The fact that Anja Silja was able to pull off singing Elektra at such a young age and survive tells us a lot about the strength of her technique. That she dropped the role after only a few productions tells us even more about how astute she was concerning her vocal health. She is in excellent shape here, easily dispatching every high note, and biting into the text with uncommon ferocity. If you don't like her this performance won't convince you otherwise, but if you're a fan you must hear everything available, including this performance. Opera Depot has another recording available from French radio that is in far better sound so I'd recommend beginning there. Silja fans will want to have both.Brouwenstijn is a lovely Chrysothemis. I agree with Andy's assessment above that she and Silja sound like they could be sisters. Madeira was always a fine Klytemnestra and is memorable here as well. The rest of the cast is very good, including a young Cristina Deutekom, easily identifiable as the Fifth Maid. Renner conducts with fire and precision.The uneven in-house sound is a stumbling block. At times the voices are quite clear. Other moments sound murky and take some patience. This is not a recording for Elektra newbies.For fans of the singers.

This is a bit like Leonardo’s Last Supper: you need some imagination to appreciate it.I might be biased as I was lucky to hear & SEE Silja perform a lot from the early seventies (& subsequently working with her) so I can imagine the impact she must have made as a 26 year old Elektra! Not the mature ‘Hochdramatische’ but searing, white-glowing, risking everything. One understands why she, wisely, didn't continue to sing this role. Another plus is that you can understand almost every word (which can not be said of the Orest!) Great Klytämnestra & Chrysothomis. All that said: the sound quality needs getting used to but considering the few non-Wagnerian documents of this extraordinary artist: worth a stab!