The magnificent passacaglia which concludes Brahms’ last symphony was widely deemed the greatest symphonic movement since Beethoven and proved that an archaic musical form could be the vessel of explosive nineteenth-century power. In Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs, he contemplated his imminent death with help from Hermann Hesse and demonstrated the soaring allure of the Soprano voice. Join us for a performance at Carnegie Hall by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mariss Jansons, and Diana Damrau, who a critic famously said can "do anything she wants with any note at any given time." Dinner and conversation moderated by Prof. Nicholas Chong (Rutgers) will precede the performance.
Tickets are free but limited; please sign up below while places are available. Cultural outings are open to current students only.
Program
R. Strauss, Four Symphonic Interludes from Intermezzo
R. Strauss, Four Last Songs
Brahms, Symphony No. 4
“Brahms looks back while Strauss soars to unprecedented heights in this concert. Brahms envisioned a symphony built around a Bach theme, and in the final movement of his last symphony crafted an epic passacaglia (variations over a repeating bass line) on the master’s melody, building to a devastating emotional climax. Autumnal sentiments are also present in Strauss’s gorgeous Four Last Songs, sung here by Diana Damrau who, according to Opera News, can ‘do anything she wants with any note at any given time.’”