Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra Presents New Spring Symphonies

To conclude their Spring Symphonies series, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is bringing Richard Wagner’s beloved operas to life with international singing talent.

Conducted by veteran Jeremy Silver and sung by Valerija Iljin (soprano) and Owen Metsileng (tenor), the CPO’s final show of the season features highlights from Wagner’s most renowned works, as always in the iconic Cape Town City Hall. Here’s everything classical music fans need to know.

More about CPO’s Spring Symphonies

Billed as “A Wagner Spectacular”, this live performance celebrates the historic German figure and his influence on opera and theatre at large. Wagner was known for writing the music and libretti for his work, revolutionising the genre by uniting music, visuals, poetry, and drama into opera.

The Spring Symphonies programme starts with the Overture to Der fliegende Holländer, which introduces the iconic oceanic motif and the opera’s central lovers, Senta and the Dutchman. Then follows Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold, Wagner’s epic take on German and Nordic legends.

The story continues with Scene 3 (Act I) from Die Walküre, followed by the world-renowned piece that has appeared in everything from movies to major historical events: Ride of the Valkyries from Act III of Die Walküre.

The evening concludes with even more of Wagner’s ambitious The Ring of the Nibelung series of music dramas, with Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March from Götterdämmerung and Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, widely acknowledged as one of the most important works in the Western music canon.

On the night, the CPO is joined by two special guests. Valerija Iljin is a Lithuanian soprano who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in the UK and has performed at the Bayreuth Festival, an annual German music festival entirely dedicated to Wagner’s work. She is joined by Owen Metsileng, a South African tenor from Rustenburg who has performed worldwide, including in a new, acclaimed production of Verdi’s Otello.

How to get tickets

To experience one of Africa’s most beloved orchestras performing works by one of the world’s most famous composers, guests can book a ticket to Spring Symphonies on Heritage Day.

Cost: R210 – R495 per person. Book now on Webtickets.