Amherst Symphony to Tackle Wagner

When we think of hardest orchestral pieces to play, names like Mahler, Strauss, Iver, Bruckner and Wagner come to mind. Of Wagner, what comes to mind is, of course, his “Der Ring des Nibelungen” or the Ring of Nibelung. Famous for the excerpt that we call the “Ride of the Valkyries,” which appeared in the soundtrack for the iconic movie “Apocalypse Now,” this grueling 15 hour piece has been the cause of much strife and struggle for the Amherst Symphony Orchestra for the past two months. Of cour