SOI Autumn 2019: Wagner Gala

Symphony Orchestra of India

Zane Dalal, conductor

Simon O’Neill, tenor

Amanda Atlas, soprano

Wagner Gala: Excerpts from Die Walküre, Parsifal, and Lohengrin

Associate Music Director Zane Dalal will lead an all-Wagner gala featuring New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill, one of the finest heldentenors on the international stage, and soprano Amanda Atlas, known for her dramatic flair as well as vocal power.

On listening to Wagner, even the first-time listener is aware of a sound scape that is large, engulfing, and at times overwhelming to the point of distraction. He takes his listeners on a journey that gives them harmonies and chord progressions that are more adventurous, more lush, more extreme and more iconoclastic than his contemporaries imagined, or allowed.

The concert will feature excerpts from three of Wagner’s great operas, including some of his best-known themes that have worked their way into pop culture. The famous and soul edifying prelude to Parsifal will open the evening, followed by the Act III Prelude, Wedding music and first duet from Lohengrin.

Then, in what may prove to be the most ambitious undertaking of all, almost the whole of Act I of Die Walküre (The Valkyries), the second opera of the great tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungen, or The Ring Cycle). Die Walküre is often regarded as the most popular and moving part of the Ring Cycle, ideal for delving into the world of Wagner. This opera represents the pinnacle of Romantic musical drama and some of the composer’s most passionate writing.

For all involved, whether listening or playing, whether seasoned experts or first-time listeners, Wagner’s music guarantees an immersive, no-holds-barred experience.

This concert runs for 105 minutes with one intermission.