New Venture by Feltz and the Belgrade Philharmonic

The Belgrade Philharmonic and Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz are embarking on a new venture at Kolarac Hall on Friday, 28 February, at 8:00 p.m. After the Belgrade Philharmonic’s string quartet performs the String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135, Beethoven’s last major work, the orchestra will be joined by world-famous opera stars in performing the third act of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried.

Once more our audience is in for a genre spree because the concert evening begins in an entirely chamber atmosphere, with only four musicians on stage. The Belgrade Philharmonic’s string quartet: Jelena Dragnić, Vladan Lončar, Boris Brezovac and Aleksandar Latković, will perform Beethoven’s masterpiece, String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135, one of the most iconic chamber music creations of all time.

“The connection between Beethoven and Wagner is one of the most important in the history of music, especially if we know that it is not possible to understand Wagner unless we understand Beethoven. What Wagner learned while studying the score of this quartet had a major influence on his further creative work. We will take you a journey beginning with only four musicians on stage and going to over a hundred performing Siegfried, and both works are connected by the same philosophical thought,” Gabriel Feltz said.

Our chief conductor is fulfilling our promise made regarding operas presented in concert version. Especially for this occasion we are pleased to be hosting world-famous opera stars, soprano Elisabeth Teige, mezzo soprano Karin Lovelius (standing in for Simone Schröder, who is unable to perform due to illness), tenor Paul McNamara, and baritone Teruhiko Komori.

Wagner is rarely performed locally and this is an exclusive opportunity for the audience to enjoy the story of the young hero Siegfried in an epic that forms part of the famous Ring of the Nibelung cycle. The huge orchestra size typical of Wagner involves the addition of nine horns, a Wagner tuba, a bass-trumpet, a bass-trombone, and three harps, with musicians from the region joining us in this endeavor.

One hundred standing tickets will be on sale at the Kolarac Box Office, from 7:00 p.m., one hour before the concert.