Munich Philharmonic: Debussy / Wagner / BerliozAndris Nelsons (conductor), Rachel Willis-Sørensen (soprano)
While Richard Wagner was working on Tristan and Isolde, he composed a Lied cycle based on the texts of his secret lover Mathilde Wesendonck. Especially the final song, Träume (Dreams), contains strong thematic and musical references to the opera’s second act, in which Tristan and Isolde reveal their unbridled love for each other.
While Richard Wagner was working on Tristan and Isolde, he composed a Lied cycle based on the texts of his secret lover Mathilde Wesendonck. Especially the final song, Träume (Dreams), contains strong thematic and musical references to the opera’s second act, in which Tristan and Isolde reveal their unbridled love for each other.
For the celebrated soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, it was “the great emotions” of opera that inspired her to become a singer – the perfect qualification for interpreting Richard and Mathilde’s feelings. Wagner’s art songs are juxtaposed with musical dream visions by French composers.
In Claude Debussy’s masterfully orchestrated Prélude à “L’Après-midi d’un Faune”, the faun’s sensual thoughts drift between fantasy and reality on a sultry afternoon. In Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, the protagonist’s unrequited love even ended in dreadful hallucinations. Andris Nelsons, one of the world’s most sought-after conductors, leads the Munich Philharmonic on this journey through love-induced dreams and reverie.
Programme
- Claude Debussy: Prélude à “L’Après-midi d’un Faune”
- Richard Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder for voice and orchestra
- Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op 14
