Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Simone Young conducts Richard Strauss
3 September, 2025, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, NSW
EMIRATES MASTERS SERIES
Simone Young conductor
Andrea Lam piano
RICHARD STRAUSS (1864–1949) – Metamorphosen – Study for 23 solo strings (1945)
Burleske (1885–86)
Also sprach Zarathustra Op.30 (1896)
- Introduction: Sunrise
- Of the backworldsmen
iii. Of the great longing
- Of joys and passions
- Dirge
- Of science
vii. The convalescent
viii. Dance song
- Nightwanderer’s song
For the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s recent concert Simone Young programmed a fascinating snapshot of the long-lived Richard Strauss by having a work he composed as a 21 year old, and so as an emerging young composer, and another work written near the end of his long life. Also included was the composition of a composer developing all his skills and showing grand vision and orchestral know how – Also sprach Zarathustra.
Metamorphosen for 23 solo string players is music that comes from the mind of a man well lived and aware of the beauty before him and possibly into the future. Hints of times past inhabit this exquisite music and it received a powerful and insightful performance. This is a work written as an old man but one who has such creative energy and it seems as if he was clearly at the height of his musical power. So many little solos from the string players delighted.
The Burleske with its piano pyrotechnics was a perfect vehicle for Andrea Lam to display her astonishing piano prowess. Speedy riffs dispatched with ease were balanced with her superb handling of phrases dripping with sentimentality and all the time her playing was elegant. The work itself is really just a curiosity and surely it only survives in the concert repertoire because of the masterworks that Strauss produced as his long life progressed. And still concerto artists and audiences enjoy it. In this performance there was clearly a lovefest between Lam and Young and the audience and that is great for live music.
After interval came the monumental Also sprach Zarathustra starting with those hushed tones of organ, timpani and four trumpets. It is probably one of the most well known openings of any work from the late 1800s and David Drury, Mark Robinson, David Elton, Anthony Heinrichs, Brent Grapes and Cécile Glémot were absolutely magical. This is music that Simone Young excels in conducting and the audience knew straight-up that something special was unfolding.
There were many great solos and foremost were those of the concertmasters Andrew Haveron and Harry Bennetts – world-class in every phrase and the foot-stomping in the applause at the end of the performance was totally justified. Other notable contributions from the woodwind included Katlijn Sergeant, piccolo, clarinettist Olli Leppäniemi and Todd Gibson-Cornish, bassoon – all exciting, perfect control and musicianship. Indeed, the orchestra was in great form and Sydney is the grateful recipient of such musicmaking.
