This concert closes off the Festival with the Philharmonia Orchestra residency.
Philharmonia Orchestra Residency
Alexander Soddy Conductor
David Jones Assistant Conductor
Malin Byström Countess
Bo Skovhus Count
Sebastian Kohlhepp Flamand
Joshua Hopkins Olivier
Peter Rose La Roche
Dame Sarah Connolly Clairon
Emily Birsan Italian Singer
John Irvin Italian Singer
Reinhard Hagen Major Domo
Strauss Capriccio
Which is the greater, music or poetry? The arts-loving Countess Madeleine struggles to find the answer – and to choose between her two suitors, the tender composer Flamand and the fiery poet Olivier.
Written at the height of the Second World War, Richard Strauss’s final opera Capriccio pays tribute to many of the composer’s operatic predecessors. Notable for its wit and dynamism, highlights include the soulful opening String Sextet and the lyrical closing monologue, in which Countess Madeleine meditates on the inseparability of music and poetry.
This concert performance of Capriccio will be performed in memory of conductor Sir Andrew Davis CBE, who sadly passed away earlier this year aged 80. Sir Andrew conducted 18 performances at the Festival between 1974 and 2023, and was originally scheduled to conduct this performance.