Donald Runnicles conducts Strauss & Beethoven

Richard Strauss' A Hero's Life (Ein Heldenleben) is the centrepiece of this concert. The music is indeed heroic: rich and colourful, with energy, vitality and personality worthy of any Hollywood blockbuster. Strauss pushes the orchestra to its limits in volume and virtuosity, and the exquisite solo violin part is one of the most demanding and extraordinary in all of music.

Based on the famous fairytale, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel conjures an enchanting world of forests and witches, the music rivalling the plot for drama and adventure. Following its American premiere in 1905 The New York Times described it as ‘an achievement of the highest talent and skill,' and its charms have not diminished since.

Opening the concert with Beethoven's vibrant and energetic Overture from The Creatures of Prometheus, Sir Donald Runnicles will bring his decades of experience conducting at the world's leading opera houses to bring these gripping stories to life.