Premiere: Elektra in Budapest 2007-11-24 with A. Baltsa

2007-11-24 Elektra (R.Strauss), Magyar Állami Operaház

Klytämnestra = Agnes Baltsa
Elektra = Nadine Secunde
Chrysothemis = Bátori Éva
Aegisthos = Gulyás Dénes
Orestes = Perencz Béla
Orestes nevelője - Cser Krisztián
Klytemneistra bizalmasa - Balogh Tímea
Uszályhordozónő - Polyák Valéria
Fiatal szolga - Megyesi Zoltán
Öreg szolga - Szegedi Csaba
A felügyelőnő - Kukely Júlia
1. szolgáló - Balatoni Éva
2. szolgáló - Érsek Dóra
3. szolgáló - Mester Viktória
4. szolgáló - Fodor Beatrix
5. szolgáló - Wierdl Eszter

Kovács János, conductor

Magyar nyelvű feliratok / Hungarian text Mesterházi Máté
Rendező / Director Kovalik Balázs
Díszlettervező / stage designer Antal Csaba
Jelmeztervező / costume designer Benedek Mari
Karigazgató / Chorus Master Szabó Sipos Máté


It is Premiere of Elektra and the opera house is wrapped in red on this occasion. Only two things bothered me: that my seat got very uncomfortable after 70 mins plus of Opera, real pain in my ..., and the end where Orest kills both his sisters with a machine gun, so totally unnecessary.

Nadine Secunde was great as Elektra (no surprise there), Eva Batori was wonderful as Chrysothemis. Agnes Baltsa was magnetic as Klytämnestra.

The production: Modern and set in a bath. It started startlingly with the opera house completely dark and then suddenly some light and the thunder of Straussian music. And unlike the Vienna production we could see the people and different types and real human being. The very self-assured über-type of woman, from the more submissive one. But to be onstage without shoes, naked but for some bathrobe or just a towel wrap round the bodies, I would guess they look forward to get dressed again. Some nakedness occurred, only male, and for a short time. Elektra had a black dress (dressed as widow), Chrysothemis in white (dressed as a bride). Klytämnestra also had black dress and a white fur robe. Orest dressed very formally but with sunglasses. Aigist had only a white bathrobe which made him very self-conscious when taking the bow at the end.

The changing of color lighting the stage was very well done. So naturally it got to be very red during some parts of the Elektra/Klytämnestra scene. The symbolism when Klytämnestra was killed was perfectly. No such symbolism for Aigist.

In the end after the murders:Chrysothemis was first greeted by Orestes people as Princess and goes out to dress herself as a new Klytämnestra. Elektra also changes out with the old puff, and a white robe is over the old black. But Elektra is not ready for the happiness, she struggles with the Agamemnon tree to Klytämnestra's bed, the power lies in the bed. She is clearly exhausted. But instead of having her die in the bed of mental exhaustment Orest has her killed with a machine gun. Two shots is heard, so when Orest is supposed to kill Chrysothemis with his second bullet, all Eva Batori can do is to drop dead with no sound.

The end ruined it, when Orest kills his sisters that does not make it a Real Greek Tragedy, but if his two sisters died just of exhausted minds when Orest should celebrate his triumph. THAT WOULD BE Greek Tragedy.

More about this Elektra