The Most Beautiful Night of the Soul

While the Fountain of Tears bubbles before him, Giray, khan of the Tatars, is lost in brooding. Just as the flow from the marble fount cannot be exhausted, his own sorrow will never diminish, either. The story of the Fountain of Bakhchisarai is set in motion by a romance recounting the reason for the khan's gloom.

The world-renowned American baritone, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, sang in choirs and studied music from childhood. After winning several competitions, he was taken under the wing of the legendary coloratura soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, which helped launch his European career.

Pairing the two German composers, Wagner and the Wagnerian Strauss in a single evening creates a sweeping and overwhelming fusion of expansive melodies and driving dramatic force. The encounter between Wagner’s mythical intensity and Strauss’s modernism is a dialogue between two musical giants who reshaped not only German but also international musical life. In the performance of the OPERA Orchestra, their compositions promise deep emotions, dense musical textures, and sonic grandeur.