Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT), in partnership with The Met: Live in HD, presents Richard Strauss’s Greek tragedy Elektra on Saturday, Apr. 30, at 12:55 p.m. The simulcast will run approximately two hours with no intermissions. Dr. James Caplinger, from the University of Charleston, will give a complimentary lecture beginning at 12:15 p.m.
Tickets are $18 for general admission, $12 for seniors and $10 for children/students. For tickets or more information, call GVT’s Box Office at 304-645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org.
Elektra, the tragic tale of a family destroyed from within, stars Nina Stemme in the bloodthirsty title role. The cast also includes Waltraud Meire as her deceitful mother Klytämnestra, Adrianna Pieczonka as her sister Chrysothemis and Eric Owens as her determined yet troubled brother Orest. Burkhard Ulrich makes his Met debut as Klytämnestra’s lover Aegisth. The production is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
“Nina Stemme makes Elektra’s bloodthirstiness seem almost rational, Waltraud Meier brings poise and grace to Klytämnestra, and Adrianne Pieczonka gives an unexpectedly steely spine to Chrysothemis… Eric Owens sings Orest with such ghostly, elegant cool: He is not just a bringer of revenge, but a beautiful apparition, there to sublimate our fury into song.” —New York Magazine
Elektra premiered at the Dresden State Opera in 1909. Since its Met premiere in 1932 it has been staged over 100 times, with Birgit Nilsson singing the title role in 17 productions.
