Client: Vereinigte Bühnen, Graz
Location: Opernhaus Graz

Realisierung: 1995
Fotos: Peter Manninger

ELEKTRA, STAGE SET AND COSTUMES

„Elektra“, the Mykenian Royal Family’s tragedy about Agamemnon’s murder, is considered a modern opera, in spite of the classical Greek theme and 90 years of history in opera. The scenery orientates itself by Mykenian motives, the objects’ harmony is created by the selection of individual elements from the classical Greek palace. Spatially the complexity of relations is resolved by the elements palace, spiral and fountain and connected again. The spiral, in which Elektra disappears again and again, towers above the stage as a “footbridge of hope” in the sequel and was constructed filigree with Aluminium. In this element is symbolized Orest’s and his sister’s Elektra revenge of which they cannot find out any way. The fountain ambiguously is defined as ground-base of ancient grave forms and as bowl and cooking-place in the palace – mythic locations related to death. In the end blood bubbles from the fountain into the deepness of the spiral. In the play with clear symbolism of architecture the costumes were interpreted after Hoffmansthal’s descriptions and classical Greek sculptures and paintings.