Sunday was a perfectly swell day to loiter in Amsterdam. Which I did, because in the evening, I had an engagement at the Concertgebouw.
The evening’s program performed by the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest conducted by Marks Wigglesworth consisted of two works I wasn’t at all familiar with. Brahms’s Double Concerto in A minor for violin and cello, with solists Liza Ferschtman and Nicolas Altstaedt, was quite nice. But the real attraction for me was Henk de Vlieger’s one hour reduction of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. In it’s original version, Der Ring des Nibelungen is a massive four opera marathon lasting roughly sixteen hours. I don’t have time for that, and for now, I prefer my classical music without the incomprehensible singing. The Ring, an Orchestral Adventure is an hour long instrumental highlight tour of Wagner’s magnum opus. Apart from the Walkürenritt—think Apocalypse Now—nothing sounded familiar to me, and still it was quite excellent. In my mind, it would definitely work as an alternative soundtrack for Frodo crossing Middle Earth. Especially with its many false endings.
Which makes me wonder why “The Lord of the Ring des Nibelungen” isn’t a thing that actually exists.
The whole concert was broadcasted live on Radio 4. It’s available for streaming for the next 90 days or so. (Alternate link, and even more additional material.)
- Seen live
- Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, with Liza Ferschtman (violin) and Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on June 30th, 2013
- Works performed
- Johannes Brahms — Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 for violin, cello and orchestra.
i. Allegro / ii. Andante/ iii. Vivace non troppo - Maurice Ravel — Sonata for Violin and Cello, M. 73: ii. Très vif
(encore, by Liza Ferschtman and Nicolas Altstaedt) - Richard Wagner — The Ring, an Orchestral Adventure (arr. Henk de Vlieger)
i. Vorspiel / ii. Das Rheingold / iii. Nibelheim / iv. Walhall / v. Die Walküren / vi. Feuerzauber / vii. Waldweben / viii. Siegfrieds Heldentat / ix. Brünnhildes Erwachen / x. Siegfried und Brünnhilde / xi. Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt / xii. Siegfrieds Tod / xiii. Trauermusik / xiv. Brünnhildes Opfertat