Richard Strauss’ Elektra (premiered in Dresden in 1909) is arguably the composer’s most advanced creation, a fiercely expressive work that pushes tonal boundaries. It also connects to the new ideas of its time, especially Freud’s theories about the subconscious and the power of human drives. The title role demands a dramatic soprano with a huge vocal range. The opera is based on Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s play, itself drawn from Sophocles’ ancient drama. Over the years, Elektra has been recorded regularly, and there are several fine studio versions, but this is an opera that works best live. For that reason, a number of preserved live performances are often preferable. The opera has often been performed in a shortened version, both on stage and on record. Here are ten essential recordings you shouldn’t miss, listed in no particular order.

Eugen Jochum / Philharmonische Staatsorchester Hamburg (Acanta)

Eugen Jochum’s 1944 Elektra from Hamburg Opera has surprisingly good sound and a unique sense of authenticity. It is one of the most dramatic performances ever recorded, and it’s tempting to think that the brutal circumstances in Germany at the time affected the intensity of the interpretation. Erna Schlüter gives one of the most gripping and monumental portrayals of Elektra; Annelies Kupper’s Chrysothemis is equally outstanding, a performance full of beauty and strength. Robert Hager‘s Orest also has a near-demonic edge to his sound.

Richard Kraus / Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester (Capriccio)

Richard Kraus’ studio Elektra, recorded for radio with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1953, is one of the finest vocal versions available. Astrid Varnay, best known for her Brünnhilde in the 1950s, was also a brilliant Elektra, with high notes that cut through the orchestra. Her interpretation remains unmatched in many ways: her Elektra is driven and passionate, yet carries the dignity befitting a Greek princess. Leonie Rysanek’s Chrysothemis is just as exceptional, with a blend of power and beauty few others can rival. The lesser-known Res Fischer delivers a penetrating and thoughtful Klytämnestra, while Hans Hotter’s powerful Orest alone would almost be enough to recommend the recording. Kraus’s conducting is elegant, tightly driven, and beautifully balanced.

Karl Böhm / Bayerisches Staatsorchester (Walhall)

Karl Böhm’s 1955 live performance from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich has a dramatic charge and tension that surpass many far more cautious studio versions, though the sound has its flaws. The German soprano Christel Goltz—better known as Salome—proves just as compelling as Elektra. Her portrayal is obsessive and intense, unforgettable despite some technical imperfections. Leonie Rysanek’s passionate Chrysothemis is equally memorable, as is Jean Madeira’s Klytämnestra.

Dmitri Mitropoulos / Wiener Philharmoniker (Orfeo)

Inge Borkh’s Elektra is outstanding in Dmitri Mitropoulos’ 1957 live recording from the Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic. The sound is perfectly decent for a live recording of the era, even if it lacks stereo depth. Borkh is even more dramatically convincing here than in Böhm’s version. Mitropoulos’s devoted, spontaneous interpretation, full of tension in every detail, makes this one of the most shattering versions on record. Lisa della Casa’s sensually feminine Chrysothemis is another highlight.

Karl Böhm / Staatskapelle Dresden (Deutsche Grammophon)

Karl Böhm left several live recordings of the opera but only one studio version, made in 1961 for Deutsche Grammophon with the Staatskapelle Dresden. His interpretation has a feverish nervous energy and great orchestral detail from the famous ensemble. Inge Borkh, one of the era’s leading Elektras, offers a psychologically convincing and passionate portrayal. The rest of the cast is strong, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s Orest standing out.

Herbert von Karajan / Wiener Philharmoniker (Orfeo)

Herbert von Karajan’s 1964 Salzburg Festival live recording is the conductor’s only preserved Elektra. Karajan was fascinated by the opera but found it mentally exhausting to conduct and never returned to it. His interpretation—recorded in acceptable mono sound—has a dramatic tension and sensuous refinement rare in any version. Astrid Varnay may have passed her vocal prime as Elektra by this point, but her performance remains mighty and forceful. Martha Mödl, by then singing mezzo roles like Klytämnestra, has an unsteady voice at times but retains her fierce dramatic presence.

Georg Solti / Wiener Philharmoniker (Decca)

Sir Georg Solti’s complete Elektra for Decca in 1968 is a classic and still the finest studio recording. John Culshaw’s production offers spectacular sound. Solti’s interpretation with the Vienna Philharmonic is darkly charged, brilliant, and crystal clear in detail. Birgit Nilsson made several Elektra recordings, but this is her only studio version. Her portrayal is one of the recording’s greatest strengths—overwhelming, intense, electrifying, with razor-sharp high notes. Regina Resnik (Klytämnestra) and Marie Collier (Chrysothemis) deliver equally assured performances.

Jeffrey Tate / Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Claves Records)

Jeffrey Tate’s 1990 live recording with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande shows his deep affinity for Strauss. He brings warmth to the music, especially in the scene where Elektra and Orest are reunited. His interpretation is full of drama and is one of the most memorable in recent decades. Gwyneth Jones gives one of her most impressive recorded performances; she was sometimes vocally uneven elsewhere, but here she is majestic and dignified as Elektra. Leonie Rysanek, near the end of her long career, is a formidable Klytämnestra, and Anne Evans sings an elegant, slightly more restrained Chrysothemis. The sound quality is excellent.

Giuseppe Sinopoli / Wiener Philharmoniker (Deutsche Grammophon)

Giuseppe Sinopoli’s 1997 live recording with the Vienna Philharmonic for Deutsche Grammophon is one of the finest orchestral versions, rich in detail. His interpretation has a gripping sense of unease and at times frightening undertones of danger. Vocally it is strong, though not at the very top level. Alessandra Marc’s Elektra is well-sung—much better than her Chrysothemis for Barenboim—though a bit anonymous. Deborah Voigt and Hanna Schwarz are convincing as Chrysothemis and Klytämnestra, and Samuel Ramey is a powerful Orest.

Christian Thielemann / Staatskapelle Dresden (Deutsche Grammophon)

Christian Thielemann’s 2014 live recording with the Staatskapelle Dresden for Deutsche Grammophon focuses more on refinement and chamber-like detail than on sheer impact. The most dramatic scenes—Elektra recognizing Orest and the opera’s final moments—have majestic weight, though without quite the adrenaline of Solti or Mitropoulos. Evelyn Herlitzius’ Elektra is controversial, but her intense, psychologically gripping performance is impossible to ignore, even if her voice is sometimes thin and heavy with vibrato. Her cries in the Orest scene are hair-raising. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, with Waltraud Meier as a dangerous, manipulative Klytämnestra and René Pape as an unusually sensitive Orest.

Bonus

If you want a powerful video version of Elektra, Götz Friedrich’s famous film on Deutsche Grammophon—featuring Leonie Rysanek in the title role and Astrid Varnay as Klytämnestra under the baton of Karl Böhm—is gripping from start to finish. The performance is dark and vivid, and it feels raw and alive.