What you need to know about ‘Elektra’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago

CHICAGO  – Blood spills in this twisted family drama featuring one daughter’s single-minded mission to avenge her murdered father.

 MAGNIFICENTLY THEATRICAL AND DEVASTATINGLY MOVING 

• Richard Strauss at the height of his powers: This suspenseful story of murder and vengeance roars to life thanks to Richard Strauss’s pulse-pounding music. The brutal splendor of Strauss’s score grabs its audience and refuses to let go until its hair-raising, bloody finale.
  

• A tour-de-force soprano performance: The title role of Elektra demands a great singing actress, and Lyric is fortunate to have found one in Swedish soprano Nina Stemme, who makes her long-awaited Lyric Opera debut in one of the most challenging soprano roles in opera repertoire.
  

• A stellar cast of strong actors and singers: This ancient family drama demands powerful performances by its supporting characters. Portraying Elektra’s emotionally tortured mother Klytämnestra is mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens, and soprano Elza van den Heever plays Elektra’s conflicted sister Chrysothemis. Klytämnestra’s creepy lover Aegisth is sung by tenor Robert Brubaker (Lyric debut) and bass-baritone Iain Paterson (Lyric debut) plays Orest, Elektra’s long lost-brother.
  

• An electrifying production: Audiences will not only be thrilled by the herculean singing but also by the chilling visuals of this singular Elektra. Acclaimed director Sir David McVicar has created a production as twisted and dramatic as Strauss’s monumental music with Nick Sandys as revival director, making his Lyric debut in that capacity. John Macfarlane’s haunting set and costume designs and Jennifer Tipton’s atmospheric and ominous lighting set the scene for the gripping drama.  
  

• Esteemed conductor Donald Runnicles will make his highly-anticipated Lyric debut leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra through Strauss’s thrillingly intense score. At Deutsche Oper Berlin he earned praise for capturing “the very essence” of the “richly-textured and atmospheric” music. (The Opera Critic Review)
  

• Hear tomorrow’s stars today in featured roles: This powerful production includes several current members of the Ryan Opera Center: sopranos Emily Pogorelc, Whitney Morrison, Ann Toomey; contralto Lauren Decker; and tenor Eric Ferring.
  

• See it if you like: Powerfully evocative music, twisted plots, riveting acting and singing performances, complex women characters, and unforgettable visuals.
  

• My bloody Valentine: Skip the usual crowds in the usual places and catch an incredible show that will make you very grateful for your relatively normal family & love life.
  

• Running Time: 1 Hour and 40 minutes without intermission: Enjoy an exceptional live experience that’s shorter than many movies.
  

• Sung in German with projected English translations.
  

• Six performances Feb. 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Performance times vary.
  

• For more information and to order tickets, visit LyricOpera.com/Elektra or call 312-827-5600. Tickets start at $37.
  

For information about pre-performance dining options at Lyric, visit LyricOpera.org/Dining to learn about on-site restaurants, pop-up sushi bar, beverage service, and more.