Michael Pratt has led the Princeton University Orchestra for more than 25 years.
Photo: Denise Applewhite
The Princeton University Orchestra,
under the direction of Michael Pratt, will present a concert
performance of Act 1 of Richard Wagner's "Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)"
at 8 p.m. Thursday March 9, and Saturday, March 11, in Richardson
Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
Joining the orchestra will be Metropolitan Opera tenor Adam Klein as
Siegmund; Othalie Graham, who recently sang Aida with the Boheme Opera,
as Sieglinde; and Jonathan Prescott, a veteran of many Wagner and Verdi
roles in Europe and the United States, as Hunding.
"The Valkyrie" is the second of four operas that make up Wagner's
signature work, "The Ring of the Nibelung." Built around a story of the
struggle for a magical ring of terrifying power, Wagner's operas are an
allegory of the corrupting influence of power and its pursuit, and the
redemption that only love can bring.
Act 1 of "The Valkyrie" tells a story of forbidden and ultimately
tragic love. Twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, who have been separated as
young children, meet again as adults, unaware of their identity. They
are children of the god Wotan, who manipulates them as part of his
scheme to regain the powerful ring. Unknowingly following Wotan's plan,
they find each other after lives of terrible hardship and fall
passionately in love.
"Princeton audiences rarely have an opportunity to hear this astounding
music live," said Pratt, who has conducted the orchestra since 1977.
"While he was composing the work in 1854, Wagner said, in a matter of
fact manner, that this was the most beautiful music that had ever been
composed. I agree with his assessment.
"Music had never before carried such raw and open passion," he
continued. "Wagner's orchestra, as always, reveals the inner lives of
the characters and the drama with stunning clarity. Act 1 of 'The
Valkyrie' stands on its own as a dramatic unit, perhaps better than any
other single act in Wagner's output."
The Princeton University Orchestra is made up of nearly 100
undergraduate and graduate student musicians representing a broad
spectrum of academic departments. The orchestra plays a wide range of
works by composers from the classical period up through new works by
Princeton composers.
Tickets for the orchestra's March 9 and 11 performances are $18 for
general admission and $5 for students. Senior citizen and group
discounts are available. For more information on tickets, contact the
Richardson Auditorium box office at (609) 258-5000.
