The genius director Patrice Chereau ("From the House of the Dead") didn't live to see his great "Elektra" production, previously presented in Aix and Milan, make it to the stage at the Met. It is being hailed as a landmark of contemporary staging. But his overpowering vision lives on with Nina Stemme, unmatched today in the heroic female roles of Strauss and Wagner - who portrays Elektra's primal quest for vengeance for the murder of her father, Agamemnon. Legendary mezzo-soprano Waltraud Meier is chilling as Elektra's fearsome mother, Klytamnestra. Adrianne Piezonka and bass-baritone Eric Owens are Elektra's troubled siblings. The brilliant Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts Strauss' mighty take on the Greek myth. Please note that there is a production on April 30 as well.

Metropolitan Opera House  Lincoln Center (65th&Broadway)  www.metopera.org