Opera's most shocking story returns
Part of the 2017/18 season at War Memorial Opera House, Strauss' disturbing thriller makes a welcome return to San Francisco Opera this September! An absolute must-see for fans of psychological thrillers, family horror and of course, the infamous Faye Dunaway vehicle, Mommy Dearest! Set in the early days after the Trojan War, sex and bloody revenge are the order of the day, when a young princess sets out to make her treacherous mother pay for the murder of her father. Seriously, this is no Cinderella story, Elektra will chill your spine long after you've left the building.
Premiering in 1909 to shocked audiences, Elektra is Richard Strauss' operatic masterpiece, with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal is full of shocks and paints a disturbing canvas into the ultimate dysfunctional family. Taken from Homer's Illiad, King Agamemnon's card was always marked by his wife Klytamnestra, when he sacrificed their older daughter to the gods, 10 years ago for a favorable wind to sail to war on Troy.
Embittered by grief, Klytamnestra takes a lover in her husband's long absence, much to the disgust of her daughter Elektra. However, revenge is a dish best served cold, as Klytamnestra waits until her husband's return with false happiness - only to murder him in his bath. Enraged, Elektra embarks on a journey of cold and icy revenge - made all the more possible with the return of her brother Orestes.