Overview

Elektra was the fourth of fifteen operas by Strauss and opened his successful partnership with the librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is one of the most important operas of the early twentieth century and it solidified Strauss's status as the leading German opera-composer of his day. Bryan Gilliam's study of this major work examines its musical-historical context and also provides a detailed analysis of some of its musical features. He establishes a chronology of the evolution of the opera and places it in the larger framework of German opera of the time. His detailed examination of the sketch-books enables him to offer fresh insight into Strauss's use of motifs and overall tonal structure. In so doing he shows how the work's arresting dissonance and chromaticism has hidden its similarities to his later, seemingly more tonally conservative opera, Der Rosenkavalier - not only does Strauss in both operas exploit a variety of musical styles to express irony, parody, and other emotions, but both are in fact thoroughly tonal.

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9780198166023

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Each step in Elektra's creation yields fascinating material....Gilliam's ideas are clearly expressed and convincing, and his presentations of the evidence are exemplary--a treat and a model for any scholar. --Choice<br> Delves deep into the opera's origins by the closest analysis yet undertaken of the sketchbooks at the composer's home in Garmisch and elsewhere. These shed fascinating light on Strass's working methods. --The Independent<br>

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