Gerda Lammers is a revelation in this performance of Elektra conducted with white-hot intensity by Rudolf Kempe.
The Royal Opera Heritage series continues to unlock a succession of memorable performances from the BBC vaults that confirm that the late 50s were indeed halcyon days for this august institution. This recording was made on 29 May 1958 with the same cast which graced the revival the previous year which the late William Mann enthused about in Opera Magazine: "A great theatrical experience, one that every member of the audience must class with his most memorable evenings in the opera house."
And thank heavens we have that performance preserved now on disc, as its visceral impact is truly terrifying. The engineers have done a wonderful job in restoring the original tapes as the sound is vivid, forward and there's hardly any background 'hiss' – all gain as the mind is allowed to concentrate on a wonderful account of this work without having to make allowances or excuses for the quality of the sound.
The playing of the Royal Opera House Orchestra never overpowers the singers and they play this complex score with pinpoint accuracy no doubt because Rudolf Kempe was a galvanising influence in the pit. Kempe was one of the most celebrated Strauss conductors of the day and his innate understanding of Strauss' idiom is evident in every bar. Under lesser conductors Elektra can come across as a 100-minute aural assault but here Kempe scrupulously adheres to Strauss' dynamic markings and the tension never sags for one moment. The accompaniment to the pivotal scene with Elektra and her mother is properly disturbing, yet tinged with sadness and in the recognition scene he really lets rip and the result is thrilling in the extreme.
In the title role Gerda Lammers, through vocal means alone, manages to convey every facet of Elektra's character – there's a sarcastic bite to her utterances with her sister Chrysothemis, she darkens the voice during her confrontation with Klytemnestra and there's beauty, serenity, pliancy and tenderness once she recognises that Orest has returned. She is tireless and remains as fresh-voiced in her final dance of death as she did at the start – there's certainly more light and shade and thought behind her interpretation than Birgit Nilsson ever brought to the role, and for me she is up there with Inge Borkh as one of the finest interpreters of the role.
Georgina von Milinkovic really sings the role of Klytemnestra – no raddled old hag here but a woman deeply disturbed by nightmares from her past. The sparks fly between her and Lammers, only adding to the tension of their central scene together. Otakar Kraus is a warm-voiced Orest whilst the opera gets off to the best possible of starts with a group of maids that includes Josephine Veasey and Marie Collier!
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