Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons made his first appearance with the RCO to great acclaim in 2008 and has returned regularly ever since. The soloist is the celebrated tenor Ian Bostridge, who is sure to shine brightly in the exceptionally beautiful Les illuminations by BRITTEN, who was born 100 years ago. Britten’s work makes for a fascinating contrast with the Slavic energy of RACHMANINOFF’s Symphonic Dances. Also on the programm Claude DEBUSSY’s Six épigraphes antiques (UNITEL Cat. No. A865500050000)
RCO: Andris Nelsons conducts Wagner and Strauss (Kerstmatinee 2013)
The RCO’s125th anniversary celebrations in 2013 are concluding with a Christmas Matinee in style. Andris Nelsons conducts music by Wagner, who was born 200 years ago. The other titan featuring on the programme is Richard Strauss, who himself conducted his symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra no fewer than three times in Amsterdam. —– PROGRAM: Richard Wagner: Siegfried Idyll / Overture and Venusberg Music (Bacchanale) from ‘Tannhäuser’; Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra (UNITEL Cat. No. A865500060000)
RCO: Andris Nelsons conducts Strauss and Brahms
In 2014, Strauss’s birth 150 years ago is being commemorated. Strauss was a champion of the symphonic poem, and one of his first works in that genre was Macbeth. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche followed soon after, fully revealing Strauss’s mastery in the sharp melodic characterisations and brilliant instrumentation. With its energetic and cheerful character (despite Till’s execution, which is vividly depicted in the music), the work complements Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, which is imbued with a sunny, lush atmosphere. The brilliance of the grand finale is a quality rarely heard in Brahms’s. (Cat. No. UNITEL: A865500160000)