The concert kicks off with the orchestral suite from Pelléas et Mélisande, adapted by Debussy from his opera of the same name. Pelléas recounts an impossible love story based on the same legend that led to the creation of Tristan und Isolde by Wagner—a composer to whom the inimitable Yannick turns next, conducting an unforgettable interpretation of the first act of Die Walküre. The second of four operas in the Ring cycle, Die Walküre’s tragic power arises from its incredible lyricism and memorable leitmotifs that come out sublimely in this concert version, especially with the three world-class Wagnerian singers who round out the evening’s cast!