In the lead-up to performances of Richard Strauss’s Elektra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the NDR Vokalensemble, led by their chief conductors Alan Gilbert and Klaas Stok, explore other heroic myths in music. And one thing becomes clear: heroism itself is one of the greatest myths of all.
Just as Elektra, in her supposedly noble quest for justice, becomes a murderous obsessive, the protagonists in this concert programme also fall short. Orpheus fails to rescue Eurydice from the underworld because he looks back at her; Napoleon, the original dedicatee of Beethoven’s Eroica, tramples on the human rights he once championed; and even Prometheus – another hidden inspiration behind this now-mythic symphony – makes more than a few missteps as the legendary creator of human civilisation.
Discount for everyone under 30: Exclusively for this concert, everyone under 30 can book the REDticket now. This means that even the best available seats only cost € 12. Proof of age must be shown when attending the concert, otherwise the difference to the original price will have to be paid.
PERFORMERS
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester orchestra
NDR Vokalensemble choir
Klaas Stok choir director
Alan Gilbert conductor
PROGRAM
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Orphic Hymn
Einojuhani Rautavaara (Text: Rainer Maria Rilke)
Orpheus singt for Mixed Choir
Hans Werner Henze
Orpheus Behind the Wire
- Interval -
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 »Eroica«
