Hong Kong Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden takes stock, looks ahead to Wagner cycle, possible new role

Ahead of this week’s performances of Die Walküre, the second of the four monumental operas in Wagner’s The Ring cycle, to be staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on January 21 and 23, Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, takes a much needed rehearsal break to talk about the mammoth work and his own multi-faceted career.

Q: How did you get the idea to do the Wagner Ring cycle?

A: First of all, the world of Wagner, of legends, of myths, corruption, love, hate, everything, is something that always intrigues me. And why does it intrigue me? Because I’m not so interested in those things, but I’ve always been interested in how it has been said in the music. And Wagner did that in his unique way. The orchestra did not have experience with playing a Ring cycle. To mature into one of the big orchestras of the world, you need to have this on your programme.

Q: Would you say the Ring cycle is one of the most challenging pieces in the major repertoire?

A: Yes, for complexity, and for transparency as well. It is a very heavy score, but at the same time it’s a big trap to play too loud. He’s always working towards a climax. But strangely enough, the moving parts, for me at least, the most powerful moments are actually the silent moments where it really grabs you by the throat. And in the silence, and in the softness, the tenderness, can be such an incredible power. It is much more interesting for me to search for that kind of power than for loudness. Everybody can play loud but not everybody can play with an incredible intensity and very softly at the same time.

Q: Tell us about the singers in this performance.