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\u201cThis is a special situation. It\u2019s well-thought through and, in a sense, it\u2019s all about (Elektra),\u201d Pankratova said. \u201cI never expected to perform something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
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First seen in San Francisco in 2017 under the direction of Anja K\u00fchnhold, the production proved so popular that many attendees returned for multiple performances. Returning to the company nearly a decade later, K\u00fchnhold said working with Pankratova this spring has been a \u201cspecial and intense experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the staging sessions, we discovered many new facets of the character,\u201d K\u00fchnhold said of Elektra. \u201cThe interplay between the very subtle musical interpretation, where every note and phrase permeates the stage action, is a crucial element of this production, and it\u2019s wonderful to see the meticulousness and passion with which Elena brings herself to this role.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Matthew Shilvock, the Opera\u2019s general director, Pankratova\u2019s impact has been equally striking..\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing the clarity and intensity of her sound soaring over the massive orchestral forces is exhilarating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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A scene from Strauss’ “Elektra”
during a\u00a0rehearsal at War Memorial Opera\u00a0House with (l-r)\u00a0Sadie\u00a0Cheslak, Laura Krumm, Mary Hoskins, Caroline\u00a0Corrales, Gabrielle\u00a0Beteag\u00a0and Alexandra Loutsion.<\/p>\n
Cory Weaver\/San Francisco Opera<\/p>\n
That feat is no small accomplishment. Elektra is one of the more demanding roles in the soprano repertory, requiring a voice powerful enough to soar above nearly 100 musicians in the pit orchestra \u2014 the largest of any operatic work \u2014 while sustaining the character\u2019s emotional intensity for most of the opera\u2019s runtime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is one of the most taxing roles in the repertoire, not just in its vocal demands but the dramatic intensity required to portray a young woman grappling with deep psychological trauma,\u201d Shilvock said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see someone with Elena\u2019s experience take this on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pankratova estimates that Elektra is onstage for 90 minutes, and said that maintaining the character\u2019s presence and intensity during the extended span is among the opera\u2019s greatest challenges.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not easy. Even if (the character\u2019s) mother or sister are singing, you stay involved because you\u2019re reacting to every word,\u201d Pankratova noted. \u201cEven if you sit with your back to the public, your back would be engaged. You can\u2019t really switch off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pankratova\u2019s commitment to the role is hardly surprising given the path that brought her to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Born in 1970 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, she studied piano and conducting before switching to voice. After graduating as an opera and concert singer from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, she studied with the renowned Renata Scotto, among others.<\/p>\n
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After her 2010 international breakthrough singing Die F\u00e4rberin in Strauss\u2019 \u201cDie Frau ohne Schatten\u201d at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, she reprised the role at La Scala in Milan (2012) and Teatro Colo\u0301n in Buenos Aires (2013).<\/p>\n
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Elena Pankratova as\u00a0Barak\u2019s Wife, Michaela Schuster as\u00a0Nurse and Emily Magee as\u00a0Empress with an\u00a0artist of\u00a0the company in\u00a0the Royal Opera\u2019s production of\u00a0Richard Strauss\u2019s \u201cDie Frau Ohne Schatten, \u201d directed by\u00a0Claus Guth and conducted by\u00a0Semyon Bychkov, at\u00a0the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in\u00a0London in\u00a0March 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Robbie Jack\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n
These performances were followed by debuts at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and Covent Garden in London, with her outstanding interpretations earning her the \u201cCasta Diva\u201d opera prize as 2018\u2019s best singer of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2024, she made her house debut at New York\u2019s Metropolitan Opera in Puccini\u2019s \u201cTurandot.\u201d Of that performance as the title character, the New York Times\u2019 Oussama Zahr described the soprano as an \u201cuncommonly sensitive Turandot who turned the clich\u00e9 of the icy princess on its head.\u201d<\/p>\n
The soprano insists she never dreamt of performing the roles she now sings regularly before finding international success.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cI never felt studying voice in conservatory I would sing these kinds of roles,\u201d she said, naming Altrud in Wagner\u2019s \u201cLohengrin\u201d and Isolde in Wagner\u2019s \u201cTristan und Isolde,\u201d in addition to Turandot. \u201cIf you are able to develop yourself, the roles will find you. You can\u2019t choose them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Elena]()
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Elena Pankratova\u00a0sings\u00a0Elektra during a rehearsal for S.F. Opera\u2019s 2026 production of\u00a0Strauss\u2019\u00a0\u201cElektra.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cory Weaver\/San Francisco Opera<\/p>\n
When Pankratova sang Turandot in Florence in 2010, the artistic director of Fondazione Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy, happened to be in the audience. She recalled, \u201cThe next day, my agent called and said they wanted to give me the role of Elektra in two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
But because Pankratova believed \u201conly goddesses sing that,\u201d she suggested portraying the role of Elektra\u2019s sister, Chrysothemis, instead. She reasoned she would be more ready to tackle Elektra in the distant future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A year later, however, a contract had yet to arrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, Teatro Petruzzelli requested once again that Pankratova sing Elektra.<\/p>\n
As the soprano tells it, she was perusing the score when, \u201cThe notes started talking to me. The phrases were so comfortable and logical \u2026 I was the right age and had enough experience singing big roles \u2014 Turandot, Sieglinde.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard again the recordings of Birgit Nilsson and decided to say, \u2018OK, I\u2019ll do this,\u2019 (and) it really became my role.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, Pankratova continues to embrace new roles with dramatic power, stamina and flexibility. She is looking forward to her first Br\u00fcnnhilde in a production of Wagner\u2019s \u201cDie Walk\u00fcre\u201d scheduled for November in Buenos Aires.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2027, Pankratova will sing her 50th performance of Elektra at the Vienna Staatsoper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere people are married for 50 years, they call it a golden menu,\u201d Pankratova said. \u201cMy husband was joking and said, \u2018When you sing your 50th Elektra, they should give you the golden axe!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria Looseleaf is a freelance writer. This story has been provided in partnership with San Francisco Classical Voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"S.F. Opera will revive Keith Warner\u2019s staging of Strauss\u2019 \u201cElektra\u201d\u00a0from June 7-27.\u00a0 Cory Weaver\/San Francisco Opera Russian soprano…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":344634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[329,331,330,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-344633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-classical","tag-music","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}