The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Elektra contrasted greatly from the performance of Otello that we saw at the Metropolitan Opera House. In the production of Otello, the orchestra acted as the sometimes subtle accompaniment to the opera itself. In this setting, the lighting and costumes played the most important role in the telling of the story. The production or more accurately the performance of Elektra proved to portray the exact opposite dynamics. In this performance, the orchestra was the main focus, and the singers acted as the addition. The emphasis on the orchestra was quite clear, seeing as they took up the entire stage. The actors or singers had to continually weave through the players to get on and off of the stage. The only hint of a crew or scenery came from the man who opened the side door on cue when the actors were to exit or enter the scene. In addition to the lack of setting, the actors were not dressed in costume. For me, the lack of setting and visual additions to the performance took away from the telling of the story. Similarly, the casual dress of the characters left me slightly confused and constantly trying to determine the identities of the characters and even which actors were portraying each character. A direct example of the negative effects of the lack of costumes can be associated with Elektra’s character. Elektra is meant to be in rags and look generally disheveled. However, the actress and singer was wearing the most extravagant red gown. Although this helped in identifying the importance of her character, it took away from the authenticity of her performance. As a viewer, I had a very difficult time associating her character with the story she was expressing. I also found the lack of costumes to create a confusion regarding the status of the other characters in the opera. Elektra’s sister was dressed in an outfit that seemed even less grand than that of Elektra. For me, this only added to my confusion and took away from my appreciation of the situations that the characters were in. I associate the lack of costumes with the lack of scenery because both act as a visual aid for the audience. Although there were captions, the opera was still being presented in a different language. In this setting, I was forced to read the captions or I would have had no understanding of the story being performed. This contrasts the production of Otello, in which I was able to watch the actors and listen to the music and still have an understanding of what was happening. I was not bound to the written word, which also took away from the performance. I cannot identify the point in going to see this production when in actuality, I was going to read the written work. The orchestra as the central focus seemed to overall diminish the opera as an opera, and rather seemed to present itself as an orchestra performing the music of an opera, with a sprinkling of opera singers when needed.
