bohemian adventure

BOHEMIAN ADVENTURE

Dvorˇák Symphony No.8 THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

Thu 25 Jul 1.30pm EMIRATES METRO SERIES

Fri 26 Jul 8pm GREAT CLASSICS

Sat 27 Jul 2pm

Welco me to the Em irates Metro Series

Emirates is proud to continue its decade-long principal partnership with the Sydney Symphony into 2013, with each of us providing world-class music and travel experiences for Sydneysiders and all Australians. The Sydney Symphony brings together the finest classical music talents, so it is only fitting that Emirates, which combines best-in-class products for a memorable flying experience, is principal partner to the Orchestra. Like the Sydney Symphony, Emirates specialises in world-class entertainment. With up to 1400 channels to choose from on 21 flights per week from Sydney to Dubai, including a daily A380 service, Emirates inflight entertainment offering has been voted best in class by Skytrax for the eighth year running. We strive to grow and evolve so that our customers enjoy a superior flying experience. The same can be said of our expanding international route network, which now boasts more than 30 European destinations, all via one convenient stop in Dubai. Similarly, the Sydney Symphony has grown into a truly outstanding ensemble, performing around 200 concerts a year to a combined annual audience of more than 350,000. Our partnership with the Sydney Symphony is about connecting with you – our customers. We share and support your interests and are dedicated to the growth of arts and culture in Australia. This partnership allows us to showcase the Emirates brand to music lovers around the country and the world, signifying our long-term commitment to Australia. We are delighted to continue our support of the Sydney Symphony and encourage you to enjoy all the performances you can in 2013.

Barry Bro w n Em irates’ V ice President Australasia

2013 season thursday afternoon symphony Thursday 25 July | 1.30pm

emirates metro series Friday 26 July | 8pm

great classics Saturday 27 July | 2pm Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Bohemian Adventure Antonello Manacorda CONDUCTOR Jonathan Biss PIANO

Béla Bartók (1881–1945) Divertimento for Strings Allegro non troppo Molto adagio Allegro assai Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Piano Concerto No.22 in E flat, K482 Allegro Andante Rondo (Allegro – Andante cantabile – Allegro) Cadenzas by Jonathan Biss INTERVAL

Antonín Dvorˇák (1841–1904) Symphony No.8 in G, B163 (Op.88) Allegro con brio Adagio Allegretto grazioso Allegro ma non troppo

Friday’s performance will be recorded by ABC Classic FM for later broadcast across Australia. Pre-concert talk by Robert Johnson in the Northern Foyer, 45 minutes before each performance. Visit bit.ly/SSOspeakerbios for speaker biographies. Estimated durations: 25 minutes, 35 minutes, 20-minute interval, 35 minutes The concert will conclude at approximately 3.40pm (Thu), 10.10 pm (Fri) and 4.10pm (Sat).

LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS

Dvorˇák conducting his Eighth Symphony at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The Chicago Orchestra was augmented to 114 players for the occasion, and the performance was rewarded with ‘tremendous outbursts of applause’. Drawing by EV Nádherný.

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INTRODUCTION Bohemian Adventure We’ve taken a liberty in describing this program as a Bohemian adventure, especially since only one of the composers is Bohemian. ‘Bohemian Idyll’ might have made a better title, since two of the works were composed in the peace and tranquillity of the European countryside. Bartók wrote his Divertimento in just 15 summery days in the Swiss alps, while Dvorˇák retreated to his country estate in Vysoká u Prˇíbrami to write his Eighth Symphony. And although Mozart’s concerto was composed in urban Vienna, it has an idyllic, warm-hearted character and a profusion of musical ideas that’s astonishing even for Mozart. This uncommon richness of melodic invention is shared by all the music on the program. It’s almost too much! As Dittersdorf complained of Mozart: ‘I wish he were not so lavish…in the end it is impossible to retain all these beautiful melodies.’ Or Brahms, misguidedly, of Dvorˇák: ‘Everything fine, musically captivating and beautiful – but no main points!’ And even Bartók, so often associated with spikiness, turns to the inspiration of folk melodies, which for him were ‘the embodiment of an artistic perfection of the highest order’. Perhaps, as Brahms and Dittersdorf hint, it can be difficult to sense the whole amidst so much beauty, but this has rarely been a source of complaint for music lovers! As the Classic 100 survey has shown, Dvorˇák’s most famous symphony is without doubt his Ninth (From the New World), but the Eighth Symphony has an equally firm place as one of the best-loved works in the repertoire. It’s tempting to speculate that if the Eighth also had a nickname, it too would enjoy the same adulation as its successor. Certainly it’s Dvorˇák’s most attractive symphony – full of simple, passionate optimism, good tunes and sparkling rhythmic vitality. The music seems spontaneous and unpretentious. (We could be talking about Mozart.) Its four movements take us from quiet solemnity – the cellos setting the mood – and pastoral tranquillity through an elegiac Adagio and graciously lilting scherzo to arrive, with a fanfare, at a brilliant and festive conclusion. And while it’s more stroll in the countryside than musical adventure, it’s still a journey worth taking.

FRONT COVER: Panorama showing Saanen in the canton of Bern. Photo by Hansueli Krapf (Creative Commons).

Turn to page 27 to read Bravo! – musician profiles, articles and news from the orchestra. There are nine issues through the year, also available at sydneysymphony.com/bravo sydney symphony 7

ABOUT THE MUSIC Béla Bartók Divertimento for strings (1939) Allegro non troppo Molto adagio Allegro assai

LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS

The intensity which shines from Béla Bartók’s eyes in photographs is hardly ever absent from his music. The title ‘Divertimento’, however, harks back to the music for pleasure of the 18th century. Bartók composed this piece with his usual fanatical thoroughness, but in circumstances unusually happy for him. It was commissioned by Swiss conductor Paul Sacher for the Basle Chamber Orchestra (Bartók had already written for Sacher the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion). Late in 1938 Sacher asked Bartók for a work for smaller string orchestra. Sacher put at Bartók’s disposal for the summer of 1939 his chalet at Saanen, in the mountains of the Swiss canton of Bern. Saanen was a quiet and idyllic village outside the ski season, and the Sachers saw to it that the composer was undisturbed. Bartók wrote to his son that he felt like a musician of olden times, the invited guest of a patron of the arts. Under these serene conditions he composed the Divertimento in fifteen days. Within months of its completion, the death of his mother and political events in Hungary cruelly interfered with Bartók’s life.

Conductor and philanthropist Paul Sacher (1906–1999) conducting the Basle Chamber Orchestra, which he founded in 1926, in the hall of the Basle Conservatoire.

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Keynotes BARTÓK

Born Nagyszentmiklós (Hungary) now Sînnicolau Mare (Romania), 1881 Died New York, 1945 Bartók is one of Hungary’s most famous composers and an important figure in 20th-century music. He was also an avid collector and student of folk music (an early ethnomusicologist) and this influenced many of his works, especially in his use of melody, ornamentation and compelling, non-standard rhythms. He was also influenced by Debussy, Stravinsky and even Schoenberg. He is best known in the concert hall for his brilliant and evocative Concerto for Orchestra, while piano students will probably recall his Mikrokosmos. DIVERTIMENTO FOR STRINGS This piece is one of the works by Bartók that were commissioned by Paul Sacher, conductor of the Basle Chamber Orchestra. Like Dvorˇák’s symphony after interval, the music was composed in idyllic surroundings (a Swiss chalet in summer), and shows a simplicity and freshness of character. The title refers to 18th century traditions of music for pleasure and there’s a nod to the past in the way Bartók makes contrasts between the full ensemble of strings and a ‘solo’ group of two violins, viola, cello and double bass. The slow movement is deeply moving – like a dirge and tinged with fearfulness. The third movement interlaces dance rhythms with more rhapsodic writing.

The intensity which shines from Béla Bartók’s eyes in photographs is hardly ever absent from his music…

LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS

The Divertimento was one of the last compositions Bartók finished before emigrating to the United States. Altogether one of his most accessible and enjoyable works, it shows that the tone of simplicity, directness, and warm humanity to be found in his American compositions had already entered his music before he left Europe. The Divertimento benefitted from Bartók’s exploration of the possibilities of string instruments in his third to sixth string quartets, and in the earlier work for Sacher’s orchestra. He wrote to his son that he was thinking of ‘some kind of concerto grosso, interchanging with a concertino’, and he makes much of the contrast of sonorities between the soloists’ group (string quartet plus double bass) and the main body of strings, but alternating more frequently between the two than did the 18th-century composers. The elegant style of that century is blended in the dance-inspired music of the Divertimento’s first and third movements, with the Verbunkos, or recruiting dance, a type of Hungarian folk music. All the melodic material has the modal character of Hungarian tunes, and Bartók’s lifelong concern with the overall unity of each of his compositions is seen in the close relationship of the themes of the first and third movements. The first movement has a relaxed character, but the themes are treated with typically ingenious combination and development (mainly using canons and other forms of imitation). The slow movement, in complete contrast, is sombre and almost tragic in feeling. It has been compared to a vision of a funeral procession, with sound effects Bartók uses elsewhere to suggest night, and cries and shrieks for violins and violas, expressing perhaps Bartók’s dread of war and fear for the future of Europe. The third movement is a fast folk dance, in rondo form. The interludes are free rhapsodies. After a passage of strict, learned imitation, the solo violin seems to thumb its nose at this music with a cadenza in gipsy style. The first theme is eventually turned into a polka dance with violin slides over plucked strings, a kind of café music, after which Bartók jerks the listener back to attention with a racing ending.

Bartók walking in Davos, Switzerland.

DAVID GARRETT © 1999 The Sydney Symphony first performed Bartók’s Divertimento for strings in 1953, conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, and most recently in 1978, conducted by Hans-Hubert Schönzeler.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.22 in E flat, K482 Allegro Andante Rondo (Allegro – Andante cantabile – Allegro) Jonathan Biss piano Cadenzas by the soloist

This concerto was composed when Mozart was working on his opera The Marriage of Figaro. He entered into his catalogue on 16 December 1785 and probably gave the first performance on 23 December, between the acts of Dittersdorf ’s oratorio Esther. He may have played it again in a subscription concert that month and in Lenten concerts in 1786. Evidently it was a success: in a letter to his father, now lost, Mozart reported that ‘the Andante had to be repeated (something rare)’. The whole work blends majesty with a sociable and accessible tone, and Cuthbert Girdlestone, in his book Mozart and his Piano Concertos, calls it the queenliest of the concertos. It is also the first to include clarinets in the orchestra (in place of the more biting oboes), and the wind instruments are featured throughout, to such an extent that certain passages could be from one of Mozart’s wind serenades. The first movement, to continue the image of the sovereign, is a procession of themes. It brings to mind the comment on Mozart of his fellow-composer Dittersdorf: ‘I have never yet met with a composer who had such an amazing wealth of ideas: I could almost wish he were not so lavish in using them...in the end it is impossible to retain all these beautiful melodies.’ So various and rich is this string of themes that the soloist has a challenging task to characterise each of them fully while maintaining the unity of the whole. Only one of the soloist’s passages is weighty and chordal, and that only briefly. The rest are based largely on scales. The ‘development’ section of the movement is actually a free fantasia, where minor keys predominate. The recapitulation is one of Mozart’s most subtly varied – in particular, it omits the rather fierce, weighty passage given to the soloist first time around. No cadenzas by Mozart for this concerto are known. (Jonathan Biss plays his own.) The Andante is the last of a succession of slow movements in Mozart’s concertos in E flat major which are written in the relative minor key, C minor. This is more than a mere technicality, because all these movements share a deeply

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MOZART

Born Salzburg, 1756 Died Vienna, 1791 Mozart is not like other composers; he is not even like other great composers. When we listen to the music of Beethoven, or Bartók or Schumann, and are moved, we are moved by a personal vision of the world; we understand and empathise with this vision because it is rendered with such extraordinary skill and communicative power. The music, thus, acts as an escape – a respite – from our reality. Mozart simply is reality, in all its mess, vitality and beauty. His is music in which every affect and every effect – every human emotion and response – is produced in sound. His genius is that he is not only able to express his feelings through music; he is able to express ours. His personal vision, in short, is universal.

JB

Posthumous portrait of Mozart by Barbara Krafft (1819).

personal, melancholy expression. This one begins in the strings, which are muted throughout, with a mournful tune which comes and goes upon itself like a lament. The gloom is broken twice by major key episodes for the wind instruments, but in the last part of the movement the passion rises to tragedy, with a theme that eventually droops wearily to resignation (this last part is the first of two passages in the concerto where the solo part is so bare, so unadorned, that it poses a question: is the bareness Mozart’s intention, and part of the expressive effect, or would he have ‘filled it out’ in performance? A tasteful soloist can come to either conclusion, and act on it). This is the remarkable movement which was encored. The refrain of the closing Rondo is one of Mozart’s hunting call tunes, though the feeling is more of a dance than a gallop. At the end of the first solo comes a passage of bare leaps in long notes, which even more than the passage referred to in the second movement, seems to demand filling out, in a kind of cadenza in tempo. There is a surprise in the second episode of the rondo: the tempo changes and a slow and spacious minuet unfolds in the key of A flat. Mozart is here harking back to what he had done in a much earlier piano concerto in the same key, K271 of 1777, at exactly the same point in the final movement. At the very end, a grand flourish seems to conclude the piece, but Mozart has something more in store: after some quiet repeated string chords, in a matchless combination of humour with touching wistfulness, he brings back the faltering phrases of the piano from the first episode, before loudly finishing for good and all. DAVID GARRETT © 1990 KEYNOTES ADAPTED FROM A NOTE BY JONATHAN BISS © 2008 The orchestra for the Piano Concerto K482 calls for flute, and pairs of clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets; timpani and strings. The Sydney Symphony first performed the concerto in 1961 with Tibor Paul conducting and pianist Mindru Katz, and most recently in 2008 with Robin Ticciati and pianist Emanuel Ax.

PIANO CONCERTO K482 K482 is warm, broad, and bighearted. No other concerto has such a wealth of material – at least four distinct themes in the first movement, each more beautiful than the next. In the slow movement, a searing set of variations in C minor, a brand new theme is introduced at the end: as if Mozart has decided that the theme he has been using has proved inadequate for what he needs to express. The new theme then sets the stage for a refashioning of a phrase from a wind interlude early in the movement, initially tossed off, now ghostly, hovering between major and minor, transformed almost beyond recognition. The audience at the premiere demanded the immediate repetition of this movement, and its close – quite literally breathtaking – remains among the most astonishing moments in music. Equally unexpected is the end of the last movement. In its last pages, this brilliant rondo moves towards a triumphant conclusion. At the moment this seems assured, the music simply comes to a halt. The piece should, by rights, be over; instead, Mozart gives us a theme of terrific wistfulness – somehow it recollects the emotional content of the whole piece. The concerto would be complete, and completely satisfying, without it; its inclusion adds a layer of meaning to the work of which we were previously unaware.

JB

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Antonín Dvorˇák Symphony No.8 in G major, B163 (Op.88) Allegro con brio Adagio Allegretto grazioso Allegro ma non troppo

The success that Dvorˇák enjoyed, thanks to Brahms’s advocacy in the late 1870s, made his name beyond Vienna and Prague, and in 1883 he made the first of eight visits to England where his music became – and remained – extremely popular. In 1890, now a regular visitor, Dvorˇák arrived with the score of his Eighth Symphony (published originally as No.4), which he had recently premiered in Prague but which for some time was colloquially known as the ‘English Symphony’. In fact the piece has, even for Dvorˇák, an especially Bohemian accent; its immediate popularity with the British audience perhaps has more to do with its relaxed attitude to the formal rigours of Germanic symphonism, and an abundance of memorable, folk-inflected melody. For Brahms, normally a great supporter, this was a major flaw. He argued (offering, in passing, a seriously backhanded compliment to his rival Anton Bruckner) that: …too much that’s fragmentary, incidental, loiters about in the piece. Everything fine, musically captivating and beautiful – but no main points! When one says of Dvorˇák that he fails to achieve anything great and comprehensive with his pure, individual ideas, this is correct. Not so with Bruckner, all the same he offers so little. In fact, the formal freedom and melodic richness are precisely what makes this work special. According his early biographer, Otakar Šourek, Dvorˇák aimed ‘to write something different from his other symphonies and shape the musical content of his ideas in a new manner’. He did so not by piling up beautiful incidents, as Brahms suggests, though. As he is said to have told his student, Josef Michl: ‘To have a beautiful idea is nothing special. The idea comes from itself and if it is beautiful and great, man can take no credit for that. But to develop the idea well and make something great from it, that is the most difficult, that is – art!’ While the Eighth Symphony is a work of absolute music, it was composed in close proximity to a series of concert overtures originally known as Nature, Life and Love – the more customary titles In Nature’s Realm, Carnival and Othello came later. This triptych shows Dvorˇák’s essential Romanticism

Keynotes DVORˇÁK

Born Nelahozeves, 1841 Died Prague, 1904 Dvorˇák’s career is an inspiring reminder that greatness can grow from unlikely beginnings. A country innkeeper’s son, Dvorˇák was destined to be a butcher. But his passion for music was his passport to upward mobility. His Moravian Duets caught the attention of Brahms, who recommended Dvorˇák to his own publisher. Then his Slavonic Dances took Europe by storm. Written now for international audiences, Dvorˇák’s Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were immensely popular in England. Then, inspired by a time spent teaching in the USA, he composed his two ultimate masterpieces, the New World Symphony, and, on his return to Prague, the Cello Concerto. SYMPHONY NO.8 Dvorˇák sketched this symphony at his country retreat – an old sheep farm south of Prague. No surprise, then, that the music seems to delight in the sights and sounds of the composer’s native Bohemia. It has a simplicity and freshness of sound that sets it apart from the formal strength and brooding power of the Seventh Symphony. Dvorˇák treats the symphonic structure in a relaxed way and captures attention with tuneful, folk-like melodies.

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in his adherence to the cult of Nature and his delight in celebrating his ethnic musical roots, and in similar musical language to that of the Eighth Symphony. The first movement is in G major and marked Allegro con brio, but Dvorˇák disguises both speed and tonality by beginning with a slow-moving minor-mode melody in the cellos, richly doubled by horn, clarinet and bassoon. When the music makes it to the home key of G major it is with a chirping melody for the flute. In a breathtaking display of orchestration that ranges from translucent shimmering to the richness of divided violas and cellos, Dvorˇák elaborates his themes through an audacious series of key changes; the conventional recapitulation is here a shining G major chord with the flute melody now given to a more introspective cor anglais. The Adagio, in C minor, is often brightened with rapid, falling major scales like pealing bells, and has an impassioned central section. The scherzo begins with a lyrical G minor dance contrasting with a more buoyant G major trio and fast coda. The finale is a set of variations on the bright fanfare announced by the trumpet as the movement opens. What Brahms, of all people, failed to hear in this music is

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Dvorˇák with his pigeons at his country estate in Vysoká u Prˇíbrami

how the varying episodes, across the movements, are unified by pervasive rhythmic cells. The long-short-short figure with which the work opens also dominates the slow movement’s main theme. Groups of four repeated even notes – crotchets or quavers – appear at structural points; groups of triplets can appear as distant drum taps, or the opening gesture of an important melody (like that of the Adagio), and be transformed into the three-note up-beat of the third movement; the dotted rhythm of the third movement’s trio is transmuted in the rhythm of the fourth movement’s fanfare, and when that theme is stated by the orchestra its rising arpeggio reveals it to be related to the flute’s theme from the first movement. This almost subliminal motivic manipulation gives coherence to some of Dvorˇák’s most expansive and poetic music.

…expansive and poetic…

GORDON KERRY © 2013 Dvorˇák’s Eighth Symphony calls for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes (one doubling cor anglais), two clarinets and two bassoons; four horns two trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and strings. The Sydney Symphony first performed the symphony in 1942, conducted by Montague Brearly, and most recently in Sydney in 2006, conducted by Arvo Volmer. In 2009 Matthew Coorey conducted the symphony on a NSW tour.

NEW LIVE CD JUST RELEASED!

TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO.2 Recorded live, leading pianist Garrick Ohlsson performs the original version of Tchaikovsky’s second piano concerto. Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts. Available at sydneysymphony.com/shop

Purchase it now for just $25* sydney symphony 15 *Handling & postage $7

MORE MUSIC BARTÓK DIVERTIMENTO

The Divertimento is included on a disc featuring three works commissioned by Paul Sacher and here performed by the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and conductor Heinz Holliger. Dutilleux’s Mystère de l’instant (performed by the SSO last year) and the Veress Piano Concerto with soloist Dénes Várjon complete the program. CLAVES 1113

Or for a top value collection of Bartók’s music, look for the recently released 6-CD set Solti Bartók. In addition to the Divertimento, the set’s highlights include the Concerto for Orchestra, with Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the three piano concertos, with Vladimir Ashkenazy and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. And despite the title of the set, there’s also a generous selection of music by Zoltán Kodály. DECCA 478 3706

Biss’s previous Beethoven sonata volume – praised for its poised and stylish interpretations – contains Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op.10 No.1; Sonata No.26 in E flat, Op.81a, Les Adieux; Sonata No.12 in A flat, Op.26; and Sonata No.11 in B flat, Op.22. ONYX 4082

Broadcast Diary August

abc.net.au/classic

Saturday 10 August, 8pm

lisa gasteen returns Simone Young conductor Lisa Gasteen soprano Wagner, Bruckner

MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS

Friday 23 August, 8pm

Jonathan Biss has recorded Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.22, K482 with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, pairing it with K467 (Piano Concerto No.21) in a release praised for its tastefulness, beauty of sound and clarity.

adams conducts adams

EMI CLASSICS 17270

John Adams conductor Leila Josefowicz violin Timothy McAllister soprano Beethoven, Adams, Respighi Monday 26 August, 1.05pm

joyce yang in recital DVORˇ ÁK SYMPHONIES

There’s no harm in going to the source for Dvorˇák symphonies, and among recent releases is the complete cycle, recorded with freshness and verve by Václav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1970s. The 8-CD set also includes tone poems and overtures such as The Golden Spinning Wheel, In Nature’s Realm and the Carnival Overture. SUPRAPHON 4090

Joyce Yang piano Bartók, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Chopin Friday 30 August, 1.05pm

selby plays mozart Roger Benedict conductor Kathryn Selby piano Schreker, Mozart

Fine Music 102.5 sydney symphony 2013

Or for the Bohemian voice with an Australian connection, look for Charles Mackerras’s recording (also with the Czech Philharmonic) of Dvorˇák’s late symphonies, the tone poems and the Slavonic Dances. As a bonus: Smetana’s Má Vlast (My Country). SUPRAPHON 4041

Tuesday 13 August, 6pm Musicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store in our forthcoming concerts.

Webcasts

BISS PLAYS BEETHOVEN

In March, Jonathan Biss released the second volume in his Beethoven sonata cycle on the Onyx label. On this disc: Sonata No.4 in E flat, Op.7; Sonata No.24 in F sharp major, Op.78; Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27 No.2, ‘Moonlight’; and the Fantasia in G minor, Op.77. ONYX 4094

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Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are webcast live on BigPond and Telstra T-box and made available for later viewing On Demand. Our most recent webcast:

verdi’s requiem Visit: bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphony Live webcasts can also be viewed on our free mobile app, now optimised for the iPad

Sydney Symphony Live

MAHLER ODYSSEY

The Sydney Symphony Live label was founded in 2006 and we’ve since released more than a dozen recordings featuring the orchestra in live concert performances with our titled conductors and leading guest artists, including the Mahler Odyssey cycle, begun in 2010. To purchase, visit sydneysymphony.com/shop

During the 2010 and 2011 concert seasons, the Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy set out to perform all the Mahler symphonies, together with some of the song cycles. These concerts were recorded for CD and the set is now complete, together with a special disc of historical SSO Mahler performances. Available individually or as a handsome boxed set.

Glazunov & Shostakovich Alexander Lazarev conducts a thrilling performance of Shostakovich 9 and Glazunov’s Seasons. SSO 2

Strauss & Schubert Gianluigi Gelmetti conducts Schubert’s Unfinished and R Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Ricarda Merbeth. SSO 200803

Sir Charles Mackerras A 2CD set featuring Sir Charles’s final performances with the orchestra, in October 2007.

Mahler 1 & Songs of a Wayfarer SSO 201001 Mahler 2 SSO 201203 Mahler 3 SSO 201101 Mahler 4 SSO 201102 Mahler 5 SSO 201003 Mahler 6 SSO 201103 Mahler 7 SSO 201104 Mahler 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) SSO 201002 Mahler 9 SSO 201201 Mahler 10 (Barshai completion) SSO 201202 Song of the Earth SSO 201004

SSO 200705

From the archives:

Brett Dean

Rückert-Lieder, Kindertotenlieder, Das Lied von der Erde SSO 201204

Brett Dean performs his own viola concerto, conducted by Simone Young, in this all-Dean release. SSO 200702

Ravel Gelmetti conducts music by one of his favourite composers: Maurice Ravel. Includes Bolero.

LOOK OUT FOR…

Our next release featuring music by Brett Dean.

Sydney Symphony Online Join us on Facebook facebook.com/sydneysymphony

SSO 200801

Rare Rachmaninoff

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/sydsymph

Rachmaninoff chamber music with Dene Olding, the Goldner Quartet, soprano Joan Rodgers and Vladimir Ashkenazy at the piano.

Watch us on YouTube www.youtube.com/SydneySymphony

SSO 200901

Visit sydneysymphony.com for concert information, podcasts, and to read the program book in the week of the concert.

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts the complete Romeo and Juliet ballet music of Prokofiev – a fiery and impassioned performance. SSO 201205

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto In May this recording with James Ehnes and Ashkenazy was awarded a Juno (the Canadian Grammy). Lyrical miniatures fill out the disc. SSO 201206

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Antonello Manacorda CONDUCTOR Antonello Manacorda has been Principal Conductor of Kammerakademie Potsdam since 2010, and Principal Conductor of Het Gelders Orkest in The Netherlands since 2011. He was a founder-member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and its vice-president and concertmaster for eight years. A scholarship from De Sono in his home town of Turin sent him to Helskinki to study with Jorma Panula for two years, thereby allowing him to pursue his goal of becoming a conductor. His first principal conductor appointment was in 2006 with I Pomeriggi Musicali in Milan. In 2007 he made his conducting debut with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and subsequently opened the Bremen Festival with the orchestra. He has also conducted the Orchestra of La Fenice, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Hamburger Symphoniker and Staatskapelle Weimar. In 2008 he led a course for the Britten-Pears Orchestra culminating in a concert at the Aldeburgh Festival, and was immediately invited to return in 2010 and 2012. His opera engagements include working with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra in Florence; performances of Paisiello’s Barbiere di Siviglia at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan; Così fan tutte at the Teatro Comunale di Treviso, Falstaff with ASLICO in Pavia, Brescia and Cremona and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. In 2010 he conducted a new production of Don Giovanni at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, returning in 2011 for a revival of Don Giovanni and a new production of La Nozze di Figaro. Last year he conducted a new production of Così fan tutte and in May he returned to the theatre for the fourth time to conduct the Da Ponte operas. In the 2012–13 season he made conducting debuts with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and returned to Frankfurt Radio. He also appeared at the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus Berlin with Kammerakademie Potsdam, and at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with Het Gelders Orkest. Antonello Manacorda made his Sydney Symphony debut in 2010, conducting gala concerts with violinist Midori.

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JAMIE JUNG

Jonathan Biss PIANO Jonathan Biss is established as an artist at the highest level, appearing with most of the leading orchestras in the United States and in Europe. He is also a committed recitalist and chamber musician, and a regular guest at Carnegie Hall as well as playing in the major recital series in the US and in Europe. He twice opened the Master Piano Series at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and has appeared in the Salzburg, Lucerne and Edinburgh festivals, the Beethovenfest, Bonn, and the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg. In the 2011–12 season he made a highly successful debut recital in the Berlin Philharmonic’s piano series. For the 2012–13 season, Jonathan Biss devised a four-part chamber music series – Schumann: Under The Influence – with partners Mark Padmore, Miah Persson, Kim Kashkashian and the Elias Quartet. The series was heard at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, in San Francisco, and (in part) at Carnegie Hall. Jonathan Biss is currently recording a complete Beethoven Sonata cycle, and in conjunction with this project he wrote an essay, Beethoven’s Shadow, as a Kindle Single, which became a top-selling Music e-book. He wrote a second essay A Pianist under the Influence, in connection with his Schumann series. His recordings also include Schubert sonatas with fragments of Kurtag (recorded at Wigmore Hall) and, most recently, a recording of the Schumann and Dvorˇák piano quintets with the Elias Quartet. He has been recognised with numerous awards, including the 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award, Lincoln Center’s Martin E Segal Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and he is a laureate of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. He was also the first American chosen to participate in the BBC’s New Generation Artist program. Jonathan Biss represents the third generation in a family of musicians. His grandmother, Raya Garbousova, was the cellist for whom Samuel Barber composed his Cello Concerto and his mother, Miriam Fried, is a distinguished violinist and teacher. Jonathan Biss has recently joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute.

On Monday 29 July, Jonathan Biss appears in the International Pianists in Recital series, performing a program of four Beethoven sonatas, including the Waldstein.

Read a feature profile on Jonathan Biss in the program for his recital bit.ly/RecitalsProgramSSO

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MUSICIANS

Vladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor supported by Emirates

Dene Olding Concertmaster

Jessica Cottis Assistant Conductor supported by Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Andrew Haveron Concertmaster

FIRST VIOLINS

VIOLAS

FLUTES

TRUMPETS

Andrew Haveron

Roger Benedict Tobias Breider Justin Williams

Emma Sholl Carolyn Harris Janet Webb Rosamund Plummer

Paul Goodchild Andrew Evans* David Elton Anthony Heinrichs

Concertmaster

Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster

Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

Fiona Ziegler Assistant Concertmaster

Jennifer Booth Marianne Broadfoot Brielle Clapson Sophie Cole Amber Davis Jennifer Hoy Georges Lentz Nicola Lewis Alexander Norton Léone Ziegler Dene Olding

Assistant Principal

Sandro Costantino Jane Hazelwood Graham Hennings Stuart Johnson Justine Marsden Felicity Tsai Leonid Volovelsky Anne-Louise Comerford Robyn Brookfield Amanda Verner

Principal Piccolo

TROMBONES OBOES

Shefali Pryor Alexandre Oguey Principal Cor Anglais

Diana Doherty David Papp

Ronald Prussing Scott Kinmont Christopher Harris Principal Bass Trombone

Nick Byrne TUBA

CLARINETS

Steve Rossé

Catherine Hewgill Leah Lynn

Francesco Celata Christopher Tingay Lawrence Dobell Craig Wernicke

TIMPANI

Concertmaster

Assistant Principal

Principal Bass Clarinet

Julie Batty Alexandra Mitchell

Fenella Gill Timothy Nankervis Elizabeth Neville Christopher Pidcock Adrian Wallis James sang-oh Yoo† Kristy Conrau David Wickham

SECOND VIOLINS

Kirsty Hilton Marina Marsden Emily Long A/ Assistant Principal

Alexandra D’Elia* Shuti Huang Stan W Kornel Benjamin Li Nicole Masters Philippa Paige Biyana Rozenblit Maja Verunica Kelly Tang† Emma Jezek A/ Associate Principal

Susan Dobbie

CELLOS

BASSOONS

Matthew Wilkie Fiona McNamara Noriko Shimada

Mark Robinson Assistant Principal

Richard Miller PERCUSSION

Rebecca Lagos Colin Piper

Principal Contrabassoon

Jack Schiller†

HARP

Louise Johnson HORNS

DOUBLE BASSES

Kees Boersma Alex Henery David Campbell Steven Larson Richard Lynn Hugh Kluger* Neil Brawley

Robert Johnson Euan Harvey Marnie Sebire Rachel Silver Ben Jacks Geoffrey O’Reilly Principal 3rd

Bold = Principal Italics = Associate Principal ° = Contract Musician * = Guest Musician † = Sydney Symphony Fellow Grey = Permanent member of the Sydney Symphony not appearing in this concert

Principal Emeritus

David Murray Benjamin Ward

Principal Emeritus

Maria Durek Emma Hayes

To see photographs of the full roster of permanent musicians and find out more about the orchestra, visit our website: www.sydneysymphony.com/SSO_musicians If you don’t have access to the internet, ask one of our customer service representatives for a copy of our Musicians flyer.

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The men of the Sydney Symphony are proudly outfitted by Van Heusen.

SYDNEY SYMPHONY

JOHN MARMARAS

Vladimir Ashkenazy, Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony has evolved into one of the world’s finest orchestras as Sydney has become one of the world’s great cities. Resident at the iconic Sydney Opera House, where it gives more than 100 performances each year, the Sydney Symphony also performs in venues throughout Sydney and regional New South Wales. International tours to Europe, Asia and the USA have earned the orchestra worldwide recognition for artistic excellence, most recently in the 2012 tour to China. The Sydney Symphony’s first Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in 1947; he was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdeneˇk Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti. David Robertson will take up the post of Chief Conductor in 2014. The orchestra’s history also boasts collaborations with legendary figures such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

The Sydney Symphony’s award-winning education program is central to its commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developing audiences and engaging the participation of young people. The orchestra promotes the work of Australian composers through performances, recordings and its commissioning program. Recent premieres have included major works by Ross Edwards, Liza Lim, Lee Bracegirdle, Gordon Kerry and Georges Lentz, and the orchestra’s recording of works by Brett Dean was released on both the BIS and Sydney Symphony Live labels. Other releases on the Sydney Symphony Live label, established in 2006, include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2010–11 the orchestra made concert recordings of the complete Mahler symphonies with Ashkenazy, and has also released recordings of Rachmaninoff and Elgar orchestral works on the Exton/Triton labels, as well as numerous recordings on the ABC Classics label. This is the fifth year of Ashkenazy’s tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. sydney symphony 21

BEHIND THE SCENES Sydney Symphony Board John C Conde ao Chairman Terrey Arcus am Ewen Crouch am Ross Grant Jennifer Hoy Rory Jeffes Andrew Kaldor am Irene Lee David Livingstone Goetz Richter

Sydney Symphony Staff S MANAGING DIRECTOR M

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Rory Jeffes R

Jonathon Symonds

EXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT EX

ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR

Lisa Davies-Galli Li

Jenny Sargant

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS A

Box Office

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING D

Peter Czornyj Pe

Artistic Administration Ar

BOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER AR

Jacqueline Tooley

Eleasha Mah El

BOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

ARTIST LIAISON MANAGER AR

John Robertson

Ilmar Leetberg Il RECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER RE

Philip Powers Ph

Education Programs Ed E

Sydney Symphony Council Geoff Ainsworth am Andrew Andersons ao Michael Baume ao Christine Bishop Ita Buttrose ao obe Peter Cudlipp John Curtis am Greg Daniel am John Della Bosca Alan Fang Erin Flaherty Dr Stephen Freiberg Donald Hazelwood ao obe Dr Michael Joel am Simon Johnson Yvonne Kenny am Gary Linnane Amanda Love Helen Lynch am David Maloney David Malouf ao Julie Manfredi-Hughes Deborah Marr The Hon. Justice Jane Mathews ao Danny May Wendy McCarthy ao Jane Morschel Greg Paramor Dr Timothy Pascoe am Prof. Ron Penny ao Jerome Rowley Paul Salteri Sandra Salteri Juliana Schaeffer Leo Schofield am Fred Stein oam Gabrielle Trainor Ivan Ungar John van Ogtrop Peter Weiss ao HonDLitt Mary Whelan Rosemary White

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MANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS

Lynn McLaughlin

HEAD OF EDUCATION H

Kim Waldock K

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Steve Clarke – Senior CSR Michael Dowling Amy Walsh COMMUNICATIONS

EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER EM

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS & SPONSOR RELATIONS

Mark Lawrenson M

Yvonne Zammit

EDUCATION COORDINATOR ED

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Rachel McLarin R

Katherine Stevenson

CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER C

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Derek Reed D

Janine Harris

Library Li An Cernik Anna Victoria Grant Vi Mary-Ann Mead M ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT O

DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Kai Raisbeck FELLOWSHIP SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER

Caitlin Benetatos

Publications

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT D

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Aernout Kerbert Ae

Yvonne Frindle

ORCHESTRA MANAGER O

Chris Lewis C ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR O

Georgia Stamatopoulos G OPERATIONS MANAGER O

Kerry-Anne Cook K PRODUCTION MANAGER PR

Laura Daniel La PRODUCTION COORDINATOR PR

Tim Dayman T PRODUCTION COORDINATOR PR

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Caroline Sharpen HEAD OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

Jeremy Goff HEAD OF MAJOR GIFTS

Luke Andrew Gay DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Amelia Morgan-Hunn DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Ian Spence Ia

Sarah Morrisby

SALES AND MARKETING S

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING D

Mark J Elliott M SENIOR SALES & MARKETING MANAGER SE

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

John Horn FINANCE MANAGER

Penny Evans Pe

Ruth Tolentino

MARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES M

ACCOUNTANT

Simon Crossley-Meates Si

Minerva Prescott

MARKETING MANAGER, CLASSICAL SALES M

ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT

Matthew Rive M MARKETING MANAGER, WEB & DIGITAL MEDIA M

Eve Le Gall Ev MARKETING MANAGER, DATABASE & CRM M

Matthew Hodge M DATA ANALYST DA

Varsha Karnik Va GRAPHIC DESIGNER G

Lucy McCullough Lu CREATIVE ARTWORKER C

Nathanael van der Reyden N

Emma Ferrer PAYROLL OFFICER

Laura Soutter HUMAN RESOURCES HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Michel Maree Hryce

SYDNEY SYMPHONY PATRONS Maestro’s Circle Peter William Weiss ao – Founding President & Doris Weiss John C Conde ao – Chairman Geoff Ainsworth am & Vicki Ainsworth Tom Breen & Rachael Kohn In memory of Hetty & Egon Gordon Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Roslyn Packer ao

Penelope Seidler am Mr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy Street Westfield Group Brian & Rosemary White Ray Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam

Sydney Symphony Corporate Alliance Tony Grierson, Braithwaite Steiner Pretty Insurance Australia Group John Morschel, Chairman, ANZ

Directors’ Chairs

01

02

06

07

01 Roger Benedict Principal Viola Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Chair 02 Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Anne Arcus & Terrey Arcus am Chair 03 Diana Doherty Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Chair

03

04

08

09

05

04 Richard Gill oam Artistic Director Education Sandra & Paul Salteri Chair

07 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

05 Catherine Hewgill Principal Cello The Hon. Justice AJ & Mrs Fran Meagher Chair

08 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

06 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

09 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

For information about the Directors’ Chairs program, please call (02) 8215 4619.

Sydney Symphony Vanguard Vanguard Collective

Members

Justin Di Lollo – Chair Kees Boersma Marina Go David McKean Amelia Morgan-Hunn Jonathan Pease Seamus R Quick

Centric Wealth Matti Alakargas James Armstrong Stephen Attfield Damien Bailey Andrew Baxter Mar Beltran Kees Boersma Andrew Bragg Peter Braithwaite Andrea Brown Ian Burton Jennifer Burton Hahn Chau Alistair Clark Matthew Clark

Benoît Cocheteux George Condous Michael Cook Paul Cousins Justin Di Lollo Rose Gallo Alistair Gibson Sam Giddings Marina Go Sebastian Goldspink Rose Herceg Paolo Hooke Peter Howard Jennifer Hoy Scott Jackson Damian Kassagbi

Aernout Kerbert Antony Lighten Gary Linnane Paul Macdonald David McKean Hayden McLean Amelia Morgan-Hunn Phoebe Morgan-Hunn Tom O’Donnell Taine Moufarrige Hugh Munro Fiona Osler Julia Owens Archie Paffas Jonathan Pease

Jingmin Qian Seamus R Quick Leah Ranie Michael Reede Chris Robertson Emma Rodigari Jacqueline Rowlands Bernard Ryan Katherine Shaw Randal Tame Adam Wand Jon Wilkie Jonathan Watkinson Darren Woolley Misha Zelinsky

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PLAYING YOUR PART The Sydney Symphony gratefully acknowledges the music lovers who donate to the orchestra each year. Each gift plays an important part in ensuring our continued artistic excellence and helping to sustain important education and regional touring programs. Donations of $50 and above are acknowledged on our website at www.sydneysymphony.com/patrons Platinum Patrons $20,000+

Silver Patrons $5000–$9,999

Bronze Patrons $1,000–$2,499

Brian Abel Robert Albert ao & Elizabeth Albert Geoff Ainsworth Terrey Arcus am & Anne Arcus Tom Breen & Rachael Kohn Sandra & Neil Burns Mr John C Conde ao Robert & Janet Constable Michael Crouch ao & Shanny Crouch James & Leonie Furber Dr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuffre In memory of Hetty & Egon Gordon Mr Andrew Kaldor am & Mrs Renata Kaldor ao D & I Kallinikos James N Kirby Foundation The late Joan MacKenzie Vicki Olsson Mrs Roslyn Packer ao Paul & Sandra Salteri Mrs Penelope Seidler am G & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzie Mrs W Stening Mr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy Street Peter William Weiss ao & Doris Weiss Westfield Group Mr Brian & Mrs Rosemary White Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Ray Wilson oam in memory of James Agapitos oam

Doug & Alison Battersby Mr Robert Brakspear Mr David & Mrs Halina Brett Mr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie Clampett Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway Dr C Goldschmidt The Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory Jeffes Judges of the Supreme Court of NSW Mr Ervin Katz The Estate of the late Patricia Lance Timothy & Eva Pascoe William McIlrath Charitable Foundation Rodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia Rosenblum Manfred & Linda Salamon Mrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet Cooke Michael & Mary Whelan Trust Anonymous (1)

Mrs Antoinette Albert Andrew Andersons ao Mr Henri W Aram oam Dr Francis J Augustus Richard and Christine Banks David Barnes Nicole Berger Allan & Julie Bligh Dr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff Jan Bowen Lenore P Buckle M Bulmer In memory of RW Burley Ita Buttrose ao obe Joan Connery oam & Maxwell Connery oam Constable Estate Vineyards Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill Mr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret Cunningham Greta Davis Lisa & Miro Davis Matthew Delasey Mr & Mrs Grant Dixon Colin Draper & Mary Jane Brodribb Mrs Margaret Epps Mr Ian Fenwicke & Prof. Neville Wills Mr James Graham am & Mrs Helen Graham Warren Green Anthony Gregg & Deanne Whittleston Akiko Gregory Tony Grierson Edward & Deborah Griffin Richard Griffin am In memory of Dora & Oscar Grynberg Janette Hamilton Michelle Hilton The Hon. David Hunt ao qc & Mrs Margaret Hunt Dr & Mrs Michael Hunter In memory of Bernard M H Khaw Mr Justin Lam Mr Peter Lazar am Irene Lee Associate Professor Winston Liauw Dr David Luis Carolyn & Peter Lowry oam Deirdre & Kevin McCann Ian & Pam McGaw Macquarie Group Foundation

Gold Patrons $10,000–$19,999 Stephen J Bell Alan & Christine Bishop Ian & Jennifer Burton Howard Connors Copyright Agency Cutlural Fund Edward Federman Nora Goodridge Mr Ross Grant The Estate of the late Ida Gugger Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Ruth & Bob Magid Justice Jane Mathews ao The Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran Meagher Mrs T Merewether oam Mr B G O’Conor Henry & Ruth Weinberg Caroline Wilkinson June & Alan Woods Family Bequest

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Bronze Patrons $2,500–$4,999 Ewen Crouch am & Catherine Crouch The Hon. Ashley Dawson-Damer Firehold Pty Ltd Stephen Freiberg & Donald Campbell Vic & Katie French Mrs Jennifer Hershon Michael & Anna Joel Gary Linnane Matthew McInnes J A McKernan R & S Maple-Brown Renee Markovic Mora Maxwell James & Elsie Moore Drs Keith & Eileen Ong In memory of Sandra Paul Pottinger Dr John Roarty oam in memory of Mrs June Roarty In memory of H St P Scarlett Julianna Schaeffer David & Isabel Smithers Marliese & Georges Teitler Mr & Mrs T & D Yim Anonymous (2)

Ms Jackie O’Brien JF & A van Ogtrop Mr & Mrs Ortis Mr Andrew C Patterson Piatti Holdings Pty Ltd Andy & Deirdre Plummer Robin Potter Ernest & Judith Rapee Kenneth R Reed Patricia H Reid Endowment Pty Ltd Caroline Sharpen Dr Agnes E Sinclair Catherine Stephen John & Alix Sullivan The Hon. Brian Sully qc Mildred Teitler John E Tuckey Mrs M Turkington In memory of Joan & Rupert Vallentine Dr Alla Waldman Mr Robert & Mrs Rosemary Walsh Ann & Brooks Wilson am Dr Richard Wing Mr R R Woodward In memory of Lorna Wright Dr John Yu Anonymous (9)

Bronze Patrons $500–$999 Mrs Lenore Adamson Mr & Mrs Garry S Ash Barlow Cleaning Pty Ltd Beauty Point Retirement Resort Mrs Margaret Bell Minnie Biggs Mrs Jan Biber Dr Anthony Bookallil R D & L M Broadfoot Arnaldo Buch Ann & Miles Burgess Pat & Jenny Burnett The Hon. Justice JC & Mrs Campbell Dr Rebecca Chin Mrs Sarah Chissick Mrs Catherine J Clark R A & M J Clarke Mr & Mrs Coates

Coffs Airport Security Car Park Mr B & Mrs M Coles Mrs Joan Connery oam Jen Cornish Mr David Cross Phil Diment am & Bill Zafiropoulos Elizabeth Donati The Dowe Family John Favaloro Malcolm Ellis & Erin O’Neill In memory of Peter Everett Mr Tom Francis Mr John Gaden Vivienne Goldschmidt Clive & Jenny Goodwin Roger Henning Harry & Meg Herbert Sue Hewitt Dorothy Hoddinott ao Mr Joerg Hofmann Mrs Kimberley Holden Mr Gregory Hosking Niki Kallenberger Mrs Margaret Keogh Dr Henry Kilham Chris J Kitching Anna-Lisa Klettenberg Sonia Lal Mr Luigi Lamprati Dr & Mrs Leo Leader Margaret Lederman Erna & Gerry Levy am Sydney & Airdrie Lloyd Mrs A Lohan Mrs Panee Low Dr David Luis Philip & Catherine McClelland Melvyn Madigan Alan & Joy Martin Mrs Toshiko Meric Ms Irene Miller & Ms Kim Harding P J Miller David Mills Kenneth N Mitchell Ms Margaret Moore oam & Dr Paul Hutchins am Chris Morgan-Hunn Mrs Milja Morris

D O Y O U H AV E A STORY TO TELL? Learn how, with the people who know books and writing best.

A Nhan Mr Graham North Dr Mike O’Connor am Mr R A Oppen Origin Foundation Dr A J Palmer Dr Kevin Pedemont Dr Natalie E Pelham Michael Quailey Renaissance Tours Anna Ro Lesley & Andrew Rosenberg Mrs Pamela Sayers Garry Scarf & Morgie Blaxill Peter & Virginia Shaw Mrs Diane Shteinman am Ms Stephanie Smee Ms Tatiana Sokolova Doug & Judy Sotheren Mrs Judith Southam Mrs Karen Spiegal-Keighley Margaret Suthers Norman & Lydia Taylor Dr Heng Tey & Mrs Cilla Tey Mrs Alma Toohey & Mr Edward Spicer Kevin Troy Gillian Turner & Rob Bishop Prof Gordon E Wall Mrs Margaret Wallis Ronald Walledge Ms Elizabeth Wilkinson Audrey & Michael Wilson A Willmers & R Pal Dr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K Wong Geoff Wood & Melissa Waites Glen & Everly Wyss Mrs Robin Yabsley Anonymous (22) List correct as of 1 May 2013

To find out more about becoming a Sydney Symphony Patron, please contact the Philanthropy Office on (02) 8215 4625 or email [email protected]

Faber Academy at ALLEN & UNWIN

T (02) 8425 0171 W allenandunwin.com/faberacademy

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SALUTE PRINCIPAL PARTNER

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

The Sydney Symphony is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body

The Sydney Symphony is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW

PREMIER PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNERS

EDUCATION PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

THE LEADING SCHOOL FOR TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY

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Fine Music 102.5

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Photo: Keith Saunders

ORCHESTRA NEWS | JULY 2013

` It’s all about getting some runs on the board.

a HOMECOMING Recently appointed Principal Trumpet David Elton talks about earning the respect of his peers and unusual practice locations. There seems to be something of a trend amongst our Sydney Symphony brass players of collecting instruments. Principal Trumpet David Elton has… ahem… quite a few. ‘I try not to count them because it’s best not to know. I think I have in excess of 13, dispersed around the place – at the Opera House, in various cupboards, some of them I’ve lent to friends.’ There is some natural double up, of course, as any orchestral trumpeter is also required to play cornet, piccolo trumpet, or German rotary valve trumpet, depending on the demands of

the repertoire. ‘I did struggle to find one of my cornets recently,’ confesses David. ‘It turned up in Perth, but it took me a week to work out where it actually was.’ Sydney born and bred, David is stoked to have returned home after many years working in other orchestras. ‘This is a very strong and powerful orchestra, but still has such great beauty. Playing music with the people around you who inspire you – it’s pretty fun. It’s not a bad job,’ he says with a typically playful glint in his eye. Auditioning for an orchestral job and then passing the subsequent trial period is

universally acknowledged to be no easy task. And David admits the pressure doesn’t end there. ‘It’s all about getting some runs on the board. To really earn the respect and confidence of your peers, you have to play at a level where people are absolutely sure about you, across all the repertoire.’ David and his wife Rachel Silver, the newest member of our Horn section, have shared a workplace for several years now, first in the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and now in Sydney. Is that tricky? ‘You’ve got to remember to switch off after work, try not to obsess about it.’ But there’s a big plus side to a shared work-and-play life together. ‘There’s a good understanding between us that we can’t take too many days off [before losing condition]. We’ve been known to pull over in the middle of a road trip to practise for half an hour. The cows in Margaret River have been occasional beneficiaries…’ David Elton is also a Patron Ambassador for the orchestra.

Ask a Musician

Education Highlight

How does a conductor convey his or her intentions to the orchestra in a concert? And how is it different to what they do in rehearsal?

Jail Time

In May I went to prison. And it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. My ‘crime’? Being a 2013 Sydney Symphony Fellow. Our recent Bundanon residency included a workshop-performance at the local jail. I knew nothing of prisons other than what I’d seen on TV shows like Oz, so I was a bit nervous. But standing in front of the inmates, we were greeted by warm applause and welcoming smiles. I was amazed at the inmates’ attentiveness and enthusiastic participation during the workshop. They were totally engaged in what they were watching. I have never felt more fulfilled and humbled. The inmates were so incredibly grateful for our visit and I know each one of them took something away from it. If you asked me to go back, I would easily say “yes”. It’s amazing how powerful the effect of a little bit of happiness can be in the cold, grim environment of a prison. To read Som’s complete post, visit blog.ssofellowship.com

Photo: Ken Butti

Jessica Cottis, Assistant Conductor

The sweet sounds of the Sydney Symphony Fellowship ensemble recently captivated an unusual audience – a group of 30 maximum-security inmates from the South Coast Correctional Centre. Clarinet Fellow Som Howie wrote about the experience for the Fellowship blog…

In June our musicians dusted off legwarmers and sweatbands for a special gathering of the Sydney Symphony Vanguard. This dynamic group of Sydneysiders is changing the way modern generations support the orchestra. For our 80s ‘Flashdance’ event, they were entertained by double bass quartet: David Murray, Kees Boersma, David Campbell and Alex Henery – all suitably attired.

Photo: Ben Symons

Whether in rehearsal or concert, conducting is all about communication. Every aspect of a conductor’s physicality will encourage the orchestra to play in a particular way. Imagine how you might express something to someone in a foreign language for which you didn’t have the vocabulary: you’d use gestures and facial expressions. In essence, this is what a conductor does. The connection between conductors and players is often subtle. More often than not it works on a subconscious understanding. On a basic level, the ‘baton hand’, apart from establishing tempo, joins the other hand in shaping the sound. The nature of a downbeat, whether delicate or impassioned, imparts to the orchestra the quality of sound needed. Using the baton with a sweeping motion, for example, can encourage more lyrical playing. Second to the arms are the conductor’s face and, most powerfully, the eyes. George Szell’s penetrating glare had such compelling potency that his orchestra would be alert to even the smallest of gestures of musical intent. Valery Gergiev is similarly noted for his unflinching eye contact, especially for those players at the back of the orchestra: ‘Looking at a player means I am interested in him. If I’m interested in him, that means he is interested in me. Correct? Everything I do, I try to do relying on expression and visual contact.’ In rehearsal, the gestures are often smaller and a little less energetic. Most conductors leave a bit in reserve, allowing the possibility of something truly cosmic to take place in performance.

Artistic Profile

DAVID AT HOME Photo: Michael Tammaro

David Robertson shares the role of music in his life away from the podium.

How do you balance the demands of travelling with your role as a husband and father? And will your new post here in Sydney make that easier or more difficult? It is a huge juggling act! As a parent you quickly realise that your children are changing all the time and need different things at different stages, making the longrange planning that music requires very challenging. But I don’t think it’s easy for any parent. When I’m away from home, we speak on the phone or skype on the computer everyday if possible. My wife [Orli Shaham] is a busy performer as well, so we sometimes feel as though we’re in a relay race, handing off the kids before starting the next lap! It’s important to remember that you can always wait to do a piece of music or a concert at a later date, but your child will only be five once. Luckily, my family loves Sydney as much as I do, so they are looking forward to joining me during the New York school vacations. What have your children taught you about music and conducting? Not to forget that it is enormous fun! There is a reason we say that we ‘play’ music.

What are your earliest recollections of music? One of my earliest memories is of my mother singing. Her repertoire consisted of popular songs of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, as well as Broadway show tunes, country music folksongs, and hymns. With my dad playing Dixieland jazz and big band numbers on clarinet and sax, bluegrass and folksongs on guitar, harmonica and banjo – it seemed there was all kinds of music, all the time. I remember when I was about seven, we got a big reel-to-reel tape machine but we only had one tape at first: Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole and Bolero. One day I put it on when no one else was around and became aware of the act of listening; I could hear how each repetition of the Bolero melody sounded different. I was hooked.

What would be your advice for music lovers who are keen to nurture a love of music in their children? Children are very much aural creatures, so listening to music is something they all enjoy. Find ways to participate in making music with them. Music is an activity, not a ‘passivity’. When a child begins playing music at an early stage, there is a marked increase in the number of connections the brain makes in the corpus callosum, leading to better interhemispheric communication. The instrument doesn’t matter so much, nor does the proficiency level, but the activity itself proves stimulating to our whole being. This is a life-long gift we give them, whether or not they become musicians!

For many people, music is a source of relaxation, or perhaps even ‘background’ to their lives. What part does music play in your life when you’re not working? It’s almost always going on in my head. I agree that music has a strong influence on mood. The thing I can’t do is have music going on and not listen to it! For me personally, there is no such thing as ‘background music’. It may be soft, but it immediately jumps into my foreground. Sometimes I really wish I could turn off the music in restaurants. The change happened when I was around 16; it became clear that I couldn’t read while listening to music. A lot of people seem to be able to do this but I can’t. I am so not the target audience for the iPod!

CODA HAZEL HAWKE TRIBUTE We were honoured to perform at the State Memorial Service for Hazel Hawke AO in June. Mrs Hawke was a Council Member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Founder of the Hazel Hawke Alzheimer’s Research and Care Fund 2003, Patron of the Kendall National Violin Competition, and Chair of the NSW Heritage Council 1996, as well as a tireless campaigner in social policy areas.

of Best Individual Classical Performance. Winners will be announced on Monday 29 July at the Sydney Opera House. www.helpmannawards.com.au

TCHAIKOVSKY TREAT In December last year we presented a set of all-Tchaikovsky concerts with pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing the original version of the Piano Concerto No.2. This performance was captured in recording and forms the centerpiece of a new release on the Sydney Symphony Live

DOUBLE HELPING For this year’s Helpmann Awards, our concert performance of Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades has been nominated in the category of Best Symphony Orchestra Concert. And we’re delighted that Stuart Skelton’s portrayal of Herman has also earned him a nod in the category

label. The CD also includes three piano miniatures by Tchaikovsky: Romance Op.5, Chant sans paroles Op.2 No.3 and Humoresque Op.10 No.2. Available through our website: sydneysymphony.com/shop

LAST SEEN RUNNING… A small group of SSO musicians and staff competed in the recent Sydney Men’s Health Urbanathlon in June. Ben Jacks (Team Captain) was joined by David Elton, Euan Harvey, Abbey Edlin, Chris Pidcock and Rachel McLarin. They had to negotiate their way around ten obstacles – ranging from monkey bars to leaping (clean) skip bins – over a 12 km course through Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo. David Elton crossed the line first for the team but, of course, sport was the real winner on the day.

BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang

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