THE HANGOVER REPORT – Nina Stemme stuns as ELEKTRA in Patrice Chéreau’s insightful new production at the Met

1380x591_elektraMy self-curated season at the Metropolitan Opera was recently brought to a smashing close by the late, great Patrice Chéreau’s deeply insightful new production of Elektra, Richard Strauss’s seething and sensational tone poem of an opera (itself based on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy about Agamemnon’s famously vengeful daughter). In the title role, powerhouse soprano Nina Stemme was nothing less than heroic, leading an inspired cast in a showcase of volcanic vocal and dramatic intensity that left the Met audience stunned and spent by the end of the relentless performance.

Mr. Chéreau’s psychologically astute production, which originally premiered in 2013 at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France (and is restaged here by Vincent Huguet), interprets the opera as an intimately-scaled family drama that inevitably escalates to a flailing frenzy that’s fully earned. In his vision, Mr. Chéreau paints a hopeless scenario in which communication has devolved to a state such that tragic outcomes for each of the family members is the only possible fate. No one wins. I was left speechless by the audacity of Mr. Chéreau’s stunted, penetrating, and brilliantly ambiguous conclusion, during which Elektra – the dirty deed having been done – is physically unable to lead the people in her much anticipated victory dance. Strauss’s triumphant music ecstatically swirls around her, as if mocking her. Have the gods punished Elektra for her (ineffectual) part in matricide? Is Elektra nothing more than a vessel for revenge and is therefore no longer continue? Was she delusional all along? Regardless of how you interpret it, the image is chilling to the bone.

Musically, the evening was masterful. Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen reigned in the considerable forces that’s notoriously needed for this intermission-less opera to produce an inspired – even sensitive – reading that only unleashed the mighty Met Orchestra’s full aural force at key dramatic moments. As mentioned, Ms. Stemme was a force of nature, vocally and dramatically mirroring the title character’s single-minded, emotionally-driven determination. The ever glamorous soprano Waltraud Meier, one of opera’s great singing actresses (even if her lower and mid registers aren’t what they used to be), gave a fascinatingly sympathetic portrayal of Klytamnestra (Elektra’s troubled mother) that added a unique dimension to the family dynamics. As Chrysothemis (Elektra’s soft, sensual sister), soprano Adrianne Pieczonka gave a vocally warm, gleaming performance, befitting the role. Bass-baritone Eric Owens’ booming voice and tortured portrayal gave Orest (Elektra’s returned brother) a tragic streak that was new to me.

This was one of those unforgettable benchmark nights at the opera that come around only so often. You only have one more opportunity to catch this Elektra this season. If you at all care for opera or theater, I encourage you not to miss it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

ELEKTRA
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 7

Categories: Music, Opera

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