Saturday 9 May 2009, 7pm
Sir Mark will talk from the platform, before a short pause with the music starting at 7.30pm.
Wagner Götterdämmerung: Prologue and Act I

Sunday 10 May 2009, 6pm
PRE-CONCERT EVENT; 4.30-5.30PM
Wagner Götterdämmerung: Acts II and III

Among the most perceptive Wagnerians of our day, Sir Mark Elder conducts the Hallé in one of the most daunting yet rewarding operas, Götterdämmerung ('Twilight of the Gods'), the fourth and final part of Wagner's ambitious Ring cycle. Spread over two consecutive nights, and the largest single concert project the Hallé has presented under its bold Music Director, this, like any performance of Götterdämmerung calls for immense resources and stamina.

Leading an all-star international cast, the Swedish soprano Katarina Dalayman, who sang Isolde in the Hallé's performance of Tristan und Isolde in 2002, takes on the role of the warrior Valkyrie, Brünnhilde. Lars Cleveman* takes the role of Siegfried, which he has performed alongside Katarina Dalayman in two Ring Cycles at Stockholm Opera.

The orchestral interludes, Siegfried's Rhine Journey and Funeral Music, are familiar from concert performance, as is Brünnhilde's fiery Immolation scene. This weekend promises to be an unmissable musical adventure, with the unassailable musicians of the Hallé committed to Elder's theatrical and passionate interpretation of this magnificent, arresting score.

You can purchase tickets for the two Götterdämmerung concerts together, saving 15% on the standard prices. Contact the box office for details by ringing 0161 907 9000.

'one of those great Manchester nights, a triumph for the Hallé and its dynamic music director'
The Independent on Siegfried, Act III, November 2006

'On this showing, the Hallé is ripe for Bayreuth.'
The Sunday Times on the Hallé's Wagner CD, conducted by Mark Elder, May 2007

* Lars Cleveman replaces Ben Heppner who has had to withdraw.