THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

Thursday 14 November 2013

TEA & SYMPHONY

Friday 15 November 2013

SIBELIUS AND BRAHMS Ashkenazy and Zukerman

SUPPORTED BY VIENNA TOURIST BOARD

Thibaudet plays GershwinJazz Inspirations

SHOSTAKOVICH Jazz Suite No.1 GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F PROKOFIEV Symphony No.5

James Gaffigan conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

Thu 5 Dec 1.30pm

EMIRATES METRO SERIES

Fri 6 Dec 8pm

GREAT CL ASSICS

Sat 7 Dec 2pm

MONDAYS @ 7

Mon 9 Dec 7pm

Pre-concert talk by Yvonne Frindle

Variations on an English ThemeHAYDN Symphony No.92 (Oxford) BRITTEN The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra BRITTEN Violin Concerto BRAHMS Variations on a Theme of Haydn

James Gaffigan conductor Vilde Frang violin

MASTER SERIES

Wed 11 Dec 8pmFri 13 Dec 8pmSat 14 Dec 8pm

Pre-concert talk by David Garrett

Symphony in the DomainSpread your blanket under the stars and enjoy the sounds of the orchestra with your family and friends in the Domain.

HOLST The Planets TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture

Simone Young conductor John Bell actor-narrator Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

FREE EVENT PRESENTED BY THE SYDNEY FESTIVAL

Sun 26 Jan 8pmSydney Domain

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays MozartMOZART Violin Concerto No.2 in D, K211 Violin Concerto No.3 in G, K216 (Strassburger) Violin Concerto No.5 in A, K219 (Turkish)

Anne-Sophie Mutter violin-director

Tickets for these concerts on sale from Monday 2 December

SPECIAL EVENT PREMIER PARTNER CREDIT SUISSE

Fri 31 Jan 8pm Sat 1 Feb 8pm Sun 2 Feb 2pm

Pre-concert talk 45 minutes before each performance

DECEMBER – JANUARY

* Booking fees of $7.50 – $8.95 may apply.

BOOK NOW!

SYDNEYSYMPHONY.COM or call 8215 4600 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Tickets also available at sydneyoperahouse.com 9250 7777 Mon-Sat 9am-8.30pm Sun 10am-6pm

CLASSICAL

WELCOME

Norbert KettnerManaging Director Vienna Tourist Board

On behalf of the Vienna Tourist Board, Silver Partner of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, I’d like to welcome you to Vladimir Ashkenazy’s fi nal performances with the orchestra this year.

Vienna, the ‘City of Music’, has inspired generations of famous composers. Music is literally in the air, from inside the famed Musikverein to the memorials of Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert dotted across town.

Vienna has not only been the birthplace of some of our best-loved composers, but composers from across Europe and indeed the world have decided to take residence there. Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler are just some of the immigrated Viennese whose music now graces concert platforms everywhere. Even Sibelius, the voice of Finland, made Vienna the destination for his advanced music studies.

This week, Sydney welcomes Pinchas Zukerman, a great violinist and friend and colleague of Ashkenazy, and joining them for two of the performances, cellist Amanda Forsyth. We’re delighted to have helped support these concerts, making this meeting of fi ne artistic spirits a possibility, and giving you a chance to experience the immediacy and timelessness of great music in this concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Ashkenazy and his friends.

We hope you enjoy the performance!

© W

IEN

TOU

RIS

MU

S/P

ETE

R R

IGA

UD

thursday afternoon symphonyThursday 14 November | 1.30pmtea & symphonyFriday 15 November | 11amSydney Opera House Concert Hall

2013 season

Sibelius and BrahmsVladimir Ashkenazy CONDUCTOR

Pinchas Zukerman VIOLIN

Amanda Forsyth CELLO

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)Double Concerto in A minor for violin, cello and orchestra, Op.102

AllegroAndanteVivace non troppo

INTERVAL

Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)Symphony No.5 in E fl at, Op.82

Tempo molto moderato – Allegro moderato – Vivace molto – Presto Andante mosso, quasi allegretto – Tranquillo – Ritenuto al tempo IAllegro molto – Misteriouso – Largamente assai

Friday morning’s concert will be performed without an interval.

Thursday afternoon’s performance will be broadcast live on ABC Classic FM.

Pre-concert talk by Scott Davie on Thursday 14 November at 1.15pm in the Northern Foyer. Visitbit.ly/SSOspeakerbios for speaker biographies.

Estimated durations: 32 minutes (Brahms) 30 minutes (Sibelius)The performance will conclude at approximately 3.10pm (Thursday) and 12.10pm (Friday).

SUPPORTING PARTNER

6 sydney symphony

A page from the autograph score of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony, with the composer at his desk in 1915, the year the symphony was premiered.

LEB

RE

CH

T M

US

IC &

AR

TS

LEB

RE

CH

T M

US

IC &

AR

TS

sydney symphony 7

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

Sibelius and Brahms: Ashkenazy and friends

At the end of our Sibelius Festival in 2004, Vladimir Ashkenazy declared he’d ‘never heard Sibelius played better!’ It turned out, he said recently, to be a momentous event for everyone involved. Those fortunate enough to have witnessed this artistic highlight in the SSO’s recent history will likely agree. Critic Peter McCallum went so far as to say (after the Second Symphony): ‘It was marvellous and many of those at home abed shall think themselves accursed they were not there.’

‘It was one of those nights when listeners concentrate,’ he wrote, ‘and players fi nd a groove which draws out the sound in great gulping breaths and bounding leaps, while the conductor led with nothing more obtrusive than a noble vision of a noble work.’

That festival marked the renewal of Ashkenazy’s relationship with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It set the template for a series of composer festivals: Rachmaninoff (2007), Elgar (2008), and in 2009, the fi rst year of his tenure as Principal Conductor, Prokofi ev. And it set the tone for a relationship founded on vision and unobtrusive leadership and, above all, on music and music-making among friends.

Today’s program highlights the theme of friendship, with a concerto that was written by a composer reaching out to a friend and which, unusually for its time, featured two soloists in chamber-music intimacy. (Today those soloists are husband-and-wife pair, Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth.) And we relive the glory of the Sibelius Festival with the Fifth Symphony. This is economical music, terse at times, yet in Ashkenazy’s hands it has a nobility of sound that leads without hesitation to the jubilant and life-affi rming conclusion.

INTRODUCTION

At this very moment a soloist’s heart is beating in time to the music at the Vienna State Opera. It’s a shame you can’t hear it.

VIENNA HOTELS & INFOTel. +43-1-24 555info@vienna.info WWW.VIENNA.INFO

Wiener Staatsballett, principal dancer, Olga Esina

sydney symphony 9

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Johannes BrahmsDouble Concerto in A minor for violin, cello and orchestra, Op.102AllegroAndanteVivace non troppo

Pinchas Zukerman, violinAmanda Forsyth cello

In 1887 Brahms told a conductor-friend that he’d had ‘the strange notion of writing a concerto for violin and cello’. Although the idea of concertos for multiple instruments had once been popular – in 18th-century Paris it was practically a fad – it was no longer fashionable. Brahms knew that what he had in mind was out of the ordinary.

Brahms intended the Double Concerto – as it’s commonly known – to be a ‘conciliatory peace mission’ to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. Nearly a decade earlier, Brahms had composed his violin concerto for Joachim, and the violinist

Keynotes

BRAHMS

Born Hamburg, 1833Died Vienna, 1897

Brahms is often thought reactionary: he valued classical forms, admired composers of the past, and his choral music is rooted in the traditions of the baroque period. Yet his musical language and way of using the orchestra clearly represents 19th-century romanticism in all its richness and emotive power.

It took Brahms 15 years to compose his first symphony; he was keenly aware of the looming shadow of Beethoven. But the second symphony followed four months later in 1877, and the violin concerto soon after. Although he continued to write chamber music, his last orchestral work was the Double Concerto, completed in 1887.

DOUBLE CONCERTO

The Double Concerto was written during a summer holiday at Thun in the Swiss mountains and was intended as a peace offering to his estranged friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, for whom he’d written his violin concerto. The challenges presented by the unusual combination of violin and cello with orchestra resulted in a distinctive ‘chamber music’ character: often delicate and intimate in effect.

The concerto is in three movements, the last evoking a Hungarian ‘gypsy’ spirit. It was premiered on 15 October 1887, with Brahms conducting and Joachim and Robert Hausmann, the cellist from Joachim’s string quartet, as soloists.

Brahms and Joachim, 1855

10 sydney symphony

had advised him on technique – the result was a masterpiece and a happy relationship. But in 1881 Joachim became convinced that his wife, Amalie, was having an aff air. Brahms chivalrously vouched for her innocence at the cost of the friendship. A few years later the couple had divorced, and in the summer of 1887 Brahms was hoping his double concerto would rekindle the old friendship. His postcard to Joachim read: ‘I should like to send some news of an artistic nature which I heartily hope might interest you a little.’

Joachim’s response was enthusiastic, and Brahms wrote several times thereafter for advice on technical aspects of the work. The two men came together to rehearse the fi nished music. The cellist was Robert Hausmann, who played in a string quartet with Joachim, and Brahms would have accompanied them at the piano, later conducting.

So it was that in September 1887 Brahms and Joachim spoke to each other for the fi rst time in years. Perhaps this is the message behind the very beginning of the concerto: after the cello (representing Brahms?) plays a long solo, it’s the violinist’s turn (Joachim), except the cello joins in almost straight away, and so begins a musical journey. It’s a journey with the intimacy of chamber music as well as the breadth of an orchestral sound.

The story of reconciliation isn’t just a sentimental interpretation; it explains some of the themes and musical gestures in the concerto. Brahms included references that he knew Joachim would recognise. In the fi rst movement (Allegro), for example, he hints at a violin concerto by Giovanni Battista Viotti, a longer-living contemporary of Mozart. The concerto was No.22 in A minor; Joachim had been responsible for resurrecting it and it was one of his favourite concert pieces. Brahms admired the concerto too, calling it his ‘special delight’, and he’d already referred to it in the violin concerto he’d written for Joachim. In the Double Concerto, Brahms takes the rhythmic gestures with distinctive pairs of notes from the beginning of Viotti’s concerto and gives them new harmonic and melodic shape.

In another gesture that Joachim would have recognised, there are fl eeting appearances in the fi rst and third movements of a fragment of melody – just three notes, F–A–E – which acted as a musical code for Joachim’s personal motto ‘Frei, aber einsam’ (free but lonely). And the fi nale has a Hungarian fl avour – again, probably a deliberate choice on Brahms’s part for a violinist who had grown up in Pest. Here the cello takes the lead, with a languorous gypsy-like melody, and the violin answers with piquant fl ippancy.

A portrait of Brahms from the 1880s

sydney symphony 11

In between the two fast movements is the Andante – music that conveys the tranquillity and intimacy of two musicians reconciled through the healing power of music, united to build (in the words of Donald Tovey) ‘one of the broadest melodies ever written’.

The surface mastery of the concerto tends to conceal the many challenges Brahms faced. How do you give equal prominence to the cello (an instrument inherently less penetrating than the violin)? How do you balance their diff erences in range (there is greater contrast between them than between the violin and viola in a piece like Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante)? And how do you apportion the thematic material between the soloists and orchestral forces?

Brahms’s deep knowledge of the music of the past helped him to fi nd a personal solution – one owing more to the 18th-century concerto grosso than to the typical virtuoso solo concerto of his own time. One of his strategies involves the contrasting of solid blocks of orchestral sound with passages of great transparency. This is most evident in the fi nale, but also shapes the fi rst movement in which full-bodied orchestral passages alternate with discreet accompaniment when the soloists display virtuoso skill; yet the fabric of the music is delicate and intimate.

The result is a distinctive chamber-music quality. Yes, there’s an orchestra on stage, but it’s easy to imagine that fi rst rehearsal: Brahms at the piano making a trio with his two friends playing violin and cello.

ADAPTED FROM NOTES BY YVONNE FRINDLE © 2008 AND SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA © 1994

Brahms’s Double Concerto calls for a modest orchestra comprising pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons; four horns and two trumpets; timpani and strings.

The SSO first performed the Double Concerto in 1950 in a concert conducted by Eugene Goossens. The soloists were violinist Ernest Llewellyn (after whom Llewellyn Hall at the Canberra School of Music is named) and cellist John Kennedy (father of Nigel Kennedy). The most recent performance was in 2011: violinist Karen Gomyo and cellist Alban Gerhardt were the soloists, with Vasily Petrenko conducting.

…the finale has a Hungarian flavour… the cello takes the lead, with a languorous gypsy-like melody…

Name________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________

Suburb/City/Town_______________________________________________________________________ State_________________________________________

Postcode_______________________________________________________ Email___________________________________________

I am paying by cheque OR please debit my Mastercard Visa Card American Express

Card No._____________________________________ CCV Expiry date______________________________________________

Name on Card____________________________________________________ Phone______________________________________________Phone number OR email address required for all mail orders

BUY ONLINE NOW http://get.mu/sso-decOR PHONE 1800 206 969 OR USE THIS ORDER FORM

MAIL Post this form to: Universal Music Australia, Attn: GetMusic Classical, PO Box 17, Millers Point, NSW 2000 EMAIL contact@getmusic.com.au

HURRY! OFFERS ONLY AVAILABLEWHILE STOCKS LAST

Returns: We offer free returns and refunds for any faulty items up to 30 days from despatch date. We don’t exchange for ‘change of mind’ on any products.All items returned for exchange or refund must be returned in their original condition. Any packaged goods must be returned with the packaging in its originalcondition or may not be accepted (unless faulty). This offer is available only through GetMusic and while stocks last. This offer expires on 31 January 2013

Please tick here if you DO NOT wish to receive information from Universal Music Australia about our recordings and news.

SPECIAL OFFERFOR SSO PATRONS!

FREE POSTAGE!

MILOS: HEARTSTRINGSBreathtaking guitaristMiloš's first DVD, tellingthe story of his youthand his burgeoningcareer, plus a CD ofseveral premieres.Valued at $32.95

JANINE JANSEN:BACH - VIOLINCONCERTOSJanine’s energising new Bach recording is lustrous, vivid and vital. Valued at $29.95

PHILIPS -ORIGINAL JACKETSCOLLECTIONA limited-edition 55-CD set of legendary and criticallyacclaimed recordingscelebrating the famousPHILIPS heritage. Valued at $150

Total value of package:

$212.90 from GetMusic**Offer expires on 31 January 2014

Yours for just

$62.90

sydney symphony 13

Keynotes

SIBELIUS

Born Hämeenlinna, 1865 Died Järvenpää, 1957

Sibelius was a force in the creation of a distinctive Finnish voice at the turn of the 20th century, and much of his music was based on themes from the Finnish folk epic, the Kalevala. His symphonies represented more ‘abstract’ works; he completed seven before he stopped composing in the 1930s, and worked on an eighth.

FIFTH SYMPHONY

The Fifth Symphony was composed in the troubled times of World War I, but even so it is one of Sibelius’s ‘most shining, life-affirming creations’. The music adopted a modest-sized orchestra and, eventually, a symmetrical structure of three movements – a departure from the four-movement classical symphony of Beethoven. The first movement – which opens with an important horn call – links what was originally two movements: a slow introduction and a waltz-like ‘scherzo’. The calm second movement is a set of variations on a rhythmic motif, and the final movement reverses the tempo directions of the first by beginning fast and ending slowly.

Sibelius conducted the premiere of the original version on 8 December 1915: his 50th birthday.

Jean SibeliusSymphony No.5 in E flat, Op.82Tempo molto moderato – Allegro moderato – Vivace molto – Presto Andante mosso, quasi allegretto – Tranquillo – Ritenuto al tempo IAllegro molto – Misteriouso – Largamente assai

The pitiless despair of Sibelius’s Fourth Symphony (1911) puzzled many of its fi rst listeners. The work seemed an unlikely sequel to the gentle radiance of the Third (1907), yet its gaze into the abyss gave way, in the Fifth, to one of Sibelius’s most shining, life-affi rming creations.

Early in 1914 he heard Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony for the fi rst time. ‘This is a legitimate and valid way of looking at things, I suppose,’ he wrote in his diary. ‘But it is certainly painful to listen to.’ Yet we know that Schoenberg’s abandonment of tonality continued to fascinate Sibelius, for it suggested a ‘next step’ for his own work after the Fourth Symphony. (He expressed his admiration for Schoenberg publicly at this time.) But the Fifth Symphony tells us plainly that Sibelius could not adopt another’s solutions to the musical issues he confronted. While the Fifth is light to the Fourth’s darkness, a progression from doubt to belief (Sibelius’s admiration for Bruckner should not be forgotten here), it represents no shift in Sibelius’s compositional principles; he was not a man to change his ways so swiftly. An economy of orchestral resource, the building up of musical paragraphs by the development of tiny melodic fragments, the determination to create his own solutions to the problems of harmonic language and symphonic form – these were abiding features of his music from the beginning of his composing life. In fact of all the major composers of the last century he was the most solitary, methodical and purposeful in his stylistic development, taking only fi tful interest in the work of his contemporaries. In Neville Cardus’ memorable description, Sibelius ‘sits alone in the house of music rather away from the hearth and the logs and the company; he says little, and sometimes by his taciturnity alone he makes an impression of deep thinking.’

He wrote the Fifth, one of the most popular of all his works, at a time of great personal diffi culty. The Great War had broken out and, as a result, Sibelius had lost access to the revenue from his German publishers, Breitkopf and Härtel. To earn some regular income he wrote a great number of salon pieces for domestic performance, and

14 sydney symphony

A sketch of Sibelius by Albert Engström, 1904

‘Sibelius sits alone in the house of music rather away from the hearth and the logs and the company; he says little, and sometimes by his taciturnity alone he makes an impression of deep thinking.’NEVILLE CARDUS

had little time for other composing; the Fifth Symphony is his only major work of the war years.

Sibelius himself conducted the symphony’s fi rst performance, at a concert given on 8 December 1915 to mark his 50th birthday. It was a jubilant event, treated almost as a national holiday, but Sibelius was unhappy with the work and revised it twice. In 1916 he joined the fi rst two of the original four movements together, and he made further revisions before it was published in 1919.

Listening Guide

The symphony begins quietly with horns and timpani. The theme we hear at this point is soon elaborated into a woodwind cadenza. At its conclusion the strings enter, and we seem to be moving gradually and inexorably into the landscape of the music until we come to the vista presented by a great tolling of the brass and the announcement of a jagged syncopated theme on the strings. Now we have reached the threshold beyond which the heart of the symphony lies. A mysterious, cloudy passage for the strings – over which the bassoon utters a sorrowful version of one of the main themes – leads to a burnished assertion by the trumpets of the very fi rst theme of the symphony, shortly after which, with a change of time signature from 12/8 to 3/4, the mood changes to one of dancing lightness, in which the sound of the two fl utes leads us on. Soon the music gathers pace and the strings take up the dance strain with increasing excitement until the brass join in for the fi nal, sudden, invigorating climax.

The second movement is a set of variations not on a theme, but on a rhythmic pattern that Sibelius contrives to behave like a theme. The whole movement is a centre of calm, and even the passionate descending string tune that marks one of the most decisive transformations of the original idea is marked Poco tranquillo. Towards the end of the movement the brass toll out a reminiscence of their earlier, more excitable selves; this leads to a series of cloudy gestures which recall music from the earlier movement. But towards the end the mood changes to one of almost childlike serenity, which is carried through to the short, abbreviated, coda.

The fi nale throws us into its hurly-burly almost immediately, with a whirlwind passage for the strings leading to one of the most famous of all themes in Sibelius’s music, that in which, as Donald Tovey famously described it, Thor swings his hammer. It is a good example of how orchestrally conceived Sibelius’s ideas are. Played on

sydney symphony 15

An economy of orchestral resource, the building up of musical paragraphs by the development of tiny melodic fragments, the determination to create his own solutions to the problems of harmonic language and symphonic form – these were abiding features of Sibelius’s music from the beginning of his composing life.

the piano the tune would mean very little, but given out on horns with a high, syncopated woodwind counterpoint, it attains a unique nobility. After some woodwind carolling and a return to the gusty sounds of the movement’s opening, Sibelius prepares us for a return of the swinging horn theme. When this fi nally re-appears, it does so as a chorale that has to struggle through long pedal-points and changes of key before bursting into its sunset glory. These fi nal minutes of the movement contain the richest orchestration of the whole work, but almost before we can register the fact, the symphony ends with six jubilant, adamant chords.

PHILLIP SAMETZ © 1995/2004

Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony calls for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons; four horns, three trumpets and three trombones; timpani and strings.

The SSO first performed the Fifth Symphony in 1939 with Edgar Bainton conducting, and most recently in 2010, conducted by Matthew Coorey. Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted the symphony in his Sibelius festival in 2004.

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW.

Sign up to our free e-newsletter.www.sydneysymphony.com/staytuned

16 sydney symphony

works, Valley of a Thousand Hills and 3 Vie (Three Roads), a concerto for saxophonist William Street. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Grzegorz Nowak.CBC RECORDS SMCD 5180

Soaring with Agamemnon features music for cello and piano by Malcolm Forsyth, Gavin Bryars and Arvo Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel), with Peter Longworth at the piano. The disc includes Pop’s Cycle (Eclectic Suite), which sets the mood with its well-named Ripsnorter Finale.MARQUIS CLASSICS MAR 231

For more recordings by Amanda Forsyth, including recordings with the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, visit: www.amandaforsyth.com/wp/discography

Broadcast DiaryNovember–December

abc.net.au/classic

Saturday 16 November, 8pmmahler and bruchVladimir Ashkenazy conductorPinchas Zukerman violin

Thursday 28 November, 1.05pmwagner madnessNicholas Carter conductorJanet Webb fl uteHaydn, L Liebermann, Ledger, Wagner

Saturday 14 December, 8pmvariations on an english themeJames Gaffi gan conductorVilde Frang violinHaydn, Britten, Brahms

Fine Music 102.5sydney symphony 2013Tuesday 10 December, 6pmMusicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store for 2014.

Webcasts

Selected Sydney Symphony Orchestra concerts are webcast live on BigPond and Telstra T-box and made available for later viewing On Demand. Our next webcast:mahler and bruchFrom Saturday 16 November at 8pmVisit: bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphonyWe recommend our free mobile app, now optimised for the iPad, if you want to watch SSO live webcasts on your mobile device.

MORE MUSIC

BRAHMS DOUBLE CONCERTO

Today’s performers haven’t recorded the Brahms Double Concerto, but for a classic pairing of the Double Concerto and Beethoven’s Triple, you can’t go past the EMI Great Recordings of the Century release featuring violinist David Oistrakh, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist Sviatoslav Richter. The Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan accompany the Beethoven; the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell accompany the Brahms. EMI CLASSICS 31768 (OR 55978)

Or, for a pairing of the Double with Brahms’s Violin Concerto – both composed for Joseph Joachim – try Vadim Repin and Truls Mørk with Riccardo Chailly conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 7470

ASHKENAZY CONDUCTS SIBELIUS

Vladimir Ashkenazy’s most recent recording of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony was with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, released in 2010 with the Fourth Symphony and the ever-popular Finlandia.EXTON 282

If you’re looking for the complete symphonies, these can be found in a value boxed set, together with the tone poems and violin concerto. Ashkenazy conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra; Boris Belkin is the soloist in the concerto.DECCA 473 5902

Visit www.sydneysymphony.com/shop to buy Ashkenazy’s recordings with the SSO.

PINCHAS ZUKERMAN

Pinchas Zukerman’s recent recording of the Brahms violin concerto with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic on the NYP’s house label is available through iTunes in a concert recording with Webern’s Passacaglia and Brahms’s Fourth Symphony.

Pinchas Zukerman and Vladimir Ashkenazy were frequent chamber music partners during the 1990s and their recordings include the complete Schubert piano trios with cellist Lynn Harrell (who will perform with the SSO in 2014).DECCA 455 6852

On the Eloquence label, Zukerman plays the much-loved Lark Ascending in an all-English collection of music by Delius, Vaughan Williams and Walton. Daniel Barenboim conducts the English Chamber Orchestra.ELOQUENCE 442 8333

AMANDA FORSYTH

Amanda Forsyth’s father was the South African-born Canadian composer, Malcolm Forysth and she has recorded some of his music for cello, including the concerto he wrote for her. One disc is named for the concerto, Electra Rising, and includes two other Forsyth

sydney symphony 17

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR

Vladimir Ashkenazy fi rst came to prominence on the world stage in the 1955 Chopin Competition in Warsaw and as winner of the 1956 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since then he has built an extraordinary career, not only as one of the most outstanding pianists of the 20th century, but as a revered and inspiring artist whose creative life encompasses a vast range of activities.

Conducting has formed the largest part of his music-making for the past 20 years, and this is his fi fth season as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Sydney Symphony. He has also been Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic (1998–2003) and Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (2004–2007), and he is Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, with whom he has developed landmark projects such as Prokofi ev and Shostakovich Under Stalin and Rachmaninoff Revisited.

He also holds the positions of Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He maintains strong links with a number of other major orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra (where he was formerly Principal Guest Conductor) and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Chief Conductor and Music Director, 1988–96), as well as making guest appearances with major orchestras around the world.

Vladimir Ashkenazy continues to devote himself to the piano, building his comprehensive recording catalogue with releases such as the 1999 Grammy award-winning Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Rautavaara’s Piano Concerto No.3 (which he commissioned), Rachmaninoff transcriptions, Bach’s Wohltemperierte Klavier and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. His most recent solo releases feature the music of Rachmaninoff .

A regular visitor to Sydney since his Australian debut in 1969, he has conducted subscription concerts and composer festivals for the Sydney Symphony, with highlights including the acclaimed Sibelius festival of 2004 and his Rachmaninoff festival of 2007. In 2010–11 he conducted the Mahler Odyssey concerts and live recordings, and his artistic role with the orchestra includes annual international touring.

Russian-born Vladimir Ashkenazy inherited his musical gift from both sides of his family: his father David Ashkenazy was a professional light music pianist and his mother Evstolia (née Plotnova) was daughter of a chorusmaster in the Russian Orthodox church.

KE

ITH

SA

UN

DE

RS

18 sydney symphony

Pinchas Zukerman VIOLIN

Pinchas Zukerman has remained a phenomenon in the world of music for over four decades, equally respected as violinist, violist, conductor, teacher and chamber musician. His extraordinary musicianship, prodigious technique and unwavering artistic standards are a marvel to audiences and critics. His busy annual performance schedule takes him all over North America, Europe and Asia, appearing in the 2013–14 season with such orchestras as the Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

As a chamber musician he appears this season with pianist Yefi m Bronfman in a North American recital tour, and his ensemble, the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, will perform at the Ravinia, Verbier and Miyazaki festivals, and make their third South American tour.

Over the past decade, Pinchas Zukerman has become equally regarded as a conductor, directing many of the world’s top orchestras. He is in his 15th season as Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa and has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009.

His devotion to the next generation of musicians has resulted in innovative teaching programs in London, New York, China, Israel and Ottawa. He chairs the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, pioneering the use of distance-learning technology, and in Canada he established the NAC Institute for Orchestra Studies and Summer Music Institute.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, he moved to America in 1962, studying at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian. He has been awarded the Medal of Arts and the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence, and was appointed as the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative’s fi rst instrumentalist mentor in the music discipline. His extensive discography contains more than a hundred titles and has earned him 21 Grammy nominations and two awards.

Pinchas Zukerman’s most recent visit to Sydney was in 2000 as part of the Olympic Arts Festival, appearing for the Australian Youth Orchestra and Musica Viva. On this visit to Australia he also performs with the Adelaide and West Australian symphony orchestras.

PAU

L LA

BE

LLE

sydney symphony 19

Amanda Forsyth CELLO

Known for her warm, resonating sound and eff ortless technique, JUNO Award-winning cellist Amanda Forsyth has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in more than 45 countries in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, appearing with leading orchestras in world-renowned concert halls and festivals.

She holds the post of principal cello with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and each season appears with the NACO as a soloist; in 2014 she will perform the Double Concerto for viola and cello by her father, Malcolm Forsyth.

Concerto highlights include appearances with the Mariinsky Orchestra in St Petersburg with Valery Gergiev conducting, and with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. She has also appeared with the Orchestre National de Montpellier, the Colorado Symphony in Denver, the San Carlo Orchestra in Naples, and in Russia with the Moscow Virtuosi, in performances fi lmed for national television. This year she also toured the United States as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and returned to the Miyazaki Festival for the third time as soloist with the Festival Orchestra and in chamber music concerts.

As a founding member of the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, she has toured South America several times, performs in the United States and throughout Europe, and has appeared in Israel, Jordan and New Zealand. This year the Zukerman ChamberPlayers gave concerts in Taiwan, China and Japan as well as in Santa Monica and Scottsdale, and for Villa Musica in Germany. In the 2012–13 season she also performed in recital at Ravinia, in Seville for Placido Domingo’s festival, and in Toronto, Princeton, Philadelphia and West Palm Beach.

This is Amanda Forsyth’s Sydney Symphony Orchestra debut; on this visit to Australia she also appears with the Adelaide and West Australian symphony orchestras.

Amanda Forsyth performs on a rare 1699 Italian cello by Carlo Giuseppe Testore.

MIS

HA

BYA

LIK

20 sydney symphony

MUSICIANS

Vladimir AshkenazyPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor supported by Emirates

Dene OldingConcertmaster

Jessica CottisAssistant Conductor supported by Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Andrew HaveronConcertmaster

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

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

FIRST VIOLINS

Dene Olding Concertmaster

Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster

Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

Lerida Delbridge Assistant Concertmaster

Fiona Ziegler Assistant Concertmaster

Julie BattyJenny BoothMarianne BroadfootBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeAmber DavisGeorges LentzNicola LewisAlexander NortonLéone ZieglerRebecca Gill†Andrew Haveron Concertmaster

Alexandra Mitchell

SECOND VIOLINS

Kirsty Hilton Marina Marsden Emma Jezek A/ Associate Principal

Emily Long A/ Assistant Principal

Shuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitMaja VerunicaAlexandra D’Elia*Elizabeth Jones*Kelly Tang†

Maria DurekEmma Hayes

VIOLAS

Roger Benedict Tobias Breider Anne-Louise Comerford Justin Williams Assistant Principal

Robyn BrookfieldSandro CostantinoJane HazelwoodGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenFelicity TsaiLeonid VolovelskyAmanda Verner

CELLOS

Catherine Hewgill Leah Lynn Assistant Principal

Kristy ConrauFenella GillTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid WickhamJames sang-oh Yoo†

DOUBLE BASSES

Kees Boersma Alex Henery Neil Brawley Principal Emeritus

David CampbellSteven LarsonRichard LynnDavid MurrayBenjamin Ward

FLUTES

Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisJanet Webb Rosamund Plummer Principal Piccolo

OBOES

Diana Doherty Shefali Pryor David PappAlexandre OgueyPrincipal Cor Anglais

CLARINETS

Lawrence Dobell Francesco Celata Christopher TingayCraig Wernicke Principal Bass Clarinet

BASSOONS

Matthew Wilkie Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada Principal Contrabassoon

HORNS

Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly Principal 3rd

Rachel SilverEuan HarveyBrendan Parravicini†

Ben Jacks Marnie Sebire

TRUMPETS

David Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony Heinrichs

TROMBONES

Scott Kinmont Nick ByrneChristopher HarrisPrincipal Bass Trombone

Ronald Prussing

TUBA

Steve Rossé

TIMPANI

Richard Miller Mark Robinson Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Rebecca Lagos Colin Piper

HARP

Louise Johnson

Bold = PrincipalItalics = Associate Principal* = Guest Musician† = SSO FellowGrey = Permanent member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra not appearing in this concert

sydney symphony 21

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAVladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor and Artistic AdvisorPATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved into one of the world’s fi nest orchestras as Sydney has become one of the world’s great cities.

Resident at the iconic Sydney Opera House, where it gives more than 100 performances each year, the SSO also performs in venues throughout Sydney and regional New South Wales. International tours to Europe, Asia and the USA have earned the orchestra worldwide recognition for artistic excellence, most recently in the 2012 tour to China.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s fi rst Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in 1947; he was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdenek Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti. David Robertson will take up the post of Chief Conductor in 2014. The orchestra’s history also boasts collaborations with legendary fi gures such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s award-winning education program is central to its commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developing audiences and engaging the participation of young people. The orchestra promotes the work of Australian composers through performances, recordings and its commissioning program. Recent premieres have included major works by Ross Edwards, Liza Lim, Lee Bracegirdle, Gordon Kerry and Georges Lentz, and the orchestra’s recordings of works by Brett Dean have been released on both BIS and Sydney Symphony Live.

Other releases on the Sydney Symphony Live label, established in 2006, include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2010–11 the orchestra made concert recordings of the complete Mahler symphonies with Ashkenazy, and has also released recordings of Rachmaninoff and Elgar orchestral works on the Exton/Triton labels, as well as numerous recordings on the ABC Classics label.

This is the fi fth year of Ashkenazy’s tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

JOH

N M

AR

MA

RA

S

22 sydney symphony

BEHIND THE SCENES

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Rory JeffesEXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT

Lisa Davies-Galli

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

Peter Czornyj

Artistic AdministrationARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Eleasha MahARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Ilmar LeetbergRECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

Philip Powers

Education ProgramsHEAD OF EDUCATION

Kim WaldockEMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Mark LawrensonEDUCATION COORDINATOR

Rachel McLarinCUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

Amy Walsh

LibraryAnna CernikVictoria GrantMary-Ann Mead

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

Aernout KerbertORCHESTRA MANAGER

Chris Lewis ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR

Georgia StamatopoulosOPERATIONS MANAGER

Kerry-Anne CookPRODUCTION MANAGER

Laura DanielPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tim DaymanPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Ian Spence

SALES AND MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Mark J ElliottSENIOR SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

Penny EvansMARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES

Simon Crossley-MeatesMARKETING MANAGER, CLASSICAL SALES

Matthew RiveMARKETING MANAGER, WEB & DIGITAL MEDIA

Eve Le GallMARKETING MANAGER, DATABASE & CRM

Matthew HodgeGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lucy McCulloughCREATIVE ARTWORKER

Nathanael van der Reyden

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Staff

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jonathon Symonds ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jenny Sargant

Box OfficeMANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES &OPERATIONS

Lynn McLaughlinBOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

Jacqueline TooleyBOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

John Robertson CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Karen Wagg – Senior CSR Michael DowlingKatarzyna OstafijczukTim Walsh

COMMUNICATIONS

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS & SPONSOR RELATIONS

Yvonne ZammitPUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Katherine StevensonCOMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Janine Harris DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Kai RaisbeckFELLOWSHIP SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER

Caitlin Benetatos

PublicationsPUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Yvonne Frindle

DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Caroline SharpenHEAD OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

Jeremy GoffHEAD OF MAJOR GIFTS

Luke Andrew GayDEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Amelia Morgan-HunnDEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Sarah Morrisby

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

John HornFINANCE MANAGER

Ruth TolentinoACCOUNTANT

Minerva PrescottACCOUNTS ASSISTANT

Emma FerrerPAYROLL OFFICER

Laura Soutter

HUMAN RESOURCES

HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Michel Maree Hryce

M

REX

Li

A

D

Pe

ArAR

ElAR

IlRE

Ph

EdH

KEM

MED

RC

Am

LiAnViM

O

D

AeO

CO

GO

KPR

LaPR

TPR

Ia

S

D

MSE

PeM

SiM

MM

EvM

MG

LuC

N

S

John C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus amEwen Crouch amRoss GrantJennifer HoyRory JeffesAndrew Kaldor amDavid LivingstoneGoetz Richter

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Board

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Council

Geoff Ainsworth amAndrew Andersons aoMichael Baume aoChristine BishopIta Buttrose ao obePeter CudlippJohn Curtis amGreg Daniel amJohn Della BoscaAlan FangErin FlahertyDr Stephen FreibergDonald Hazelwood ao obeDr Michael Joel amSimon JohnsonYvonne Kenny amGary LinnaneAmanda LoveHelen Lynch amDavid MaloneyDavid Malouf aoJulie Manfredi-HughesDeborah MarrThe Hon. Justice Jane Mathews aoDanny MayWendy McCarthy aoJane MorschelGreg ParamorDr Timothy Pascoe amProf. Ron Penny aoJerome RowleyPaul SalteriSandra SalteriJuliana SchaefferLeo Schofield amFred Stein oamGabrielle TrainorIvan UngarJohn van OgtropPeter Weiss ao HonDLittMary WhelanRosemary White

P

sydney symphony 23

06 Kirsty Hilton Principal Second Violin Corrs Chambers Westgarth Chair

07 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

08 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

09 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

10 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

11 Janet Webb Principal Flute Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Chair

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRONS

Maestro’s CirclePeter Weiss ao – Founding President & Doris WeissJohn C Conde ao – ChairmanGeoff Ainsworth am Tom Breen & Rachael KohnIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonAndrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor aoVicki OlssonRoslyn Packer ao

Penelope Seidler amMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetWestfield GroupBrian & Rosemary WhiteRay Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Corporate AllianceTony Grierson, Braithwaite Steiner PrettyInsurance Australia Grou pJohn Morschel, Chairman, ANZ

01 Roger Benedict Principal Viola Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Chair

02 Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Terrey Arcus am & Anne Arcus Chair

03 Diana Doherty Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Chair

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

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

Chair Patrons

01 02 03

04 05 06

07 08 09

10 11 For information about the Chair Patrons program, please call (02) 8215 4619.

David BluffKees Boersma Andrew BraggPeter BraithwaiteBlake BriggsAndrea BrownHelen CaldwellHilary CaldwellHahn ChauAlistair ClarkMatthew ClarkBenoît CocheteuxPaul ColganGeorge CondousJuliet CurtinJustin Di Lollo

Alistair FurnivalAlistair GibsonSam GiddingsMarina GoSebastian GoldspinkTony GriersonLouise HaggertyRose HercegPhilip HeuzenroederPaolo HookePeter HowardJennifer HoyScott JacksonJustin JamesonAernout KerbertTristan Landers

Gary LinnanePaul MacdonaldKylie McCaigRebecca MacFarlingDavid McKeanHayden McLeanAmelia Morgan-HunnPhoebe Morgan-HunnTaine MoufarrigeNick NichlesTom O’DonnellKate O’ReillyFiona OslerArchie PaffasJonathan PeaseJingmin Qian

Seamus R QuickLeah RanieMichael ReedePaul ReidyChris RobertsonBenjamin RobinsonEmma RodigariJacqueline RowlandsKatherine ShawRandal TameSandra TangAdam WandJon WilkieJonathan WatkinsonDarren WoolleyMisha Zelinsky

Justin Di Lollo – ChairKees BoersmaMarina GoDavid McKeanAmelia Morgan-HunnJonathan PeaseSeamus R Quick

MembersCentric WealthMatti AlakargasStephen AttfieldDamien BaileyMar BeltranEvonne BennettNicole Billet

Sydney Symphony Orchestra VanguardVanguard Collective

24 sydney symphony

PLAYING YOUR PART

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

Platinum Patrons: $20,000+Brian AbelRobert Albert ao & Elizabeth AlbertGeoff AinsworthTerrey Arcus am & Anne ArcusTom Breen & Rachael KohnSandra & Neil BurnsMr John C Conde aoRobert & Janet ConstableMichael Crouch ao & Shanny CrouchJames & Leonie FurberDr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuff reIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonMr Andrew Kaldor am & Mrs Renata Kaldor aoD & I KallinikosHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerVicki OlssonMrs Roslyn Packer aoPaul & Sandra SalteriMrs Penelope Seidler amG & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzieMrs W SteningMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetPeter Weiss ao & Doris WeissWestfi eld GroupMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteKim Williams am & Catherine DoveyRay Wilson oam in memory of James Agapitos oam

Gold Patrons: $10,000–$19,999Doug & Alison BattersbyAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonCopyright Agency Cultural Fund Edward & Diane FedermanNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantMr Ervin KatzJames N Kirby FoundationMs Irene LeeRuth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran MeagherMrs T Merewether oamMr John MorschelMr John SymondAndy & Deirdre Plummer Caroline WilkinsonAnonymous (1)

Silver Patrons: $5000–$9,999Stephen J BellMr Alexander & Mrs Vera BoyarskyMr Robert BrakspearMr David & Mrs Halina BrettMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie ClampettEwen Crouch am & Catherine CrouchIan Dickson & Reg Holloway

Dr C GoldschmidtThe Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory Jeff esJudges of the Supreme Court of NSW J A McKernanR & S Maple-BrownJustice Jane Mathews aoMora MaxwellMrs Barbara MurphyDrs Keith & Eileen OngTimothy & Eva PascoeWilliam McIlrath Charitable FoundationMr B G O’ConorRodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia RosenblumEstate of the late Greta C RyanManfred & Linda SalamonSimpsons SolicitorsMrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet CookeMichael & Mary Whelan TrustJune & Alan Woods Family BequestAnonymous (2)

Bronze Patrons: Presto $2,500–$4,999Mr Henri W Aram oamThe Berg Family Foundation in memory of Hetty GordonMr B & Mrs M ColesMr Howard ConnorsGreta DavisThe Hon. Ashley Dawson-DamerFirehold Pty LtdStephen Freiberg & Donald CampbellVic & Katie FrenchMrs Jennifer HershonGary LinnaneRobert McDougallRenee MarkovicJames & Elsie MooreMs Jackie O’BrienJ F & A van OgtropIn memory of Sandra Paul PottingerIn memory of H St P ScarlettDavid & Isabel SmithersMarliese & Georges TeitlerMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary WalshMr & Mrs T & D YimAnonymous (1)

Bronze Patrons: Vivace $1,000–$2,499Mrs Antoinette AlbertAndrew Andersons aoMr & Mrs Garry S AshDr Francis J AugustusSibilla BaerRichard and Christine Banks David BarnesMark Bethwaite am & Carolyn Bethwaite

Allan & Julie BlighDr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff Jan BowenLenore P BuckleM BulmerIn memory of RW BurleyIta Buttrose ao obeMr JC Campbell qc & Mrs CampbellDr Rebecca ChinDr Diana Choquette & Mr Robert MillinerMr Peter ClarkeConstable Estate Vineyards Debby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret CunninghamLisa & Miro DavisMatthew DelaseyMr & Mrs Grant DixonColin Draper & Mary Jane BrodribbMalcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillMrs Margaret EppsPaul R EspieProfessor Michael Field AMMr Tom FrancisMr James Graham am & Mrs Helen GrahamWarren GreenAnthony GreggAkiko GregoryTony GriersonEdward & Deborah Griffi nRichard Griffi n amIn memory of Dora & Oscar GrynbergJanette HamiltonMrs & Mr HolmesThe Hon. David Hunt ao qc & Mrs Margaret HuntDr & Mrs Michael HunterIrwin Imhof in memory of Herta ImhofMichael & Anna JoelIn memory of Bernard M H KhawMr Justin LamMr Luigi LampratiMr Peter Lazar amProfessor Winston LiauwDr David LuisPeter Lowry oam & Dr Carolyn Lowry oamDr David LuisDeirdre & Kevin McCannIan & Pam McGawMatthew McInnesMacquarie Group FoundationMrs Toshiko MericHenry & Ursula MooserMilja & David MorrisMrs J MulveneyOrigin FoundationMr & Mrs OrtisDr A J PalmerMr Andrew C Patterson

sydney symphony 25

Learn how, with the people who know books

and writing best.

Faber Academyat ALLEN & UNWIN

T (02) 8425 0171

W allenandunwin.com/faberacademy

D O Y O U H A V E A S T O R Y T O

T E L L ?

To find out more about becominga Sydney Symphony Patron, pleasecontact the Philanthropy Officeon (02) 8215 4625 or emailphilanthropy@sydneysymphony.com

Dr Natalie E PelhamAlmut PiattiRobin PotterTA & MT Murray-PriorDr Raffi QasabianMichael QuaileyErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment Pty LtdDr John Roarty oam in memory of Mrs June RoartyRobin RodgersLesley & Andrew RosenbergJulianna Schaeff erCaroline SharpenDr Agnes E SinclairMrs Judith SouthamMrs Karen Spiegal-KeighleyCatherine StephenJohn & Alix SullivanThe Hon. Brian Sully qcMildred TeitlerKevin TroyJohn E TuckeyIn memory of Joan & Rupert VallentineDr Alla WaldmanMiss Sherry WangHenry & Ruth WeinbergThe Hon. Justice A G WhealyMs Kathy White in memory of Mr Geoff WhiteA Willmers & R PalMr & Mrs B C WilsonDr Richard WingMr Robert WoodsIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (12)

Bronze Patrons: Allegro $500–$999Mrs Lenore AdamsonDavid & Rae AllenMichael Baume ao & Toni BaumeBeauty Point Retirement ResortRichard & Margaret BellMrs Jan BiberMinnie BiggsMrs Elizabeth BoonMr Colin G BoothDr Margaret BoothMr Peter BraithwaiteMr Harry H BrianR D & L M BroadfootDr Miles Burgess

Pat & Jenny BurnettEric & Rosemary CampbellBarrie CarterMr Jonathan ChissickMrs Sandra ClarkMichael & Natalie CoatesCoff s Airport Security Car ParkJen CornishDom Cottam & Kanako ImamuraDegabriele KitchensPhil Diment am & Bill Zafi ropoulosDr David DixonElizabeth DonatiThe Dowe FamilyMrs Jane DrexlerDr Nita Durham & Dr James DurhamJohn FavaloroMs Julie Flynn & Mr Trevor CookMrs Lesley FinnMr John GadenVivienne GoldschmidtClive & Jenny GoodwinMs Fay GrearIn Memory of Angelica GreenMr Robert GreenMr & Mrs Harold & Althea HallidayMr Robert HavardRoger HenningSue HewittIn memory of Emil HiltonDorothy Hoddinott aoMr Joerg HofmannMr Angus HoldenMr Kevin HollandBill & Pam HughesDr Esther JanssenNiki KallenbergerMrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamChris J KitchingAron KleinlehrerAnna-Lisa KlettenbergMr & Mrs Giles T KrygerThe Laing FamilySonia LalDr Leo & Mrs Shirley LeaderMargaret LedermanMrs Erna Levy Sydney & Airdrie LloydMrs A LohanMrs Panee LowMelvyn MadiganBarbara MaidmentHelen & Phil MeddingsDavid Mills

Kenneth Newton MitchellMs Margaret Moore oam & Dr Paul Hutchins amHelen MorganChris Morgan-HunnMr Darrol NormanMr Graham NorthDr Margaret ParkerDr Kevin PedemontDr John PittMrs Greeba PritchardMr Patrick Quinn-GrahamMiss Julie RadosavljevicRenaissance ToursDr Marilyn RichardsonAnna RoMr Kenneth RyanMrs Pamela SayersGarry Scarf & Morgie BlaxillPeter & Virginia ShawMr & Mrs ShoreMrs Diane Shteinman amVictoria SmythDoug & Judy SotherenRuth StaplesMr & Mrs Ashley StephensonMargaret SuthersThe Taplin FamilyDr & Mrs H K TeyMrs Alma Toohey & Mr Edward SpicerJudge Robyn TupmanMrs M TurkingtonGillian Turner & Rob BishopMr & Mrs Franc VaccherProf Gordon E WallRonald WalledgeIn memory of Denis WallisThe Wilkinson FamilyEvan Williams am & Janet WilliamsAudrey & Michael WilsonDr Richard WingateDr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K WongGeoff Wood & Melissa WaitesMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (24)

List correct as of 1 October 2013

26 sydney symphony

SALUTE

PREMIER PARTNER

Fine Music 102.5

MARKETING PARTNER

SILVER PARTNERS

THE LEADING SCHOOL FOR TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY

PLATINUM PARTNERS

PRINCIPAL PARTNER GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

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

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

EDUCATION PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNERS

It’s an extension of my body…

already; I can see it, and I can hear it.’

For the first few years in the job, says Leah, there’s no amount of preparation that compares with the experience of repeating a piece, and what that brings to your bank of skills. ‘Although I heard the words many times as a younger professional about “needing experience”, I don’t think I quite understood what that meant, what experience really can bring.

‘Having been in the orchestra for over 15 years, I feel like I’ve reached a different point of reference. It’s not that the music still always feels fresh, but most pieces you just take a different approach to. The only pieces that will ever feel tired to me are ones that I really dislike. For everything else, I just try to change and hopefully improve my perspective each time.’

For more information about donating to the instrument fund, contact Luke Gay at luke.gay@sydneysymphony.com or (02) 8215 4625.

Pho

to: K

eith

Sau

nder

s

Like many of our musicians, Assistant Principal cellist Leah Lynn has a very close relationship with her instrument. ‘Most of the time, it’s like an extension of my body,’ she says, ‘it’s a comfortable and symbiotic relationship.’ Running around after three kids with her husband Richard, who plays double bass in the orchestra, sometimes leaves less than the ideal amount of time to practise. ‘If life has been busy and I’ve had too little time with my cello, the symbiotic sense is lost. It can feel like I’m holding some kind of strange “thing” – it can feel a bit alien.

A few years ago, the orchestra purchased a 1901 Vincenzo

Sannino cello, an acquisition made possible through our Instrument Fund; Leah was the very happy recipient of this magnificent Italian cello. ‘I’ve now got this new and expressive language of colour and timbre available to me. It has a sonority with which I can express myself so much better [than before].

‘The sound [of the Sannino] is just so close to my ideal sound, to what’s in my head. I think all music starts in the your head. When I was younger, I often thought – quite naively – that if I was to loose a sense, I would least mind losing my hearing, because I’ve got the music in my head

HELLO CELLOAssistant Principal cellist Leah Lynn is at one with her instrument.

ORCHESTRA NEWS | NOVEMBER 2013

Pho

to: K

en B

utti

Our Education Partner Tenix recently gave three aspiring young Australian musicians the chance to travel to Sydney for the inaugural Tenix Sydney Symphony Orchestra Experience Day. Seventeen-year-old Grace Halloway (right) made the trip from Kingsley in Perth to take part in a private bassoon

lesson with SSO principal Noriko Shimada (left). With Madeline Baker (clarinet) and Murphy Guo (piano) from Victoria, Grace also enjoyed lunch with the SSO’s Fellows, a personalised Sydney Opera House tour with our Assistant Conductor Jessica Cottis, and a concert by the orchestra.

‘I absolutely loved the sound of the Wagner tubas in the Orchestral Adventure concert,’ writes one concert-goer. ‘They look like a euphonium given the once-over by Salvador Dali!’Wagner tubas are the brainchild of Richard Wagner, who was searching for a bridge in the sound between the horns and trombones at the time of composing his Ring cycle.

SSO horn player Marnie Sebire is often called on to play this notoriously unwieldy instrument: ‘Let’s just say it’s “interesting” to play!’ Despite the name, Wagner tubas are normally assigned to the horn section, rather than tuba players; the shape of the instrument might be very different to the horn, but the mouthpiece used is identical.

‘Wagner tubas have a few inherent flaws; often the notes don’t “centre”. On the horn, we can move our right hand around in the bell to alter the intonation, but we lose that advantage when the bell is pointing straight up.’ Instead the player has to alter the shape of their embouchure. ‘We’re always lipping up or down to get the notes in tune.’

Few composers use the instrument – Richard Strauss in some of his symphonic tone poems, Stravinsky in The Rite of Spring, Wagner of course – but every orchestra will own a set of four. ‘We need the instruments there for us to practise on and keep familiar,’ says Marnie. The SSO is currently investigating the purchase of a new set, at a cost of about $40,000.

Challenges aside, Marnie says the sound of the Wagner tuba is one of the most honest and honourable. ‘They have a rich, warm and resonant sound. When you’ve got a good quartet playing, it’s something very special.’

Have a question about music, instruments of the inner workings of an orchestra? ‘Ask a Musician’ at yoursay@sydneysymphony.com or by writing to Bravo! Reply Paid 4338, Sydney NSW 2001

Ask a MusicianEducation HighlightLove music. Will travel.

Kamikaze kookaburras. Cake and cookies from the Country Women’s Association. All in a day’s work for our SSO Fellows when they took to the road to join in the music-making at the Moorambilla Festival in September.

‘The festival’s a celebration of music which brings local communities together, and gives rural kids the opportunity to be involved in a large-scale musical event,’ says clarinet Fellow Som Howie. The heart of the festival was hosted at Coonamble, seven hours’ drive northwest of Sydney. ‘Some of the schools involved have only ten students enrolled, so without Moorambilla, it’s unlikely those kids would have the chance to sing in a large choir or music ensemble.’

Our Fellows, alongside other professional and amateur ensembles from Sydney, worked with local groups, sharing their passion and expertise. Events culminated in an enormous combined gala performance. Horn Fellow Brendan Parravicini found it a moving experience: ‘When we were accompanying the children’s choir, made up of hundreds of kids, I felt humbled to share in such a special occasion.’

Dancing with BrittenOur final set of concerts for the year offers ‘Variations on an English Theme’: music for the English, music by an Englishman, and music celebrating variation technique – sometimes all three at once!

And at the centre of the program is Britten’s Violin Concerto, which will also see the Australian debut of young Norwegian violinist, Vilde Frang.

Those who’ve heard Vilde Frang play know she’s a leading musician of her generation. She was discovered by Mariss Jansons at the age of 13, and last year made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Lucerne Festival, at which she received the 2012 Credit Suisse Young Artists Award.

It’s less well-known that she studied ballet for many years and dreamed of being a choreographer. Maybe it’s appropriate then that her current musical focus is the Britten – a concerto that ends with a Passacaglia, a massive set of dance variations.

The concerto begins with a sense of impending doom (it was composed in 1939) but also has a wonderful intensity to it. And the Passacaglia introduces the variation form that Britten loved so much (think Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra), making for an expansive and virtuosic finale. Ideal music for a violinist with dancing in her bones; ideal music for a violinist with multifaceted sound and a maturity that belies her youth.Variations on an English ThemeMaster Series11, 13, 14, December | 8pm

The Score

Pho

to: S

ussi

e A

hlbu

rg

JP ON THE VANGUARDPhilanthropy Focus

Pho

to: B

en S

ymon

s

‘The main thing is that people don’t know what they don’t know. If you say to someone who’s never seen the SSO, “Do you like this sort of music? Are you into it?” they’ll probably say “No”. But bring them to Vanguard – to a car park in Kings Cross, or a warehouse in Surry Hills – to witness the SSO playing our sort of music, and they walk away saying, “Wow. I really love that.” I haven’t brought anyone to Vanguard who hasn’t loved it and wanted to come back.’

In addition to the car park and the warehouse, Vanguard has hosted events in a basement and a brewery, and has raised over $45,000 to fund three year-long places in the SSO’s Sinfonia mentoring orchestra for talented young musicians.

‘We’re going to continue to push it, do new and creative things. The next one might be in an aircraft carrier,’ laughs JP, ‘or maybe we’ll launch the SSO blimp!’ Watch the skies…

Visit sydneysymphony.com/ vanguard for more information or contact Amelia Morgan-Hunn: amelia.morgan-hunn@sydneysymphony.com or (02) 8215 4663.

When Development Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn was interviewed for her job in 2010 she pitched us the idea of ‘SSO Vanguard’. It got us excited, and needless to say, she got the job!

One of the first to join Amelia on this initiative was Jonathan Pease, ‘JP’ to everyone. With a 20-year background in marketing and advertising for the biggest guns in town, JP jumped at the chance to do something for the greater cultural good. ‘I love art. I love music. I think without art and music around you, everything becomes extremely transactional and boring. I don’t want to live in a world without either. When Amelia invited me to be involved, it was a no-brainer.’

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Vanguard encourages young philanthropists to discover and enjoy classical music by taking it into unexpected spaces. ‘We want a new audience to fall in love with music,’ says JP. ‘And we’re doing that by taking the orchestra out of the Opera House, giving it a twist, and making it more relevant for a Gen X–Y demographic. These are people who don’t have a season pass, and who may never go to the Opera House for a performance.’

JP (Jonathan Pease) was one of the first to join the SSO’s Vanguard Collective.

PAPER PARTNER

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUSTMr John Symond AM [Chair]Mr Wayne Blair, Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Renata Kaldor AO, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Robert Leece AM RFD, Mr Peter Mason AM, Mr Leo Schofi eld AM, Mr Robert Wannan

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENTChief Executive Offi cer Louise Herron AM

Chief Operating Offi cer Claire SpencerDirector, Programming Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre and Events David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development and Maintenance Greg McTaggartDirector, External Affairs Brook TurnerDirector, Commercial David Watson

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSEBennelong Point GPO Box 4274, Sydney NSW 2001Administration (02) 9250 7111 Box Offi ce (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666 Website www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Clocktower Square, Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4644Box Offi ce (02) 8215 4600Facsimile (02) 8215 4646www.sydneysymphony.com

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted 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 this publication do not necessarily refl ect 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 accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.

Please address all correspondence to the Publications Editor: Email program.editor@sydneysymphony.com

SYMPHONY SERVICES INTERNATIONALSuite 2, Level 5, 1 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010PO Box 1145, Darlinghurst NSW 1300Telephone (02) 8622 9400 Facsimile (02) 8622 9422www.symphonyinternational.net

All enquiries for advertising space in this publication should be directed to the above company and address. Entire concept copyright. Reproduction without permission in whole 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 Proprietary Limited.

By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specifi ed on the title page of this publication 17199 — 1/141113 — 35TH/35TS S92/93

This is a PLAYBILL / SHOWBILL publication. Playbill Proprietary Limited / Showbill Proprietary Limited ACN 003 311 064 ABN 27 003 311 064

Head Office: Suite A, Level 1, Building 16, Fox Studios Australia, Park Road North, Moore Park NSW 2021PO Box 410, Paddington NSW 2021Telephone: +61 2 9921 5353 Fax: +61 2 9449 6053 E-mail: admin@playbill.com.au Website: www.playbill.com.au

Chairman Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD

Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan Ziegler

Operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin

PA

All Entproof S

By to tpubbinof t

ThTPlaAC

HeFoPOTeTE-m

ChMaEdMa

Op

BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravo

SSO FAMILYFirst violinist Alexandra Mitchell and husband Charles welcomed daughter Chloe in September. She didn’t give her mum much time to recover from the rigours of Wagner before demanding her entry to the world. Brava Alex!

CONDOLENCESWe were saddened to learn of the death of Douglas Trengove, a horn player with the SSO for 42 years. In a Sydney Morning Herald review from 1962, he was praised for the ‘liquescent cut and curl of the passagework’ in Mozart’s Horn Quintet. Our thoughts are with Douglas’s wife Barbara, children Christopher and Caroline, and extended family and friends.

NEW CHAIR PATRONSWe’re delighted to announce two new Chair Patrons for the orchestra. The Principal Flute Chair (Janet Webb), is now supported by Helen Lynch AM & Helen Bauer. And Corrs

Chambers Westgarth have come on board to support the Principal Second Violin Chair (Kirsty Hilton). Our Chair Patrons program –formerly Directors’ Chairs – builds special relationships between our musicians and members of our community of supporters. For more information, call (02) 8215 4619.

STUDENT RUSHDid you know we offer student rush tickets to many of our concerts? Follow our Facebook page to find out where, when, and how many. Tickets are always strictly limited, but you’ll often spend no more than $15. Bargain!

FELLOWS ON FILMWhy does Brendan Parravicini call the SSO Fellowship program an ‘arranged marriage’? Get to know our 2013 Fellows through a series of short videos, created by Premier Partner Credit Suisse: bit.ly/5MinutesWithTheFellows

3 x 3August and September saw us present three world premieres in three weeks. John Adams’ Saxophone

Concerto, Mary Finsterer’s Double Bass Concerto, and Compassion by Lior and Nigel Westlake, were heard by more than 10,000 people, thanks to ABC Classic FM broadcasts and our webcast of the Lior-Westlake concert.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENTFly with Emirates and enjoy the SSO in flight! A selection of webcast performances – including our 2010 performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy – can now be viewed on Emirates’ ice, which recently took out the award for best inflight entertainment system for the ninth year running in the Skytrax Awards.

CATCHING THE WORMOur 2014 Season Emirates Early Bird prize has been won by Mrs Margaret Harlow, an SSO subscriber for more than 17 years. Mrs Harlow (and a lucky travel partner) will fly Emirates’ luxurious business class to Dubai and enjoy five nights in the JW Marriot Marquis Dubai. Congratulations!

CODA