Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site Cascade.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!CSL-Vax!Cascade!asente From: asente@Cascade.ARPA Newsgroups: net.music.classical Subject: Re: S.F. Opera "Elektra" - Performance Review Message-ID: <1161@Cascade.ARPA> Date: Wed, 7-Nov-84 19:16:57 EST Article-I.D.: Cascade.1161 Posted: Wed Nov 7 19:16:57 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 8-Nov-84 19:23:46 EST References: <244@olivej.UUCP> Organization: Stanford University Lines: 26 > The orchestra, under Jeffrey Tate, sounded fabulous. This has to be the the strangest music review I have ever read. My opinion of this particular performance (shared by all I talked with about it) was that the singers managed to sabotage the stage and music director's best efforts to ruin the opera by giving excellent performances and preventing the evening from being a total waste. The staging was among the worst I've ever seen and believe me, I've seen some pretty awful staging. What were all those wierd arm movements Electra kept doing? They looked like calisthenics. And the orchestral playing was incredibly dull. The expected climaxes never materialized. Electra is one of the most compelling and emotionally draining experiences in the musical world. A good production should leave you almost limp with exhaustion. I recommend highly the recent film version starring Rysanek; it manages to capture all the excitement San Francisco's production managed to leave out. -paul asente "That's the end of my aria And if it's not too much trouble Would you mind applauding?Thank you." -- Don Octave