The performance of Elektra on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 was the second opera that I had ever watched; Otello being the first. I expected Elektra to be like Otello in that there would be more acting, stage designs, and costume designs. Before the opera started, I was confused as to where the opera singers would be because the entire orchestra was on the stage. After the performers took their positions, it started to make more sense.
Unlike Otello, Elektra’s stage design was a lot less elaborate. It only included portions of the stage and a chair in Elektra’s “room.” The stage design left a lot of the audience’s imagination; however, it worked really well. The set up of the stage was simplistic and easy to follow, which allowed the audience to be more engaged in the story. I found it surprising that the simple setting did not take away from the opera, at least not for me.
Everything about this opera was amazing, from the singing to the very emotional acting from Christine Goerke to the music from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra was especially captivating, not only due to the actual music, but also because of the movement from the string sections. Each section moved their bows in exactly the same direction, which probably required a lot of practice. I was in my middle school orchestra for three years and our strings sections were never able to achieve that. Even my high school orchestra could not achieve that unity. I think that the unity of the orchestra contributed to the overall look and grandness of Carnegie Hall, which did not really take away or add anything to the opera. Instead, the orchestra’s unity made my whole experience in Carnegie Hall feel more real.
For me, the one aspect of the opera that took away from the opera was the costume designs. Specifically, Elektra’s elegant, red dress was very conflicting for me. Elektra was supposed to be deprived and abused by her mother, dressed in rags and distressed looking. Instead, she was dressed in this beautiful red dress. It makes sense to make her the center of attention as she is the main character; however, her appearance contradicted what I had envisioned.
The main scene that Elektra’s dress took away from was the scene with her brother, Orest. When she finally realized that she was talking to her brother all along, she started to sing about how she was hideous looking. She told him not to look at her and not to touch her. Since her dress did not match what she was singing, there was a big disconnect for me. This scene made me take a sort of double take because there was so much dissonance for me.
One costume that did add to the opera was Queen Klytamnestra’s dress. Her silver cardigan was so elegant and showy that it worked very well for her character. It displayed her royalty and status; however, the poised aura that I got from her could be from her acting. She was acting in a very composed manner and her body language made her seem very pretentious even from the top floor.
Overall, this opera was very well put together. I would not say that it was better than Otello, but it was different. After this opera, I would definitely consider seeing another opera that is set up like this. I like the simplicity of the stage set ups and how the orchestra is actually on the stage. I think that it helped me focus more on and understand more about the plot of the opera.
