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Review: An Extraordinary ‘Elektra’ Shows a Path Forward for the Met

NYT Critic’s Pick

By ANTHONY TOMMASINIMARCH 2, 2018 New York Times
 
Photo

Christine Goerke owns the title role in Richard Strauss’s “Elektra,” as she demonstrated in her overwhelming performance at Metropolitan Opera. Credit Emon Hassan for The New York Times
The Metropolitan Opera is struggling right now, facing longstanding challenges like declining tickets sales and a shriveling donor base, as well as looming ones like coming labor negotiations.
 
But Thursday’s extraordinary performance of Richard Strauss’s “Elektra” pointed a way out of the company’s problems: Just keep presenting opera on this level, and all should be fine. The intense, tormented one-act opera lasts just over 100 minutes. And I was swept up in every moment of the rapturous, terrifying and moving performance.
 
Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, has made some mistakes during his tenure. But Thursday’s “Elektra” is the result, in part, of three smart calls he made, each of which bodes well for the future.
 
He brought in the visionary director Patrice Chéreau, who was responsible for two milestone productions: a grimly powerful staging of Janacek’s “From the House of the Dead,” then this “Elektra” in 2016, a collaboration with other companies that, sadly, arrived at the Met nearly three years after Mr. Chéreau died in 2013. The production places the bloody saga of the house of Agamemnon in a vaguely updated setting: the drab, stone courtyard of the dead king’s palace in Mycenae, where the tale plays out like the ultimate dysfunctional family drama.
 
In another savvy move, Mr. Gelb went calling on Christine Goerke with contracts to sign once it became clear that she was developing into the most impressive dramatic soprano of her time. She now owns the role of Elektra, as she demonstrated on Thursday with this overwhelming performance. And next season, she will bring her acclaimed Brünnhilde to the Met for the first complete revival Robert Lepage’s much-debated production of Wagner’s “Ring.”
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The third wise move on Mr. Gelb’s part was placing the artistic future of the company in the hands of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. His magnificent account of Wagner’s “Parsifal” just ended a seven-performance run. And on Thursday he led a blazing and urgent, yet richly nuanced account of Strauss’s still-shocking score, first performed in Dresden, Germany, in 1909. This immensely gifted, youthful conductor was not scheduled to become the company’s music director until 2020. But when James Levine was suspended in December following allegations of sexual misconduct, something had to be done to fill the leadership vacuum. Mr. Gelb persuaded Mr. Nézet-Séguin to shift commitments around so that he could start his tenure with the new season this fall.
 
Photo

Ms. Goerke, left, and Elza van den Heever in “Elektra” at the Met. Credit Emon Hassan for The New York Times
This “Elektra” showed him at his best. All the modernist elements of the music came through with slashing incisiveness and piercing sound, from the opening orchestral blast of chords that signal the motif of Agamemnon, murdered by his wife, Klytämnestra, and her lover Aegisth, and mourned every day with obsessive compulsion by Elektra, his daughter. But I was ever more impressed by the subtleties and lyricism Mr. Nézet-Séguin drew from the music, which has moments of plush, shimmering allure that conductors with a blunter approach often miss.
 
Now and then, though, especially during the opening scenes, Mr. Nézet-Séguin let the orchestra erupt with too much brassy fervor. Even Ms. Goerke, with all the thrilling power of her voice, was covered by the orchestra during some crucial outbursts.
 
In every moment her courageous singing exposed the tormented nature of this mystifying character, who lives to avenge her murdered father. Yet, as Ms. Goerke made clear, Elektra is all talk, a young woman who has adopted the identity of the avenging child and seems powerless to take any action. She stalks around the palace like an unkempt animal, say the servants who both mock and fear her.
The scenes between Elektra and her sister, Chrysothemis, here the exciting soprano Elza van den Heever, were extremely moving. Chrysothemis is also shocked by the brutality of her mother. But she wants to break free of the palace, which is like a prison, and the seething hatred within her family. She wants children, a husband — even a peasant will do, she says.
 
Ms. van den Heever’s melting, plaintive singing conveyed the character’s fragile emotions beautifully. But during intense confrontations with Elektra, Ms. van den Heever cut loose with steely outbursts that showed inner strength you don’t normally detect in the this character, making her seem, however fleetingly, like Elektra’s soul mate.
 
The mezzo-soprano Michaela Schuster had a notable Met debut as the guilt-ridden Klytämnestra. She brought glint and terror to moments when her fears took hold, and was even more chilling when she unfurled her scheming thoughts in breathy utterances.
 
The crucial scene comes during the reunion between Elektra and her beloved brother, Orest, come to seek justice for their father. This is music of longing and beauty, with tender vocal lines unfolding atop gently rocking orchestral figures. With the strong-voiced, stalwart bass Mikhail Petrenko as Orestes, Ms. Goerke at her most vulnerable, and the orchestra playing with undulant sway and pungent colorings, the scene was a moment of affecting repose — before the murderous, harrowing finale.

Goodness gracious. If their website is to be believed I predict many contributors to this esteemed forum deciding that KL is their next choice of a holiday destination. I eagerly await further details.

Goodness gracious. If their website is to be believed I predict many contributors to this esteemed forum deciding that KL is their next choice of a holiday destination. I eagerly await further details.

http://musclemenspa.com/

If you’re in the KL area, Shah Alam is a short trek and worth it for an excellent legit spa treatment. I had a great experience with Hanz last year before he and his partner opened Musclemen Spa. You may need Grab Taxi to find the place but it is new and extremely clean. The complete pampering takes about 5 hours and the equivalent of nearly $300 but if you’re in the market they are the real thing and worth it. I will get to a full review when I get back to my laptop in the US.

We'll my good opera buddy @g56whiz is not to be outdone in the opera pervert category! The Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovatore can be a treasure trove of male hotness! Yum! Not to mention all that tasty sweat dripping off all that male muscularaity! DAMN!!!!
 
http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kstx/files/styles/medium/public/201301/anvil-chorus-e28093-from-il-trovatore-photo-ken-howard1.jpg
 
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FS0OBLoIoSE/TbBUrJ9c1iI/AAAAAAAABsQ/YEJpzHgX4J0/s1600/MET%2Btrovatore.png
 
http://www.trbimg.com/img-545008ea/turbine/ct-ent-1029-lyric-trovatore-review-20141028
 

 
http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/rrr/files/styles/x_large/public/201505/06_Anvil_Chorus_TROVATORE_MSB_4605_cMichael_Brosilow-1024x607_0.jpg

Anybody have any current information about safe and reliable venues?
 
Thanks in advance.

With best wishes for a Merry Christmas to ALL!
 
A festival of "Cantique de Noël"

Luciano Pavarotti:

 
Elīna Garanča:

 
Juan Diego Flórez:

 
Angela Gheoghiu:

 
Thomas Hampson:

 
Marilyn Horne:

 
Jonas Kaufmann:

 
Joan Sutherland:

 
Enrico Caruso:

 
Kiri TeKanawa:

 
Robert Merrill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKCStAbxXdA
 
Leontyne Price:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8g5cpNUzyY
 
Mario Lanza:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNRRp7-Ul2c
 
Kathleen Battle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iMh1LM-JCM
 
Placido Domingo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI_jTgyyPeg
 
Birgit Nilsson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKmHKeSrqS0
 
Georges Thill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjrkjVx_Rqw
 
Renée Fleming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdrvTRtN8tQ
 
Jussi Bjoerling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D71EilB2CI0
 
Renata Tebaldi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYo1UZOV1ik
 
Franco Corelli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf6kEexLZ2o
 
Benita Valente:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XHCafdsPOw
 

Truhart1
 

Your recollection about the quote from the New York Times article is extraordinarily accurate.
Job well done!
 
"It may be the ugliest, most dangerous city you'll ever love."
 
Here is a link to the full article which will tell the OP about a few more things to see and do in Sao Paulo:
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/travel/14hours.html

Recent visit on a Tuesday night. Approx 8 guys available, mainly from Brazil but some Europeans and all good looking (IMHO). As on previous posts now £100, and there is a new website. Apparently been quiet lately but business starting to pick up again. As far as I know the only 'massage' service of its kind in the UK, so hopefully it continues long into the future.

I think the name of this place is spelt Jey Spa. More Bangkok stories please! A return visit is definitely on the agenda for 2018.

Happened to visit Bangkok last month after a 3 year hiatus and things have radically changed. It was the week of the King's funeral and everything was dead on Thursday and Friday. I ventured out on Saturday night and Aroma in Silom was quiet..only 2 boys who were more interested in watching the embers of the King's funeral. I called the Banana Club and the manager said that they were closed.
 
Finally I called and took a taxi to " Jae Spa" which was close to the Emporium in Sukhumvit. It is in a residential neighborhood and Google Maps had it in the wrong area. I had the taxi driver speak to the mama-san and I finally got there. There were 4-5 lads..I initially chose an Isaan lad named "Pon" who was more eager to please than massage; except as soon as I entered him he blew his load..he was a little distressed but I asked him to stay and get one of his friends to join us. The mamasan wandered in and wanted to make sure that I would tip both lads. Pon called his friend Eric who was Vietnamese..and it was fun being entertained by 2 good looking lads at one time. I left after an hour satisfied and well spent. Pon and Eric wanted to come to my hotel..but I had other colleagues waiting. Would recommend a visit to this place.

WOW! What a cutie!

It has been forty years since the untimely death of Maria Callas who many consider to be the supreme diva of the Twentieth Century. Fortunately the legacy of La Divina lives on!
 

Maria Callas did not just sing her roles, she lived them! Others have had more beautiful voices but they did not make musical history and create an operatic legend with virtually every role that they sang.
 
Such was the unique genius of La Divina! She will live forever!

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I would love to be Made in Brazil, by the man in the top picture.