One of today's most celebrated conductors, Andris Nelsons, will lead the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig — a German orchestra with a nearly 300-year legacy — at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center on May 26. This performance marks the ensemble's first visit to the city in seven years.

The program features two major works: Robert Schumann's Spring Symphony and Act 1 of Richard Wagner's opera Die Walkure. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig premiered the Schumann symphony in 1841, and nearly two centuries later, it will bring its interpretation of the work to Shanghai audiences. For the Wagner selection, Nelsons will be joined by three internationally acclaimed opera singers, including Wagner tenor Klaus Florian Vogt.

Nelsons shares a profound connection with Wagner's music. He made his Bayreuth Festival debut in 2010, earning widespread acclaim for his nuanced interpretations, and has since returned six times, cementing his reputation as one of the world's foremost Wagner conductors.

The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig also holds a historic place in Wagner performance history. In 1878, it became the first orchestra outside Bayreuth to perform the complete Der Ring des Nibelungen, a milestone that remains a source of pride for the ensemble.

Presented in concert format, this monumental work, with its lush string textures, will allow Shanghai audiences to experience Wagner's epic in its most immediate and powerful form.

If you go

When: May 26, 7:30 pm

Where: Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, No 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area

Ticket price: 280 yuan ($41.17) to 1,680 yuan

Source: Shanghai Oriental Art Center