Opéra de Montréal presents

Elektra

In just one act, a steady build-up of tension, violence, and powerful emotions… a raging orchestra… voices taken to their limits… a high-calibre cast under the fiery baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. New sets designed by sculptor Victor Ochoa.

Synopsis:
Under the watchful eye of their overseer, some maids comment on the strange behaviour of Elektra who cries every evening over the death of her father Agamemnon, who was murdered by his wife Klytaemnestra and her lover Aegisth. Alone at last, Elektra invokes her father’s name, and again imagines his murder. She is obsessed with a single thought: to avenge her father’s death with the help of her exiled brother, Orest.

Elektra’s sister Chrysothemis arrives, in a worried state. She tells Elektra that Klytaemnestra and Aegisth have threatened to lock her in a tower. She also describes her dream of having children and leading a happy life. Elektra despises her sister’s weakness of character. Klytaemnestra is then heard approaching, accompanied by her retinue. Elektra wants to confront her mother. Chrysothemis tries in vain to dissuade her, and then slips away.

Klytaemnestra appears. Tormented by constant nightmares, she asks Elektra what sacrifice would be required to stop them. Elektra tells her that only her own death, at the hand of Orest, will bring the dreams to an end. A confidant enters and whispers into Klytaemnestra’s ear, revealing news that seems to delight her. Intrigued, Elektra watches her leave.

A horrified Chrysothemis returns, claiming that two strangers have come to announce Orest’s death. Elektra at first refuses to believe the news, then tries to convince her sister to help her kill Klytaemnestra and Aegisth. When Chrysothemis refuses, Elektra decides to act alone.

As Elektra is retrieving the axe that had been used to kill Agamemnon, one of the strangers who delivered the terrible news enters. Having recognized her, the stranger reveals his true identity: it is none other than Orest, her brother, whose return she had long been hoping for. Orest agrees to carry out the revenge and, soon after, Klytaemnestra’s screams of agony can be heard coming from inside the palace.

Through Chrysothemis and the maids, Elektra learns of Aegisth’s return. She greets him in an unusually friendly way and escorts him to the palace where, upon entering, he too will be killed. Her vengeance now complete, Elektra is overcome with joy and begins an ecstatic dance, at the end of which she collapses.

Cast:
Elektra: Lise Lindstrom
Chrysothémis: Nicola Beller Carbone
Clytemnestre: Agnes Zwierko
Oreste: Alan Held
Stage Director: Alain Gauthier
Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Orchestre Métropolitain
Production: Opéra de Montréal
Composer: Richard Strauss

For information and tickets: www.operademontreal.com  514-842-2112 or 1-866-842-2112

PREOPERA
A dynamic and “user-friendly” introduction to the performance. Hosted by musicologist Pierre Vachon, this get-together is like a journey into the heart of the work’s music and history, its libretto and its symbols, the production’s artists, etc.

• Language: in French with brief summary in English.
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Place: Piano Nobile, salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
• Time: 6:30 pm
• Cost: Free for subscribers; $5 for general public
Anyone who wishes to attend the PreOpera talk must have a valid ticket for the opera performance on the same evening.

To purchase PreOpera tickets visit: placedesarts.com

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