Elektra
also Electra
opera · Tragödie
Composer Richard Strauss
Librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Synopsis
In the palace where Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered her father Agamemnon, Electra keeps a daily vigil of grief and waits for her brother Orestes to return and help her avenge him. Her sister Chrysothemis, longing only for an ordinary life and motherhood, warns her their mother means to have her imprisoned.
Key facts
- Premiere
- 25 January 1909, Königliches Opernhaus, Dresden
- Acts
- 1
- Language
- German (de)
- Setting
- The courtyard of Agamemnon's palace at Mycenae, in the years after the Trojan War.
Notes
The only version. The libretto is Hugo von Hofmannsthal's own play Elektra, based on Sophocles.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Klytemnästra Widow of Agamemnon, Elektra's mother. | mezzo-soprano | Ernestine Schumann-Heink |
| Elektra Daughter of Agamemnon and Klytemnästra. | soprano (dramatic) | Annie Krull |
| Chrysothemis Elektra's sister. | soprano | Margarethe Siems |
| Aegisth Klytemnästra's lover. | tenor | Johannes Sembach |
| Orest Son of Agamemnon and Klytemnästra. | baritone | Karl Perron |
| Der Pfleger des Orest The tutor of Orest. | bass | Julius Puttlitz |
| Die Vertraute A confidante of Klytemnästra. | soprano | Gertrud Sachse |
| Die Schleppträgerin Klytemnästra's trainbearer. | soprano | Elisabeth Böhm van Endert |
| Ein junger Diener A young servant. | tenor | Fritz Soot |
| Ein alter Diener An old servant. | bass | Franz Nebuschka |
| Die Aufseherin The overseer of the maidservants. | soprano | Riza Eibenschütz |
| Erste Magd One of the five maidservants, with a line to herself in the score. | contralto | Franziska Bender-Schäfer |
| Zweite Magd One of the five maidservants, sharing a line with the Third Maid in the score. | soprano | Magdalene Seebe |
| Dritte Magd One of the five maidservants, sharing a line with the Second Maid in the score. | mezzo-soprano | Irma Tervani |
| Vierte Magd One of the five maidservants, sharing a line with the Fifth Maid in the score. | soprano | Anna Zoder |
| Fünfte Magd One of the five maidservants, sharing a line with the Fourth Maid in the score. | soprano | Minnie Nast |
Source
- Elektra by Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1903) — The opera's direct source.
- Electra by Sophocles — Hofmannsthal's play is a free reworking of this, not a translation.
Written from
- Osborne, C. (1988) The Complete Operas of Richard Strauss: A Critical Guide. London: Michael O'Mara Books, pp. 55-71.
- Strauss, R. (1943) Elektra, Op. 58. London: Boosey & Hawkes. (Accessed: August 2026).
- opera-guide.ch (2026) Elektra: Synopsis. (Accessed: August 2026).
- Boosey & Hawkes (2026) Elektra: Synopsis. (Accessed: August 2026).