The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) presented a compelling concert on July 24 at the Esplanade Concert Hall, featuring an unconventional pairing of Richard Strauss’s tone poem *Also Sprach Zarathustra* and Béla Bartók’s sole opera, *Duke Bluebeard’s Castle*. The performance marked the second concert in the inaugural series led by SSO music director Hannu Lintu, whose programming offered an engaging exploration of vastly different musical worlds.

Strauss’s *Also Sprach Zarathustra* opened the evening with its iconic two-minute introduction, highlighted by a low organ rumble from Koh Jia Hwei and a solo trumpet motif by Jon Paul Dante. Conducted by Lintu with a clear sense of structure, the 33-minute work balanced moments of grand orchestral power with passages of chamber-like intimacy. A notable contribution came from the orchestra’s new concertmaster, Andrew Beer, whose violin solo in the Tanzlied waltz provided an ecstatic peak amid the tone poem’s depiction of Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical Ubermensch.

Following Strauss’s depiction of human aspiration, the program shifted dramatically to Bartók’s *Duke Bluebeard’s Castle*, staged in concert form and sung in Hungarian with the original libretto by Béla Balázs. A spoken prologue, delivered by Hungarian conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy, set a foreboding tone for the psychological drama to unfold. The opera, composed in 1911 and premiered in 1918, delves into the darker recesses of human psyche and ambition.

Chinese bass-baritone Shenyang portrayed the title character, exuding a cool, inscrutable presence, while British mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston took on the role of Judith, Bluebeard’s new bride. Johnston’s performance was marked by intense emotional contrasts—ranging from possessive love to vulnerability and destructive curiosity—creating a powerful dynamic between the two characters. The intricate and highly detailed orchestration, drawing from Bartók’s late-Romantic style, was highlighted in the live setting, with particular emphasis during the dramatic revelation of Bluebeard’s vast wealth behind the opera’s fifth door. This moment was accentuated by resonant chords reminiscent of Strauss’s musical grandeur.

The production’s atmospheric tension was further enhanced by Gabriel Chan’s sensitive lighting design and the inclusion of English surtitles managed by Michael Huang, enabling the audience to follow the complex narrative. The concert’s success with a discerning audience bodes well for Lintu’s continued leadership of the SSO, particularly given the positive reception for such sophisticated and daring programming choices.