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Infos & Cast
About
Health and Safety Regulations
Infos & Cast
Opera in one act by Richard Strauss op.58
Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal after the homonymous tragedy by Sophocles
First performed in 1909 in Dresden
Last performed at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in 2010
25, 29, 31 January 2022 – 8pm
2, 4 February 2022 – 8pm
6 February 2022 – 3pm
Sung in german with french and english subtitles
Duration: approx. 1h40 without intermission
CAST
Musical Director Jonathan Nott
Stage Director & Scenography Ulrich Rasche
Costumes Designers Sara Schwartz & Romy Springsguth
Lighting Designer Michael Bauer
Stage Direction Collaborator Dennis Krauss
Choreographers Jonathan Heck, Yannik Stöbener, Justus Pfankuch
Dramaturgy Stephan Müller
Choir director Alan Woodbridge
Elektra Ingela Brimberg
Klytemnästra Tanja Ariane Baumgartner
Chrysothemis Sarah Jakubiak
Ägisth Michael Laurenz
Orest Karoly Szemeredy
Pfleger des Orest Michael Mofidian
Die Vertraute Elise Bédènes
Die Schleppträgerin Mayako Ito
Ein junger Diener Julien Henric
Ein alter Diener Dimitri Tikhonov
Die Aufseherin Marion Ammann
Fünf Mägde Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Ahlima Mhamdi, Céline Kot, Iulia Elena Surdu, Gwendoline Blondeel
Grand Théâtre de Genève Chorus
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Sponsored by
MADAME BRIGITTE LESCURE
GÉNÉREUX DONATEUR CONSEILLÉ PAR CARIGEST SA
About
Electra is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, king and queen of Mycenae. To avenge the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia, Electra’s sister, the queen murders the king who has returned victorious from Troy, as well as his mistress while they’re at it. Agamemnon’s vengeful murder calls for vengeance in turn. As easy as the murder of the king was for the queen and her lover, all the more difficult it is for Electra to kill her mother. Revenge splutters in the house of the Atreids. Orestes, Electra’s brother, who has been banished and is languishing far from his homeland, is then called back to carry out the murderous act in his sister’s stead. Murder is after all a man’s business. The cunning and manipulative Electra waits throughout the opera for her brother to carry out their blood feud. The wheels of vengeance are set in motion by a frenzied mechanical: Ulrich Rasche. Now become a cult director in German-speaking countries with his unusual productions, both visual and ritual, he is making his first foray into both opera and the French-speaking world. Already in 2018, in Munich, he staged Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s original play in a palace that was half prison tower and half execution machine. This iron giant, something never before seen on an opera stage, will have its workings enlarged and refined for Geneva. The stage moves constantly, shuffling zones of despair around and creating death traps and cells. In this world of violence and revenge gone mad, there is no escaping the curse of the Atreids. As for Strauss’ music, its hypercomplexity is nourished by more than 50 identifiable motifs (also to the ear); they create references to characters, intentions, atmospheres and affects. In addition to these, various musical styles and languages are alternated and mixed, making Strauss’ score one of the most intense ever. In addition, there is a huge orchestral apparatus – more than 100 musicians are required – and an extremely broad tonality that bears the traces of the musical breakthrough of the early 20th century. The highly-strung style of composition is at times reminiscent of the ‘steel storms’ of the impending World War I, and the masses of sound overwhelm the listen-er, with violent expressionism and frenetic late Romanticism one after the other. They make up the cosmos of violence that prevails in this story. Jonathan Nott and his Orchestre de la Suisse Romande are the ideal partners to face this musical challenge. The dramatic triangle of women will be carried by three outstanding per-formers of the German repertoire: in the title role, the renowned Swedish soprano Ingela Brimberg, who excels in Wagnerian and Straussian roles. Beside her, the US-born Sara Jakubiak plays her sister Chrysothemis and, opposite them, Tanja Ariane Baumgartner brings their mother Clytemnestra to life. We look forward to their dizzying vocal duels!
Health and Safety Regulations
For your comfort and well-being, we will welcome visitors in accordance with the current health and safety regulations. Following the regulations of the authorities, from Monday, December 20, 2021, according to the “2G” rule, only people with a COVID Certificate related to a vaccination or a recovery will have access to the venue. The certificate will be requested with your ID card on entering the building and masks are mandatory.
Doors open 1 hour before the performance. We recommend that you come early to avoid queues when entering the building.
Elektra at La Plage
Check out all the various events connected with the production.
45 minutes before the performance
45 minutes before the bells call you into the house, it’s time to refresh your memory and go back to the beginnings of the opera: we offer a brief introduction to remind you what the work is all about and what kind of magical, apocalyptic, critical or hyper-realistic worlds the people behind the production have in store for you. Lickety-split, there’s just enough time to grab some bubbly before you take your seats under the star-studded ceiling of a thousand and one operas!
45 minutes before each performance
Free admittance with performance tickets
In the main room
Thursday, 20 January 6:30PM
Enoch Arden
“A soundtrack without a film,” is how musicologist John Pritchett describes Richard Strauss’ monodrama Enoch Arden. This forgotten gem by the composer dates from 1897 and was written for spoken voice and piano. A symphonic conceived piano part accompanies Lord Tennyson’s story. The story is about a love triangle played out on the English rocky coast: two friends, Enoch Arden and Philip Ray, are both in love with Annie Lee; when Annie Lee chooses Enoch, Philip suffers in silence, but when Enoch fails to return from a long sea trip, Philip takes the fatherless family under his wing… In this production, fresh from Belgium and revisiting the little-known musical genre of monodrama, the story is carried not only by an actress and a pianist (Isabella Soupart and Guy Vandromme) but also by visual artist Koenraad Tinel and video artist Maja Jantar. This new triangulation gives life to Tennyson’s long poem, where feelings of love and sacrifice, but also doubt and fear, are added in an irresistible way. An intimate and intense performance that plunges us ten years before the writing of Elektra, into the beginnings of Strauss’ tragic thought.
Artists
Isabella Soupart – actess, Guy Vandromme – piano, Koenraad Tinel – visual artist, Maja Jantar – video artist, Ellie Bryce – technical stage manager
Conception & Production – Act 2
Coproduction Muziektheater Transparant, Festival Zindering and Festival Talklang – Süd-Tirol
Thursday, January 20, 2022
6:30PM
Entry CHF 25.– (first drink included)
In the Foyer of the GTG
Health and Safety Regulations
Following the regulations of the authorities, from Monday, December 20, 2021, according to the “2G” rule, only people with a COVID Certificate related to a vaccination or a recovery will have access to the venue. The certificate will be requested with your ID card on entering the building and masks are mandatory.
Saturday, January 22 11AM
Stage design workshop about Elektra
For the staging of Elektra at the Grand Théâtre in January 2022, the director Ulrich Rasche has imagined a monumental and impressive set. And you, if you had to create a set for this opera by Richard Strauss, what would you do? Step into the shoes of a set designer and, with the help of professional set designer Valeria Pacchiani, design your own Elektra.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
From 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Foyer of the GTG
Entry CHF 15.00
Workshop open to everyone from 12 years old
Health and Safety Regulations
Following the regulations of the authorities, from Monday, December 20, 2021, according to the “2G” rule, only people with a COVID Certificate related to a vaccination or a recovery will have access to the venue. The certificate will be requested with your ID card on entering the building and masks are mandatory.
Monday, January 24 at 6:30PM
Elektra, ou comment tuer les cauchemars, conférence présentée par Christian Merlin
“Connais-tu un remède contre les rêves ?” C’est ce que demande Clytemnestre à sa fille Electre, dans l’adaptation de la tragédie grecque par Strauss et Hofmannsthal, composée à l’époque de la psychanalyse naissante. La réponse risque d’être violente dans cet opéra dont le texte et la musique fouillent l’inconscient sans ménagement.
Monday, January 24 at 6:30PM
Théâtre de l’Espérance
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Saturday, January 29
Haven’t you ever wondered what it’s like on the other side, when the curtain falls on a performance? How does all the technical machinery work? What do the stagehands have to do to get things back into working order? Or maybe just bump into one of the stars of the show?
So let us raise the curtain on all this for you. With every production, we give our patrons an opportunity to come backstage with us, raise their eyes to the flies and take a good look at what’s behind the sets. It may be dark in the wings but there’s a whole lot going on there! And because it’s a really busy place, we can’t really do this more than once per performance run. You will need to book your visit beforehand, so don’t delay!
A member of the theatre staff who can answer all your questions and show you some of the very impressive features of our opera house takes you backstage for free.
After the January 29 performance, A member of the theatre staff who can answer all your questions and show you some of the very impressive features of our opera house takes you backstage for free.
The “En coulisse” tour lasts about 20 minutes, starts 15 minutes after the performance, is free of charge on prior reservation with our box office service by email [email protected].
Saturday, February 12
EXTRAVAGANZA #2 – ACE GALA BALL
GTG x Antigel
Voguing is in Antigel’s DNA. By showcasing it in Geneva, the Festival contributes to writing the history of the exuberant ballroom scene in Switzerland, celebrating its struggles, conquests and admirable innovations.
Voguing is a quest for beauty and ostentation, for sophistication pushed to its limits and for fabulous stylistic innovations. Born in the 1970s in New York clubs frequented by the LGBTQ+ Latino and African American community, this demanding, fiercely underground culture has been experiencing a tremendous revival in Europe over the past decade. In Geneva, Antigel offers it a prestigious showcase. Alongside Murmaid Asiah 007, the festival brings together for the first time some of the most famous ‘major houses’ (social groups structured as surrogate families) and European outcasts in a competition where all identities are celebrated at the crossroads of dance, fashion and performance.
Coproduction Antigel
In collaboration with HEAD – Haute École d’Art et de Design
Saturday, February 12, 2022
From 9PM to 2AM
Door opening 9PM
At the GTG
Tickets can be booked at the Festival Antigel
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Photos credits
Elektra © GTG / Carole Parodi