RFO with Karina Canellakis - Photo: Eduardus Lee

Strauss' Heldenleben and Brahms' Altrapsodie with Canellakis

Programme

  • Johannes Brahms Altrapsody
  • Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben

In Richard Strauss' heroic epic Ein Heldenleben, a hero overcomes his adversaries and finds love. Brahms' Altrapsodie, on the contrary, is a melancholy wedding gift from the composer for his love who married another. Karina Canellakis propels "her" Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor to great heights.

Strauss' Heldenleben and Brahms' Altrapsodie

In Richard Strauss' heroic epic Ein Heldenleben , a hero overcomes his adversaries and finds love. Strauss dedicated the work to the Concertgebouw Orchestra, so there is no better place than The Concertgebouw to listen to this grandiose symphonic poem. The Altrapsody is a melancholy wedding gift from Johannes Brahms to his love, who married someone else. It is therefore not an upbeat piece about love and marriage, but a lament in which loneliness is the primary focus. Yet Brahms allows sadness to give way to hope and comfort, so that singer Gerhild Romberger may end on a positive and glorious note.

Karina Canellakis

American conductor Karina Canellakis has been praised for her "exciting depth," her musical intuition and her "sense of color"(de Volkskrant). Since she took office as chief conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019, conductor and orchestra have been propelling each other to great heights. She has also led the Groot Omroepkoor regularly in recent years. Choir, orchestra and conductor are therefore perfectly attuned to each other.

Date:
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Time:
11:00 am
Intermission:
No
Location:
The Royal Concertgebouw

Amsterdam
-
Large Hall

Performers

Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
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Karina Canellakis
Conductor
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Large Broadcast Choir
Choir
Julia Selina Blank
Choir conductor
Sophie Harmsen
Alt

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