Hamburg State Opera & Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Brisbane
See the Hamburg State Opera and Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra perform in Australia for the first time, and Simone Young conduct Das Rheingold in her home country!
Wagner spent 26 years on the composition of the epic Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring), which comprises four separate operas designed to be performed in sequence. Although Das Rheingold is the first opera in the series, it was, in fact the last to be composed. Conducting the Hamburg State Opera and Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert performance of Das Rheingold is celebrated Australian and Hamburg Philharmonic Musical Director Simone Young. The first woman to conduct a complete Ring Cycle, in 1999, Simone has since led complete performances of the cycle in Berlin and most recently Hamburg.
Attend a full day Rheingold symposium for an in-depth look at Wagner’s masterpiece, and see the Hamburg Philharmonic perform Mahler’s majestic Symphony No. 2. To add to the cultural experience, see the ‘Masterpieces from the Prado’ exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery – the first ever collection of work from Madrid’s esteemed Museo Nacional del Prado to visit Australia.
Hamburg Philharmonic
ITINERARY
Thu 23 Aug 2012 / Arrive Brisbane
Arrive Brisbane and check-in to your hotel. Tour arrangements begin with a welcome briefing and dinner. (D)
Fri 24 Aug / Brisbane
Full day symposium dedicated to Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Conservatorium Theatre. Organised by the Wagner Society in Queensland in association with the Queensland Conservatorium and Griffith University, the symposium will bring together a range of expert speakers who will explore the socially enlightened ideas that shaped Das Rheingold – its unique place in the history of opera, its anticipation of cinematic techniques long before the invention of that art form, and Wagner’s exceptional demands on singers, orchestras and designers. Simone Young will take part in the symposium, as will dramatic soprano Lisa Gasteen, celebrated for her performances as Brünnhilde, Isolde and other major Wagnerian roles around the world.
Tonight return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, where the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Simone Young, with soloists from Hamburg State Opera and a 100-voice choir, will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection. (B)
Sat 25 Aug / Brisbane
This morning visit the Queensland Art Gallery’s exhibition ‘Masterpieces from the Prado’. The exhibition includes masterpieces of renowned painters who worked in the Spanish Royal Court including El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera, Goya and Rubens. Lunch at the elegant GOMA Restaurant, in the heart of the Gallery of Modern Art, which you are free to visit in the afternoon.
This evening see Simone Young conduct the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert version of Das Rheingold at QPAC. (BL)
Sun 26 Aug / Depart Brisbane
Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. (B)
Simone Young - photo Klaus Lefebvre
