Beethoven and the piano · PDF fileBeethoven and the piano ... Beethoven published piano trios...

Beethoven and the piano

A prolific and talented pianist, Beethoven pushed thedevelopment of the piano that helped pave the way for the modernconcert grand piano we hear today. Impatient with the piano’sinadequacies, Beethoven continually wrote beyond the piano’scapabilities, which pushed manufacturers to look for ways tomake the piano stronger and more durable (Beethoven oftenruined pianos beyond repair after a few months).

An example of Beethoven’s use of new piano technology is in the Fourth Piano Concerto’s second movement which calls for the use of a true una corda pedal, which had existed since the early1700s but was substantially improved during Beethoven’s life.Additionally, the Waldstein Sonata (Op.53) exploits the widedynamics newly made possible, often with bewildering contrasts,and includes a large section marked to be played with damperpedal for the entire duration, a feat that would not have succeededyears earlier.

Now just imagine what Beethoven might have been able toachieve if he had been able to compose on a modern day grandpiano similar to the Steinway concert grand Gerhard Oppitz willbe playing tonight.

ARA VARTOUKIAN Director

SEASON 2007

INTERNATIONAL PIANISTS IN RECITAL

PRESENTED BY THEME & VARIATIONS

GERHARD OPPITZ

Monday 18 June | 8pm

City Recital Hall Angel Place

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)

Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1

AllegroAdagioMenuetto (Allegretto)Prestissimo

Sonata No.4 in E flat, Op.7

Allegro molto e con brioLargo, con gran espressioneAllegroRondo (Poco allegretto e grazioso)

INTERVAL

Sonata No.22 in F, Op.54

In tempo d’un MenuettoAllegretto

Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57, Appassionata

Allegro assaiAndante con motoAllegro ma non troppo

Pre-concert talk by Dr RobertCurry at 7.15pm in the First FloorReception Room.

Estimated timings:22 minutes, 32 minutes, 20-minute interval, 14 minutes, 26 minutesThe performance will conclude at approximately 10.05pm.

Cover images: see page 30 forcaptions

Program notes begin on page 5

Artist biography is on page 23

PRESENTING PARTNER

This concert will be broadcastlive across Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9.

INTRODUCTION

Beethoven Sonatas

In November 1792 the 21-year-old Beethoven departedprovincial Bonn for Vienna, to receive, in the words of Count Waldstein, ‘Mozart’s spirit from the hands of Haydn’. Whether this happened might be debated –Beethoven himself seemed dubious and he was to beginpushing the boundaries of the Classical style almostimmediately – but the young composer quickly foundfame as a pianist, particularly for his improvisations,which inspired wonder and admiration in Viennesecircles.

Beethoven’s style of pianism was a world away from the clear, brilliant and witty execution of Mozart’s school.His student Czerny later commented on his masteryof legato playing at a time when, ‘dating still fromMozart’s days, the clipped and staccato way of playing was the fashion’. Beethoven, in contrast, combinedstrength and passion with a singing style that manypianists thought impossible.

His first symphony was some years off, but meanwhileBeethoven published piano trios (his Opus 1) and his first set of piano sonatas (Opus 2, 1796). These were likesymphonies for chamber forces – four movements instead of three and substantial in scope. The next sonatato be published (No.4) was truly monumental (it remainedone of Beethoven’s longest sonatas and is perhaps one of the most difficult) and was accorded an opus numberof its own.

The Beethoven of the first half of tonight’s program is a man in his 20s, enjoying new fame and attention. By his early 30s – when he composed the works on thesecond half of the program – his portrait was incirculation and his first symphonic works had beenpremiered; fame and fortune would seem secure, butfor the early signs of deafness, which would drive himfrom society and prove the end of his playing career.Composed in close succession between 1804 and 1806,Sonatas Nos. 22 and 23 are an extreme contrast: one seemsslight and quirky in its ‘radical simplicity’, the other isone of those that Beethoven counted among his greatest.This, the Appassionata, shares with his great symphonicworks a sense of unity and integration between themovements that Beethoven prized above all.

5 | Sydney Symphony

6 | Sydney Symphony

Ludwig van Beethoven

Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1 (1793–94)

AllegroAdagioMenuetto (Allegretto)Prestissimo

On Beethoven’s departure from Bonn for Vienna in 1792,Count Waldstein had written that he would receive Mozart’sspirit from Haydn’s hands. What Beethoven actuallyreceived were counterpoint exercises (somewhat cursorilymarked), cash advances, kind words and unwanted advice(particularly regarding the piano trio, Op.1 No.3). Haydn forhis part is known to have received coffee and chocolate (inOctober 1793) and the dedication of this sonata, togetherwith its two companion pieces when all three were publishedas Beethoven’s Opus 2. The evidence suggests that thispublication was a sensitive issue. According to Ries, Haydnwanted ‘Pupil of Haydn’ to be inscribed on the title pagesof Beethoven’s first published works. Beethoven refused to do this. Mention of the incident in later life causedBeethoven irritation and he once declared that he had neverlearnt anything from Haydn. Yet he clearly honoured himas a composer and as late as 1812, without any apparentfalse modesty, declined to put himself on the level of Haydnand Mozart. In psychological terms it seems that the eagerpaternalism of the childless and unhappily married Haydnwas something which the poorly fathered Beethoven both needed and also needed to resist. Beethoven’s ownalcoholic and abusive father died in Bonn in 1792, just asthe lessons with Haydn in Vienna were beginning.

One of Haydn’s unsolicited services to Beethoven was towrite to the Elector of Bonn in 1793 requesting a raise onBeethoven’s behalf. This was not undiluted altruism:Beethoven owed him money. In rejecting the request, theElector informed Haydn that most of the pieces he hadsent as evidence of Beethoven’s industry and talent hadactually been written before Beethoven went to Vienna, afact of which Haydn, his teacher, seemed embarrassinglyunaware. Similarly this sonata, which was probably begunin the same year, reuses themes from the early PianoQuartet, WoO36 No.1, which he had written when he was 15.Yet, although Beethoven does seem to have had a lapse ininspiration in the year following his father’s death, thereworking of old material in fact was to become a life-longhabit, which certainly stood him in good stead in this

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Keynotes

BEETHOVEN

Born Bonn, 1770Died Vienna, 1827

Between 1793 (Op.2) and 1822

(Op.111) Beethoven composed

32 piano sonatas. As a whole

they trace his career: the

young composer learning

from 18th-century models,

the composer-virtuoso, then,

as his increasing deafness

forced him to withdraw from

performing, the ‘heroic’ period

with such masterpieces

as the Waldstein and the

Appassionata. Beyond that –

but not represented in this

recital – are the so-called

Years of Crisis (the

Hammerklavier) and the

three late sonatas.

SONATA NO.1 IN F MINOR

The first of Beethoven’s

sonatas belongs to a set of

three that were published as

his Opus 2 in 1796. Together

they demonstrate the range

of the young composer, barely

25 years old but already

writing with originality and

powerful expression. They

show the influence of Mozart

and Haydn (they are

dedicated to Haydn), but also

of the piano virtuosos of the

time, Clementi and Dussek.

Charles Rosen has described

the first sonata as a ‘homage

to Mozart, transported into

a new and more violent

affective world’. It begins

the program as it will end: in

F minor. This was the key that

Beethoven’s contemporaries

considered the most pathetic

of all, and the outer

movements – especially

the stormy finale – convey

an ‘implacable’ minor mood.

7 | Sydney Symphony

sonata. If Beethoven did learn anything from Haydn itwas architecture not counterpoint, as comparison of thismature work with its attractive but structurally clumsymodel shows.

Any other influences are beneath the surface.Beethoven’s more overtly Haydnesque moments tended to come later in his career (in the String Quartet, Op.135,for example) and his early sonatas favour the moresymphonic four-movement form, rather than Haydn andMozart’s three-movement pattern. As Harold Truscott haspointed out, the style of these early keyboard works owesmore to Clementi and Dussek, enriched by Beethoven’sunique capacity for both concise, telling musical ideas and structural expansion and breadth.

Listening Guide

The sonata is remarkable for its storminess andemphasis on the minor mode which is present not onlyin the opening idea of the first movement but which alsoinvades the second key area even as it moves to the morerelaxed relative major and the codetta. The Adagio, asimple ternary form ABA structure, is the only movementof the sonata in a major key, although even here the minormood invades the central section. For this, his firstsonata, Beethoven gives us a real minuet, rather than hissometimes ironic, speeded-up version of this aristocraticdance, the scherzo, a feature of his later sonatas. As in thefirst movement, even the sections of the outer minuetswhich move to the major key are shot through with minor colour, while the central trio exploits some ofthe textures of inevitable counterpoint which Haydntaught him (and, in Haydn’s absence in London in 1794,Albrechtsberger and possibly Salieri). The final Prestissimo

returns to the implacable side of Beethoven’s minor mood,modulating to the dominant minor key (rather than therelative major) for its second idea. The central sectionabandons for a time both this dark colour, and also thedriving triplets of the rhythm but the feeling is verymuch one of momentary respite rather than resolution.Driving insistence returns at the end to give one of thosefinales which Beethoven was to perfect in his later F minorsonata, the Appassionata, Op.57, in which the music seemsrelentlessly driven to some unspecified stormy apocalypticending and which will conclude this program.

©PETER McCALLUM

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832) is well-

known to piano students for his

studies and sonatinas; in his lifetime

he was one of the first famous touring

pianists and Beethoven admired his

sonatas, owning copies of nearly all

of them and adopting something of

their virtuoso style and dramatic

pianism.

8 | Sydney Symphony

Beethoven

Sonata No.4 in E flat, Op.7

Allegro molto e con brioLargo, con gran espressioneAllegroRondo (Poco allegretto e grazioso)

Carl Czerny ventured the opinion that this sonata,which Riezler called Beethoven’s first masterpiece,deserved the subtitle ‘Appassionata’ more than the morefamous Opus 57 (heard at the end of this evening’sprogram) because Beethoven was in a passionate state of mind when he wrote it. This indicates a somewhatone-dimensional view of passion, and since Czerny wasonly five years old when the sonata was written (and didn’t meet Beethoven until he was ten) it can possiblybe discounted. However, it does tend to confirm animpression hinted at elsewhere that Beethoven was inlove with the dedicatee, his pupil, Countess Barbara(Babette) von Keglevics. Moreover he apparently tried tointroduce an unusual brand of intimacy to the lessons,a fact discovered by the great 19th-century Beethovenscholar, Nottebohm, in his relentless trawling ofBeethoveniana. A cousin of the countess’s wrote toNottebohm: ‘The Sonata was composed for her when she was still a maiden. It was one of the whims of whichhe had many, that, living as he did vis-a-vis, he came inmorning gown, slippers and tasselled cap to give herlessons.’ Beyond its anecdotal curiosity, the infatuation fits into a wider pattern that Beethoven, though in Ries’swords, ‘rarely out of love’, usually fixed his affections onwomen who were either married, above his class, or insome other way unattainable.

Apart from the epic Hammerklavier Sonata, Op.106,Opus 7 is in fact the longest of the Beethoven sonatas,and its announcement on 7 October 1797 in the WienerZeitung as a ‘Grand Sonata’ with its own opus numberrather than as grouping of three like his earlier set,Opus 2, can be taken as a confident assertion of hiscredentials by a young composer whose pianistic andimprovising abilities were highly prized by the Viennesepatrons of the day. During this period Beethoven wasfrequently paired with other pianists such as Wölfl and in quasi-gladiatorial contests in which it was noted thathis playing plumbed darker, more turbulent depths, and

Keynotes

SONATA NO.4 IN E FLAT

With just over 30 minutes

of music, this is one of

Beethoven’s longest sonatas

– only the Hammerklavier is

longer. Completed in 1797,

it is dedicated to Countess

‘Babette’ von Keglevics,

who was Beethoven’s piano

student at the time. (Later,

when she had married and

was Princess Odescalchi,

Beethoven dedicated his

first published piano

concerto to her.)

The sonata is ambitious not

only in its scale, but in its

technical difficulties, with

the 27-year-old Beethoven

making all sorts of demands

on the pianist: a fast tempo,

rapid passage work and

leaps, and other challenges.

Unlike the three-movement

sonatas of Mozart and

Haydn, this sonata is in

four movements, suggesting

an almost symphonic

approach to writing for

the piano – Beethoven was

three years away from his

first symphony.

9 | Sydney Symphony

had a sense of sweeping drama when compared to theMozartian style of his contemporaries.

Listening Guide

The first movement with its restless changing range of pianistic textures, frequent recourse to right handoctaves, and moments of virtuosic brilliance gives anindication of this style. The opening is scarcely a theme in any melodic sense but, as increasingly with Beethoven,a motivic shape moulded for its plasticity in laterelaboration. As the music moves to the secondary key(B flat major) it is the rhythmic drive and invention rather than any bold harmonic or melodic moves whichmaintains the sense of freshness and energy. Only afterthe plain, long-note theme in the new key does Beethovenintroduce two structural innovations which becamesignificant devices in the expansion of sonata movements.The first is another change of key within the second keyarea, this time to C major, while the second is an extendedcodetta before the whole exposition is repeated from the beginning.

The second movement is a spare and elegiac Largoin the expansively expressive manner which Beethovenperfected early and which forms some of the mostaffecting movements of his early period, while the third

movement, a minuet, plays Haydnesque games withcadential figures. The final Rondo, a gracious Allegretto,is of a type which he largely abandoned after the firstperiod in favour of more driven closing movementswhich take more of the emphasis and weight of the workin the middle period works. The central section injectssome storminess although one would have to admit thatthe texture that Beethoven finds to articulate this is onthe conventional side, reminiscent of the piano studies of Cramer which he admired. In the closing pagesBeethoven plays one of his favourite finale gambits,a quick sidestep to an unexpected key (in this case E major) before finding a way to return to his centralturbulent passagework with a calmed and tranquil spiritfor the close.

©PETER McCALLUM

‘The Sonata was

composed for her when

she was still a maiden.

It was one of the whims

of which he had many,

that, living as he did

vis-a-vis, he came in

morning gown, slippers

and tasselled cap to

give her lessons.’

This portrait of Beethoven from 1800

shows the young composer at the

turn of century: serious, fashionably

dressed, and attracting growing

public interest with ambitious works

such as the ‘Grand Sonata’ Opus 7 –

the engraved portrait was published

in Vienna.

10 | Sydney Symphony

Beethoven

Sonata No.22 in F, Op.54 (1804)

In tempo d’un MenuettoAllegretto

‘It was only through Beethoven that music acquired thatgrowling and frowning expression which was natural enough to him, but which perhaps ought to have remained his lonelypath alone. Why are you in such a bad temper, one would oftenlike to ask, especially in the second period.’

Were Beethoven to answer this question, putrhetorically by Ferruccio Busoni in a letter to his pupilEgon Petri, he might well answer that he wasn’t always in a bad temper: witness this sonata. Appearing at theheight of the middle period in 1804, between themonumental peaks of the Waldstein and Appassionatasonatas, during work on the opera Leonore, and in one of the most productive periods of his life, its proportionsand ambitions are as unassuming as its surroundingpeaks are Olympian. By returning to the two-movementform in the midst of his heroic phase, Beethoven sowed a seed which was ultimately to outlast the heroics. Unlike the early two-movement sonatas, Opus 49, whichhave the character of short divertimentos, all of the two-movement sonatas from Opus 54 onwards have aJanus-faced quality which, in some senses, was theundoing of heroic assertiveness. Such a dualistic meetingof opposites was, after all, the form with which Beethovenchose to utter his last word on the matter in his finalsonata in C minor, Op.111.

Listening Guide

Opus 54 shares with Opus 26 and Opus 27 No.1 thedistinction of being a sonata without having anyclear-cut movements in sonata form, at least as it waslater codified. Both movements nevertheless exploit thedualism of that principle in their own ways. The first

movement mixes the sectional form of the minuet withthe sonata principle so that, after the gentle minuettheme, where unassertiveness seems to be raised to agoverning principle, there is a deceptively lumberingcontrasting idea in imitative octaves between the hands,which is as plainly straightforward as the first idea isquizzical. Beethoven clearly felt that, in terms of what hewanted to say, this was enough, so the lumbering octaves

Keynotes

SONATA NO.22 IN F

This sonata from 1804

seems out-of-character

for Beethoven, especially

when compared to the

monumental Waldsteinsonata that preceded it

and the Appassionata that

followed. It is in two

movements rather than

three or four, but it lacks

the straightforward and

light tone of Beethoven’s

earlier two-movement

sonatas. Instead it is almost

experimental in character,

extraordinarily compact and

with what Charles Rosen

describes as a ‘radical

simplicity’.

The first movement (‘In

the tempo of a minuet’)

combines the dance style

and structure of the minuet

with sonata principle.

The second movement is

a reminder that perpetual

motion can be poetic too.


This idealised portrait by Joseph

Willibrord Mähler, from around the

year of the Op.54 sonata, places

Beethoven in an Arcadian setting,

with ancient ruins in the background

and a lyre in his left hand.

serve for a transition, second idea, codetta anddevelopment, leading back to a slightly decorated return. Decoration then becomes the chief dynamic for propelling the movement forward so that, after arecapitulation of the octaves, a substantial part, indeedthe most remarkable part of the movement, is furtherelaboration and decoration of this theme.

The second movement is a perpetuum mobile ofsemiquavers, but those who, like Beethoven’s pupilCzerny, take it as ‘an excellent study for every goodpianist’ should look again at the restrained marking,dolce (sweetly), its subtle phrasing, differentiated accentsand its careful attention to legato (Czerny, one feels,is a little over-inclined to turn the most thoughtfulperegrination into aerobic exercise). Like the firstmovement, it nods to the constructive principles ofsonata form, but this time avoids, as far as possible, anyovert contrast of theme, so that it is largely harmonicprinciples and texture which articulate the form. Animportant feature is the juxtaposition of the keys ofF major and A major, a recurring coupling which occursin both the Eighth Symphony and the final quartet,Opus 135. Both movements suggest a composer at theheight of his powers, but in a deeply ruminative,somewhat undemonstrative mood. The work was written while Beethoven was spending an apparentlyidle summer in Baden. At this resort he was in constanttouch with his pupil Ries, partly to give instructionsabout a forthcoming performance of his third pianoconcerto with Ries as soloist, and partly to explain hisrow with his good friend, Breuning. At the end of aparticularly self-justificatory letter he wrote, “I shouldnever have thought that I could be so lazy as I am here. If an outbreak of really hard work is going to follow,then indeed something fine may be the result.” Busoniwould no doubt agree that seldom was idleness betterspent.

©PETER McCALLUM

Many have been

perplexed by the hidden

beauties of the Opus 54

sonata, with Wilhelm

Lentz writing in the

mid-19th century: ‘This

sonata…is only bizarre.

First there is a minuet

which is not a minuet,

and of which the motif,

if it is a motif, makes a

noise for a moment in

the lowest basses before

losing itself in a forest

of octaves…The

Allegretto must have

fallen from the pen of

the master when he

was in God knows what

kind of a mood; when

he wasn’t even

thinking…’


Beethoven

Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57, Appassionata

Allegro assaiAndante con motoAllegro ma non troppo

Ferdinand Ries’s description of the genesis of the lastmovement of the Opus 57 sonata gives an apt insight intoinextricable fusion between composition and keyboardimprovisation.

‘During a similar walk…we went so far astray that we didnot get back to Döbling, where Beethoven lived, until nearly8 o’clock. He had been all the time humming and sometimeshowling, always up and down, without singing any definitenotes. In answer to my question what it was he said: “A themefor the last movement of the sonata has occurred to me” (in F minor Op.57). When we entered the room he ran to thepianoforte without taking off his hat, I took a seat in the cornerand he soon forgot all about me. He stormed on for at leastan hour with the new finale which is so beautiful. Finallyhe got up, was surprised still to see me still there and said: “I cannot give you a lesson today. I still have work to do.” ’

The subtitle Appassionata, so inextricably linked to this work, was not Beethoven’s but was added by apublisher in 1838 in an arrangement of the work forpiano duet. Carl Czerny took strong exception, sayingthat Beethoven considered it his greatest work before the Hammerklavier sonata and that the title would bemore appropriate for the Sonata in E flat, Op.7, heardearlier this evening. However, if passionate moods are an adequate excuse for kitsch subtitles, Beethoven’sletters suggest that Opus 57 would probably qualify,since this was the period of his, apparently unrequited,infatuation with Josephine Deym (née Brunsvik),once suggested – incorrectly, as is now known – as theunidentified ‘Immortal Beloved’ of Beethoven’s mostfamous letter. The period of its composition alsocoincides with his work on the opera Leonore (laterFidelio). The sonata was started in 1804 and, although not published until 1807, it appears to have been finishedby 1806 in time for the autograph to be almost destroyedin a rain storm on a trip home from Silesia afterBeethoven had had a towering row with one of hispatrons, Prince Lichnowsky. The autograph today stillbears the evidence of rain damage.

Keynotes

SONATA NO.23

APPASSIONATA

This is one of several

sonatas that Beethoven

considered his greatest,

perhaps because of its

powerful sense of thematic

unity. Typically, Beethoven

defies expectation, and an

early reviewer recognised

this when he praised the

powerful effect of the

tempestuous outer

movements but admitted,

almost apologetically, to

preferring the theme and

variations of the second

movement.

The sonata was composed

during the years 1804–06,

a time when Beethoven was

infatuated with the recently

widowed Josephine Deym,

and was dedicated to her

brother, Count Brunsvik.

But the ‘Appassionata’

nickname is not Beethoven’s

– it is the legacy of an 1838

publication of the sonata

as a duet, for which ‘passion’

might well have been a

useful selling point.


Listening Guide

The Appassionata was one of several sonatas which,at various stages, Beethoven considered to be hisgreatest. It is interesting to note that all the sonataswhich received this accolade from their creator (theHammerklavier sonata, Opus 106, and the final three,Opus 109, 110 and 111) share the quality of thematic unity and integration between their movements to a high degree.

In the case of the present work, the outer movements

share many common features – characteristic harmonicmoves particularly to the chord referred to in harmonytextbooks as the ‘Neopolitan sixth’, small two-notemotives especially those revolving around the notes D flat and C, general moods of agitation and turmoil,and climaxes of tragic or catastrophic proportions intheir closing pages. Indeed one could almost see thefinale as a re-writing of the first movement as thoughsome kind of decisive realisation had been reached inthe calm, prayer-like slow movement. The notion thatsuch close parallels developed through spontaneousimprovisation as described by Ries above, provides aprofound insight into Beethoven’s creative process andpsychology.

The slow movement itself is no less remarkable for its repose between such agitation. At the beginning one might almost think that the melody on which thevariations are to be based is going to restrict itself largelyto a single note. Equally masterly is its gradual ascentover the whole movement, in more animated notes to its highest pitch, D flat, which is then, almost literallytorn down just at the final cadence and thrown downinto the abyss of the last movement.

©PETER McCALLUMPortrait of Beethoven by Isidor

Neugass, probably completed in

the same year as the Appassionata.

It was intended to be sent to

Josephine Deym and for a time was

held in one of the Brunsvik castles.

‘[Beethoven] had been

all the time humming

and sometimes

howling, always up and

down, without singing

any definite notes. In

answer to my question

what it was he said:

“A theme for the last

movement of the sonata

has occurred to me.”’

FERDINAND RIES


GLOSSARY

COUNTERPOINT – two or more musical linesor melodies played at the same time. It is acomposing technique that requires learnedskill, as the individual melodic lines mustbe crafted so that they sound well together.

JOHANN BAPTIST CRAMER (1771–1858) – Englishcomposer and concert pianist, and – like histeacher Clementi – a music publisher.

JAN LADISLAV DUSSEK (1760–1812) – Bohemianpianist and composer, based at differenttimes in Prague, London and Paris.

NEAPOLITAN SIXTH – a chord that is builton the flattened second step of the scale (in C major this would be a D flat), and used inits first inversion (i.e. with the middle noteof the chord in the lowest voice; in C majorthis would be F–A flat–D flat); frequentlyused to prepare a final cadence, especiallyin 18th-century music, but hardly exclusiveto Neapolitan composers.

OCTAVES – an octave is the interval betweentwo notes that are eight scale steps apart(and which share the same pitch name). Inpiano technique the octave can be spannedwith ease by thumb and little finger, andplaying a melody ‘in octaves’ is a way ofgiving greater power and projection to themelodic line.

SCHERZO – literally, a joke; the scherzo as a genre was a creation of Beethoven. Forcomposers such as Mozart and Haydn thethird movement of a symphony hadtypically been a MINUET (in a dance-liketriple time and featuring a contrastingcentral section call a TRIO); in Beethoven’shands it acquired a joking and playfulcharacter (sometimes whimsical andstartling) as well as a much faster tempo.

SEMIQUAVER – a rhythmic unit that dividesthe crotchet beat into four quick notes.

SONATA FORM – a 19th-century termdescribing the harmonically based structuremost Classical composers had adopted for

the first movements of their sonatas andsymphonies. (Also referred to as SONATA

PRINCIPLE.) It involves the EXPOSITION,or presentation of themes and subjects: the first in the home key, the second in a contrasting key area. Traditionally theexposition is repeated, and the tensionbetween the two keys is then intensified inthe DEVELOPMENT, where the themes aremanipulated and varied as the music movesfurther and further away from the ultimategoal of the home key. Tension is resolved inthe recapitulation, where both subjects arerestated in the tonic. Sometimes a CODA

(‘tail’) or CODETTA is added to enhance thesense of finality.

TRIPLET – a rhythmic gesture, in which threenotes are played in the time of two of thesame kind. Continuous use of triplets,especially at a fast tempo, can create anexhilarating ‘skipping’ effect.

In much of the classical repertoire, movementtitles are taken from the Italian words thatindicate the tempo and mood. A selection ofterms from this program is included here.

Adagio – slowlyAllegretto – lively, not so fast as AllegroAllegro – fastAllegro assai – very fastAllegro ma non troppo – fast but not too

muchAllegro molto e con brio – …with

movement and spiritAndante con moto – at a walking pace,

with movementGrazioso – gracefullyLargo, con gran espressione – broad, with

great expressionPrestissimo – even faster than possible

This glossary is intended only as a quick and easyguide, not as a set of comprehensive and absolutedefinitions. Most of these terms have many subtleshades of meaning which cannot be included forreasons of space.

75 YEARS: HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT

Television usually required studio production rather than

simply putting microphones (and cameras) in front of a live

concert. This photo shows the SSO in a television concert

from the 1960s.

E.J. Roberts, with Isador Goodman assoloist. The broadcasting of the orchestraby the ABC continues. Sydney would nodoubt eventually have acquired a full-timeprofessional symphony orchestra, but –without a public broadcaster that became a major concert promoter – who can saywhen and how? The audience, then andnow, has been formed and shaped by thebroadcaster’s heavy bias towards the kind of music you have come to hear.

David Garrett, a historian and former programmerfor Australia’s symphony orchestras, is studyingthe history of the ABC as a musical organisation.

Listening In

As you look at the stage, you’ll probably seemicrophones. Most likely, too, you’ll be ableto hear this concert, again, in a broadcast.The ABC was broadcasting this kind ofmusic before there was a Sydney Symphony,and indeed brought the orchestra intoexistence for this very purpose. TheConcert Hall of the Sydney Opera Houseused to be referred to in ABC radio as‘Studio 227’. But it was a broadcast studioonly when there was an audience for publicconcerts. The ABC’s Sydney SymphonyOrchestra was, soon after its beginnings in 1932, much more a concert than abroadcasting orchestra. This came as asurprise, to some a nasty one. Before theformation of the ABC, commercialentrepreneurs had imported high-flyingsoloists, and even conductors, in the hopeof making money. Now these promotersfaced a formidable competitor, subsidisedby the public purse. The ABC held a trumpcard: its new orchestras. At first orchestralresources were traded for broadcast rightsto privately promoted concerts. But,frustrated at the limited broadcasts theywere obtaining, the ABC soon began topresent their own ‘Celebrity Concerts’, bysubscription. Their competitors – especiallythe Tait Brothers/J.C. Williamson combine– threatened legal action. In 1938 the ABC cleverly bluffed its way out of a courtcase, deflecting the complainants with theargument that the ABC’s concerts were alsobroadcasts, which enabled them to reach‘listeners in’ who would otherwise never be able to hear such concerts. And so itbecame an – unwritten – law that at leastpart of every ABC concert was also abroadcast. It would seem that the firstconcert broadcast by the new ABC involving their ‘Sydney’ orchestra was on 1 July 1932, when the ‘National BroadcastingSymphony Orchestra’ was conducted by



INTERLUDE

Beethoven at the Piano

In his later years, Beethoven’s visitors would observe that the pianos in his possession were often in terribledisrepair: badly out of tune and with broken strings. This was due in part to neglect and a curiouspossessiveness – Beethoven is said to have resisted thetuning of his Broadwood piano with the words ‘theywould like to tune it and spoil it, but they shall not touchit’. And it was presumed that the more obvious damagearose from Beethoven’s pounding on his pianos. Thepounding was a result of his deafness – in 1817 he wasalready asking that his piano be ‘as loud as possible’ – but it was also the manifestation of a lifelong quest for a bigger piano sonority.

Accounts from Beethoven’s youth suggest that he haddeveloped – in the relative isolation of Bonn and withouthaving heard ‘any great or celebrated pianists’ – a style of playing typically described as ‘rude and hard’. Buthe also learned from example and, after hearing anaccomplished pianist such as Johann Sterkel, the 21-year-old was able to play ‘in precisely the samepleasant manner with which Sterkel had impressed him’.Even so, wrote one observer, ‘his style of treating hisinstrument’ was ‘so different from that usually adopted,that it impresses one with the idea that by a path of hisown discovery he has attained the height of excellencewhereon he now stands’.

Just five years later Beethoven was himself a celebrated pianist, and he wrote to the Viennese pianomaker J.A. Streicher: ‘There is no doubt that so far as the manner of playing it is concerned, the pianoforte isstill the least studied and developed of all instruments;one often thinks that one is merely listening to a harp.And I am delighted that you are one of the few whorealise and perceive that provided one can feel the music, one can also make the pianoforte sing.’Beethoven sought a more powerful but also a moresinging sound than was available on the pianos of hisday. And in Beethoven’s case it remained a frustratingand fruitless search: even as pianos developed during his lifetime (partly in response to the composer’sdemands) and new actions and styles of constructionemerged, his ability to hear and judge them deteriorated.In 1826 – as far as Beethoven was concerned – the piano was and remained ‘an inadequate instrument’.

His style of treating hisinstrument is so differentfrom that usually adopted,that it impresses one withthe idea that by a path of hisown discovery he hasattained that height ofexcellence whereon he nowstands.

CARL LUDWIG JUNKER,COMPOSER AND WRITERQUOTED IN THAYER’S LIFE OFBEETHOVEN


(The double-escapement mechanism and iron frames of modern pianos were invented only towards the end of Beethoven’s life – the cast frame was patented inAmerica in 1825 – and he wouldn’t have known them.)

The descriptions of Beethoven’s playing as harsh andoverly vigorous (Cherubini called it ‘rough’ and Clementithought it ‘unpolished’) stand alongside othercontemporary descriptions of a singing style with notossing of the hands to and fro, but ‘gliding left and right over the keys, the fingers alone doing the work’.Beethoven’s student, Carl Czerny, captured the apparentincongruities of his highly distinctive style:

No one could equal him in the dexterity of his playing ofscales, his double trills or his leaps; not even Hummel. Hisdeportment while playing was exemplary: quiet, noble andbeautiful. Nor did he indulge in any form of grimace. As hisdeafness increased, he tended to stoop. His fingers were verystrong, not long, and the finger-tips were broadly shaped frommuch playing.…Since both his playing and his compositionswere in advance of his time, so also were the pianofortes ofthe time (up to 1810) often unequal to carrying his giganticinterpretations, being, as they were, still weak and imperfect.Because of this it came about that Hummel’s pearly playing,with its brilliance calculated to a nicety, was far morecomprehensible and attractive to the general public.Nevertheless, Beethoven’s interpretation of adagios and hislyrical legato style exercised an almost magic spell on everyonewho heard him and, to the best of my knowledge, has neverbeen surpassed by anyone.

Beethoven…drew entirely new and daring passages from the fortepiano by the use of the pedal, by an exceptionallycharacteristic way of playing, particularly distinguished bya strict legato of the chords, and thus created a new type of singing tone and many hitherto unimagined effects. His playing did not possess that clean and brilliant elegance of certain other pianists. On the other hand, it was spirited,grandiose and, especially in adagio, very full of feeling andromantic. His performance, like his compositions, was a tone-painting of a very high order and conceived only for a totaleffect.

In short, Beethoven’s piano style combined‘characteristic and passionate strength’ with ‘all thecharms of a smooth cantabile’. In certain passages heaspired to join notes in such a way that the separatefinger strokes would not be heard, instead creating the

Beethoven’s interpretationof adagios and his lyricallegato style exercised analmost magic spell oneveryone who heard him…

CARL CZERNY


effect of slurring with a violin bow. But he alsodemanded power, projection and intensity of expression,and – later on – sheer volume.

On these grounds it might be expected that he would prefer the sturdy new London pianos, which were known for their singing and resonant tone, to thesubtlety and flexibility of the Viennese instruments. But resonance came at a price. When Beethoven didreceive an English-action piano (a gift from the Frenchmaker Érard in 1803), it was found that, despite himbeing a ‘strong pianist’, he was not able ‘properly tomanage’ its heavy action. He couldn’t wait to give it away,eventually sending it to his brother after several failedattempts to modify it. The Broadwood that he received 15 years later fared better, although even it was apparentlyvalued more for the international recognition that itrepresented. Ultimately it seems that Beethovencontinued to value the Viennese pianos that had givenvoice to the spirit and impetuosity of his playing.

Even so, none of the pianos known to Beethoven,Viennese or English, was ever deemed ‘adequate’.Furthermore, although Beethoven was a prolific andextraordinary improviser, he rarely composed at thepiano. To a large extent, then, the piano sonatas mustreflect an internalised stylistic ideal, irrespective of theinstruments Beethoven had to hand. This is not tosuggest that the sonatas are in any way unidiomatic. As early as 1802 Beethoven was praised for theunderstanding of the instrument revealed in his pianowriting, but that same review (of Op.27 No.2) offers a very telling caution: that several movements ‘require a very good piano if the playing of them is to be apleasure’. Beethoven, through circumstance, never foundthe ‘very good piano’ that was his ideal, but such was his imagination as pianist and composer, that his sonatastoday cannot fail to be a pleasure.

YVONNE FRINDLESYDNEY SYMPHONY ©2007

Beethoven is certainly astrong pianist, yet up to nowhe still is not able properlyto manage his fortepianoreceived from Érard in Paris,and has already had itchanged twice withoutmaking it the least bitbetter…

J.A. STREICHER IN A LETTER TOHIS DEALER, BREITKOPF &HÄRTEL, 1805

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MORE MUSIC

GERHARD OPPITZ

Complete Beethoven Sonatas

Six volumes currently available, the most recentrelease features the Appassionata and Waldsteinsonatas.

HÄNSSLER CLASSIC 98201 – 98206

Brahms: Complete Piano Music

5-CD set

RCA VICTOR RED SEAL 67887

Beethoven Choral Fantasy (DVD)with Gianluigi Gelmetti and the Stuttgart RadioSymphony Orchestra and Choir; a Region 1 (USA &Canada) release

GENEON (DVD) 10535

Mozart Violin Sonatas (DVD)with Gottfried Schneider, violin; a Region 1 (USA &Canada) releaseGENEON (DVD) 11633

SYDNEY SYMPHONY: LIVE RECORDINGS

Strauss and Schubert

R. Strauss Four Last Songs; Schubert Symphony No.8(Unfinished); J. Strauss II Blue Danube Waltz Gianluigi Gelmetti (conductor), Ricarda Merbeth(soprano)

SSO1

Glazunov and Shostakovich

Glazunov The Seasons; Shostakovich Symphony No.9Alexander Lazarev (conductor)

SSO2

JUNE – JULY

Tue 19 June 8pmBEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES 1 & 9

Gianluigi Gelmetti conductorPapatanasiu, Humble, MacAllister, Carbó

vocal soloistsSydney Philharmonia Choirs, Cantillation

Final broadcast from the 2007 Beethoven Festival

Wed 27 June 1.05pmTOUR DE FORCE (2006)Charles Dutoit conductorJean-Yves Thibaudet pianoMozart, Ravel, Liszt, Rachmaninov

Fri 6 July MAHLER 6

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor

Sun 15 July 10amBRAHMS SYMPHONY NO.2

Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor

Thu 19 July 8pmMORRISON PLAYS SCHIFRIN

Lalo Schifrin conductorJames Morrison trumpetAmbre Hammond piano

Broadcast Diary

In 2006 selected Sydney Symphony concerts were recorded for webcast by Telstra BigPond. These can be viewed at:http://sydneysymphony.bigpondmusic.com.

sydneysymphony.com

Webcast Diary

Visit the Sydney Symphony online for concertinformation, podcasts, and to read your program book inadvance of the concert.

Selected Discography

2MBS-FM 102.5SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2007

Tue 10 July 6pmWhat’s on in concerts, with interviews and musicalsamples.


Gerhard Oppitz gives about 80 recitals and concertoperformances a year, appearing with the world’s leadingorchestras including the Berlin, Vienna, London, Israeland Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the Boston, Pittsburgh, andLondon Symphony Orchestras, and the Bavarian RadioSymphony Orchestra, with conductors such as CarloMaria Giulini, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Riccardo Muti,Lorin Maazel, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Zubin Mehta, HerbertBlomstedt, Kent Nagano, Kurt Masur, Sir NevilleMarriner and Gianluigi Gelmetti.

He frequently programs performances of completepiano cycles, including Schubert’s solo piano music,Beethoven and Mozart sonatas, Bach’s Well-TemperedClavier, and Grieg’s solo works, as well as Brahms cyclesin most of the major cities of Europe and in Tokyo.

He has recorded the Beethoven piano concertos withthe Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Marek Janowski,and his extensive discography also includes the complete solo piano works of Brahms and the twoBrahms concertos with Sir Colin Davis. He has alsorecorded the complete solo piano works of Grieg, theconcertante works of Carl Maria von Weber, and mostrecently the 32 Beethoven sonatas.

Gerhard Oppitz was born in Frauenau (Bavaria) in 1953 and began playing the piano at the age of five. Hegave his first public concert at 11, performing Mozart’sConcerto in D minor. In 1973 he met Wilhelm Kempff,who soon became his guide and mentor. In 1977 hebecame the first, and to date the only, German to win the coveted First Prize of the Artur RubinsteinCompetition in Tel Aviv. This achievement and quasi-political event led to concert tours across Europe, Asiaand the USA.

In addition to his busy performing and recordingschedule, Gerhard Oppitz has a broad spectrum ofinterests: he is a qualified professional air pilot andfrequently flies himself to concert engagements acrossEurope; he is an informed gourmet and a connoisseur of fine wines; and he speaks seven languages.

His most recent appearances for the Sydney Symphonywere in 2006, when he played Brahms’ Second PianoConcerto and a recital of Beethoven and Schubert.

Gerhard Oppitz piano

ABOUT THE ARTIST


THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY

Founded in 1932, the Sydney Symphonyhas evolved into one of the world’s finestorchestras as Sydney has become one ofthe world’s great cities. Resident at theiconic Sydney Opera House where theSydney Symphony gives more than 100performances each year, the Orchestra alsoperforms concerts in a variety of venuesaround Sydney and regional New SouthWales. International tours to Europe, Asiaand the USA have earned the Orchestraworld-wide recognition for artisticexcellence.

Critical to the success of the SydneySymphony has been the leadership given by its former Chief Conductors including:Sir Eugene Goossens, Nikolai Malko,Dean Dixon, Willem van Otterloo, LouisFrémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Stuart

Challender and Edo de Waart. Alsocontributing to the outstanding success of the Orchestra have been collaborationswith legendary figures such as GeorgeSzell, Sir Thomas Beecham, OttoKlemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti, whoseappointment followed a ten-yearrelationship with the Orchestra as GuestConductor, is now in his fourth year asChief Conductor and Artistic Director ofthe Sydney Symphony, a position he holdsin tandem with that of Music Director at the prestigious Rome Opera.

The Sydney Symphony is reaping therewards of Maestro Gelmetti’s directorshipthrough the quality of sound, intensityof playing and flexibility between styles. His particularly strong rapport withFrench and German repertoire iscomplemented by his innovativeprogramming in the Shock of the New concerts and performances ofcontemporary Australian music.

The Sydney Symphony’s award-winningEducation Program is central to theOrchestra’s commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developingaudiences and engaging the participationof young people. The Sydney Symphonymaintains an active commissioningprogram promoting the work of Australiancomposers and in 2005 Liza Lim wasappointed Composer-in-Residence forthree years.

In 2007, the Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary and the milestoneachievements during its distinguishedhistory.

JOH

N M

AR

MA

RA

S

PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CBO, Governor of New South Wales

The Company is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW

SALUTE


PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS


The Sydney Symphony applauds the leadership role our Partners play and their commitment to excellence,innovation and creativity.

SILVER PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNERS

BRONZE PARTNERS MARKETING PARTNERS PATRONS

Australia Post

Beyond Technology Consulting

Bimbadgen Estate Wines

J. Boag & Son

Vittoria Coffee

Avant Card

Blue Arc Group

Lindsay Yates and Partners

2MBS 102.5 –Sydney’s Fine Music Station

The Sydney Symphony gratefullyacknowledges the many musiclovers who contribute to theOrchestra by becoming SymphonyPatrons. Every donation plays animportant part in the success of theSydney Symphony’s wide rangingprograms.

A leadership program which linksAustralia’s top performers in theexecutive and musical worlds.For information about the Directors’Chairs program, please contactCorporate Relations on (02) 8215 4614.


01 02 03 04 05 06

07 08 09 10 11

DIRECTORS’ CHAIRS

01Mulpha Australia Chair ofPrincipal Harp, Louise Johnson

02Mr Harcourt Gough Chair ofAssociate Principal Flute, Emma Sholl

03Sandra and Paul Salteri Chair ofArtistic Director Education,Richard Gill OAM

04Jonathan Sweeney, Managing Director Trust withTrust Foundation Chair ofPrincipal Bass Trombone, Christopher Harris

05NSW Department of State and Regional Development Chair of Principal Trombone,Ronald Prussing

06Brian and Rosemary White Chair of Principal Double Bass,Kees Boersma

07Board and Council of theSydney Symphony supportsChairs of Concertmaster Michael Dauth and Dene Olding

08Gerald Tapper, Managing Director Rogen International withRogen International Chair of Trombone, Nick Byrne

09Stuart O’Brien, ManagingDirector Moon Design with Moon Design Chair of Violin,Alexandra Mitchell

10Ian and Jennifer Burton Chair of Assistant Concertmaster,Fiona Ziegler

11Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor AO Chair ofPrincipal Oboe, Diana Doherty


Mr Russell FarrMr & Mrs David FeethamMr Richard & Mrs Diana FisherRev H & Mrs M Herbert °*Ms Michelle Hilton-VernonMr and Mrs Paul HoltMr Eric C Howie °Mr & Mrs P Huthnance °Ms Judy JoyeMrs Jeannette King ° *Mrs J Lam-Po-Tang °Dr Barry LandaMrs Joan Langley °Ms Jan Lee Martin & Mr Peter

Lazar §Mr David & Mrs Skye LeckieMargaret Lederman °Mr & Mrs Ezzelino Leonardi §Mr Bernard & Mrs Barbara LeserErna & Gerry Levy AM *Mr and Mrs S C Lloyd °Mr Andrew & Mrs Amanda

LoveMr Matthew McInnes §Mr Tony & Mrs Fran MeagherMr Andrew NobbsMoon DesignMrs R H O’ConorMs Patricia Payn §Mr Adrian & Mrs Dairneen

PiltonMr & Mrs Michael PottsMrs B Raghavan °Mrs Caroline RalphsmithDr K D Reeve AM *Mr & Mrs A Rogers °Dr Jane & Mr Neville Rowden §Mrs Margaret SammutIn memory of H St P Scarlett °*Blue Mountain Concert

Society Inc °Mr Ezekiel SolomonMr Andrew & Mrs Isolde TornyaMiss Amelia TrottMrs Merle Turkington °The Hon M. Turnbull MP &

Mrs L. Hughes TurnbullMr & Mrs Franc VaccherRonald Walledge °Louise Walsh & David JordanMr Geoff Wood and

Ms Melissa WaitesMiss Jenny WuMr Michael Skinner &

Ms Sandra Yates AO

Anonymous (12)

PLAYING YOUR PART

Maestri

Brian Abel & the late BenGannon AO °

Geoff & Vicki Ainsworth *Mr Robert O Albert AO *‡Alan & Christine Bishop ° §Sandra & Neil Burns *Mr Ian & Mrs Jennifer Burton °The Clitheroe Foundation *Patricia M. Dixson *Penny Edwards ° *Mr J O Fairfax AO *Dr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda

Giuffre *Mr Harcourt Gough §Mr David Greatorex AO &

Mrs Deirdre Greatorex §Mr Andrew Kaldor &

Mrs Renata Kaldor AO §H. Kallinikos Pty Ltd §Mr David Maloney §Mr B G O’Conor §The Paramor Family * Mr Paul & Mrs Sandra SalteriMrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet

CookeMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteAnonymous (1) *

Virtuosi

Mrs Antoinette Albert §Mr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr §Mr John C Conde AO §Mr John Curtis §Irwin Imhof in Memory of

Herta Imhof °‡Mr Stephen Johns §Mr & Mrs Gilles T Kryger °§Helen Lynch AM °Mr E J Merewether & Mrs T

Merewether OAM *Miss Rosemary Pryor *Bruce & Joy Reid Foundation *John Roarty in memory of

June Roarty

Rodney Rosenblum AM & SylviaRosenblum §

Mrs Helen Selle §Dr James Smith §David Smithers AM & family §Michael & Mary Whelan Trust §Anonymous (2) §

Soli

Ms Jan Bowen *Mr Chum Darvall §Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway *Hilmer Family Trust §Mr Paul & Mrs Susan Hotz °§Mr Rory JeffesPaul Lancaster & Raema

Prowse °§Mrs Joan MacKenzie §Mr James & Mrs Elsie Moore °Ms Kathleen ParerMs Gabrielle TrainorMr R Wingate §Anonymous (2) §

Tutti

Mr C R Adamson ° §Mr Henry W Aram §Mr David Barnes °Mr Alex & Mrs Vera BoyarskyMrs F M Buckle °Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill °Libby Christie & Peter JamesMr Bob & Mrs Julie Clampett §Mr John Cunningham SCM

Mr & Mrs J B Fairfax AM §Mr Ian Fenwicke & Prof

Neville Wills §Mrs Dorit & Mr William

Franken °§Mr & Mrs J R W Furber §Mr Arshak & Ms Sophie

Galstaun §In Memory of Hetty Gordon §Mrs Akiko Gregory §Miss Janette Hamilton °‡Mr A & Mrs L Heyko-Porebski °Dr Paul Hutchins &

Ms Margaret Moore °Mrs Margaret JackMr John W Kaldor AM §Mr & Mrs E Katz §Mr Andrew Korda &

Ms Susan Pearson §Mr Justin Lam §Mr Gary Linnane §Ms Karen Loblay §Mr & Mrs R. Maple-Brown §Mrs Alexandra Martin & the late

Mr Lloyd Martin AM §Justice Jane Mathews §

Mrs Mora Maxwell °§Judith McKernan °Mrs Barbara McNulty OBE °Mr & Mrs John MorschelMr R A Oppen §Mr Robert Orrell §Dr Timothy Pascoe §Ms Robin Potter §Mr Nigel Price §Mr & Mrs Ernest Rapee §Mrs Patricia H Reid °Mr Brian Russell & Ms Irina

SinglemanGordon & Jacqueline Samuels °§Ms Juliana Schaeffer §Robyn Smiles §Derek & Patricia Smith §Catherine Stephen °Mr Fred & Mrs Dorothy Street §Mr Georges & Mrs Marliese

Teitler §Mr Stephen ThatcherMr Ken Tribe AC & Mrs Joan

Tribe °Mr John E Tuckey °Mrs Kathleen Tutton °Ms Mary Vallentine AO §Henry & Ruth Weinberg §Mr & Mrs Bruce WestJill Wran §Mrs R Yabsley °Anonymous (10) §

Supporters over $500

Mr Roger Allen & Ms MaggieGray

Mr Lachlan AstleJohn Augustus °Mr Warwick Bailey §Mr Marco Belgiorno-Zegna AM

Mr G D Bolton °Pat & Jenny Burnett °Hon. Justice J C & Mrs

Campbell *Mr & Mrs Michel-Henri Carriol °Mrs B E Cary §Mr Leo Christie & Ms Marion

BorgeltMr Peter CoatesMr B & Mrs M Coles §Mrs Catherine Gaskin

Cornberg §Stan & Mary Costigan *Mrs M A Coventry °Ms Rowena Danziger °Mr & Mrs Michael DarlingLisa & Miro Davis *Mrs Patricia Davis §Mrs Ashley Dawson-DamerMr Paul Espie °

Patron Annual

Donations Levels

Maestri $10,000 and above Virtuosi $5000 to $9999 Soli $2500 to $4999 Tutti $1000 to $2499 Supporters $500 to $999

To discuss givingopportunities, please callCaroline Mark on (02) 8215 4619.

° Allegro Program supporter* Emerging Artist Fund supporter‡ Stuart Challender Fund supporter§ Orchestra Fund supporter

The Sydney Symphony gratefully acknowledges the music lovers who donate to the Orchestra each year. Every gift plays an important part in ensuring ourcontinued artistic excellence and helping to sustain important education andregional touring programs. Because we are now offering free programs andspace is limited we are unable to list donors who give between $100 and $499 –please visit sydneysymphony.com for a list of all our patrons.


Sydney Symphony Board

BEHIND THE SCENES

CHAIRMAN

John Conde AO

Libby Christie John CurtisStephen JohnsAndrew KaldorGoetz RichterDavid Smithers AM

Gabrielle Trainor

What’s on the cover?During the 2007 season Sydney Symphony program covers willfeature photos that celebrate the Orchestra’s history over thepast 75 years. The photographs on the covers will changeapproximately once a month, and if you subscribe to one ofour concert series you will be able to collect a set over thecourse of the year.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS (clockwise from top left): Couple looking at an SSO Youth Concerts brochure, 1960s; Gianluigi Gelmetti;Edo de Waart’s farewell gala concert, November 2003; Proms audience playingpenny whistles in McCabe’s Mini Concerto for organ, orchestra and 485 pennywhistles (17 February 1968); Cliff Goodchild, former Principal Tuba, early 1960s;75 Years of Inspiring Music; Dene Olding, Co-Concertmaster; Diana Doherty,Principal Oboe


Sydney Symphony Staff

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Libby Christie

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Deborah Byers

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Wolfgang Fink

Artistic Administration

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Raff Wilson

ARTIST LIAISON

Ilmar Leetberg

PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE

CHIEF CONDUCTOR

Lisa Davies-Galli

Education Programs

EDUCATION MANAGER

Margaret Moore

EDUCATION CO-ORDINATOR

Bernie Heard

A/EDUCATION CO-ORDINATOR

Charlotte Binns-McDonald

Library

LIBRARIAN

Anna Cernik

LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Victoria Grant

LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Mary-Ann Mead

DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Rory Jeffes

CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER

Leann Meiers

CORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Alan Watt

CORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Julia Owens

PHILANTHROPY MANAGER

Caroline Mark

PATRONS & EVENTS MANAGER

Georgina Andrews

MARKETING AND

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Julian Boram

Publicity

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Imogen Corlette

PUBLICIST

Yvonne Zammit

Customer Relationship

Management

MARKETING MANAGER – CRM

Aaron Curran

ONLINE & PUBLICATIONS MANAGER

Robert Murray

DATABASE ANALYST

Martin Keen

Marketing Communications

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

MANAGER

Georgia Rivers

MULTICULTURAL MARKETING

MANAGER

Xing Jin

ASSISTANT MARKETING MANAGER

Simon Crossley-Meates

CONCERT PROGRAM EDITOR

Yvonne Frindle

Box Office

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Lynn McLaughlin

BOX OFFICE COORDINATOR

Anna Fraser

CUSTOMER SERVICE

REPRESENTATIVES

Wendy AugustineMatthew D’SilvaMichael Dowling

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA

MANAGEMENT

Aernout Kerbert

ACTING DEPUTY ORCHESTRA

MANAGER

Greg Low

ORCHESTRAL ASSISTANT

Angela Chilcott

OPERATIONS MANAGER

John Glenn

TECHNICAL MANAGER

Derek Coutts

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Tim Dayman

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Ian Spence

STAGE MANAGER

Marrianne Carter

COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS

DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL

PROGRAMMING

Baz Archer

RECORDING ENTERPRISES

RECORDING ENTERPRISES MANAGER

Aimee Paret

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Teresa Cahill

EXECUTIVE PROJECT MANAGER

Rachel Hadfield

FINANCE MANAGER

Samuel Li

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Shelley Salmon

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MANAGER

Tim Graham

PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS

PAYABLE OFFICER

Caroline Hall

HUMAN RESOURCES

Ian Arnold

This publication is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulatedin any form of binding or cover other than that in which it waspublished.

This is a /SHOWBILL publication.

Publisher

Playbill Proprietary Limited / Showbill Proprietary Limited ACN 003 311 064 ABN 27 003 311 064

Head Office:

1017 Pacific Highway, Pymble, NSW 2073

Telephone: (02) 9449 6433 Fax: (02) 9449 6053 E-mail: [email protected]: www.playbill.com.au

Operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane,

Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTOR

Brian Nebenzahl OAM, RFD

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Michael Nebenzahl

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Jocelyn Nebenzahl

DIRECTOR – PRODUCTION

Chris Breeze

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Beethoven and the piano · PDF fileBeethoven and the piano ... Beethoven published piano trios...

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