The Bloodiest Opera Ever? Maybe Strauss' 'Elektra'   Video
Selections From 'Elektra'       Placdo Domingo, General Director
of the Washington National Opera, says 'Elektra' has surprised
everyone by being extremely popular with young audiences. And he
thinks he knows why.   2 min 5 sec     The Story Of 'Elektra'
As the opera opens, Elektra's father, King Agamemnon, is already
dead, and the score begins with a powerful four-note theme to
which Elektra later sings his name. Agamemnon was hacked to
death with an axe wielded by his wife, Klytaemnestra.  Elektra
(Susan Bullock) tells a prostrate Klytaemnestra (Irina Mishura)
that death is the only way to end her agony.  hide caption
Karin Cooper/courtesy of the Washington National Opera  Now,
Klytaemnestra is running the household. Elektra mourns for her
father, and she has suffered abuse at the hands of both her
mother and Klytaemnestra's lover, Aegisthus. Elektra lurks like
a wounded animal, crouching and hiding. In the libretto, she's
described as acting "li