"When I conduct Wagner's music, I'm drawn to the excess and the extreme commitment in his music...
a luxuriance of melody and an opulent use of leitmotifs." - Marin Alsop, NPR
a luxuriance of melody and an opulent use of leitmotifs." - Marin Alsop, NPR
A Composer Fit For a King: Wagner and Ludwig II is a through-composed symphonic play in Four Acts with a cast of three professional actors in the roles of Richard Wagner, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and his Cabinet Secretary (a professed enemy of Wagner) Herr Pfeffermeister. The backstage drama of the larger-than-life composer-patron relationship between King Ludwig and Wagner offers a fascinating glimpse into the off-stage sagas surrounding the creation of the Ring Cycle and the founding of Bayreuth -- both enterprises funded in large part by the fortunes of the seemingly sane King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The Conductor is a featured “player” with scripted narratives re musical, psychological and historical insights that propel the music, dramatic action and story forward. The musical selections include orchestral excerpts from the Ring Cycle. |
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WORLD PREMIERE APRIL 2013 Marin Alsop Music Director & Conductor Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Playwright & Stage Director: Didi Balle April 19, 2013: Strathmore Performing Arts Center April 20, 2013: Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore Commission: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Music Director Marin Alsop Cast Richard Wagner (Richard Poe) King Ludwig II (Pomme Koch) and his Cabinet Minister, Herr Pfeffermeister (Tony Tsendeas) |