R. Strauss - Elektra
by Karl B?hm
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Astrid Varnay, Catarina Ligendza, Hans Beirer, Josef Greindl, Leonie RysanekDirector: Karl B?hm
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: German (Original Language), DTS 5.1; German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Movie Reviews of R. Strauss - Elektra
Movie Review: One unbelievable performance
Summary: 5 Stars
"Elektra" is one of my favorite operas, and I finally got to see this
near legendary film of it yesterday. It lived up to its reputation.
Friedrich's ideas were quite good for the most part (although I found
Klytamnestra's departure after her great scene with Elektra a bit disappointing - why didn't she yell for "Lichter" after she gets the news about Orest?) I liked the intermingling of the rain and the blood,
the extreme close-ups as in the scene I just mentioned, and especially the
depiction of Orest as someone less than heroic (making the good vs. bad
characters of the opera even more ambiguous - there have been some solid arguments that Klytamnestra's murder of Agamemmnon may not have been unjustified.) If some of the video is controverial, I don't think there can be any doubting of the audio greatness here. Varnay's appearance and acting might be a tad over the top but she is quite strong vocally, especially considering her age. Ligendza makes a fine Chrysothemis - the vocal contrast with her sister is ideal. Fischer-Dieskau has a lighter voice than most Orests, but who can complain about having an artist of his stature and strengths in the role. Beirer is near perfect in the brief role of Aegisth and it's good to see him again after his very good
performance in Strauss' other "schocker," "Salome." But Leonie Rysanek
is absolutely spectacular in the title role. Like most, I love Birgit Nilsson, but I can see why Rysanek was chosen. Just as Teresa Stratas in "Salome," she had not sung the role onstage. (Although she had sung
both Chrysothemis and Klytamnestra - to have done a superb job on three
very difficult roles from the same opera is astonishing.) Her look onscreen is amazing - if I didn't know ahead of time, I would have had no idea the first time she appears that this is Leonie Rysanek. That she has sung both Elektra's mother and sister before must have given her
tremendous insight into the title character, as she captures both the maniacal and the touching sides of Elektra. Vocally, she is near perfect. She has both the power and the lyricism (she is wonderful in the Recognition Scene) that the part requires. As the second disc, which is a a documentary of the making of the film, shows, performing Friedrich's Elektra must have been extremely demanding physically, and
that a woman in her mid-fifties did it so well is amazing.) Rysanek's performance must surely rank as one of the greatest preserved on video or
DVD. Karl Bohm, just months before his death, is almost as amazing in leading the great Vienna Philharmonic in this very challenging piece.
To hear such glorious playing of some brutally difficult music under the direction of this frail man is inspirational. (A couple times, I did find Bohm's choice of tempi surprisingly slow. But then again, he was
a friend of Richard Strauss and I guess he would know a little better than me what the great composer had in mind.) Even if you don't particularly like "Elektra" or even find it distasteful, you need to see it if only for Rysanek and Bohm.
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