Wagner: Siegfried, WWV 86C O’Neill, Goerne, Cangelosi, Van Mechelen, Melton, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra & Jaap van Zweden

• Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Siegfried, WWV 86C, Act I:
• 1 Prelude 04:10
• 2 Zwangvolle Plage! Müh' ohne Zweck! 03:35
• 3 Hoiho! Hoiho! Hau' ein! Hau' ein! 04:01
• 4 Als zullendes Kind zog ich dich auf 05:23
• 5 Es sangen die Vöglein so selig im Lenz 05:12
• 6 Einst lag wimmernd ein Weib 08:56
• 7 Heil dir, weiser Schmied! 04:19
• 8 Wie werd' ich den Lauernden los? 08:05
• 9 Nun rede, weiser Zwerg 03:05
• 10 Nun, ehrlicher Zwerg 07:30
• 11 Verfluchtes Licht! 01:33
• 12 Bist du es, Kind? 03:03
• 13 Fühltest du nie im finstren Wald 05:25
• 14 Hättest du fleissig die Kunst gepflegt 03:11
• 15 Notung! Notung! Neidliches Schwert! 08:04
• 16 Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Schmiede, mein Hammer, ein hartes Schwert 03:02
• 17 Den der Bruder schuf 02:53
• Act II:
• 18 Prelude (2) 05:21
• 19 In Wald und Nacht vor Neidhöhl' halt' ich Wacht 02:12
• 20 Wer naht dort schimmernd im Schatten? 08:23
• 21 Mit Mime räng' ich allein um den Ring? 07:36
• 22 Wir sind zur Stelle! Bleib hier stehn! 06:11
• 23 Dass der mein Vater nicht ist 10:23
• 24 Siegfrieds Hornruf - Haha! Da hätte mein Lied 05:23
• 25 Wer bist du, kühner Knabe 04:59
• 26 Ist mir doch fast, als sprächen die Vöglein zu mir 02:10
• 27 Wohin schleichst du eilig und schlau 05:38
• 28 Willkommen, Siegfried! 07:22
• 29 Neides Zoll zahlt Notung 02:48
• 30 Heiß ward mir von der harten Last! 03:47
• 31 Nun sing'! Ich lausche dem Gesang 04:40
• Act III:
• 32 Prelude (3) 02:06
• 33 Wache, Wala! Wala! Erwach'! 02:20
• 34 Stark ruft das Lied 03:01
• 35 Mein Schlaf ist Träumen 04:20
• 36 Wirr wird mir, seit ich erwacht 03:22
• 37 Weisst du, was Wotan will? 04:06
• 38 Dort seh ich Siegfried nahen 03:56
• 39 Was lachst du mich aus? 04:20
• 40 Bleibst du mir stumm, störrischer Wicht? 04:20
• 41 Orchesterzwischenspiel 05:38
• 42 Selige Öde auf sonniger Höh'! 04:47
• 43 Das ist kein Mann! 07:29
• 44 Brünnhildes Erwachen 01:23
• 45 Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! 04:19
• 46 Siegfried! Siegfried! Seliger Held! 06:47
• 47 Dort seh' ich Grane 06:33
• 48 Sangst du mir nicht 02:33
• 49 Ewig war ich, ewig bin ich 04:36
• 50 Dich lieb' ich, o liebtest mich du! 05:37
• 51 Lachend muss ich dich lieben 02:14
• Total Runtime 04:02:07

Info for Wagner: Siegfried, WWV 86C

This is the third and penultimate release in the acclaimed cycle of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Hong Kong Philharmonic conducted by Jaap van Zweden. Of the star cast for Siegfried, Matthias Goerne has been singled out for particular praise by the critics, with Gramophone stating that he “sings Wotan beautifully, with much baritonal sophistication, predictable (from an experienced Lieder recitalist) care for words and able negotiation of trickier moments.” Opera News wrote “Matthias Goerne is a revelation... [he] upholds the great tradition of Wagner singing.”

Each member of this carefully selected cast has an established reputation in opera performance, and most are known for significant and highly demanding Wagnerian roles. These include tenor Simon O’Neill as Siegfried, one of the finest heldentenors on the international stage, and soprano Heidi Melton as Brünnhilde, who has been called “the Wagnerian voice we have been waiting for since Flagstad and Nilsson” (La Presse).

"[van Zweden] evokes both its youthful energy and darker undercurrents, with excellent playing from the augmented Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra…But every ‘Siegfried’ hangs on the title role, and Simon O’Neill’s steely, bright-toned heldentenor encompasses this killer part with deceptive ease…he also manages to suggest youthful ardour without thuggishness. I’ve heard none finer in recent years." (BBC Music Magazine)

"The qualities that made the previous instalments such recommendable bargains are mostly maintained, though the standard of the singing is less consistently high.What is utterly consistent is the excellence of the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s playing...There’s never a shortage of lustre or refinement...Van Zweden’s mastery of the huge dramatic arcs in all three acts of Siegfried never falters." (The Guardian)

"Van Zeden’s approach, as before, flows as naturally as the Rhine; there’s nothing revelatory here, perhaps, but it’s always musical, always alert and alive. As a seasoned Brucknerian, he also unsurprisingly has an impressive grasp on each act’s architecture." (classicalsource.com)

Simon O’Neill, tenor (Siegfried)
Matthias Goerne, baritone (The Wanderer)
David Cangelosi, tenor (Mime)
Werner Van Mechelen, bass baritone (Alberich)
Heidi Melton, soprano (Brünnhilde)
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Jaap van Zweden
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. The 2018/19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2012 - his seventh season with the HK Phil in 2018/19 season, the orchestra’s 45th professional season. Guest engagements this season include the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony and Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he is Conductor Laureate having just completed a ten-year tenure at its helm. Jaap van Zweden has appeared as guest conductor with many other leading orchestras around the globe, among them the Royal Concertgebouw, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, Orchestre National de France and London Symphony Orchestra. In his inaugural season as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden conducts repertoire ranging from five World Premieres to symphonic cornerstones. He also presides over three major season pillars that contextualise music through a variety of programmes complemented by citywide collaborations. Maestro van Zweden also welcomes New Yorkers to Phil the Hall - special concerts for the community - and to the Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, as well as the Concerts in the Parks.

Jaap van Zweden has made numerous acclaimed recordings, the most recent of which are live New York Philharmonic performances of Beethoven Symphonies nos. 5 and 7 released on CD and for streaming and download in February 2018; this release launches the Philharmonic’s partnership with Decca Gold, Universal Music Group’s newly established US classical music label. In 2018 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, he completed a four-year project conducting the first-ever performances in Hong Kong of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, which have been recorded and released on Naxos Records. His highly praised performances of Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger and Parsifal, the latter of which earned Maestro van Zweden the prestigious Edison award for Best Opera Recording in 2012, are available on CD/DVD.

The Amsterdam-born van Zweden was appointed at 19 as the youngest concertmaster ever of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and began his conducting career twenty years later in 1995. He remains Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, where he served as Chief Conductor from 2005-13, and Conductor Emeritus of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra. He also held the Chief Conductor post of the Royal Flanders Orchestra from 2008-11. Van Zweden was named Musical America's 2012 Conductor of the Year in recognition of his critically acclaimed work as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and as guest conductor with the most prestigious US orchestras.

In 1997, Jaap van Zweden and his wife Aaltje established the Papageno Foundation, the objective being to support families of children with autism. Now, 20 years later, the Foundation has grown into a multi-faceted organisation which, through various initiatives and activities, focuses on the development of children and young adults with autism. These initiatives include: providing music therapy to children in their own homes via a national network in the Netherlands of qualified music therapists; opening the Papageno House, in August 2015 with Her Majesty Queen Maxima in attendance, for young adults with autism to live, to work and to participate in the community; creating a research centre at the Papageno House for early diagnosis and treatment of autism and for analysing the effects of music therapy on autism; developing funding opportunities to support autism programmes; and most recently launching a new app, TEAMPapageno, which allows children with autism to communicate with each other through music composition.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil)
is recognised as Asia’s foremost classical orchestra. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually and also maintains a comprehensive education and community outreach programme.

Under Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil is undertaking various ambitious initiatives including the four-year project to perform and record the complete Ring of the Nibelung (Richard Wagner). Jaap, the HK Phil, a superb cast of soloists and a chorus successfully completed the four-year epic “Ring Cycle” journey in January 2018. The concert performances and live Naxos recordings have been enthusiastically received by audiences and praised by critics at home and abroad. The recording of Götterdämmerung will be released towards the end of 2018.

The orchestra has toured extensively – to Europe, throughout Mainland China on numerous occasions, and to Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney in 2017 as part of the HKSAR’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The HK Phil is a registered charitable organisation supported by the HKSAR, Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the commercial sector and generous individuals.

Booklet for Wagner: Siegfried, WWV 86C