In 1973 the Sydney Opera House opened and in
2012 we're re-creating our opening gala concert. Simone Young
conducts a Wagner extravaganza.
On 29 September 1973, we gave our first official performance in
our new home: the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. Charles
Mackerras returned home to conduct and Swedish soprano Birgit
Nilsson was the soloist.
The gala program was all-Wagner with a ceremonial touch in the
form of "Dich, teure Halle" from Tannhäuser. That, said Mackerras
later, was most appropriate: teure Halle means, among other things,
"expensive hall"!
Now we're recreating that concert in its entirety. This time
Simone Young is the Australian conductor returning home and
renowned Wagnerian soprano Christine Brewer is our guest.
Pre-concert talk by David Garrett in the Northern Foyer, 45
minutes before the performance.
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