It was a first for me: the first opera I have ever seen: Elektra at the Royal Opera House. And of note, the first 'twitter' opera will be performed in Riga on October 18th (dramatising the disagreement between Paul Krugman, the economist and President Toomas Hendrik of Estonia).
Elektra is supposed to be a more complex opera for anyone starting than better loved pieces in the repertoire. I did not notice. Nevertheless, I found John Crace's article a good read and wholeheartedly agree with his finding:
At the very least I'd get my money's worth by sneering. But within 20 minutes of the opening notes I was won over. Here was art at its most sublime: an overwhelming combination of music, drama and poetry.
A review of Elektra is here (and agree on the distracting Fifth Maid rolling about the stage: would the ambulance never arrive?). Better line up the ballet now.