Herlitzius as the vengeful daughter is vocally tireless...Chereau exacts similarity intense, realistic performance from Adrianne Pieczonka as Chrysothemis...Other crucial elements in a total theatrical experience are Richard Peduzzi's colossal set and Esa-Pekka Salonen's conducting, which is visceral throughout. This is one of the truly indispensable opera DVDs.

this is a remarkably absorbing Elektra, energised not just by Evelyn Herlitzius’ gritty anti-heroine and Waltraud Meier’s unclichéd Clytemnestra, but by Chéreau’s decision to show the two revenge-murders onstage. The DVD includes a charming and revealing 23-minute interview with the director

It is Herlitzius's performance and the finely detailed, well-balanced conducting of Esa-Pekka Salonen...that are the main selling points...One of Chereau's innovations is to have Klytemnestra played relatively straight, rather than as the neurosis-addled monster she can be...Pieczonka is a terrific Chrysothemis, tearing into the role with luscious tone that thins only occasionally.

Herlitzius’s vocal stamina is striking. Her voice is full and strong, rings out powerfully and even cuts through the loud orchestra … Pieczonka is splendidly focused of voice, cutting through the orchestral sound with a genuine shine on the tone … Salonen energises the orchestra … a winning one [performance] altogether.

I found Herlitzius powerful and interesting, but never beautiful...the lyrical beauty of Adrianne Pieczonka’s Chrysothemis is a welcome contrast...Meier brings a star touch to Klytämnestra...She holds you spellbound for the half hour in which she is on stage...Petrenko is a marvellous Orestes; rich, authoritative, boomingly resonant and always musically involving.

[Herlitzius] is a phenomenon, apart from anything else a most expressive and communicative actress. Her sound is basically warm, and she never, ever ‘screams’. The rest of the cast matches Herlitzius, with Adrianne Pieczonka’s bright timbre as ideal counterbalance to her sister’s warmth. The days are long past, thank heavens, when Klytemnestra was played as some kind of freak, and Waltraud Meier’s strikingly beautiful queen, sings with extraordinary warmth and expressiveness.

[Herlitzius] has made this opera her own, and watching her sensationally acted and searingly sung performance from Aix, it is easy to understand why. Her physical commitment to her role, and her unstinting, occasionally wild, vocalism are astounding...Salonen gets sensuous and dramatic playing from the OdP. A classic.

[Chereau's] Elektra shares many of the radical, unsparing qualities that distinguish his finest work. Typically, he dispenses with cliche, and in place of the snarling, expressionist approach found in most stagings, offers a humane modern-dress drama...Salonen conducts the Orchestre de Paris with a grave eloquence that places as much emphasis on the score’s moments of lyrical repose as on passages of churning anguish.

Chéreau himself operates with deadly restraint...There’s nothing utilitarian about the cast, though, least of all its Elektra. Precise in pitch, unfailingly intense and charismatic, the German soprano Evelyn Herlitzius conquers every challenge...The rest of Elektra’s cracked family receive equally striking portraits.

Chéreau has deliberately rejected the expressionist clichés usually associated with productions of Elektra for something more thoughtful and dramatically cohesive…Herlitzius is exceptional in the title role, delivering top notes that are searing and incisive, while Adrianne Pieczonka gives a riveting performance as Chrysothemis…Strauss’s compelling score is given a wonderfully lyrical reading.