Events

Attending a four or five hour opera has enormous transformative potential, but it also poses a challenge to today’s listening habits. We know full well that no summary can replace the experience of immersing oneself in dramas of epic scale such as those that Wagner set in contrast to traditional Italian entertainment.

However, we also know that his overtures and preludes serve more than just a decorative purpose: they are a dramatic synthesis that foreshadows everything that follows through orchestral writing rich in symbolism. Above all, they stand out when performed on their own whether through the grandeur and ceremonial nature of Rienzi, the stifling atmosphere of Tristan und Isolde, the festive celebration of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, or the solemn apotheosis of Tannhäuser.