ich kann nicht sitzen
5. Es geht ein Lärm los
6. Was willst du? Seht doch, dort!
7. Ich will nichts hören
8. Ich habe keine guten Nächte
9. Wenn das rechte Blutopfer unter'm Beile fällt
10. Was bluten muss?
11. Orest ist tot!
12. Nun muss es hier von uns geschehn
13. Von jetzt an will ich deine Schwester sein
14. Was willst du, fremder Mensch?
2. Allein! Weh, ganz allein
3. Elektra!... Ah, das Gesicht!
4. Ich kann nicht sitzen
5. Es geht ein Lärm los
6. Was willst du? Seht doch, dort!
7. Ich will nichts hören
8. Ich habe keine guten Nächte
9. Wenn das rechte Blutopfer unter'm Beile fällt
10. Was bluten muss?
11. Orest ist tot!
12. Nun muss es hier von uns geschehn
13. Von jetzt an will ich deine Schwester sein
14. Was willst du, fremder Mensch?
15. Orest!... Es rührt sich niemand
16. Nein, du sollst mich nicht umarmen!
17. Ich habe ihm das Beil nicht geben können!
18. He! Lichter! Lichter!
19. Elektra! Schwester! komm mit uns!
20. Sie fahren dahin wie die Schärfe des Schwerts
16. Nein, du sollst mich nicht umarmen!
17. Ich habe ihm das Beil nicht geben können!
18. He! Lichter! Lichter!
19. Elektra! Schwester! komm mit uns!
20. Sie fahren dahin wie die Schärfe des Schwerts
BONUS: Salome Excerpts
21. Ah! Herrlich! Wundervoll, wundervoll!
22. Es ist kein Laut zu vernehmen
23. Du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lassen
24. Ah! Warum hast du mich nicht angesehn
25. Ah! Ich habe deinen Mund geküsst
22. Es ist kein Laut zu vernehmen
23. Du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lassen
24. Ah! Warum hast du mich nicht angesehn
25. Ah! Ich habe deinen Mund geküsst
Customer Reviews
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5.0
Based on 2 reviews
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Terrific Performance in Excellent Sound!
The cast here is superb. The emphasis is more on the text and the musical line, more so than would be the case if this had been performed in the theater. Borkh is intense, but she doesn't throw caution to the wind as she might have were she on stage. She sounds younger and more vulnerable than she normally did in this role while her singing is more controlled. Her two top Cs are right on the money and she is very observant of the correct rhythms. Kupper's rather curdled vibrato won't appeal to everyone, yet she was fine singer and actress. Her top notes soar like one wants them to and she is an excellent contrast to Borkh. Klose was a truly great singer, her rich, smooth contralto still under control. Her Klytemnestra is more regal and less frazzled than many others. She doesn't indulge in the hysterical laughter at the end of her big scene with Elektra (strangely, she also doesn't speak the words "Lichter! Mehr Lichter!" as written by the composer). Frantz and Bensing are first-rate in their brief, but important roles. The young Christa Ludwig is easily distinguishable as the First Maid. The other parts are characterized and sung just as well. Schröder leads a slower, more deliberately paced performance than I've heard in awhile.The sound is excellent. The last thirty minutes of the filler Salome are electrifying (pun intended). Borkh provides a different type of intensity for Salome. Suthaus is a vivid Herod (he ducks the high B-flat at the end).
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✓ Verified Buyer
Denmark
