Let's face it: if Gladys Kuchta were making her career today she'd be a major star. The voice has a richness and steadiness that are, unfortunately, uncommon today. Alright, her two top Cs are a little under pitch here, but everything else is in place. She embodies the character without going overboard too. Hillebrecht is a very good Chrysothemis with ringing high notes and Madeira with her baritonal contralto is a formidable Klytemnestra. I wish she had performed her own screams, but whoever does them is excellent. The rest of the cast is equally good with Jorge Algorta standing out in the tiny role of Orest's tutor. I love the laughter of the Maids as they cheerfully beat the Fifth Maid, an unusual, chilling touch. Von Matacic leads an exciting, more evenly paced performance. He doesn't plod, yet neither does he rush through the score.The sound is from an very good broadcast. All Elektra fans should hear Kuchta in the title role.

Gladys Kuchta was one of several fine *hochdrammatische* sopranos who were eclipsed in their prime by the luster of Birgit Nilsson. Here she demonstrates vocalism that would be star-quality today, with an easy top and relentless stamina. The Recognition Scene is exceptionally beautiful (Angelo Mattiello makes a good, young-sounding Orest). She also holds her own with Jean Madeira's fascinatingly weird Klytaemnestra, she of the booming chest tones. Unlike Kuchta, Madeira sometimes sacrifices vocalism for effect and notes shoot wide of the pitch. Hildegard Hillebrecht was an also-ran in the dramatic soprano sweepstakes of the Sixties and early Seventies, and her hit-and-miss singing (mostly miss) indicates the reason. For lagniappe, Gerhard Unger supplies an exceptionally vivid Aegisth. Lovro von Matacic keeps his eye on the larger picture of the score, sacrificing some of its grislier instrumental effects for the sake of making music in paragraphs, not sentences. The audience's cathartic response at the end validates him (and Kuchta). The stereo broadcast sound tends to overload at *forte*, of which ELEKTRA has no shortage.

Elektra has been surprisingly well served on disc considering how notoriously difficult it is to cast, especially today. This particular recording is remarkable because of the overall strength of the cast. All the singers are well-parted, and there's no one real standout who steals the show. Hildegard Hillebrecht's Chrysothemis reveals great dramatic range from her feverish Ich hab's wie Feuer in der Brust to an appropriately limpid sob when she cries out for Elektra. I was actually going to use the exact word "winsome" before I read it in the product description. Jean Madeira is a formidable Klytämnestra, and is just as good here as in her more famous performance with Borkh/Böhm. The only flaw is that Gladys Kuchta did not have a high C on the night this performance was captured (in very good to excellent sound throughout, I might add), and her pianissimo Ab and Bb in the Recognition Scene are slightly under pitch (a common fault in this demanding role). These minor faults are not enough to detract from the overall impact of her interpretation. If you're as obsessed with this opera as I am, this is a recording you shouldn't miss.