Elektra - schedule, program & buy tickets

Tragedy in a Single Act by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, based on the play of the same name by Sophocles
World premiere on January 25, 1909, in Dresden
Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on November 3, 2007

Introduction: 45 minutes before the start of each performance in the Rang Foyer on the right
Language: In German with German and English surtitles
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes / No intermission
Recommended for ages 16 and up 

Sounds such as those unleashed by Richard Strauss in *Elektra* with a massive orchestral apparatus had never been heard before the opera’s world premiere in 1909. And the radicalism and expressive ferocity of *Elektra* have lost none of their impact to this day. The archaic subject matter is both terrifying and fascinating: Elektra, an infinitely lonely young woman, is kept alive solely by the thought of avenging her father Agamemnon’s murder at the hands of her mother. Once the revenge is complete and her brother Orestes has killed their mother and her lover, Elektra performs an ecstatic dance, at the climax of which she collapses and dies. An opera like a roller coaster! Ricarda Merbeth, one of the most important interpreters of Wagner and Strauss of our time, takes on the title role, while the charismatic Okka von der Damerau makes her debut as Clytemnestra. Slovak conductor Juraj Valčuha, who has been one of the most influential guest conductors at the Deutsche Oper Berlin for years, leads this monumental work.

Subject to change.