Richard Strauss' fourth opera is black and white...and red all over.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
Richard Strauss chose to follow up the whirlwind success of Salome with Elektra, an opera that shares several points of similarity. Both works have a heroine who descends into insanity, horrific offstage murder (two this time) and take place in a single, intense act that lasts about an hour and a half. However, Elektra much more than Strauss repeating himself: it was a great leap forward.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
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| The bloody axe used to kill Agamemnon is a central plot point of Strauss' Elektra. |
