THE RING CYCLE PART 3 – SIEGFRIED

“[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, Christmas 2017

“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.”

Andrew Clements, The Guardian

“This Siegfried is a real jewel”

Paul Corfield Godfrey, Musicweb International

“The orchestra rose to the opera’s difficult musical challenges with great assurance under the competent direction of Jaap van Zweden”

Dirk Newton, South China Morning Post

“Orchestral colours were superb and balance among the various parts was well maintained.”

Alan Yu, Bachtrack for Classical Music

“Successfully performing Siegfried, the third and least accessible opera of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, cemented the growing reputation of the Hong Kong Philharmonic for this demanding material.”

Philip Eisenbeiss, Interlude

“It is difficult to believe that the Hong Kong Philharmonic is playing the Ring for the first time. Under van Zweden, the orchestra sounds as if it had this music in its blood.”

Robert Markow, Der Neue Merker