To the main content To the footer

Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’

Marc Albrecht, Simone Lamsma
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Sat 26.10.2024 – 20:00
Queen Elisabeth Hall, Antwerpen
Tickets
Sat 26.10.24
20:00
Tickets

Richard Strauss drew inspiration for his Salome Dance from Oscar Wilde's play, where Salome demands the head of John the Baptist, the only man who resisted her seduction. The erotically charged theme, intensity, and harmonic complexity naturally stirred controversy. The same holds true for Also sprach Zarathustra, based on Nietzsche's philosophical work, a piece surrounded by controversy along with Strauss's symphonic poem. Nevertheless, Strauss crafted an absolute masterpiece expressing his vision of earthly life. Alban Berg's Violin Concerto ‘To the Memory of an Angel' was dedicated to the tragically young Manon Gropius, daughter of Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius, showcasing how love and death can be closer than one might think. Berg poignantly translates the tragedy into an intense concerto, skillfully performed by Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma.

Part of

Program

Strauss, R. Salome Dance (from: Salome, opus 54) (for reduced orchestra)

Berg Concerto for Violin, 'To the memory of an angel'

Strauss, R. Also sprach Zarathustra, opus 30

Simone Lamsma

violin

Marc Albrecht

conductor