Rivalda 2011 Equus

Pairing the two German composers, Wagner and the Wagnerian Strauss in a single evening creates a sweeping and overwhelming fusion of expansive melodies and driving dramatic force. The encounter between Wagner’s mythical intensity and Strauss’s modernism is a dialogue between two musical giants who reshaped not only German but also international musical life. In the performance of the OPERA Orchestra, their compositions promise deep emotions, dense musical textures, and sonic grandeur.

“I've captured a terrific storm of elements and of hearts which gradually calms to Brünnhilde's magic sleep,” Wagner on the score of Die Walküre, in a letter to Ferenc Liszt. Following on the heels of the introductory Das Rheingold, this opera about the tragic love between two of Wotan's children constitutes the start of the more tightly drawn dramatic trilogy. Once again, the laws of the gods clash: can paternal love save a lad who has violated the sanctity of marriage?

For the 14th time, the performance of the famous Symphony No. 9 will dominate the OPERA’s New Year celebrations. In 2027, the programme will be completed by two further classical works: Beethoven’s overture, also enhanced by Mahler, and a cello concerto by Haydn, the latter of course featuring an OPERA soloist.