Beethoven / Wagner

The Philharmonia Zurich is pleased to welcome Leonidas Kavakos, one of the most renowned violinists of our time, as a guest. The Athens-born artist – who is celebrated worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician – was recently artist-in-residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and artiste étoile at the Lucerne Festival. In Zurich he will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s «Concerto for Violin and Orchestra» in D Major, op. 61 under the direction of Music Director Fabio Luisi.

The musicians of the Philharmonia Zurich will then bring to life the fascinating world of Richard Wagner’s «Ring des Nibelungen». In the space of 60 minutes, Henk de Vlieger’s arrangement – called «The Ring - An Orchestral Adventure» (1991) – leads listeners through key scenes and musical highlights of Wagner’s monumental tetralogy. This orchestral journeys winds through Nordic mythology, from the goldsmithing Nibelungen and the «Ride of the Valkyries» to Siegfried's «Journey down the Rhine» and the great fire Valhalla, the palace of the gods.

[Text by Opernhaus Zürich]