Introduction to Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen

The “Introduction to Wagner’s ‘Ring des Nibelungen'” describes the origin of the monumental work and provides biographical information on the protagonists of this gigantic saga in addition to information on the construction and opening of the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, the world premiere of the Ring and the production history of the work up to Harry Kupfer’s Bayreuth staging of 1988 under the musical direction of Daniel Barenboim and with sets by Hans Schavernoch. “Harry Kupfer has created a production of great coherency, hard, cutting, transparent, which will delight those who see in Wagner a contemporary and will displease those who consume Wagner like some consecrated artifact in a museum. The entire mythological apparatus is demolished bit by bit: what remains is what Wagner himself wanted: the ‘pure humanity’ of the myth. […] The entire ‘Ring’ unfolds like an intellectual adventure that provokes unforgettable emotions.” (La Repubblica)

Interview with Leonard Slatkin

Leonard Slatkin was born in Los Angeles, the son of two musicians. He now takes his place among the leading conductors of the United States both in the domain of symphonic music as well as in the opera. His repertoire comprises the great standard works as well as the music of the 20th century and is documented in over a hundred recordings. Slatkin was music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for many years and became the principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington in 1996/97. He has guested at the head of just about every major orchestra in the U.S. and Europe.

Haydn, Symphony No.79 in F major

Christopher Hogwood founded the Academy of Ancient Music in 1973 and is one of the pioneers of historical performance practice as a harpsichordist and conductor. His interpretations of the Baroque and classical opera and concert literature have brought him international acclaim. The Academy of Ancient Music has taken as its goal the performance of the works of the Baroque and Classical eras on historic instruments. The ensemble, which has a varying amount of performers, boasts a number of outstanding specialists for historical performance practice. The performance of this Haydn symphony took place in Salzburg on 2 February 1997 during the “Mozart Weeks”.

Mozart, Piano Concerto in B flat major, K. 450

Christopher Hogwood founded the Academy of Ancient Music in 1973 and is one of the pioneers of historical performance practice as a harpsichordist and conductor. His interpretations of the Baroque and classical opera and concert literature have brought him international acclaim. The Academy of Ancient Music has taken as its goal the performance of the works of the Baroque and Classical eras on historic instruments. The ensemble, which has a varying amount of performers, boasts a number of outstanding specialists for historical performance practice. The performance of this Mozart concerto with Robert Levin at the fortepiano took place in Salzburg on 2 February 1997 during the “Mozart Weeks”.