"It’s amazing that we can offer something that goes straight to the heart"

Wagner, in his Ring music, has harp parts that are among the most challenging to play. There are so many pedals! In Das Rheingold, six harps are needed on stage and one behind the scenes, which I’ve never experienced with the Gothenburg Symphony before. It’ll be fun to play together with so many others.

What Wagner was the first to do was combine melodies and build a story with the music. He experimented with new instruments and developed an early version of the modern instruments we have today. He had a significant impact on all forms of art: literature, theatre, even film and pop music

At the end of the Ring, the world ends, and the harp has its own theme. And it’s not about heaven and gods, but about mankind. It’s the story of humanity on earth that we’re telling.

It’s amazing that we can offer something that goes straight to the heart. I can get goosebumps myself when I sit right in the middle of the orchestra. Where does that really come from?

Erik Groenestein-Hendriks
Harp, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

In the video Eric plays Danse profane by Claude Debussy