TV REVIEW : Met Delivers Uneven Version of ‘Elektra’

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2-year-old production of Strauss’ “Elektra,” taped last season and shown tonight on television, has had more than its share of difficulties, most of them attributable to the shifting vocal fortunes of its protagonist, Hildegard Behrens.

The German soprano courted disaster on opening night and canceled all her subsequent performances that season. She redeemed herself splendidly when the opera returned to the repertory last year, but found herself in trouble again at some of the repetitions.

Happily, she was in good form for the telecast. She conveys real sensitivity and pathos in the Recognition Scene. Even when simply listening to others, she dominates with her riveting presence. She never mugs, always sustains the character. She does show occasional signs of strain, and the middle voice sometimes falters. But the top still sails out admirably and, in this context, the weaknesses seem insignificant.

The healthiest voice in the cast belongs to Deborah Voigt as Chrysothemis. Her soaring climaxes are thrilling, though her physical size hampers dramatic credibility. Far more damaging to musical and artistic integrity, however, is Brigitte Fassbander’s grotesque Klytamnestra--a performance more ranted than acted, more growled and barked than sung. There is no trace here of the woman’s former regal status, no trace of pathos.

Donald McIntyre is too mature to suggest the youthful Orest, but he adds welcome vocal nuances to the towering duet with Elektra. James King (now 69) actually sings Aegisth’s music, and does so with fervor. James Levine’s virtuoso orchestra functions as a whirlwind partner to the singers.

The production, staged by Otto Schenk, is a pedestrian exercise in a German style already old-fashioned. Jurgen Rose’s set reveals a tilted courtyard outside a decaying palace with a fallen equine statue and extended hoofs suggesting all too obvious phallic symbols.

* “Elektra” airs at 8 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28, and at 7 p.m. on KVCR-TV Channel 24. It will also be shown at 3 p.m. Saturday on KPBS-TV Channel 15.