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In Mycenae, Elektra mourns the death of her father Agamemnon, who was killed while taking a bath by his wife Klytemnestra, Elektra's mother. Elektra tries to persuade her sister Chrysothemis to help her in avenging the murder. Klytemnestra, plagued by fears and nightmares, during a long exchange with Elektra, hears a false rumor about the death of Elektra's absent brother, Orest. After her departure, Elektra, realizing that she is the only one capable of avenging her father's death, starts to dig for the axe with which Agamemnon was slain. She is interrupted by the arrival of a stranger: it is Orest, very much alive. After a tender recognition scene with his sister, he enters the palace and kills Klytemnestra. When Klytemnestra's lover Aegisth appears, Elektra lights his way into the palace, where he meets his death at Orest's hand. Elektra is ecstatic, and she dances in triumph until she collapses, dead. First performance: Dresden, January 25, 1909
First San Francisco Opera performance: October 24, 1938 |
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