Ravel Bolero program book (20, 22, 23 Feb) · opens his final season with the Orchestra with a...
Transcript of Ravel Bolero program book (20, 22, 23 Feb) · opens his final season with the Orchestra with a...
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It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Sydney Opera Housefor the first concert of the EnergyAustralia Master Series for 2008.
Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, Maestro Gianluigi Gelmettiopens his final season with the Orchestra with a tribute to Ravel, one of his favourite composers. Tonight we will hear Bolero, whichremains Ravel’s most popular composition to this day and whichreceived widespread critical acclaim at its Paris Opéra debut in 1928.The Orchestra will also perform the musical fairytale, Mother Goose,Ravel’s sophisticatedly naive reflection on the wonders and terrors ofchildhood, as well as Le Tombeau de Couperin, his personal tributeto comrades lost while serving in World War I.
EnergyAustralia is one of Australia’s leading energy companies, withmore than 1.4 million customers in NSW, the ACT and Queensland.
With one of the most recognised brands in the energy industry, weare proud to be associated with the Sydney Symphony, and we’revery excited to be linked to the Orchestra’s flagship Master Series.
According to Ravel, music is un divertissement deluxe, ‘a luxuriousdistraction’ – we trust that you will enjoy tonight’s performance andhope you also have a chance to experience future concerts in theEnergyAustralia Master Series.
George MaltabarowManaging Director
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Friday night’s performance will bebroadcast live across Australia onABC Classic FM 92.9.
Pre-concert talk by Yvonne Frindleat 7.15pm in the Northern Foyer.Visit www.sydneysymphony.com/talk-bios for biographies of pre-concert speakers.
Estimated timings:8 minutes, 17 minutes, 16 minutes, 20-minute interval, 7 minutes, 21 minutes
The concert will conclude atapproximately 9.50pm
PRESENTING PARTNER
SEASON 2008
ENERGYAUSTRALIA MASTER SERIES
RAVEL’S BOLERO
Wednesday 20 February | 8pm
Friday 22 February | 8pm
Saturday 23 February | 8pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor
MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)
Menuet antique
Le Tombeau de Couperin
PréludeForlaneMenuetRigaudon
Mother Goose – Suite
Pavane of the Sleeping BeautyTom Thumb (Petite Poucet)Laideronnette, Empress of the PagodasConversations of Beauty and the BeastThe Fairy Garden
INTERVAL
Alborada del gracioso
Pavane pour une infante défunte –
Bolero
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Trust is proud of its long standing partnership with the SydneySymphony and is delighted to bring you the Thursday AfternoonSymphony series in 2008.
The series offers perfect afternoons with some of the best-lovedcomposers – Ravel, Bernstein, Elgar, Mozart, Stravinsky, and manyothers. These concerts bring together some of the world’s mosttalented conductors and soloists – you’re in for a truly delightfulexperience.
Just like the Sydney Symphony, which has been the sound of thecity for more than 75 years, entertaining hundreds of thousands of people each year, Trust has been supporting Australians for over 120 years.
Whether it be in administering an estate or charity, managingsomeone’s affairs or looking after their interests via estate planning,financial planning or funds management, people come to Trustbecause of our personal service and commitment to ensuring theirinterests are being looked after.
We hope you enjoy a delightful Thursday afternoon with the Sydney Symphony.
Jonathan SweeneyManaging DirectorTrust Company Limited
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SEASON 2008
THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY
SUPPORTED BY TRUST
RAVEL’S BOLERO
Thursday 21 February | 1.30pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor
MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)
Menuet antique
Le Tombeau de Couperin
PréludeForlaneMenuetRigaudon
Mother Goose – Suite
Pavane of the Sleeping BeautyTom Thumb (Petite Poucet)Laideronnette, Empress of the PagodasConversations of Beauty and the BeastThe Fairy Garden
INTERVAL
Alborada del gracioso
Pavane pour une infante défunte –
Bolero
This program will be broadcastlive across Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9 on Friday 22 February at 8pm
Pre-concert talk by Yvonne Frindleat 12.45pm in the Northern Foyer.Visit www.sydneysymphony.com/talk-bios for biographies of pre-concert speakers.
Estimated timings:8 minutes, 17 minutes, 16 minutes, 20-minute interval, 7 minutes, 21 minutes
The concert will conclude atapproximately 3.20pm
SUPPORTED BY
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INTRODUCTION
Ravel’s Bolero
This month the Sydney Symphony has been performingthe music of Maurice Ravel, one of the composers withwhom Maestro Gelmetti has a special affinity. Last weekour audiences heard three works, all of them conceivedfor orchestra. This week the program is made up almostentirely (Bolero is the exception) of music conceived forpiano.
Ravel was an accomplished pianist – not a virtuoso,but good enough to contemplate performing his ownpiano concerto – and his piano works are as popular as his orchestral music. Indeed, many of his piano works are equally popular in their orchestral forms.
Perhaps more than any other composer, Ravel was aprolific orchestrator. He had an astounding ability to re-imagine a piano work in orchestral guise. Ravel was not merely being enterprising when he reworked his piano music, instead his orchestrations are illuminations– creative interpretations that reveal inherent possibilitiesnot available in the sound world of the original.
In this concert those possibilities begin with Ravel’s first published work, the Menuet antique, composed whenhe was 20 years old and orchestrated when he was in his50s. In the intervening years his Mother Goose piano duet,the suite Le Tombeau de Couperin, Alborada del graciosoand Pavane pour infante défunte were transformed. But theprogram ends with Bolero – music that could only havebeen written for orchestra. Ravel described it as ‘orchestraltissue without music’, and if he is right then this is not aslur but an acknowledgement of the almost visceral powerof the orchestra as an instrument.
Free Programs
We’re delighted to continue bringing you free programs this year. And we want to thank youfor helping to make our sharing policy work in 2007.
If you’re new to Sydney Symphony concerts, please remember:
• We ask patrons who are attending in couples or groups to share one between two. (If there are spare copies at the conclusion of the concert you are welcome to take an extraone then.)
• If you normally don’t keep your program after the concert, please feel free to return it to abasket or table in the foyer when you leave.
You can also read the program in advance by downloading it from our website in the week ofthe concert. Click on the orange ‘Program Library’ icon at the bottom right corner of any pageon sydneysymphony.com.
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ABOUT THE MUSIC
Maurice Ravel
Menuet antique
Ravel was only 20 years old when he composed his Menuetantique for piano, but even then the signs of his maturestyle and musical passions were there: combining an olddance form with a fresh harmonic language and playingup the elegance and artifice of the baroque sensibility. It was, says biographer Gerald Larner, the first of ‘manyessays in taking an ancient form and recreating it in hisown image’. And if the young composer didn’t entirelysucceed (the harmonies of the ‘image’ owe a great deal to a much-admired Menuet pompeux by Emmanuel Chabrier),he certainly thought highly enough of this early miniatureto rework it for orchestra more than 30 years later.
The Menuet antique nods to the 18th century in its springydance-like character, its cadences and in the simple three-part structure (sections of brisk music framing a morelyrical core). But the Menuet is even more ‘antique’ thanthat. Ravel described it as a ‘backward-looking piece’ andthe archaic gestures include the modal sounds of some of his harmonies (more mediæval than baroque).Significantly, the cover illustration of the original edition,published by Enoch, shows not bewigged courtiers butPan of Greek mythology playing his pipes. Truly antique –never mind that Pan didn’t dance the minuet.
At the same time there is no Panic frenzy in this music.Ravel said of the piano version that it was to be played‘without obvious emotion’, and while his orchestrationadds colour and character it also retains that aloofness.The sound world he creates has an affinity withneoclassical Stravinsky: the distinctive use of a pair oftrumpets, for example, playing just one note apart not somuch for dissonance as for astringency, and the tweakingof Classical harmony just enough to colour but notenough to perplex.
YVONNE FRINDLESYDNEY SYMPHONY ©2008
Ravel’s Menuet antique calls for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, coranglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon;four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani, harpand strings.
In 1999 Jean-Yves Thibaudet included the original version of theMenuet antique in his recital in the Piano Series. Historical recordssuggest that this may be the Sydney Symphony’s first performanceof the orchestral version.
Keynotes
MENUET ANTIQUE
The minuet (or menuet)epitomises French court
dance from the Baroque
period. Its music was
characterised by a fairly
quick (but graceful) three
beats to the bar, while the
dance itself called on couples
to trace intricate patterns
in a Z-shape across the
ballroom floor. The steps
themselves were not
technically difficult but
dancing masters would
devote a lifetime to
perfecting the necessary
elegance of execution and
nobility of bearing.
Ravel’s Menuet antiquecaptures the spirit of the
18th-century dance form
while dressing it in a musical
language that is both more
modern and more ancient.
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Ravel
Le Tombeau de Couperin
PréludeForlaneMenuetRigaudon
The French critic André Suarès, writing in 1925, stressedthat: ‘nothing could be more objective than the art of Ravel,or more deliberately intended to be so. If music is capableof painting an object without first revealing the painter’sfeeling towards it, then Ravel’s music achieves this morethan any other. We have to go back to the 18th century, tothe divertissements of Couperin and Rameau, to encountera similar inclination.’
In Le Tombeau de Couperin it is Ravel himself who takesus back to the 18th century. The music isn’t a pastiche,however, but an anachronistic tribute that proclaimsRavel’s affinity with the French baroque masters in hisconception of music as diversion, his taste for ‘artifice’, andhis preference for emotionally disengaged dance forms.
In his title Ravel revived the 17th-century French literaryand musical tradition of the tombeau (literally ‘tomb’ or‘tombstone’) – originally poetry written to commemorate amentor or colleague. The earliest musical tombeaux wereby lutenists, but the genre was quickly adopted by Frenchharpsichordists: Louis Couperin and D’Anglebert bothcommemorated their teacher Chambonnières withtombeaux for the harpsichord, while in the next generationFrançois Couperin (1668–1733) honoured the tradition withhis Apothéoses of Corelli and Lully.
Ravel’s tombeau was conceived towards the end of1914, when the composer wrote to Lucien Garban (ofDurand publishers): ‘I’m beginning two series of pianopieces: first, a French suite – no, it’s not what you think –the Marseillaise doesn’t come into it at all, but there’ll be a forlane and a jig…’
The sketches for the ‘French suite’ were set aside on theoutbreak of World War I, and it was not until 1917 that theyemerged as Le Tombeau de Couperin – Ravel’s last work forsolo piano, each of its six movements dedicated to thememory of a friend who had died in the war. The work’smusical tribute is more widely cast: ‘…not so much,’ saidRavel, ‘to Couperin himself as to 18th-century Frenchmusic in general.’
Keynotes
RAVEL
Born Ciboure, 1875Died Paris, 1937
Ravel was the best-dressed
of all the French composers
of his day, and he delighted
in collecting mechanical toys
and exotic ornaments for his
home. (‘Here,’ he would say
to guests, ‘nothing but fake
Chinese!’) His music shows a
corresponding enthusiasm for
jewel-like surface detail,
delicacy of expression and
exotic effect.
As a boy he showed talent
as a pianist, although his
father (a Swiss engineer)
had to bribe him to practise
and it was as a composer
that he made his greatest
contribution. Blessed with
an ear for colour and an
instinct for orchestral effect,
Ravel orchestrated many
of his piano works. Those
orchestrations include all of
the music on this program,
with the exception of Bolero.
LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN
The title tells us that this
music is a memorial (literally
a ‘tombstone’) for the French
Baroque composer François
Couperin. It’s the kind of thing
that Couperin and his 18th-
century contemporaries did
in fact write. But Ravel is
reviving the tradition from a
distance of two hundred years
– just after World War I in fact
– adding a further layer of
significance. Ravel’s Tombeauis a memorial to friends who
were killed in the war, and on
a musical level it is a tribute
to the elegance and artifice
of French Baroque music.
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Listening Guide
Ravel prepared for the composition of Le Tombeau bytranscribing a forlane from François Couperin’s Concertsroyaux. The buoyant rhythms and refrain structure ofhis own Forlane reveal their origins in the vigorous 16th-century Italian dance as heard through 18th-centuryFrench ears. But the melody and acid harmonies are allRavel’s. Similarly, the flowing Menuet is more like Ravel’sown Menuet antique than any by Couperin, with an antiquemood established through modal harmonies andclassically balanced phrases.
It is the concept of the French Baroque suite – eachdance with its specified character and set tempo – ratherthan its musical style that emerges in Le Tombeau. And theapparent contradiction of a suite of dances dedicated tothe memory of fallen comrades is perfectly resolved,although the muted gracefulness of the music suggestsserenity, even resignation, rather than melancholy.
Shortly after pianist Marguerite Long gave the firstperformance in 1919, Ravel orchestrated four of themovements – Prélude, Forlane, Menuet and Rigaudon –omitting the Fugue and the pianistic Toccata that hadconcluded the suite. The scoring is light – pairs of winds(including piccolo and cor anglais), two horns, trumpet,harp and strings – preserving the translucence, simplicityand restrained mood of the original.
Ravel exploits the contrast between woodwinds andstrings, often passing the melodies between the twosections, but the winds are given prominence from thevery beginning, with a breathless succession of rapidlyarticulated notes for the oboe. The orchestration takesadvantage of the enhanced capabilities of Erard’s double-action harp, and the feeling of perpetual motionin the Prélude is brought to a close with ravishing trillsswept up in a harp glissando. The trumpet (reserved for subtle effect in Ravel’s orchestration) adds brilliance to the exuberant opening of the final movement(a vigorous Provençal Rigaudon), balancing the prominence of woodwind and strings in the precedingmovements.
Thus transformed, Le Tombeau de Couperin has beenclaimed by many to surpass the original in its ingenuityand variety – a tribute also to its composer’s infallible earfor instrumental colour.
YVONNE FRINDLE ©1999/2008
Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperincalls for two flutes (onedoubling piccolo), two oboes(one doubling cor anglais), two clarinets and two bassoons;two horns, trumpet, harp andstrings.
The first performance of theorchestral version of Ravel’sTombeau de Couperin was givenon 28 February 1920 by thePasdeloup Orchestra conductedby Rhené-Baton. The SydneySymphony first performed it in1951 under Eugene Goossensand most recently in 2003 in agala concert conducted byCharles Dutoit. It was last heardin the Master Series in 2002with Gianluigi Gelmetticonducting.
Ravel was too short and slight of build
to fight in the army, but he enlisted as
a driver during World War I.
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Keynotes
MOTHER GOOSE
‘Mother Goose’ does not
appear in this music, but
she is behind it as the
apocryphal source for the
great fairy tales and nursery
rhymes that have populated
childhood in Western
countries since the 17th
century. That’s when Charles
Perrault published his
‘Tales of My Mother the
Goose’, with its stories of
the Sleeping Beauty, Tom
Thumb, and Beauty and the
Beast.
Perrault was writing for
adults, Ravel wrote for
children. His Perrault-
inspired music radiates
affection for children and
a fascination with the world
of childhood. Mother Goosewas intended not only for
children to listen to, but for
them to play: two young
friends were privileged with
its dedication and another
pair had the honour of
performing the premiere,
in its original form as a
piano duet.
But just as children will
always be drawn to the
fantasy, complexity and
dangers of fairy tales, so
Ravel’s ‘five childlike pieces’
(as Mother Goose was
subtitled) are full of appeal
for grownups. They are
miniatures filled with
sophisticated images and
colours, effects that were
intensified when Ravel
orchestrated the suite in
1911.
Ravel
Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) – Suite
Pavane of the Sleeping BeautyTom Thumb (Petite Poucet)Laideronnette, Empress of the PagodasConversations of Beauty and the BeastThe Fairy Garden
Ravel’s contemporaries thought him aloof, but hiscloseness to his family and his friendships with childrentold another story. One close friend, the critic M.D.Calvocoressi, wrote of him:
When one came into contact with him, the first impression was almost sure to be that of dryness and aloofness…He was endowed with a great capacity for indifference and alsocontempt, but – as one found out quite soon – as great acapacity for admiration; and I was to realise, a little later,that behind the cutting manner, the irony and the aloofness,there lurked an even greater capacity for affection.The Mother Goose Suite (Ma Mère l’Oye, a set of five
piano duets, subtitled ‘5 childlike pieces’) expressedRavel’s affection for the children to whom he dedicatedthe music: ‘…my young friends Mimi and Jean Godebski.My intention of evoking the poetry of childhood in thesepieces naturally led me to simplify my style and thin outmy writing.’
This music was for children to play, and two younggirls from the Paris Conservatoire gave the first publicperformance in 1910. Afterwards Ravel wrote to one ofthem:
Mademoiselle,When you are a great virtuoso and I an old fogy, covered withhonours or else completely forgotten, you will perhaps havepleasant memories of having given an artist the rare satisfactionof hearing a work of his, of a rather unusual nature, interpretedexactly as it should be. Thank you a thousand times for yourchild-like and sensitive performance of Ma Mère l’Oye.The music of the suite has the concentrated dimension
of a child’s view. Ravel creates the illusion of reading orhearing vivid and gripping stories, lingering on everyline, yet eager for the next event.
In 1911 Ravel orchestrated the suite, and later expandedthe music to create a ballet, which was performed in 1912.In these later forms, Ravel’s orchestration brings an evengreater sophistication to the music, and in places a newopulence of colour.
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Listening Guide
The title Mother Goose, and most of the stories, were takenfrom Perrault’s Contes de ma mère l’Oye, published in 1697.Ravel included some quotations from the stories at therelevant points in the music.
Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty is only 20 bars long,and bears no quotation, but we can easily imagine thesleeping princess in the woods. Ravel had alreadycomposed a pavane for another princess, and this slow,courtly dance with its modal music suggests the ‘once-upon-a time’ character of the stories.
Tom Thumb is prefaced with this quotation fromPerrault’s tale:
He believed that he would easily find his path by means ofhis bread crumbs which he had scattered wherever he passed,but he was very surprised when he could not find a singlecrumb – the birds had come and eaten everything up.The changes in direction of the accompaniment,
joined by solo oboe, depict Tom Thumb’s lost wandering,and the chirruping of the birds is suggested not onlyby the woodwind, but by a solo violin playing harmonics– a similarity of sound likely to trick the listener who isnot watching the players. (Ravel loved this kind ofdeception.)
The story Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas isfrom a collection by Perrault’s contemporary, Comtessed’Aulnoy. A princess has been made ugly by a wickedwitch – hence her name, which means ‘Ugly Little Girl’.With a Green Serpent (once a handsome prince), she sailsto the land of the Pagodas, tiny people like articulatedfigurines, with bodies made of jewels and porcelain. Here the two travellers are restored to their formerappearance and married. The scene described is theEmpress’ bath:
She undressed and stepped into the bath. Immediatelythe Pagodas and Pagodines began to sing and play theirinstruments: some had theorbos made of walnut shells, othershad viols made of almond shells, for the instruments had tobe made to their measure.The music, with its oriental features brilliantly evokes
the exotic scene. The slithering Green Serpent is there,too.
In Conversations of Beauty and the Beast, Beautyis represented by the clarinet and the beast by thecontrabassoon. The conversations inscribed in the score
Beauty and the Beast (after a drawing
by Walter Crane, 1874)
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‘My intention of
evoking the poetry
of childhood in these
pieces naturally led
me to simplify my
style and thin out my
writing.’
are taken from the story by Marie Leprince de Beaumont(1757):
‘When I think how good-natured you are, you do not seem so ugly.’‘Yes, I have indeed a kind heart, but I am a monster.’‘There are many men more monstrous than you.’‘If I had wit, I would invent a fine compliment to thank you,but I am only a beast.’‘Beauty, will you be my wife?’‘No, Beast!’‘I die content since I have had the pleasure of seeing you onemore time.’‘No, my dearest Beast, you shall not die; you shall live to bemy husband.’The Beast had disappeared and she saw at her feet a Princemore handsome than the God of Love, thanking her forhaving ended his enchantment.The slow waltz music which forms the setting of this
conversation is a tribute to Erik Satie, composer of theGymnopédies.
In the scenario of the ballet, the final movementforms an apotheosis: Prince Charming finds the Princessasleep in The Fairy Garden. As the sun rises, she awakens;there is a joyous fanfare as the other characters gatheraround her and the Good Fairy blesses them all. The finalmovement of the suite is remarkable for the way Ravelrises so quickly and tellingly to a resplendent climax,in which his orchestration realises the fanfare imitationsof the original piano version.
SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA ©1999/2008
Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite calls for two flutes (one doublingpiccolo), two oboes (one doubling cor anglais), two clarinets andtwo bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon), two horns, timpaniand percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, xylophone,and a keyed glockenspiel called jeu de timbres à clavier), harp,celesta and strings.
The Sydney Symphony first performed Ravel’s Mother Goose Suitein 1952 under Bernard Heinze, and most recently in 2005 underAlain Lombard. In 1999 Gianluigi Gelmetti conducted the completeMother Goose ballet music in the Master Series.
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Ravel
Alborada del gracioso
Like many French composers in the 19th and early 20thcenturies, Ravel was fascinated by Spain, a fact reflected inmany of his works (from the one-act opera L’Heure espagnoleand the Rapsodie espagnole to the celebrated Bolero). Thisfascination was not primarily the result of personal experience.The Spain of Alborada del gracioso (or, for that matter, ofBizet’s Carmen or Debussy’s Ibéria) was not a real country,but rather an exotic, mysterious ideal of heady perfumesand vibrant colours, populated by passionate gypsies anddashing bullfighters: the Spain of travel brochures.
Alborada del gracioso was originally written for piano, aspart of a set entitled Miroirs (Mirrors), which appeared in1905. Several of Ravel’s orchestral works are transcribedfrom piano pieces: such is his genius as an orchestrator,however, that the orchestral and piano versions both havethe status of originals. Each version is so perfectly conceivedfor its scoring that it seems impossible to imagine it in any other medium. Alborada is particularly interesting, inthat its whole harmonic and rhythmic fabric is a powerfulevocation of a guitar, being played by a virtuoso in theSpanish tradition – an ‘original version’, which does notexist and yet appears to predate the other two!
The timbres featured in Ravel’s orchestration (made in1918) make the guitar references explicit, with much use of harp, string pizzicato and harmonics, and an extensivepercussion section (with particularly prominent parts forside drum and castanets). There are a number of specificgenres in Spanish folk music which bear the name Alborada(literally ‘dawn song’), but Ravel was perhaps thinking moreof the romantic mediæval idea of a farewell serenade sungby a lover, as he rides away from his beloved at dawn. Thecomplete title, ‘Morning Song of the Jester’, aptly suggeststhe music’s volatile nature, by turns melancholy, playful and extravagant.
ELLIOTT GYGER, © SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA
In its orchestrated form, the Alborada del gracioso calls for three flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets,two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, threetrombones and tuba, timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbals,snare drum, triangle, tambourine, xylophone, crotales, castanets), two harps and strings.
The Sydney Symphony first performed the Alborada in 1952 underEugene Goossens, and most recently in the 2002 Master Series underGianluigi Gelmetti.
Keynotes
RAVEL DANCES
Much of this program shows
Ravel’s love for dance and
his love for the past. These
loves take different forms
and are sometimes
combined, as in the Menuetantique and the Pavane…The music itself covers
the spectrum of physical
expression: from aloof
elegance to the hypnotic
repetition and overwhelming
surge of Bolero.
MORNING SONG OF THE
JESTER
An Alborada is a morning
song or serenade (‘aubade’
in French) and this one is
sung by a gracioso, one of
the jesters to be found in
the courts of 17th-century
Spain and the paintings of
Velásquez. It is volatile and
moody music evoking an
imaginary Spain and it
originally formed part of a
piano suite. In 1918 Ravel
orchestrated the music,
turning the orchestra into a
giant guitar with strumming
harps and strings.
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Ravel
Pavane pour une infante défunte
How much notice should we take of composers whobecome annoyed at the popularity of what they considertheir lesser works? Ravel felt that he suffered more thanmost in this regard. There are still many people whoseexperience of Ravel’s music stops with this Pavane andBolero. We may agree with the composer that this is a pity,but need not be too influenced by his later remarks aboutthe Pavane pour une infante défunte (‘rather poor form’ and‘an inconclusive and conventional work’). It was, after all,the piece that first won Ravel wide recognition, in itsoriginal version for piano solo (1899). In that form it lookseasy to play but isn’t, and most musicians feel that Ravelimproved it greatly by orchestrating it in 1910.
Many more or less fanciful interpretations have beengiven of this piece, seemingly based more on the title thanon the music. The idea persists that it is about a dead child,even though the Spanish title infanta refers to a princess ofroyal blood, of whatever age, who will not inherit the throne.One critic thought the piece could be an illustration of the17th-century Spanish painter Velásquez’s Portrait of a YoungGirl. Others have imagined a stately dance in front of thebier of a princess (an old Spanish court custom).
But according to Ravel, he let himself be led into writingthe (French) title ‘because of the pleasure I got from theassonance of the words’. Perhaps he protested too much: thetitle does create the right frame of mind for listeners tothis gentle, calm piece, which has something mournfulabout it.
The ancient dance form, the pavane, was muchcultivated in 16th- and 17th-century Spain. Its adoption by Ravel therefore evokes a sense of time long past, andreflects his interest in stylised dance rhythms. In spite of his disclaimers, he felt strongly enough about the pieceto insist (when he heard how some musicians treated it)that it should be played calmly and in strict time.
DAVID GARRETT ©1988
The Pavane pour une infante défunte calls for a small orchestra oftwo flutes, oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons and two horns; harpand strings.
The Sydney Symphony first performed the Pavane in 1940 withconductor Edgar Bainton, and most recently in 2005 under AlainLombard. Gianluigi Gelmetti has conducted it in the 2004 Meet theMusic series and the 2002 Master Series.
Keynotes
PAVANE...
Ravel supposedly chose his
title for this music on the
basis of how the words
sounded rather than what
they meant. So how to
translate it? Should we
translate it?
Perhaps it’s enough that
the title – like the music –
conveys Ravel’s enthusiasm
for the dance and the past,
and by extension antique
dance forms. The ‘pavane’
is one of those: a stately
processional dance from
baroque Spain. And its
intended ‘infante défunte’
emphasises the links with
Spain as well as suggesting
a mournful nostalgia.
But this Spanish infanta
is not necessarily a child,
and Ravel’s musical
language as well as his
old-fashioned choice of
French (not ‘infante morte’)
remind us that we are not
her contemporaries. In this
regard, perhaps the truest
and most satisfying
translation is ‘Pavane for
a long-dead infanta’.
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15 | Sydney Symphony
Ravel
Bolero
Ida Rubinstein wanted to create a Spanish ballet and sheinvited Ravel to orchestrate music from Albeniz’s piano workIberia. But one of Ravel’s friends pointed out that such a balletwas already in the making (it was 1928) and that neither he nor Rubinstein would be able to obtain the necessarypermissions to repeat the exercise: the ballet, the scenarioand the music were ‘covered by a network of agreements,signatures and copyrights that could not be broken.’
Thwarted and put out, Ravel came up with something‘rather unusual’. Bolero was born. Rubinstein responded bycreating a tableau in the manner of Goya: a moody interior,in which a flamenco dancer performs a stylised bolero on a table, its languid beginning building to a representationof inflamed desire.
Ravel accepted her interpretation, but its orgiasticsensuality was not what he had in mind. (His own visionshad included factory assembly lines to mirror the mechanisticrepetition and chain-like linking of themes in the music.)And he offered what is perhaps the most famous disclaimerin music:
I am particularly desirous that there should be nomisunderstanding as to my Bolero. It is an experiment in a very special and limited direction… Before the first performance,I issued a warning to the effect that what I had written was a piece lasting 17 minutes and consisting wholly of orchestraltissue without music…Ravel goes on to point out that there are no contrasts, the
themes are ‘impersonal’, and there is ‘practically no inventionexcept in the plan and the manner of the execution’. And hewas not exaggerating when he described Bolero as one longcrescendo: the music builds inexorably from the voice ofa lone snare drum to the overwhelming effect of the fullorchestra. Whatever Ravel might say, Bolero is a tour de force.
YVONNE FRINDLE, SYDNEY SYMPHONY ©2008
Bolero calls for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), piccolo, two oboes(one doubling oboe d’amore), cor anglais, two clarinets (one doublingE flat clarinet), bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon; fourhorns, four trumpets, three trombones and tuba; soprano and tenorsaxophones; timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbals, two snaredrums, tam-tam); harp, celesta, and strings.
The Sydney Symphony first performed Bolero in 1946, conducted byBernard Heinze, and most recently in 2004 conducted by GianluigiGelmetti, who also conducted it in the 2002 Master Series.
Keynotes
BOLERO
Whether it brings to mind
images of Bo Derek or Torvill
and Dean, Bolero needs little
introduction. It begins with
a snare drum rhythm then
builds irresistibly and
hypnotically to a frenzied
climax. Along the way Ravel
demonstrates his absolute
mastery of ‘orchestral tissue’,
in this order:
solo flute
solo clarinet
bassoon
the high E-flat clarinet
oboe d’amore
flute
muted trumpet
tenor saxophone
soprano saxophone
then groups of instruments…
two piccolos, horn and
celesta
the oboe family, clarinet and
bass clarinet
solo trombone (with its
characteristic slide)
woodwinds
joined by the first violins
then the second violins and
tenor saxophone
flutes, oboes, violins and
trumpet
joined by a horn
clarinets, trombone and
soprano sax return to the
mix, together with violas
and cellos
and ultimately the full
ensemble, including a
second snare drum
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16 | Sydney Symphony
Catherine Simpson is a Sydney-based artist working in drawings and linocuts. Catherine studied at the Sydney College of the
Arts. This pen and ink drawing – inspired by Ravel’s music – was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony especially for
reproduction in this program.
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17 | Sydney Symphony
Artwork © Catherine Simpson, Little Dictator Art/Graphics Productions 2008. All Rights Reserved.
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18 | Sydney Symphony
GLOSSARY
BOLERO – a Spanish dance in triple time(three beats to the bar) and a moderatetempo, emerging in the late 18th centuryand popular through the 19th. It features a characteristic rhythmic pattern, whichRavel adopts for the snare drum part ofhis orchestral Bolero. The Latin Americanbolero, or Cuban bolero, is a very differentdance in duple time.
CRESCENDO – gradually becoming louder.(The English idiom ‘rising to a crescendo’is a tautology.)
GLISSANDO – an extremely rapid scalepassage, such as might be achieved byrunning a thumb along a piano keyboardor across the strings of a harp.
HARMONICS – in string playing, a harmonicis achieved by touching the string lightlywhile bowing, thereby affecting itsfrequency of vibration. The resulting sound is ethereal and flute-like.
MODE / MODAL – modes are a system ofscales founded on mediæval plainchantand predating the major and minor keysystem, which emerged in the lateRenaissance. Unlike major and minorscales, each mode has its own pattern ofwhole and half scale steps and therefore a distinctive sound and character. Classicalcomposers have often used modes to evoke an ancient or religious mood, butsince modes are also common in manytraditional and non-Western cultures,their use can also give a folk character tomusic.
NEOCLASSICAL – in art history a termreferring to the revival of themes andtechniques associated with antiquity; often applied in music to an anti-Romantictrend of the 1920s, with composers such as Stravinsky (Pulcinella), Hindemith andProkofiev (Classical Symphony) avoidingovert emotional display and reviving earlier techniques such as baroque-stylecounterpoint, balanced structures andlighter textures.
ORCHESTRATION – the way in which anorchestral work employs the differentinstruments and sections of the ensemble;to ORCHESTRATE a work is to take the draft(often written out in an abbreviated form)and assign the musical ideas to individualorchestral instruments. The orchestration,or reworking, of music originally writtenfor piano or some smaller ensemble of instruments is a special art in itself.Some of the greatest orchestrators in thisvein have included Rimsky-Korsakov andRavel.
PIZZICATO – a technique for stringedinstruments in which the strings areplucked with the fingers rather thanbowed.
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.
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19 | Sydney Symphony
MUSICIAN SNAPSHOT
Louise Johnson – beautiful accord
You won’t often hear harpist LouiseJohnson wax lyrical about matters angelic.It’s a cliché many harpists work to avoid –they know the devilishly difficult nature of the instrument even if most listenersremain blissfully unaware. So when Louisedescribes a moment on stage in Mahler’sFifth Symphony as ‘heaven sent’, you can besure it was something divine. She recalls aperformance with Lorin Maazel and theSydney Symphony: ‘In the Adagietto, there’sa C above middle C, and it was the mostbeautiful note I’ve ever played. Maazel wasconducting from memory and had his eyesshut. A small smile crept across his face onhearing this beautiful note that had beensent from elsewhere.’
Moments like these are the reward foryears of dedication to a demandinginstrument. Louise knew from an earlyage that music would be her focus. ‘It stems back to when I was very young.My mother told me I used to get a verystrange look on my face, and disappearfrom this world, if classical music was onthe radio.’
Like the piano, the harp is aninstrument capable of accompanying itself. But the self-sufficiency of solorepertoire can be isolating and many greatcomposers such as Mahler, Berlioz andWagner never wrote solo works for theinstrument. Recognising this, Louise chose an orchestral path: ‘Being amidsta large group of functioning musicians,hearing the colours of the orchestralrepertoire, and receiving the input ofconductors, has really expanded mymusical experience.’
Flawless technique and musicianshipaside, being an orchestral harpist demandsflexibility, awareness and an ability to react quickly to the music around you.
As an example, Ravel’s orchestral musiccalls for many different ways of pluckingthe strings on the harp, to achieve themultitude of sonorities and colours required.It’s much more than simply following thedirections on the printed page. ‘You have to know your own part extremely well,’says Louise. ‘Then you’re able to listen and join in with the colours of the otherinstruments. Sometimes the harp has tosound like a woodwind chord, other timeswe might mimic a string glissando.’
‘It’s an incredible dedication. To keepabreast of the times as a musician and tomaintain your own standards requires agreat deal of work. But music is somethingI would die for. I know that soundsextremely dramatic, but if I hear a reallybeautiful chord, it’s everything to me.’
GENEVIEVE LANG ©2008
This is the first of a series of Musician Snapshotsto be published in programs this year.
BEN
SYM
ON
S
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20 | Sydney Symphony
MORE MUSIC
Selected Discography
GIANLUIGI GELMETTI
Nino Rota Film Music
Music from The Leopard, War and Peace, La Strada,WaterlooMonte Carlo Philharmonic
EMI ENCORE 5 74987-2
Rossini Overtures and highlights from The
Barber of Seville
Thomas Hampson, Susanne Mentzer; Stuttgart RadioSymphony Orchestra, Toscana Orchestra
EMI 74752-2
Ravel Tzigane, with Berg and Stravinsky Violin
Concertos
Frank Peter Zimmermann is the soloist in this 1990recording; out of print but available as a reissue fromArkivmusic.com
EMI CLASSICS 54248
RAVEL
Wolfgang Fink, Director of Artistic Planning, writes:Pierre Boulez’s Ravel recordings with the New YorkPhilharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra – made forCBS and now available on Sony in a three-CD set –are outstanding and a very good bargain too. (The setcontains all the Ravel works to be performed by theSydney Symphony this month – and more!).
SONY 45842
If you want to understand what the complete Daphniset Chloé really is – a ballet symphony in three largemovements – I strongly recommend Boulez’srecording with the Berlin Philharmonic, released witha fantastically lucid rendition of La Valse.
DG 447 057-2
Boulez’s ultimate Ravel recording, though, is of thepiano concertos with soloist Krystian Zimerman andthe Cleveland Orchestra (Concerto in G) and theLondon Symphony Orchestra (Concerto for the LeftHand). The disc also includes the ClevelandOrchestra in Ravel’s orchestration of his Valsesnobles et sentimentales, and is a must-have even forthose who dislike this unequalled master of clarityand musical straightforwardness.
DG 449 213-2
For those interested in ‘authenticity’, there are theErnest Ansermet recordings (available on Decca andvarious other labels). And I strongly recommend thebeautiful re-issue of recordings by Paul Paray withthe Detroit Symphony Orchestra,
MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE 432 003-2
FEBRUARY–APRIL
25 February, 1pmSAINT-SAËNS ORGAN SYMPHONY (2003)Edo de Waart conductor
10 March, 1pmHAYDN CELLO CONCERTO (2006)Charles Dutoit conductorCatherine Hewgill celloHaydn Cello Concerto No.2 in D, Hob.VIIb:2
31 March, 1pmTHE GOLDEN SPINNING WHEEL (2002)Mark Elder conductorDvorák
1 April, 6.30pmEXOTICA
Matthew Coorey conductorScott Kinmont euphoniumRameau, Bracegirdle, Ravel, Bartók
11 April, 1pmWALTON VIOLIN CONCERTO (2007)Hugh Wolff conductorMichael Dauth violin
14 April, 7pmBRAHMS’ “FIFTH SYMPHONY”
Paul Daniel conductorRalph Kirshbaum celloDvorák , Bloch, Brahms orch. Schoenberg
Broadcast Diary
Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are recorded forwebcast by BigPond. Visit: sydneysymphony.bigpondmusic.com
February webcast:RAVEL’S ROMANCES (OPENING GALA CONCERT)
Available On Demand from late February
sydneysymphony.com
Visit the Sydney Symphony online for concertinformation, podcasts, and to read the program book inadvance of the concert.
2MBS-FM 102.5
SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2008
Tue 11 March, 6pm
What’s on in concerts, with interviews and music.Guest: Roger Benedict
Webcast Diary
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21 | Sydney Symphony
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gianluigi Gelmetti
CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Gianluigi Gelmetti, Chief Conductor and Artistic Directorof the Sydney Symphony, studied with Sergiu Celibidache,Franco Ferrara and Hans Swarowsky. For ten years heconducted the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; hehas conducted many of the leading orchestras in theworld and appears regularly at international festivals.Since 2000 he has been Music Director of the Teatrodell’Opera di Roma.
Highlights of past seasons include engagements inFrance, Germany, Great Britain, America, Australia, Japan,Switzerland and Italy, where he conducted Mascagni’s Irisand Respighi’s La fiamma at the Teatro dell’Opera di Romaand William Tell at the Rossini Opera Festival. In 1999 he was awarded the Rossini d’Oro Prize. GianluigiGelmetti has also worked regularly at the Royal OperaHouse, Covent Garden.
His interpretation of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaroearned him the title Best Conductor of the Year from the German magazine Opernwelt, and in 1997 he won theTokyo critics’ prize for the best performance of the year of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9. He has been honoured as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in Franceand Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana in Italy.
Gianluigi Gelmetti’s recording catalogue includesoperas by Salieri, Rossini, Puccini and Mozart, thecomplete orchestral music of Ravel, the late symphoniesof Mozart and works by many 20th-century composers,including Stravinsky, Berg, Webern, Varèse and Rota.Among his recordings are William Tell, Iris, La fiamma,Bruckner’s Symphony No.6 and Rossini’s Stabat mater.
Gianluigi Gelmetti is also a composer; his recentworks include In Paradisum Deducant Te Angeli, written tocommemorate the tenth anniversary of Franco Ferrara’sdeath, Algos, and Prasanta Atma, in memory of SergiuCelibidache. This year sees the Australian premiere ofCantata della vita.
He has taught at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena since 1997.
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22 | Sydney Symphony
THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY
Founded in 1932, the Sydney Symphonyhas evolved into one of the world’s finestorchestras as Sydney has become one of theworld’s great cities. Last year the Orchestracelebrated its 75th anniversary and themilestone achievements during itsdistinguished history.
Resident at the iconic Sydney OperaHouse, where it gives more than 100performances each year, the SydneySymphony also performs concerts in avariety of venues around Sydney andregional New South Wales. Internationaltours to Europe, Asia and the USA haveearned the Orchestra world-widerecognition for artistic excellence.
Critical to the success of the SydneySymphony has been the leadership givenby its former Chief Conductors including:Sir Eugene Goossens, Nicolai Malko,Dean Dixon,Willem van Otterloo, LouisFrémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, StuartChallender 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 fifth and finalyear as Chief Conductor and ArtisticDirector of the Sydney Symphony, aposition he holds in tandem with that ofMusic Director at Rome Opera. MaestroGelmetti’s particularly strong rapportwith French and German repertoire iscomplemented by his innovativeprogramming in the Shock of the Newconcerts.
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 Symphonyalso maintains an active commissioningprogram promoting the work of Australiancomposers, and recent premieres haveincluded major works by Ross Edwards and Brett Dean, as well as Liza Lim, whowas composer-in-residence from 2004 to2006.
In 2009 Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazywill begin his three-year tenure asPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.
JOH
N M
AR
MA
RA
S
PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales
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23 | Sydney Symphony
MUSICIANS
01First Violins
02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13
01Second Violins
02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13
First Violins
01 Sun YiAssociate Concertmaster
02 Kirsten WilliamsAssociate ConcertmasterKirsty HiltonAssistant Concertmaster
03 Fiona Ziegler04 Julie Batty05 Gu Chen06 Amber Gunther07 Rosalind Horton08 Jennifer Hoy09 Jennifer Johnson10 Georges Lentz11 Nicola Lewis12 Alexandra Mitchell
Moon Design Chair of Violin13 Léone Ziegler
Sophie Cole
Second Violins
01 Marina MarsdenPrincipal
02 Emma WestAssociate Principal
02 Susan DobbiePrincipal Emeritus
04 Pieter Bersée05 Maria Durek06 Emma Hayes07 Shuti Huang08 Stan Kornel09 Benjamin Li10 Nicole Masters11 Philippa Paige12 Biyana Rozenblit13 Maja Verunica
Guest Musicians
Emily Qin First Violin#
Leigh Middenway First Violin
Michele O’Young First Violin
Martin Silverton First Violin
Alexander Norton Second Violin#
Manu Berkeljon Second Violin†
Jacqueline Cronin Viola#
Jennifer Curl Viola#
Rosemary Curtin Viola#
Patrick Murphy Cello#
Rowena Crouch Cello#
Patrick Suthers Cello†
Nicholas Metcalfe Cello
Gordon Hill Double Bass#
Timothy Dunin Double Bass
Lauren Brandon Double Bass
Ngaire de Korte Oboe
Robert Llewellyn Bassoon#
Julian Brun Trumpet
John Douglas Percussion
Kevin Man Percussion
Brian NixonPercussion
Genevieve Lang Harp
John Lewis Soprano Saxophone
James Nightingale Tenor Saxophone
# = Contract Musician† = Sydney Symphony
Fellow
Gianluigi GelmettiChief Conductor andArtistic Director
Michael DauthChair of Concertmastersupported by the SydneySymphony Board and Council
Dene OldingChair of Concertmastersupported by the SydneySymphony Board and Council
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24 | Sydney Symphony
08Cellos
09 10 11 01 02 03
01Violas
02 03 04 05 06 07
04 05 06 07 08 09
01Double Basses
02 03 04 05 06 07
Harp01 Flutes
02 03Piccolo
MUSICIANS
Violas
01 Roger BenedictAndrew Turner and Vivian Chang Chair of Principal Viola
02 Anne Louise ComerfordAssociate Principal
03 Yvette GoodchildAssistant Principal
04 Robyn Brookfield05 Sandro Costantino06 Jane Hazelwood07 Graham Hennings08 Mary McVarish09 Justine Marsden10 Leonid Volovelsky11 Felicity Wyithe
Cellos
01 Catherine Hewgill Principal
02 Nathan Waks Principal
03 Leah LynnAssistant Principal
04 Kristy Conrau05 Fenella Gill06 Timothy Nankervis07 Elizabeth Neville08 Adrian Wallis09 David Wickham
Double Basses
01 Kees BoersmaBrian and Rosemary White Chair of Principal Double Bass
02 Alex HeneryPrincipal
03 Neil BrawleyPrincipal Emeritus
04 David Campbell05 Steven Larson06 Richard Lynn07 David Murray
Gordon Hill(contract, courtesy Auckland Philharmonic)
Harp
Louise JohnsonMulpha Australia Chair of Principal Harp
Flutes
01 Janet Webb Principal
02 Emma ShollMr Harcourt Gough Chair of Associate Principal Flute
03 Carolyn Harris
Piccolo
Rosamund PlummerPrincipal
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25 | Sydney Symphony
Cor Anglais Clarinets Bass Clarinet
Oboes
01 Diana Doherty Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor AO Chair of Principal Oboe
02 Shefali PryorAssociate Principal
Cor Anglais
Alexandre OgueyPrincipal
Clarinets
01 Lawrence Dobell Principal
02 Francesco CelataAssociate Principal
03 Christopher Tingay
Bass Clarinet
Craig WernickePrincipal
Bassoons
01 Matthew WilkiePrincipal
02 Roger BrookeAssociate Principal
03 Fiona McNamaraRobert Llewellyn(contract)
Contrabassoon
Noriko ShimadaPrincipal
Horns
01 Robert JohnsonPrincipal
02 Ben JacksPrincipal
03 Geoff O’ReillyPrincipal 3rd
04 Lee BracegirdleEuan Harvey
05 Marnie Sebire
Trumpets
01 Daniel Mendelow Principal
02 Paul Goodchild The Hansen Family Chair of Associate Principal Trumpet
03 John Foster04 Anthony Heinrichs
Trombone
01 Ronald PrussingNSW Department of State and Regional Development Chair of Principal Trombone
02 Scott KinmontAssociate Principal
03 Nick ByrneRogen International Chair of Trombone
Bass Trombone
Christopher Harris Trust Foundation Chair of Principal Bass Trombone
Tuba
Steve RosséPrincipal
Timpani
01 Richard MillerPrincipalAdam JeffreyAssistant Principal Timpani/Tutti Percussion
Percussion
01 Rebecca LagosPrincipal
02 Colin Piper
Piano
Josephine AllanPrincipal (contract)
01Bassoons Contrabassoon Horns
02 03 01 02 03
01Oboes
02 01 02 03
04 05 01Trumpets
02 03 04
01Trombones
02 03Bass Trombone Tuba
01Timpani
01Percussion
02Piano
MUSICIANS
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The Company is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW
SALUTE
26 | Sydney Symphony
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
PLATINUM PARTNER
MAJOR PARTNERS
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
GOLD PARTNERS
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27 | Sydney Symphony
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
Austrian National Tourist Office
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.
03-03TH S7-10 Ravel2 web 18/2/08 5:50 PM Page 29
A leadership program which linksAustralia’s top performers in theexecutive and musical worlds.For information about the Directors’Chairs program, please contact Alan Watt on (02) 8215 4619.
28 | Sydney Symphony
01 02 03 04 05 06
07 08 09 10 11 12
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
10Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor AO Chair ofPrincipal Oboe, Diana Doherty
11Andrew Turner and VivianChang Chair of Principal Violaand Artistic Director, FellowshipProgram, Roger Benedict
12The Hansen Family Chair ofAssociate Principal Trumpet,Paul Goodchild
GR
EG B
AR
RET
T
KEI
TH S
AU
ND
ERS
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29 | Sydney Symphony
Beth Harpley *Rev H & Mrs M Herbert °*Dr & Mrs Michael Hunter §Intertravel Lindfield °Mrs Greta James *Mr Stephen Jenkins *Dr Michael Joel AM &
Mrs Anna Joel °Professor Faith M Jones §Ms Judy JoyeMr Noel Keen *Mrs Margaret Keogh °*Iven & Sylvia Klineberg *Dr Barry LandaMrs Joan Langley °Dr & Mrs Leo Leader °Mrs Margaret Lederman §Ms A Le Marchant *Mr & Mrs Ezzelino Leonardi §Barbara & Bernard Leser °Erna & Gerry Levy AM §Mr & Mrs S C Lloyd °Mr James McCarthy *Mr Ian & Mrs Pam McGaw *Mr Matthew McInnes §Ms Julie Manfredi-HughesKate & Peter Mason °Justice Jane Matthews §Ms J Millard *‡Mr Walter B Norris °Miss C O’Connor *Mrs Rachel O’Conor °Mr R A Oppen §Mrs Roslyn Packer AO °Mrs Jill Pain ‡Dr Kevin Pedemont *Mr & Mrs Michael Potts Mr L T & Mrs L M Priddle *Mrs B Raghavan °Mr John Reid AO Catherine Remond °Mr John & Mrs Lynn Carol Reid §Mr Brian Russell & Mrs Irina
SinglemanMr M D Salamon §In memory of H St P Scarlett °*Mr John Scott °Ms Ann Sherry AO °Dr Agnes E SinclairDr John Sivewright &
Ms Kerrie Kemp ‡Dr Heng & Mrs Cilla Tey §Mrs Elizabeth F Tocque °*Mrs Merle Turkington °Ronald Walledge °Louise Walsh & David Jordan °Mrs Christine WenkartDr Richard Wing §Mr Robert Woods *Jill WranMrs Lucille Wrath ‡Mrs R Yabsley °§Anonymous (14)
PLAYING YOUR PART
Maestri
Brian Abel & the late Ben Gannon AO °
Geoff & Vicki Ainsworth *Mr Robert O Albert AO *‡Alan & Christine Bishop °§Sandra & Neil Burns *Mr Ian & Mrs Jennifer Burton °Libby Christie & Peter James °§The Clitheroe Foundation *Mr John C Conde AO °§Mr John Curtis §Penny Edwards °*Mr J O Fairfax AO *Fred P Archer Charitable Trust §Dr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuffre*Mr Harcourt Gough §Mr David Greatorex AO &
Mrs Deirdre Greatorex §The Hansen Family §Mr Andrew Kaldor & Mrs
Renata Kaldor AO §H Kallinikos Pty Ltd §Mrs Joan MacKenzie §Mr E J Merewether &
Mrs T Merewether OAM *Mr B G O’Conor °§The Paramor Family *The Ian Potter Foundation °Dr John Roarty in memory of
Mrs June RoartyMr Paul & Mrs Sandra Salteri °Mrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet
Cooke §Andrew Turner & Vivian ChangMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary White§Anonymous (2) *
Virtuosi
Mrs Antoinette Albert §Mr Roger Allen & Mrs Maggie
GrayMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr §Mr Greg Daniel Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway°Mr & Mrs Paul Hoult Irwin Imhof in memory of
Herta Imhof °‡Mr Stephen Johns §Mr & Mrs Gilles T Kryger °§Ms Ann Lewis AM
Helen Lynch AM & Helen Bauer °
Mr & Mrs David Milman §Miss Rosemary Pryor *Bruce & Joy Reid Foundation*Rodney Rosenblum AM &
Sylvia Rosenblum *Mrs Helen Selle §David Smithers AM & Family °§Ms Gabrielle Trainor °Dr William & Mrs Helen Webb ‡Michael & Mary Whelan Trust §Anonymous (1)
SoliMr Anthony Berg AMMs Jan Bowen °§Hilmer Family Trust §Ms Ann Hoban °Mr Paul Hotz §Mrs Judith McKernan °§Miss Margaret N MacLaren °*‡§Mr David Maloney §Mr James & Mrs Elsie Moore °Mr Geoff Wood & Ms Melissa
Waites Ray Wilson OAM & the late
James Agapitos OAM*Anonymous (4)
Tutti
Mr C R Adamson §Mr Henri W Aram OAM §Mr Terrey & Mrs Anne Arcus §Mr David Barnes °Mrs Joan Barnes °Mr Stephen J Bell *‡Mr Alexander & Mrs Vera
Boyarsky §Mr David S Brett *§Mr Maximo Buch *Mrs Lenore P Buckle §Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill §Mr Bob & Mrs Julie Clampett °§Mr John Cunningham SCM &
Mrs Margaret Cunningham °§Lisa & Miro Davis *Mrs Ashley Dawson-Damer °Mr Peter & Mrs Mary Doyle °*Mr & Mrs J B Fairfax AM §Mr Ian Fenwicke & Prof Neville
Wills §Mrs Dorit & Mr William
Franken °§Mr Arshak & Ms Sophie
Galstaun §In memory of Hetty Gordon §Mrs Akiko Gregory °Miss Janette Hamilton °‡Mr A & Mrs L Heyko-Porebski°Mr Philip Isaacs OAM °§Mr & Mrs E Katz §Miss Anna-Lisa Klettenberg §Mr Andrew Korda & Ms Susan
Pearson Mr Justin Lam §Dr Paul A L Lancaster &
Dr Raema Prowse
Dr Garth Leslie °*Mrs Belinda Lim & Mr Arti
Ortis §Mr Gary Linnane °§Ms Karen Loblay §Mr Bob Longwell Mr Andrew & Mrs Amanda Love Mrs Carolyn A Lowry OAM °Mr & Mrs R Maple-Brown §Mr Robert & Mrs Renee
Markovic °§Mrs Alexandra Martin & the
Late Mr Lloyd Martin AM §Mrs Mora Maxwell °§Wendy McCarthy AO °Mrs Barbara McNulty OBE §Ms Margaret Moore & Dr Paul
Hutchins *Mr Robert Orrell °Timothy & Eva Pascoe §Ms Patricia Payn °§Mr Adrian & Mrs Dairneen
Pilton Ms Robin Potter °§Mr Ernest & Mrs Judith Rapee §Dr K D Reeve AM °Mrs Patricia H Reid §Ms Juliana Schaeffer §Derek & Patricia Smith §Catherine Stephen §Mr Fred & Mrs Dorothy Street ‡§Mr Georges & Mrs Marliese
Teitler §Mr Ken Tribe AC & Mrs Joan
Tribe §Mr John E Tuckey °Mrs Kathleen Tutton §Ms Mary Vallentine AO §Henry & Ruth Weinberg §Audrey & Michael Wilson °Anonymous (10)
Supporters over $500
Richard Ackland °PTW Architects §Mr Chris & Mrs Mary Barrett °Doug & Alison Battersby °Mr Phil Bennett Gabrielle Blackstock °‡Mr G D Bolton °Dr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff §A I Butchart °*Marty Cameron §Mr B & Mrs M Coles °Mrs Catherine Gaskin
Cornberg§Mr Stan Costigan AO &
Mrs Mary Costigan °*Mrs M A Coventry °Mr Michael Crouch AO *M Danos °Mr Russell Farr Mr and Mrs David Feetham Mr Steve GillettIn memory of Angelica Green §Anthony Gregg & Deanne
Whittleston ‡Dr & Mrs C Goldschmidt §
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 callAlan Watt 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.
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30 | Sydney Symphony
Sydney Symphony Board
BEHIND THE SCENES
CHAIRMAN
John Conde AO
Libby Christie John CurtisStephen JohnsAndrew KaldorGoetz RichterDavid Smithers AM
Gabrielle Trainor
Sydney Symphony Council
Andrew Andersons AO
Michael Baume AO
Christine BishopDeeta ColvinGreg Daniel AM
John Della Bosca MLC
Alan FangErin FlahertyDr Stephen FreibergRichard Gill OAM
Donald Hazelwood AO OBE
Dr Michael Joel AM
Simon Johnson Judy JoyeYvonne Kenny AM
Gary LinnaneAmanda LoveThe Hon. Ian Macdonald MLC
Joan MacKenzieSir Charles Mackerras CH AC CBE
David Maloney
David MaloufJulie Manfredi-HughesDeborah MarrThe Hon. Justice Jane Matthews AO
Danny MayWendy McCarthy AO
John MorschelGreg ParamorDr Timothy PascoeJerome RowleyPaul SalteriSandra SalteriJacqueline SamuelsBertie SanJulianna SchaefferLeo Schofield AMIvan UngarJohn Van OgtropJustus VeeneklaasAnthony Whelan MBE
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31 | Sydney Symphony
Sydney Symphony Staff
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Libby ChristieEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Eva-Marie Alis
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
Wolfgang Fink
Artistic Administration
ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Raff WilsonARTIST LIAISON
Ilmar LeetbergPERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF CONDUCTOR
Lisa Davies-GalliADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT
Catherine Wyburn
Education Programs
EDUCATION MANAGER
Margaret MooreEDUCATION COORDINATOR
Bernie Heard
Library
LIBRARIAN
Anna CernikLIBRARY ASSISTANT
Victoria GrantLIBRARY ASSISTANT
Mary-Ann Mead
Recording Enterprises
RECORDING ENTERPRISES MANAGER
Aimee Paret
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Rory Jeffes
Development
CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER
Leann MeiersCORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE
Julia OwensCORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE
Seleena SemosPHILANTHROPY MANAGER
Alan WattDEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE
Kylie Anania
Publications
PUBLICATIONS EDITOR AND MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER
Yvonne Frindle
Public Relations
PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER
Yvonne ZammitPUBLICIST
Stuart Fyfe
Public Affairs
PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER
Claire Duffy
SALES AND MARKETING
Customer Relations
MARKETING MANAGER – CRM
Rebecca MacFarlingDATA & ONLINE TECHNOLOGYMANAGER
Marko Lång
Marketing Communications
MARKETING MANAGER – TRADITIONALMARKETS
Simon Crossley-MeatesMARKETING COORDINATOR
Antonia Farrugia
Box Office
BOX OFFICE MANAGER
Lynn McLaughlinBOX OFFICE COORDINATOR
Peter GahanCUSTOMER SERVICEREPRESENTATIVES
Wendy AugustineMichael DowlingErich Gockel
ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT
DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAMANAGEMENT
Aernout KerbertDEPUTY ORCHESTRA MANAGER
Lisa MullineuxORCHESTRAL COORDINATOR
Greg LowORCHESTRAL & EDUCATION ASSISTANT
Angela ChilcottOPERATIONS MANAGER
John GlennTECHNICAL MANAGER
Derek CouttsPRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Tim DaymanPRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Ian SpenceSTAGE MANAGER
Marrianne Carter
BUSINESS SERVICES
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & COMPANYSECRETARY
David O’KaneFINANCE MANAGER
Janet LeungACCOUNTS ASSISTANT
Li LiOFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Rebecca WhittingtonPAYROLL OFFICER
Caroline HallINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER
Tim Graham
HUMAN RESOURCES
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
Ian Arnold
03-03TH S7-10 Ravel2 web 18/2/08 5:50 PM Page 33
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
By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony, this publication isoffered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out orotherwise 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 than that in which it was published,or distributed at any other event than specified on the title page ofthis publication.
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All enquiries for advertising space in this publication should bedirected to the above company and address.
Entire concept copyright. Reproduction without permission inwhole or in part of any material contained herein is prohibited.
Title ‘Playbill’ is the registered title of Playbill Proprietary Limited.
Title ‘Showbill’ is the registered title of Showbill ProprietaryLimited.
Additional copies of this publication are available by post from thepublisher; please write for details.
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SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA LIMITED
Suite 3, Level 2, 561 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007GPO Box 9994, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8333 1651Facsimile (02) 8333 1678
www.symphony.net.au
Level 9, 35 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4644Facsimile (02) 8215 4646
Customer Services:GPO Box 4338, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4600Facsimile (02) 8215 4660
www.sydneysymphony.com
All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in thispublication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot acceptresponsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising fromclerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to securepermission for copyright material prior to printing.
Please address all correspondence to the Publications Editor, Sydney Symphony, GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001. Fax (02) 8215 4660. Email [email protected]
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUST
Mr Kim Williams AM (Chair)Mr John BallardMr Wesley EnochMs Renata Kaldor AO
Ms Jacqueline Kott Mr Robert Leece AM RFD
Ms Sue Nattrass AO
Mr Leo Schofield AM
Ms Barbara WardMr Evan Williams AM
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Richard EvansDIRECTOR, FACILITIES Paul AkhurstDIRECTOR, FINANCE & SYSTEMS David AntawDIRECTOR, PEOPLE & CULTURE Rick BrowningDIRECTOR, MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT Victoria DoidgeDIRECTOR, PERFORMING ARTS Rachel HealyDIRECTOR, INFORMATION SYSTEMS Claire SwaffieldDIRECTOR, TOURISM & VISITOR OPERATIONS Maria Sykes
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
Bennelong PointGPO Box 4274, Sydney NSW 2001Administration (02) 9250 7111Box Office (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666Website sydneyoperahouse.com
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