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Overview

Synopsis

King Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia for the prosperity of his kingdom and his wife, Klytemnestra, has grown to hate him for this act. Along with her paramour, Aegisthus, Klytemnestra murders Agamemnon and becomes worried that their other children Elektra, Chrysothemis, and Orestes will seek to avenge her crime. Elektra helps her brother Orestes to escape, and she remains in the palace to keep the memory of her late father alive, to the resentment of the entire court. As the rift in the family continues to grow, tensions mount and everyone grows increasingly suspicious of one another. Elektra seeks the ultimate revenge for her father’s murder and cannot wait until the day comes that she can enact it. When rumors begin to spread that Orestes has been killed, Elektra panics, though something about the rumor seems wrong. Will Elektra be able to gain her revenge, or will her mother win? Elektra’s score by Richard Strauss heightens the dramatic tension of the plot and will leave you feeling unsettled in the best way possible. In one of Strauss’s most inventive scores yet, Elektra is an intense and powerful piece not to be missed.

Show Information

Based on the Play/Book/Film
Electra
Category
Opera
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
1
First Produced
1909
Genres
Drama
Settings
Multiple Settings
Time & Place
antiquity, mycenae
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Some Dance
Ideal For
Professional Opera, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Late Teen Characters, Medium Cast

Context

Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Elektra

Lead

Female

Soprano

Klytemnestra

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Chrysothemis

Lead

Female

Soprano

Aegisthus

Supporting

Male

Tenor

Orestes

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Tutor (Guardian) of Orestes

Featured

Male

Bass

5th Maid Servant

Featured

Female

Soprano

The Overseer

Featured

Female

Soprano

Four Maid Servants

Featured

Female

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano

The Trainbearer

Ensemble

Female

Soprano

An Old Servant

Ensemble

Male

Bass

A Young Servant

Ensemble

Male

Tenor

The Confidant

Ensemble

Female

Soprano

Chorus

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass

Songs

This opera is through-composed with no formal songs or scene breakdowns.

Excerpted aria:

Orest!

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners.. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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