Under the baton of renowned conductor Asher Fisch, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra will perform Siegfried's Rhine Journey and Funeral Music from Gotterdammerung and conclude with the dramatic Die Walkure Act III which opens with the famous Ride of the Valkyries. The powerful soloists will be led by esteemed Australian soprano Lisa Gasteen as Brunnhilde, a role for which she has won international acclaim, Dutch baritone Harry Peeters as Wotan and Kirsti Harms as Sieglinde.
They will be supported by an outstanding cast of Australia's finest singers including Merlyn Quaife, Elizabeth Campbell, Zoe Kikiros; Aivale Cole, Elisa Wilson, Fiona Campbell, Sarah-Janet Dougiamas and Christina Gronborg.
Written between 1848 - 1876, Wagner's Ring cycle is the largest work in the history of Western music. When performed in full, it is an opera on an epic scale - in keeping with this tradition the West Australian Symphony Orchestra will perform with 99 players featuring a large brass section (including Wagner tubas).
Another highlight of the evening's concert will be the World Premiere of West Australian Symphony Orchestra Composer-in- Residence, James Ledger's The Madness and Death of King Ludwig which is drawn from the bizarre real-life saga of Wagner's patron, King Ludwig II of Bavaria. -- www.waso.com.au
