Cincinnati’s classical public radio station, 90.9 WGUC, celebrates Cincinnati Opera’s 100th anniversary with a series of special encore performances every Saturday at 1:00 PM through July, bringing opera to fans all summer long. Tune in to 90.9 WGUC or wguc.org to listen!

At 1:00 PM, Cincinnati Opera’s Evans Mirageas kicks off the series with an introduction for a one-hour retrospective on the century of exquisite productions, extraordinary guest performers, and zoo animals that encompass the story of Cincinnati Opera. Then, at 2:00 PM, following the introduction, enjoy the first broadcast of the series—our 2002 production of Strauss’s Elektra.

Based on the tragedy by Sophocles, Strauss’s Elektra traces the emotional struggles of its title character, a young woman whose father has been killed by her mother and her mother’s paramour. Elektra obsessively plots to avenge her father’s death, but upon its achievement is herself destroyed. The 2002 presentation marked the company’s first-ever production of the work and featured a star-studded cast.

Originally performed in 2002 at Music Hall
Music by Richard Strauss; libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Sebastian Weigle, conductor; Nicholas Muni, stage director
Featuring Anja Silja, Deborah Polaski, Inga Nielsen, Robert Hale, Kenneth Garrison