Based on ancient Greek mythology and Sophocles' tragedy Electra, the opera is the second of Strauss's two highly modernist operas, the first being Salome. Laila Andersson-Palme was born in 1941 and moved to Stockholm in 1960. She was immediately accepted in the solo class at the Royal College of Music and began to perform in small roles at the Opera. Following a hugely successful career often singing Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, in various roles, in 1985 she was appointed Court singer in 1985 and was elected in 1997 as member no. 913 of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.