Bryttan to conduct youth symphony in performance of Wagner's "Ring" (05/07/00)

Bryttan to conduct youth symphony in performance of Wagner's "Ring"

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - A complete act from Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" has never before been realized by any youth orchestra and is rarely attempted even by professional ensembles. Adrian Bryttan will lead the New Jersey Youth Symphony in a unique performance of the entire Act I from "Die Walküre" on Saturday, May 13, at Nicholas Auditorium, on the Rutgers University campus, at 8 p.m.

The quality and dedication of the 95 high school students who comprise the orchestra have attracted not only the enthusiastic support of the Wagner Society of New York but also the participation of the top professionals from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Four leading players, including Raymond Gniewek, concertmaster for 40 years, have offered their time and services to come down to New Jersey and help lead master classes with the young musicians. What particularly delighted the students was playing side by side with seasoned experts who shared their experience and expertise.

And they also identify with the story. A saga of love, "Die Walküre" opens with a raging thunderstorm in a primeval forest, where a wounded man desperately runs towards a secluded hut seeking shelter. As he falls in love with the unhappy woman who lives there, their first tentative yearnings, the rage of the woman's husband and the ecstatic conclusion are vividly portrayed in the most descriptive and subtle orchestral colors. Wagner's first truly mature work, it is in many ways also his most intimate and lyrical. The immense orchestra is a full-fledged partner to the three vocal soloists.

Appearing as Siegmund will be tenor Stefano Algieri, the Met's second cast Tristan this season who has appeared in many of the major opera theaters in the world, including Staatsoper Wien, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York City Opera and others. Gustavo Halley, in the role of Hunding, has also performed in numerous leading theaters such as La Scala, Hamburg, Graz and the Lviv Opera, and as soloist with the Lviv Philharmonic. Bass roles he is noted for are Boris, King Marke, Falstaff, Don Giovanni and King Philip. The soprano will be 23-year-old award-winning Amanda Mace from Kansas City.

Maestro Bryttan has established the NJYS as one of the most challenging and innovative ensembles in the nation. This season it has already performed such masterworks as Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony and Richard Stauss' "Death and Transfiguration."

For tickets to the performance call (908) 771-5544.

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