Guest performance Amsterdam

Ever since Kubrick’s »2001: A Space Odyssey«, the opening minutes of Strauss’s »Thus Spoke Zarathustra« have become instantly famous. This Sunday morning, you will hear that they are followed by another half-hour of marvellous poetic beauty.

Strauss’s »Thus Spoke Zarathustra«

With his symphonic poem »Thus Spoke Zarathustra«, Richard Strauss took an optimistic approach to Friedrich Nietzsche’s pessimism. The imposing opening became famous through Stanley Kubrick’s »2001: A Space Odyssey«. But are you also familiar with the eight movements that follow this ‘sunrise’? They are mysterious, haunting and captivating. Strauss did not compose a narrative based on Nietzsche’s philosophical work, but rather conceived it as a musical reflection on his ideas. The tension between humanity and nature, between religion and morality, and the human striving for the sublime permeate the entire work. The full orchestral sound, the sensual harmonies and the endless melodies: this is Richard Strauss through and through.

Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

In the suite from his successful opera »Der Rosenkavalier«, Richard Strauss dreams of 18th-century Vienna. The suite begins with a passionate scene between two of the main characters. This is followed by tender love, graceful Viennese waltzes and ecstatic climaxes. Bordering on operetta, Strauss composed music with a touch of humour, of the highest quality and with unexpected depth. For beneath the glittering surface, amidst the champagne and waltzes, »Der Rosenkavalier« conceals a story about time and ageing, about love and loneliness.