Artists: Ausrine Stundyte, Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, Asmik Grigorian, Michael Laurenz, Vienna Philharmonic, Franz Welser-Möst

In their 100th anniversary edition, the Salzburg Festival is celebrating a true triumph with a stunning new production of Elektra, one of the most famous masterpieces in opera history by the two festival founders Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The Lithuanian soprano Ausrine Stundyte as vengeful and traumatized Elektra makes the opening of the festival a real knockout performance! Her sister Chrysotemis is sung by her compatriot Asmik Grigorian, who was acclaimed as Salome in her international breakthrough at the Salzburg Festival in 2018, and once again captivates the audience with her performance. Tanja Ariane Baumgartner as Clytemnestra, Derek Welton as Orest and Michael Laurenz as Aegisth complete a top-class ensemble of singers.

Krzysztof Warlikowski's production of this work about matricide, obsession, revenge and physical humiliation is a deep-psychological study of a broken family. Franz Welser-Möst shows his typical dexterity in the orchestra pit, where the brilliantly quick-tempered and then heartbreakingly gentle Vienna Philharmonic make for wonderfully cheering Strauss moments.