"This concept demands singers who can truly act. And Stemme rises to meet it, if not always in voice then in dramatic intensity...Davidsen, as Elektra’s sister Chrysothemis, gave her best performance at the Met this season...She and Stemme were supported throughout by a Met Orchestra in excellent form under the baton of Donald Runnicles, whose reading of the score was sensitively aligned with that of Chéreau...There were standouts elsewhere — Hei-Kyung Hong as an authoritative and rending Fifth Maid — but also lapses among the principals."
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"At its stark conclusion, the powerhouse diva-pairing of Nina Stemme and Lise Davidsen as the aggrieved daughters of murdered Agamemnon compelled the spellbound audience to unleash a resounding salvo of 'bravas!' Seconded by Sir Donald Runnicles’s urgent yet transparent conducting, the two sopranos in top form had Met fans reaching back decades for comparisons."
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"Richard Strauss's 'Elektra' is simply overwhelming--particularly when you have Nina Stemme and, especially, Lise Davidsen, as the title character and her sister Chrysothemis, ably abetted by Greer Grimsley as their brother, Orest, and an incredible supporting cast top to bottom...I would be lying if I didn't tell you that some new audiences find it too intense and go wild with enthusiasm while saying 'Never again.' It's that exhausting. Yet, under Donald Runnicles' baton, there was a sense of order and the orchestra gave us brilliant sound in return."
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"Although dissimilar in many ways, Stemme and Davidsen had a natural ease together on stage that made their sisterhood plausible...Patrice Chéreau’s well-traveled 'Elektra,' which was first seen at the Met in 2016 and revived in 2018, is straightforward, but impressive...The Met Orchestra sounded glorious, but it wasn’t all loud and terrifying. Runnicles injected lightness and brilliance into Strauss’s score whenever possible...Runnicles’ sense of pacing and balance were evident at all times. The latter, in particular, was key to presenting Davidsen to her best advantage. She wasn’t alone, however, in enjoying a ride on the scintillating carpet of sound that Runnicles so expertly summoned from the Met Orchestra."
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"The staging for this production was in perfect harmony with the reinterpretation of the ancient play by Hofmannsthal. He reframes the story to center around Elektra and her interactions with the rest of the cast and the late Patrice Chereau did much the same. There are no scene changes, no furniture appearing and disappearing, and no major changes in lighting. It is a dark, dull stage with a modern and minimalist approach to Greek Architecture. A strong juxtaposition to the score, it keeps the audience focused on the performers at all times."
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