Mood: Mahler and Wagner
Music by Wagner and Mahler conducted by Nicholas Carter
Embark on a captivating musical journey at our concert featuring Wagner’s Prelude und Liebestod and Mahler’s Symphony No.5.
Concert Dates
Saturday 13 July
Costa Hall
Geelong / Djilang
Sunday 14 July
Hamer Hall
Melbourne / Naarm
Our destination is the 19th century when music was all about grand emotions, big sounds, and pushing boundaries. Rooted in the Germanic musical tradition, Wagner’s poignant prelude, extracted from his opera Tristan und Isolde, lays the foundation for an evening steeped in orchestral grandeur. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, a testament to his admiration for Wagner, unfolds with daring chromaticism, pushing the boundaries of traditional tonality. The concert takes you on a rollercoaster of emotional intensity, from Wagner’s transcendent love and death theme to Mahler’s varied exploration, ranging from mournful funeral marches to triumphant finales. Witness the influence and evolution of these composers as Wagner’s innovations echo in Mahler’s adaptation of leitmotifs.
Join us for an evening that is all about feeling the music and discovering the heart and soul of the Romantic era.
Program
IAIN GRANDAGE Overt
WAGNER Prelude und Liebestod
MAHLER Symphony No. 5
Nicholas Carter
Nicholas Carter, acclaimed for his recent conducting of Brett Dean’s Hamlet and Britten’s Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera, stands as a prominent opera conductor among the younger generation.
Currently serving as Chief Conductor and Co-Operndirektor of Bühnen Bern since 2021, Carter has held key roles at Staatsoper Hamburg, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, and the Kärntner Sinfonieorchester. Highlights of Carter’s 2023/24 season include Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen at Bühnen Bern and Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles at both the Oper Zürich and the Oper Köln, and his debut at Staatsoper Stuttgart with Rheingold. Carter’s extensive operatic repertoire spans Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Strauss, and contemporary composers such as Brett Dean, with whom he has a close artistic relationship.
He served as Principal Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra from 2016 to 2019 and has since been in international demand in the symphonic field. As a guest conductor, he has appeared with major orchestras worldwide, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the Dallas and Oregon Symphony Orchestras, Orchestre National de Lille, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Bochumer Symphoniker, Seoul Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic.
