Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. Chloe van Soeterstede, conductor; Simone Lamsma, violin. July 17, 2026.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  First Tier (Seat BB7, $35).

Lasma and van Soeterstede after the performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1.

Program - Hymn and Reformation

Hymn - 2001 (2001) by Silvestrov (b. 1937).

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 (1866, rev. 1887) by Bruch (1838-1920).

Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107, "Reformation" (1830, rev. 1832) by Mendelssohn (1809-1847),.

Given my experience with the last concert, I was quite looking forward to tonight's event.  And it didn't disappoint.

Per the Program Notes, Valentin Silvestrov was born in Ukraine, started off as an avant-garde composer, but changed course in 1970 (that's quite a while ago) to adopt "a fresh style that incorporated gestures and techniques from the Classical and Romantic eras, along with national and liturgical reference."  For today's piece, Silvestrov describes it as a hymn "enveloped in silence, although it appears like a customary string setting on the outside."  Fair description, but in isolation the piece simply sounded simple.  There is a long violin solo passage by the principal second violin.  (In some YouTube videos, the passage is played by the assistant concertmaster.)  What I didn't know - until I looked into the piece just now - was that the silence at the end is "significant" (not sure what that means, either; the YouTube video I saw had an interval that was more than 20 seconds).  Perhaps the piece would appeal to me after multiple listens, but tonight it felt like a "so what?" composition.

van Soeterstede briefly introduced the pieces in the program at the beginning of the concert.

At the end of Hymn - 2001 the principal second violin (Frautschi) was acknowledged for the solo passages she played.

van Soeterstede is a French conductor who now lives in the UK.  She spoke briefly about the program before the concert started.  On the Bruch violin concerto: the premiere wasn't well received, and Bruch invited Joachim to help with the violin solo part.  All said and done, Bruch wanted to call the piece a Fantasy (which would be a legitimate name) but Joachim insisted on it being a concerto.  The original dedication was to Joachim "with respect," but the manuscript (now housed in New York) has that crossed out and replaced with "with friendship."

Despite my having heard the Bruch violin concerto in March, my encounters with the piece have been rare recently (the one before was in 2018, with Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and Joshua Bell as the soloist).  Interestingly, I heard it multiple times in the 2010s decade.  Is that an accident because of the concerts I went to?  Or do pieces go in and out of fashion?

I thought the piece began in a rather lackluster and sloppy manner, but it improved greatly as the performance continued.  We heard Lamsma once before, in 2018, performing the Britten Violin Concerto.  In 2018 she performed on a 1718 Stradivarius, tonight it was the 1703 "Aurora ex-Foulis," also on loan.

Surprisingly, Lamsma didn't do an encore.

There is no doubt that Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony is not performed often.  Being "religious" doesn't explain it (not completely anyway).  I have only one other instance recorded in this blog; and I certainly do not go out of my way to avoid it.  The last movement (Chorale: Andante con moto - Allegro vivace) was based on Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is our Lord."  The first movement (Andante - Allegro con fuoco) is infused with the Dresden Amen (and snippets that sound very much like it).  Supposedly the third movement (Andante) referenced a Jewish folk song and other works, but I didn't catch them.  The second movement (Allegro vivace) is a scherzo.

This symphony was chronologically the second one written by Mendelssohn, and wasn't published until 21 years after his death.  It was planned for the 300th anniversary of the Ausburg Confession (1530), but Mendelssohn couldn't get it finished in time for the occasion, partly due to his health.  The name "Reformation" was given by his sister Fanny.

The Reformation Symphony by Mendelssohn was the last piece in the program.

Our seats in the First Tier gave us good view of the orchestra.  The acoustics, however, weren't the best.  We also noticed two more familiar faces in the orchestra: violist Weyman from NJ Symphony, and cellist Gee from NY Phil.

The concert ended just after 9 pm, and we managed to get to NY Penn in time to catch the 9:23 pm train back to South Amboy.

Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. Jonathon Heyward, conductor; Alice Sara Ott, piano. July 11, 2026.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York.  Orchestra (Seat AA102, $35).

Ott and Heyward after the performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.

Program - The Beethoven Effect

subito con forza (2020) by Unsuk Chin (b. 1981).

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 (1800?) by Beethoven (1770-1827).

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1807) by Beethoven.

The composition date of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 is a subject of debate among musicologists.  It was first performed in 1803, and published in 1804.

A bit of history.  When I moved to NJ in 1979 one of my colleagues at work would try to sign up people for the Mostly Mozart Festival during the summer months.  Work and young children made it quite impossible to attend concerts during those years.  Per entries in this blog, we went regularly starting in 2009, and did that until 2019.  COVID made it impossible to attend in-person concerts during the subsequent years.  In 2023 and 2024 many changes were announced for the Mostly Mozart Festival, among which were the replacement of Louis Langree by Jonathan Heyward, the renaming of the orchestra from MM Festival Orchestra to Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center, and a new "pay what-you-want" pricing scheme for concert tickets.  To make things even more confusing, things are now part of the "Lincoln Center's Summer for the City."

Inertia is such a thing that once you stop doing something, it takes energy and deliberation to restart.  With the many significant changes in the "organization" (don't know what else to call it), I didn't want to bother, especially since I didn't want to "fight" (even online) for these tickets, thinking they would be popular as they can be free.

This season I did look, and found out general ticket sales started in May, so I went to the website on 5/20.  Many seats were already gone (perhaps to members who donated to the program), but there were still quite a few seats available, with a "list price" of $35 per ticket.  I bought tickets for three concerts.

I am glad I did, if tonight's experience was any indication.

Jonathan Heyward is quite young (early 30s), and is the Music Director of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.  After seeing him for this concert, the word that comes to mind is "dynamic."  The contrast he managed to get out of the orchestra was phenomenal, and the musicians seemed to be happy to be performing under his baton.  Being dynamic works very well for Beethoven, and both the Piano Concerto and the Symphony brought new excitement to and appreciation of these traditional work horses.

Ott made some variations in her tempo when she first came in; my thought was there was no need to do so with Beethoven.  While I still hold that view, she put in an impressive and enjoyable performance which completely won over the audience.

Before she played her encore, she mentioned the piece "For Alina" by Arvo Part is a piece of very few notes, in contrast to Beethoven, and that it can also bring people together.  (Some words to that effect, I forget after a few days.)

After intermission, the empty seat next to us was taken by someone who sat in the front for the piano concerto.  He mentioned that Ott performed without shoes on.  With her long dress, I didn't notice that at all.

Unsuk Chin's piece subito con forza drew inspiration from Beethoven.  I didn't get the quotes.

Conclusion of a satisfying concert.

Definition of exuberance.

Per this blog, I have heard Unsuk Chin once, and it's the same piece performed tonight.  It was in 2024, performed by the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra.  I scratched my head after the Rutgers concert.

For this concert, the Program Notes describes how Chin was inspired by Beethoven (the title now makes some sense, perhaps even better if it's "allegro con brio.")  The Notes further invites the audience to catch references to Beethoven's works (Coriolan Overture, Fifth Symphony, Emperor Concerto).  I am embarrassed to say I missed all of them.  So I still scratched my head even with more detailed notes.

The audience were really into it.  They applauded after every movement (except between the third and fourth movements of the Symphony since there is no break).  Summer concerts tend to be less formal, so I need to relax a bit.

On the other hand, this concert felt a lot more formal than the ones I used to attend.  Perhaps the renovated David Geffen Hall just feels more formal than Avery Fisher Hall, or perhaps during the Mostly Mozart Festival years the stage was configured differently.  I still recognize the concertmaster, the principal second violin, the principal cellist, and the principal flutist; so most of the musicians probably carry over from the pre-COVID period.  (Yes, Avery Fisher was renamed by 2019, but renovation was yet to take place.)

We might even go in on an earlier train and grab dinner next time.

New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang, Gergory D. McDaniel, conductors. Emanuel Ax, piano. June 6, 2026.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  Balcony (Seat G112, $52).

Program

Doublespeak by Loggins-Hull.

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major, K. 482 by Mozart.

Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 by Berlioz.

This is the season finale, and the program is certainly one worthy of it.  Emanuel Ax, Symphonie fantastique, what more can one ask for?  And it was a satisfying evening.

The evening started with a 13-minute long piece by Alice Loggins-Hull that was commissioned by NJ Symphony.  The Program Notes contains a description of the piece, "graciously" provided by the composer.  In addition to describing each of the three (continuous) movements, Doublespeak "explores the tension between truth, perception, and language in modern life."  I am usually positive about Loggins-Hull's writings (have heard maybe three pieces of hers before), today I can at best be neutral.

The description of the movements helped.  In the first movement ("The Party") I could tell the piano is tapping out the Morse Code (not that I remember much of it), that was about it.  I tried to listen to the "We Shall Overcome" theme but couldn't get it.  The second movement ("Connection") has these digital blips that suggests the constant technology in modern day life.  The finale "Hold" has a bass ostinato (I was thinking pedal point, but different concepts).  I couldn't catch these simple concepts I thought I should get.  (Probably didn't help that I forgot what I was to listen for.)  Next time I will pay more attention.  Loggins-Hill has been popular the last couple of years, so there is a likely next time.

McDaniel conducted the premiere of Loggins-Hill "Doublespeak."

My recollection was that Emanuel Ax used to be a lot more active in the area.  Well, I still seem to see him once every few years, so that recollection is not quite correct.  And if one goes check on his website, one would see a very busy concert schedule.  It is particularly impressive that he is still at the top of his game at 77.

As usual, I cannot tell a good Mozart from a great Mozart.  But it was easy to be absorbed into the performance, and how the piano interacted with the orchestra.  I am not familiar with this particular concerto, and playing it doesn't look like a walk in the park.  Musicologists point out this is the first piano concerto in which the we find the clarinet (instead of the oboe) in the orchestra.  Cadenzas were Ax's, although they were all fleeting.  While the applause was enthusiastic by NJ standards, Zhang had to encourage the audience to clap more so Ax could come out to take a second bow.  He didn't do an encore.

Idee Fixe and Dies Irae are two things to look for in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, and they were hard to miss.  The next thing is the visualization of the movements (some macabre), which is relatively easy to do.  Lastly, one laments the failed marriage between Berlioz and Harriet Smithson.  (Not part of the program in this symphony.)  Meanwhile, the music itself is just pleasant to listen to.

Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique is always a crowd pleaser.

I just found out Berlioz and Smithson are buried together despite Berlioz's having remarried after he and Smithson divorced.

Attendance was better than usual, but many seats in the balcony were unoccupied.  We actually sat in seats one row behind so we could get an unobstructed view of the stage.

New York Philharmonic. Semyon Bychkov, conductor. June 5, 2026.

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, NY.  Orchestra (Seat Y119, $74).

Bychkov shaking hands with Staples, the associate concertmaster.

Program

Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1887, rev. 1889-90; ed. Nowak, 1955) by Bruckner (1824-96).

Over the years I have listened to quite a few Bruckner symphonies.  Not all of them.  Some several times. I heard tonight's symphony a couple of times before, once conducted by Alan Gilbert, and once by Zubin Mehta.  Of course I don't recall how the two performances sounded, but I was quite sure I had a lot of great words to say about the one conducted by Mehta.  To my surprise, I was relatively neutral about that performance, if the blog entry is any indication.  (I made a similarly wrong recollection earlier; misconceptions are difficult to purge.)

A specific blog entry (for a 10/24/2014 concert) also explained why the symphony sounded so familiar to us.  It was one of the few CDs we had in our car, and was therefore played very often.  (And I thought my memory was so good.)

The Program Notes are probably the same used on prior occasions.  It talks how late Bruckner started as a composer, a bit of his background, and how his compositions often get altered, by himself or by others with his consent.  There is no insight into the specific symphony whatsoever, except it had its supporters and detractors when it first came out, and that Bruckner uses bold statements to slowly make his points.  One can add to the musicologist's insight with how his themes tie together, how he manages a grand sound with minimal percussion instruments (unlike Mahler, for instance), that the cymbals and triangle appeared only briefly (in the slow third movement, curiously), and that the timpani gets a starring role in the piece.  I can add to that the rich brass sounds, and the three harps often played in unison.

These are my observations, and a search of the web returns a lot more "insight" into what to listen for in the symphony.  Some interesting points raised are: the Bruckner sound is influenced by his church music background; the harps are not in such unison in some editions; and that Bruckner later privately described the program for the symphony.

Speaking of loud, I recorded a 90 dB at my seat in Row Y.  I wonder how many musicians had earplugs.

It's a testimony to the music, and the musicians, that I was enjoying the concert very much.  Without consciously thinking about it, I was trying to decipher the structure, the themes, and the orchestration of the work.

Bychkov is a hard working fellow.  We saw him last week in Berlin conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, so I wonder if there was much rehearsal time for this NY Phil series.

We left soon after the conclusion of the concert.  NJ Transit now has a train departing 9:23 pm (used to be 9:38 pm), and we barely made it.

Deutsche Oper Berlin. Wagner's Gotterdammerung. May 31, 2026.

Deutsche Oper Berlin.  1.RANG Links (Seat 5-2, 120 euros).

Final installment of Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Story.  See previous post.

Conductor - Sir Donald Runnicles.  Siegfried - Clay Hilley; Gunther - Thomas Lehman; Alberich - Michael Sumuel; Hagen - Albert Pesendorfer; Brunnhilde - Catherine Foster; Gutrune - Felicia Moore; Waltraute - Annika Schlicht; Norns - Lauren Decker, Karis Tucker, Felicia Moore; Rheinmaiden - Nina Solodovnikova, Karis Tucker, Stephanie Wake-Edwards.

It costs 1/2 euro to buy a cast list.  I bought one for each of the four operas in this Ring cycle.  In today's cast list there is a remark (in both German and English) that says "Due to sudden staff shortages and in order to ensure the safety of everyone on stage, certain parts of the technical operations of today's performance have been modified."

That could easily be understatement of the year.  The piano remains on stage all (or at least most) of the time, its movement is no longer remotely controlled, but done with the help of many stage hands.  There are no suitcases piled in front of the piano as it is no longer a portal. The large white sheet never makes an appearance.  There are still piles of suitcases, but they don't seem to move.  We still have costumes and lighting, and the entire stage can be raised.  Better than an opera in concert setting-wise, but nonetheless a less than spectacular production.  Despite my earlier grumblings about the set, I was looking forward to seeing how the Ring would conclude.  Would I be able to understand the arc the producer Herheim is try to achieve, that the creation of art ends in its destruction; more importantly, would I have cared if I had understood it?

Back to the opera.  A technique of Wagner's to fill in the narration gaps in his story is to provide the narration.  For Gotterdammerung we have three norns on for about 20 minutes (felt a lot longer) to sing about the past and the future.  Again, an editor would have come in handy.

    

When Brunnhilde appeared on the scene, she looked very different.  It turns out three different singers were deployed for each of the three operas as Brunnhilde.  This is a deliberate casting decision rather than last-minute substitutions, as far as I know.  Rings are planned several years in advance, so availability of singers should not be a problem.  Yes, the role is demanding, but one qualification should be the ability to sing in the entire cycle.  Indeed Wagner was sensible enough to space out the singing over the three operas, and Brunnhilde appears for only 30 or so minutes in Siegfried.  The conductor stays for the entire 15 hours, as do the audience members - although some do nod off every now and then.  Anyway, she aged 15 years (Foster is 60, Teige is 45) in two days.

End of Act 1: Waltraute, Siegfried, Brunnhilde, Gunther, and Gutrune.

Without the sets to dazzle, the weaknesses in the performance became more pronounced.  The actual opera casting calls for Gibichung villagers, so now we sometimes have two different groups on stage.  Don't worry about not being able to tell them apart: the refugees are the ones with the proclivity to strip down to their underwear.

One scene I look forward to in Act 2 is where both Brunnhilde and Siegfried swear on Hagen's spear.  Today's wasn't as compelling as I would like.  On the other hand, I didn't expect Hagen to cut off Siegfried's head when he approach the body either; I thought he was going for the ring and was looking forward to Siegfried raising his arm.  A completely unnecessary hard-edge addition, in my opinion.

End of Act 2: Alberich, Siegfried, Brunnhilde, Gunther, Gutrune, and Hagen.

The immolation scene should be both spectacular and sad.  Tonight's was neither.  No, we can't attribute it to the technical difficulties.  And where is the loyal horse Grune?  He is referred to multiple times, but never makes an appearance.  What we have are the stripped down refugees surrounding the piano with Siegfried's body (without its head, presumably).  A red light is shone on the refugees as they wave their arms and dance.  The entire stage is then lowered.  When it comes up again, only the grand piano is there.

The orchestra pit.  The musicians put in the work.

The end.  In the front: Gunther, Hagen, Brunnhilde, Runnicles, Siegfried, Gutrune, and the Rheinmaidens.  In the back are the Gibichung villagers, and the refugees.

That the technical sets were not working is very telling.  Without the sets' distraction, we have only a regular opera.  Which is quite good, by the way.  The women are particularly strong.  I do want to know if I will have gotten the metaphysical message Herheim is trying to convey; in that regard I wish the set had worked as planned.

This is the last performance of Runnicles as the music director.  One might wish it had ended on a more spectacular note.  The applause was enthusiastic nonetheless.

[Note.  About a week later I had a long chat with Google AI, and repeat here tits summary of the press's reviews of this performance.  The professional reviews perfectly vindicate your experience in the house. The press agrees that you witnessed a theatrically broken, overcrowded experiment that was ultimately rescued and turned into a historic event solely by the triumph of Wagner's score and a deeply emotional farewell to a beloved General Music Director.]

Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Simone Young, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, violin. May 30, 2026.

Konzerthaus Berlin.  Grosser Saal (Seat 11-17, 63 euros).

Tetzlaff performed the Dvorak violin concerto with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, conducted by Simone Young.

Program

Konzert fur Violine und Orchester a-Moll Op. 53 by Dvorak.

Sinfonie Fis-Dur Op. 40 by Korngold.

This concert certainly has the name recognition of its headliners: Young and Tetzlaff.  And the Dvorak violin concerto.

If you ask me what are the most favorite violin concertos on the concert stage, I would name Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Bruch (even), Lalo (maybe), and Saint-Saens before I come to Dvorak.  (I generated this list without consulting "the literature.")

Today's performance actually helped explain why.  No doubt the violin concerto contains a lot of brilliant passages, nice melodies, and technical challenges, but it is also a lot of hard work for the perceived return.  Just the opening passage, with it's high notes and double stops, would present a huge challenge for the soloist, and it gets more difficult as the piece proceeds.  It's no doubt a thrilling concerto to listen to, but one gets an equal amount of thrill without the soloist having to work so hard at the piece.  I looked at some random listing of popular concertos (actually two lists) on the web, Dvorak isn't even listed.  Somewhat proves my point.

Dvorak is Dvorak.  Folksy, melodic, and hummable.  In this blog I have three instances of listening to it, twice by Joshua Bell.  Tetzlaff came through brilliantly.  Our seat in Row 11 gave us a good view of what was going on, and it was impressive.

My first reaction, however, was "wow, the acoustics are not good."  A large orchestra was used, but I didn't expect the soloist to be so overwhelmed.  But often he was.  Which brings me to Tetzlaff's violin.  He famously stopped using a Stradivarius and now goes with a modern violin made by Greiner.  On previous occasions I heard him the violin was more than adequate, but today its sound failed him, at least for those sitting in my area.

We were seated in Row 11 of the main floor.  The acoustics were surprisingly muddled in that area.

For encore he played first an adaptation of a piece originally written by Bach, followed by the way Bach actually wrote it.  I wish he would explain that at the outset so I could be mentally prepared to make the comparison.  Of course he would have done it in German, which wouldn't help.

Later I found out from Gemini AI that the part of the concert hall I was in indeed has bad acoustics, and from Wikipedia that Tetzlaff has a condition that makes it painful to play the instrument.  Respect.  He looks considerably younger than his 60 years, though.

I have heard a Korngold piece here or there, but can't really pin down his composition style.  This symphony, at close to an hour in length, still didn't teach me much on the subject.  A few noticeable traits, if they can be called such.  First, it's form is very classical, we indeed have a four movement work marked fast, scherzo, slow, and fast.  (The actual movement markings are Moderato, ma energico; Scherzo: Allegro molto; Adagio: Lento; and Finale: Allegro.)  Indeed the individual movements also hew close to the classics.  For instance, the first movement is clearly in sonata form, and the scherzo also follow an ABA form.  Most - if not all - movements end with a well-marked coda.  On the other hand, I can't say I find any of the melodies - if there are any - to be singable.  

The slow movement was a tribute to Teddy Roosevelt.  It contains a three-note theme that I am quite sure got quoted in the last movement.

The piece certainly looked very difficult, and I also got the feeling that the result was modest compare to the hard work involved.  We were close enough to the stage to notice the principal cello had a lot of solo lines, but I frankly couldn't pick out the notes.  Surprisingly the violas often came across clearly.

A rather large orchestra was used for the Korngold symphony.

I had seen Simone Young conduct several times before.  At Bayreuth the conductor isn't seen, so maybe not that many times.  In any case, I was surprised how energetic she was, with her feet off the platform on many occasions.  She often had her left arm down, so I wonder if she could be seen by musicians in the back.

Last time we attended a Konzerthaus event we could get seats only behind the stage.  Today there were quite a few vacant seats on the main floor (what Europeans call the Parkett level), which was a bit surprising.

The concert ended at about 10:15 pm.

Deutsche Oper Berlin. Wagner's Siegfried. May 29, 2026.

Deutsche Oper Berlin.  1.RANG Links (Seat 5-2, 120 euros).

Story.  See previous post.

Conductor - Sir Donald Runnicles.  Siegfried - Clay Hilley, Mime - Ya-Chung Huang, Der Wanderer - Iain Paterson, Alberich - Michael Sumuel, Fafner - Tobias Kehrer, Erda - Lauren Decker, Brunnhilde - Elisabeth Teige, Ein Waldvogel - Cornelius Park.

Both Wotan and Brunnhilde are sung by different artists.

Of the four operas in the Ring cycle, the one that's usually the most challenging to sit through is Siegfried.  The Heldentenor is asked to carry most of the show.  The singing in each of the three acts is substantial, and he has to portray Siegfried correctly.  There are various ways to do the latter, but how the character of Siegfried evolves from a petulant or lost young man in the initial scene to someone lost in regret at death (in Gotterdammerung) is a major arc in the plot.

The first act is basically carried by Siegfried and Mime.  Wotan, as the Wanderer, did make an appearance.  The dialog between Wotan and Mime is used to provide more background to the story.  For instance, the different realms of beings (gods, giants, and Nibelungs), and it is nice to hear the leitmotifs associated with them.  If Wagner had an editor (I assume he didn't, or was his own editor), the editor should have encouraged him to excise this segment as by now there is already considerable clarity.  And the clarity is not really necessary anyway, the audience still has many other aspects of the story to muddle through.  One example is how Wotan manages to father so many children with different women; somehow Fricka is okay with that, but breaking up a marriage (Siegmund) is a capital offence.

The "forging song" sung by Siegfried is the highlight of Act 1.  While it was generally done well by Hilley, the volume was not uniform.  And up to that point I still wasn't sure whether I was looking at a petulant, strong-willed, or naive character.  Overall, I thought I had seen better Act 1s.

My reaction to the set design has been "silly, but works" up to this point.  One notable exception until now was the effigies of Fafner and Fasolt in Das Rheingold.  I give the nod again to how the dragon (Fafner) is portrayed.  Mostly, anyway.  For lack of a better description, the way the dragon was slain was by its shining teeth pulled out by Siegfried.

The way the Waldvogel is portrayed is unusual, and original, but not necessarily clever or effective.  When I saw the name "Cornelius" as the bird, I naturally assumed it would be a counter-tenor singing in the background.  What happens is a boy soprano (again dressed in white underwear) singing it on stage.  The idea should work, and worked to a certain extent.  The voice was a bit on the harsh side, not quite the elegant tone of the flute which announced the melody.  The boy has a loud voice, though.

End of Act 2.  Siegfried, Alberich, Waldvogel, Fafner, Mime and Wotan.  Wotan is sung by same artist who was in Das Rheingold.  Don't understand why the Waldvogel is covered in blood.

For the third act, the awakening of Brunnhilde remains a dramatic event.  Some (as CS did) may wish for a more singable tune, but the words "hail sunshine, hail light" were good enough for me.  The role for today was sung by Elisabeth Teige.  Brunnhilde becomes a mortal when she is awakened, and that is realized by her taken her wig off, revealing white short hair.  From our seats she aged considerably with that.  Great dramatic effect, no doubt; but not so flattering for the actress involved.  (People .sitting closer to the stage may not have seen such a dramatic transformation.)

Elisabeth Teige appeared as Brunnhilde in this opera.  She sang the role of Sieglinde in Die Walkure, so resting her voice was probably not a consideration here.  By taking her wig off, Brunnhilde aged considerably (compare with photo from Die Walkure, although Brunnhilde was sung by Trine Moller).

Erda, Wotan, Brunnhilde, Runnicles, Siegfried and Alberich at curtain call. The refugees/spectators have a proclivity to strip down to their underwear, conveying a message that's lost to me.  Don't know what the two people dressed in black are.  Notice also the music score held by a woman on the left.

Speaking of slowly unfolding plots, I went to listen to this aria "heil dir sonne, heil dir licht" on YouTube again, it took two minutes of orchestra music before the words came on.  So Wagner needed more than just a libretto editor.  If extras (or refugees in this instance) were ever necessary, this opera could use the distraction they provide.

My earlier opinion that Siegfried is the most difficult one to sit through is again confirmed.  Siegfried has a lot of singing to do - he has 90 to 100 minutes of singing, while all the other characters combined do 75 to 85 minutes.  A heroic and admirable attempt by Hilley, but the quality slipped every now and then.  What you don't want is pity creeping into the equation, but there were moments I felt that way.

One last note.  Deutsche Oper Berlin seems to always provide English surtitles, which is greatly appreciated.  Now if they can just make the font a little bigger (well, a lot bigger), that would be much appreciated.  Many couldn't read from where we sat, and those who could had to concentrate, thus missing some of the actions on stage.  (One can see how small the surtitles are by looking at the first photo in this series.)

A lot of complaints, I know.  But there is also a lot of appreciation on how well the performances have been put together.

Berlin Philharmoniker. Semyon Bychkov, conductor; Vikingur Olafsson, piano. May 27, 2026.

Berlin Philharmonie. Section D Links (Row-4, Seat-1, 51 euros).

Olafsson and Bychkov after performing Beethoven's Op. 73 piano concerto.  Usually known as either the fifth concerto or the Emperor concerto.

Program

Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62 by Beethoven.

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in E-flat major, Op. 73 by Beethoven.

Symphony No. 5 D minor, Op. 47 by Shostakovich.

We bought tickets for Berlin Philharmonic and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin for the off days during the Ring cycle.  Of course both organizations are well-known in their own right.

We heard a concert in this hall back in 2019, and Blomstedt was conducting.  At that time he was still doing his conducting standing up; in the last couple of weeks he was in the news for needing a lot of help getting on and off the podium.  Time comes for us all.

Looking back over that blog entry, I also remarked how the acoustics didn't live up to the venue's reputation.  Our seats were in Section B, quite a bit more expensive than ours today in Section D.  However, my first reaction was how great the sound was.  Clear, "true," and rich.  (I don't have the vocabulary of a sound technician.)

Per my blog, this was the third time I heard the Coriolan Overture.  My reaction is the same as on prior occasions: not familiar, yet definitely Beethoven.  But the clear sound of the orchestra came through.

After the Coriolan overture by Beethoven.  The piano (a Steinway) is already set up on stage.

That the acoustics was great was confirmed by the piano concerto.  For a real performance, the balance between the soloist and the orchestra is always a challenge.  Perhaps it's our seat location, but that wasn't an issue at all today.  Neither "side" overwhelmed the other, a close to perfect balance.

It may not have been the best Emperor concerto I have heard, and I have heard many, but the performance by Tsujii with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, back in 2014, always stand out.  That was a great performance, but I was also moved by how difficult it must have been for a blind person to get the piece right.  Olafsson delivered the piece without any fuss, clearly enjoying himself while doing so.  I often joke that Beethoven's violin concerto shows how a genius can string together a series of scales, arpeggios, and other standard violin techniques to form beautiful music; I sometimes wonder if a pianist would say similar things about the Emperor concerto.

Olafsson played an encore based on Bach's Air on G String written for the violin.  He joked that he would be using many strings.

Per Google.

After the intermission we heard Shostakovich's Fifth.  I remain baffled by the piece, but I am also glad to report that it begins to make some sense.  What's most noticeable, though, was how clear the parts sounded.

I had written about this piece several times before.  Some of the blog entries actually made sense, I am glad to report.  In any case, the four movements are simply marked Moderato, Allegretto, Largo and Allegro no troppo.  It's about 45 minutes long.

We have operas and concerts every day for six days, so I am falling behind in these entries, and thus must keep them brief.  And if I didn't write any remark down right afterwards, then I can remember only the vaguest details.

The ticket, at 51 euros, was a great bargain.  The concert began close to 8 pm, and didn't end until 10:15 pm.  I wonder if Berlin Phil would move to a 7:30 pm start time soon.

The acoustics at our seats in the D-section was excellent.

The Philharmonie is a short walk from our hotel, so we didn't have any of the transportation issues we experienced last time.

Deutsche Oper Berlin. Wagner's Die Walkure. May 27, 2026.

Deutsche Oper Berlin.  1.RANG Links (Seat 5-2, 120 euros).

This time we caught both banners.

Story.  See previous post.

Conductor - Sir Donald Runnicles.  Siegmund - Matthew Newlin; Hunding - Tobias Kehrer; Wotan - Jordan Shanahan; Sieglinde - Elisabeth Teige; Fricka - Annika Schlicht; Brunnhilde - Trine Moller; Walkures - Martina Weischenbach, Felicia Moore, Maria Motolygina, Aleksandra Meteleva, Arianna Manganello, Karis Tucker, Nicole Piccolomini, Lauren Decker; Hundingling - Eric Naumann.

I guess the producer achieves something if people who attend their productions talk more about the sets than the music itself.  But is that a good thing?  Today I found myself debating a bit more about whether the sets helped or hindered the audience's appreciation of Wagner.

The opening scene consists of three characters: Siegmund, Sieglinde, and Hunding.  I think we can suspend our traditions and consider it a good thing that Siegmund and Sieglinde, twins, fall in love, and Sieglinde - trapped in forced marriage - decides to leave her husband.  But why bring in Hundingling (didn't know the name until I read the Program), a child of Hunding and Sieglinde.  Actually that the child was the couple's son didn't occur to me at first, I thought the fourth character's task is to act out the emotions in the drama; he showed fear, love, disinterest, and disdain at different times.  However, one would appreciate the Act even without this Hundingling; one could even make a case that his presence distracts.  In all the productions I have seen, it takes a while before the twins fall in love.  Herheim decides no time should be wasted, Sieglinde embraced and kissed Siegmund soon after they met.

The challenge of many Wagner operas - Walkure included - is that the drama is delivered by a few singers; it takes superb singing to capture the audience's attention for long periods of time.  The extras provide some level of visual distraction; but one can also say it's a vote of no confidence by the director that the singers are good enough by themselves.

Hunding had a shotgun, and Siegmund didn't succeed in retrieving Nothung - cleverly left behind by Wotan at the end of Das Rheingold - until the third try, are some of the unnecessary deviations from the original script.  The piano became a more versatile prop when it was raised and rotated with Siegmund standing on it while describing his past.  Also, more and more suitcases (or facades thereof) are used to provide the backdrop for the sets.  The role of the "book" (I noticed more clearly the title) became clearer today: it stressed that the audience is seeing a rehearsal.  Indeed the singers refer to it every now and then.  Also, the piano "playing" that happens every now and then also stressed the rehearsal aspect of what unfolds on stage.

When Brunnhilde first appeared, she had this joyous look on her face.  The other Valkyries also presented as a happy bunch of warriors.  That joy, unfortunately, was short-lived, as the tetralogy continues to unfold.

For me Act 2 contains the saddest episode in the Ring.  I find the dialog between Brunnhilde and Siegmund about his impending death particularly moving.  Today was no exception, despite the fact that I was watching a rehearsal.

At the end of Act 2.  Siegmund, Sieglinde, Brunnhilde, Wotan, Fricka, and Hunding.  Yes, Wotan is sung by another artist, he may be a last-minute substitute.

End of performance.  Next to Runnicles are Brunnhilde, Wotan, and Sieglinde.  The others are the Valkyries.  Also note the suitcase-theme set.

I mentioned in the Das Rheingold writeup we didn't see Alberich turning into a dragon and a toad, here the missing element is Grane.  The steed is mentioned several times, but never shows up (not even as a butler as in Bayreuth).  How will they do the scene in Gotterdammerung where Brunnhilde leads Grane into the fire?

Speaking of the fire, it was represented by projections of images onto "the sheet."  The sheet has raised corners that are meant to represent the flame.  The cleverness is beginning to get old, as the setup reminds me of these Halloween costumes that are basically a sheet with a hole in it.

Wagner has this tendency to drag out some conversations to such an extent that one wonders what more can be said.  The one between Wotan and Brunnhilde in Act 3 is a good example of that.  Sometimes additional listenings can add to the appreciation of the story, not today though.

At the very end, Sieglinde came up from the piano and Mime delivered a baby from her.  That helps to set the scene for the next opera.

Overall, this was an enjoyable performance.

Deutsche Oper Berlin. Wagner's Das Rheingold. May 26, 2026.

Deutsche Oper Berlin.  1.RANG Links.  Row 7, Seat 1 (120 euros).

That's how the entire Ring cycle started.

Story.  See previous post.

Conductor - Sir Donald Runnicles.  Wotan - Iain Paterson; Donner - Thomas Lehman; Froh - Kieran Carrel; Loge - Thomas Blondelle; Alberich - Michael Sumuel; Mime - Ya-Chung Huang; Fasolt - Albert Pesendorfer; Fafner - Tobias Kehner; Fricka - Annika Schlict; Freia - Martina Weischenbach; Erda - Lauren Decker; Rheinmaidens - Lea-ann Dunbar, Arianne Manganello, Karis Tucker.

The banner announces the opera that is being performed.  We didn't notice the second banner which would have the title of the opera on it.  (Das Rheingold for today.)

I started this series with considerable trepidation, predominantly due to the pre-reading of this production (what little I did of it), and due to a dialog I had with Microsoft CoPilot.

What I read about this production gave me an impression that it was similar to that of the Bayreuth Ring, but at a different (more difficult) level.  A different story was being played on stage than the one Wagner intended, and the audience is left to fend for itself when it comes to understanding what is going on.  CoPilot introduced to me the term Regietheater and all its implications, and suggested a completely different mindset would be needed if the operas are to be appreciated fully.  To make things worse, CoPilot says the director Stefan Herheim is of the third-wave Regietheater generation, and uses terms like Postdramatic, Meta-Theatrical, and Ontology-Changing to describe their products.  None of these terms is familiar to me.

Let me first say my reaction after seeing this first of the operas was that all the worries are overblown.  It was perfectly fine to treat this as a modern rendition of the old warhorse, although the director may have chosen to skip some elements in the original plot.  Or rather chosen not to emphasize them, or represent them some other way.  And he added a few elements to it.

A grand piano forms the center-piece (and supposed anchor) of the production.  It sat there, by itself, as the audience filed into their seats.  Then a group of travelers came on stage with suitcases, and the leader hits a key on the piano.  No sound came from the piano, as it's just a prop (a rather versatile one, it turns out).  Instead the orchestra started with a soft E-flat, exactly as Wagner intended.  A few observations.  The Director (Herheim) meant these to be refugees, although so far (I finished Walkure last night) they could just be travelers who happen to be spectators.  The other is the music performed is exactly what Wagner wrote (not that I know all the details).  Also, suitcases are used a lot in this production.  They are placed in front of the piano so the entrances and exits of people are blocked from the audience, they are basic building blocks for the different sets (e.g., walls).

One clever ploy is that these travelers become the Nibelungs.  But the production designers didn't bother to "change" Alberich at all when he used the helmet to turn into a big dragon and a small mouse.  I thought they could at least project these images onto this jack-of-all-trades sheet.

Generally speaking, the leitmotifs can be appreciated just as Wagner intended them.  Valhalla, Staff, Notung, Rhine, and others all evoke images of their intended objects.  Again, this opera can be appreciated exactly as Wagner intended it, other than some of the "new" elements Herheim introduced.  In my opinion, most of them are superfluous anyway, luckily they are not significant enough to detract from the drama.

In fact, one can even complain some staging is a bit clumsy.  A prime example is the way they used gold as payment to the giants for completion of Valhalla.  They simply took objects (golden ones, I suppose) from suitcases and piled them onto Freia who was lying in the piano; no subtlety, no finesse.  And the gold ring is the same gaudy lighted orb used in many other productions.

The other prop that is constantly present is the sheet.  Herheim talks about how it started small and grew in size.  I didn't catch the progression.  But I had to admire how they could control a rather large sheet, and how they could project different backgrounds onto it to accommodate different scenes.  And it is a lot cheaper than the 24-plank setup the Met used for its now-retired set.  While the sheet worked admirably in this opera, it got a little comical during Die Walkure (again, I am typing this entry after having seen Walkure).

The way they used effigies for Fasolt and Fafner was also clever.  I was disappointed when their heads (made from suitcases, of course) dropped to the floor even though the two were still singing.

In other productions I have seen, Das Rheingold ends with Wotan leading the family towards Valhalla.  Here Wotan goes down the prompter's box and follows Erda to the center of the earth (?), that would explain how the two conceived Sigmund and Sieglinde.  Indeed the opera ended with a projection of twin fetuses.  I thought they copied the Bayreuth production, but Anne remarked that the Bayreuth twins were Wotan and Alberich (a fact that production made up).  Incidentally, Erda is located at the prompter's box as she supposedly knows how the story unfolds.  Interesting idea, but I am quite sure Erda isn't the prompter.

The prompter's box must be quite sturdy as we often have people standing on it.

One more new element in this production is that the spectators are watching a rehearsal, thus the action we see is one additional level removed from the story.  If that is indeed the case, is the actual audience (yet one more level removed) supposed to feel any emotion from the story?  As I said, the audience can ignore all these distractions; does that make the production a success, or a failure?

There is this "book" whose significant was lost on me during Das Rheingold.  In Die Walkure the title "Die Walkure by Richard Wagner" appears clearly on the cover.  I suppose it is to emphasize we are seeing a rehearsal here, and people still need their scores at this stage.

What made today's performance great was that Wagner came through, by and large.  Despite all the added elements, we get the story as Wagner intended it.  Credit must be given to the musicians - both the singers and the orchestra.  The singers came across strongly (a few weak spots here and there, but I don't remember the specifics), and the orchestra sounded superb.  Incidentally, Runnicles is the first left-handed conductor I have seen.

From left: Rheinmaidens, Mime, Freia, ?, Loge, Runnicles, Alberich, Wotan, Fricka, ?, Erda, ?, ?.  The first two ?s are Donner and Froh, the second are Fasolt and Fafner.

I have remarked before how hard-edged German opera productions tend to be.  Today's was somewhat tamer, although there really is no need for simulated sexual scenes.  And this great tendency to strip down to underwear and slips.  One unexpected aspect is how the Nibelungs move strikingly like Nazis, with the goosesteps and the outstretched arms.

In addition to the four operas in the Ring, we are also going to a concert at Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus.  Six altogether.  My entries thus would have to be quite brief.