No, not the Jennifer Garner opus, but Richard Strauss' most forward-thinking opera, in a production which may leave some viewers wanting to wash their hands afterwards.
If dodecaphony was seeded in the tonal ambiguity of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, that seed was liberally watered several decades later by Richard Strauss' Elektra, a one act opera which fairly bristles with dissonance and modernist orchestral techniques. Strauss, who was always able to cull ravishing melody out of even the most advanced orchestral thinking, perhaps even more so than Wagner, in Elektra took one giant leap forward into polytonalism and a frankly anti-melodic approach (at least at times) which singles this piece out as probably the most radical of the great composer's career. In fact, Strauss beat a rather hasty retreat back into more traditional harmonies and structures after Elektra, as if to say, compositionally speaking, okay, I've been there and done that, and it's time for a pretty tune or two. This new Blu-ray offers a challenging and at times patently distasteful and morally decrepit production that nonetheless features a completely unforgettable lead performance in the title role by Eva Johansson.
The striking unit set which makes this 'Elektra' play more like it's taking place in an asylum than in a palace.
That nutball Oedipus had nothing on Elektra, the distaff version of a conflicted child wreaking havoc on their hapless parents. In case, you're not familiar with the Sophoclean tragedy from which librettist Hugo von Hoffmannstahl culled first a dramatic play and then this version, Elektra is out for one thing: revenge. That lust for vengeance is the result of her mother having murdered her father and then shacking up with her co-conspirator, a familiar tragic trope that spills into various works for literally centuries afterward (Hamlet, anyone?). While there is a coterie of supporting characters populating Elektra, including her meek sister Chrysothemis (Melanie Diener), her evil mother Klytämnestra (Marjana Lipovšek), and her exiled brother Orest (Alfred Muff), Elektra is, really, a one woman show, a virtuosic and exhausting hour and forty minute trip through some of the most convoluted soprano writing in all of the operatic repertoire.
I'm not sure if this 2005 Zurich Opera House production, directed by Martin Kusej, qualifies for what I've termed EuroTrash, reworkings of classic works that degrade and at times deride their source material in the service of what I at least see as the director's hubris. If it doesn't quite sink to that level, due to some really quite interesting ideas in its physical production, it at least comes awfully close, especially in scenes like the opening where the court's handmaidens look like Berlin exiles from Cabaret, in fishnet stockings, including several cross-dressing males. That sort of smarmy undercurrent runs through large swaths of this production, with half naked men and women running to and fro in orgiastic displays which are obviously meant to convey the moral decrepitude of the family in which Elektra finds herself.
What ultimately saves this production is the astounding production design, which finds the entire opera performed in a rather Kafka-esque unit set that seems to be the nightmarish version of a courtyard, with multiple doors on either side leading upstage through which various characters enter. On the raked stage is a bizarre lumpy amalgamation of various carpets, rugs which seem to be covering what some may imagine are the corpses of murdered family members, rather a propos considering the reason for Elektra's angst. (This uneven flooring does make for some unintended hilarity, especially in the bows, when members of the ensemble look almost afraid to walk due to a fear of falling over—watch for it). And Kusej does at least occasionally address the classical origins of the piece in such moments as Chrysothemis' first entrance, when she is backlit and dressed in a flowing white gown, making her the very vision of a Greek goddess. These attempts are balanced (if not undercut, as I suspect some viewers will feel) by the decision to clad Elektra as a punk, in a hoody and sweats, obviously to set her apart from the supposed sophisticates that are otherwise running amok in her family's palace.
One thing that can't be understated is the ferocity of Johansson's performance as Elektra. Opera stars are often faulted for their lack of acting chops, but Johansson's depiction of madness here is unforgettable, for better or worse, frightening and visceral and brimming with a manic energy which is infrequently seen on the opera stage. The great Marjana Lipovšek sings beautifully as Klytämnestra but seems perhaps embarrassed to be a part of a production this blatantly unseemly. Melanie Diener counterbalances Johansson's hyperbole with a nicely understated turn as Chrysothemis, and Muff as well as the largely wasted Rudolf Schasching as evil paramour Aegisth have compelling moments. (Aegisth is portrayed in this version almost as something akin to comedy relief, a rather strange juxtaposition considering the opera's general emotional tenor).
This is some of the most gargantuan music Strauss ever wrote (something quite remarkable when you take his mammoth tone poems into consideration). Elektra, much like Salome, isn't always an "easy" listen, but it contains some of Strauss' most gut wrenching music. This production may strike some viewers as too sordid for its own good, but the unforgettable Eva Johansson may overcome most of those qualms for many.
Elektra arrives on Blu-ray with an excellently detailed image courtesy of an AVC encode. As you will see from the screenshots, this is a production which delights in huge contrasts--some scenes are bathed in near blackness, and at other times, when the "asylum" doors are opened and gigantic backlit arc beams shine through, you feel like you're awash in a sea of white. Through it all, the Blu-ray affords superior contrast, with deeply inky black levels and, conversely, vibrant whites that never bloom. The palette, while somewhat subdued, does pop when it's afforded that opportunity, with some striking blues and reds.
Unfortunately, Strauss' unusually huge orchestra overwhelms the singers throughout this production. I actually wondered if it were due to my choosing the DTS HD-MA 7.1 option, but, alas, the PCM Stereo mix exhibited the same imbalance between the incredible instrumental forces (under the direction of the redoubtable Christoph von Dohnanyi) and the equally incredible, though often inaudible, singers. In fact at one point, Aegisth declaims, "Can no one hear me?" and I thought he was referring to this particular recording. Balance issues aside, this is a wonderfully recorded presentation, with the frequently acerbic orchestral asides brilliantly reproduced here, bitter comments by bassoons and flutes writhing around the loud insistence of the brass. When you can clearly hear the singers, they sound marvelous indeed, with Johansson's bravura soprano able to punch through the orchestral mass more frequently than some of the other singers.
The BD itself contains none, which I found rather odd considering the relatively brief running time of Elektra. The insert booklet does have a rather thoughtful essay and a plot synopsis.
Elektra is a challenging opera, and this production is in itself even more of a challenge. The production design and Johansson's commanding performance are huge pluses, but the smarmy embellishments of director Kusej may turn potential audience members away.
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