Sibelius Finlandia

C O N C E R T P R O G R A M

Master Series Thursday Thursday 19 November at 8pm

Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall

Master Series Friday Friday 20 November at 8pm

Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall

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MESSIAH Saturday 5 December Sunday 6 December

Join conductor Bramwell Tovey, the MSO Chorus and renowned international soloists for one of the MSO’s most beloved Christmas traditions, Handel’s Messiah.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS Saturday 12 December Sunday 13 December

Bramwell Tovey joins the MSO as conductor, pianist and host in this celebration of the great musical traditions of Christmas, from famous orchestral works and favourite Christmas songs to the most beloved of Yuletide carols.

HITCHCOCK AND HERRMANN Friday 5 February Saturday 6 February

Immerse yourself in scenes from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic films on the big screen and hear Bernard Herrmann’s astonishing scores in 3D – performed live by the MSO.

LUNAR NEW YEAR CONCERT Sunday 14 February

Melbourne’s Lunar New Year Concert has become a much-loved part of the MSO season. Join the Orchestra for a concert of works inspired by Eastern and Western music, conducted by composer Tan Dun.

DVOŘÁK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY Friday 4 March

The opening concert in the MSO’s Town Hall Series, led by Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey and featuring Sibelius’ Finlandia, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Dvořák’s Symphony No.9.

BRAHMS AND TCHAIKOVSKY Thursday 26 November Friday 27 November Saturday 28 November

Divertimento, Bartók’s dark take on the Baroque, kick-starts this night of European festivities. Brahms’ Violin Concerto delivers a fiery, gypsy-inspired rondo and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings pays homage to Mozart.

WHAT’S ON DECEMBER 2015 –MARCH 2016

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REPERTOIRE

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Yan Pascal Tortelier conductor Kolja Blacher violin

Sibelius Finlandia

Nielsen Violin Concerto

– Interval

– Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela

Sibelius Symphony No.5

In 2015, we celebrate the 150th anniversaries of Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, those twin pillars of Scandinavian symphonic music, both born in 1865. Despite this coincidence and their mutual admiration, the two men met only once, apparently at a dinner party in Berlin. A fellow guest later recalled, ‘Sibelius was not in good form on this occasion and struck his companions as far too earnest to be good company.’

This commemorative concert is conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier, a long-time friend of the MSO, making a welcome return with a program that includes three Sibelius works: his most famous composition, Finlandia; The Swan of Tuonela; and Symphony No. 5, whose last movement was inspired by Sibelius’s sighting of 16 swans in flight.

Another friend of the MSO, Kolja Blacher, is the soloist in Nielsen’s rarely performed Violin Concerto, described by the composer as ‘essentially difficult and therefore a lot of fun.’ I certainly hope you will agree!

Welcome!

Sir Andrew Davis Chief Conductor MSO

WELCOME

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we perform – The Kulin Nation – and would like to pay our respects to their Elders and Community both past and present.

This concert has a duration of approximately 2 hours including one 20 minute interval.

This performance will be recorded for broadcast on ABC Classic FM at 1pm on Saturday 21 November.

Pre-Concert Talks 7pm Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November, Stalls Foyer, Hamer Hall

MSO Director of Artistic Planning Ronald Vermeulen will present a talk on the artist and works featured in the program.

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MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is funded principally by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and is generously supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The MSO is also funded by the City of Melbourne, its Principal Partner, Emirates, corporate sponsors and individual donors, trusts and foundations.

YAN PASCAL TORTELIER CONDUCTOR

Yan Pascal Tortelier enjoys a distinguished career as guest conductor of the world’s most prestigious orchestras. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, he studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and from 1974 to 1983 he was Associate Conductor of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.

Further positions have since included Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster Orchestra (1989–1992), Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2005–2008) and Principal Conductor of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (2009–2011). Following his outstanding work as Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic (1992–2003), he was given the title of Conductor Emeritus and continues to work with the Orchestra regularly. He also holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Highlights of this season and beyond include appearances with the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Minnesota and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, European performances with the Iceland and Bochum Symphony Orchestras and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and a return to Australia to conduct the Queensland, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney Symphony Orchestras.

Yan Pascal Tortelier’s recordings include the music of Ravel (featuring his own orchestration of Ravel’s Piano Trio), Debussy, Franck, Roussel and Dutilleux.

With a reputation for excellence, versatility and innovation, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia’s oldest orchestra, established in 1906. The Orchestra currently performs live to more than 200,000 people annually, in concerts ranging from subscription performances at its home, Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne, to its annual free concerts at Melbourne’s largest outdoor venue, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Sir Andrew Davis gave his inaugural concerts as Chief Conductor of the MSO in April 2013, having made his debut with the Orchestra in 2009. Highlights of his tenure have included collaborations with artists including Bryn Terfel, Emanuel Ax and Truls Mørk, the release of recordings of music by Richard Strauss, Charles Ives, Percy Grainger and Eugene Goossens, a 2014 European Festivals tour, and a multi-year cycle of Mahler’s Symphonies.

The MSO also works each season with Principal Guest Conductor Diego Matheuz, Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Recent guest conductors to the MSO have included Tan Dun and Jakub Hrůša. The Orchestra has also collaborated with non-classical musicians including Flight Facilities, Ben Folds, Nick Cave, Sting and Tim Minchin.

The MSO reaches an even larger audience through its regular concert broadcasts on ABC Classic FM, also streamed online, and through recordings on Chandos and ABC Classics. The MSO’s Education and Community Engagement initiatives deliver innovative and engaging programs to audiences of all ages, including MSO Learn, an educational iPhone and iPad app designed to teach children about the inner workings of an orchestra.

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KOLJA BLACHER VIOLIN

Kolja Blacher has performed as a soloist all over the world, with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In the role of violin/director, he has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Festival Strings Lucerne, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Bern, Dresden Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. Performing as both lead violinist and director is also part of his role as the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra’s Artist in Residence this season. His recordings include the Berg and Stravinsky violin concertos in collaboration with Claudio Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, which was the winner of the Diapason d’Or.

Kolja studied at The Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay, and with Sándor Végh in Salzburg. He was a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg before returning to Berlin, where he teaches at the Hanns Eisler School of Music. A born and bred Berliner – his father was the Baltic-German composer Boris Blacher – Kolja lives with his family in Berlin. He plays a 1730 Tritton Stradivari.

Kolja Blacher’s appearance with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is supported in part through The Stephenson Gift, in tribute to the great Romanian violinist, George Enescu.

Given its ubiquity, it’s important to note that Finlandia is to Sibelius’ work what the Overture 1812 is to Tchaikovsky’s: it was very much a ceremonial piece, written for a specific occasion, that somehow took on a life of its own.

The Press Pension Celebrations of November 1899 were a thinly disguised attempt to create a fighting fund in support of a free press, at a time when Finland’s Russian rulers were vigilantly watchful of expressions of nationalist sentiment. Yet in Finland, as in so many other ‘occupied territories’ in Europe, nationalism was in the air – and as the dawn of a new century was near, an air of optimism too.

The three-day Celebrations culminated in a gala performance which included a series of historical tableaux, staged to Sibelius’ music. The piece we now know as Finlandia was created for the final tableau, called ‘Finland Awakes!’, described by a Finnish newspaper as: ‘The powers of darkness menacing Finland had not succeeded in their terrible threats. Finland awakes…’

Given the narrative Sibelius was setting out to illustrate, it’s not difficult to read the snarling brass fanfares which open Finlandia as ‘the powers of darkness’ (which to the work’s first audience would have been Russia under its then current Czar, Nicholas II); the contrasting chorale-like woodwind figure which follows as a prayer for better times; and the rumbustious, cymbal-clashing Allegro – which forms the bulk of the work – as the march of progress towards more enlightened times and, although this word could hardly be used for fear of censorship, independence.

Following a concert performance of the tableaux music a month after the Press Pension event, Finlandia’s success was assured. The work was also part of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra’s repertoire on a European tour, which culminated in concerts at the 1900 Paris Exposition. By then, Finlandia’s reputation as a flag-waver for Finnish patriotism had made the authorities nervous, so to avoid the possibility of ruffled Russian sensitivities, the work was called Vaterland or La Patrie once the Helsinki Orchestra’s tour took them beyond Scandinavia. Even with a title of determined inoffensiveness, the work made a tremendous impact wherever it was played, and remains the composer’s best-known piece.

Abridged from a note by Phillip Sametz © 2007

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra first performed Finlandia in a Finnish Relief Fund concert conducted by Sibelius’ colleague Georg Schnéevoigt on 12 April 1940. The Orchestra’s most recent performances took place in 2004 under Edward Gardner.

JEAN SIBELIUS (1865–1957)

Finlandia, Op.26

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In the summer of 1911, after gaining international plaudits for his Third Symphony, Danish composer Carl Nielsen accepted the invitation of Nina Grieg to stay at Troldhaugen in Norway, and began working on the Violin Concerto in the lakeside studio where Nina’s late husband, Edvard Grieg, had composed some of his greatest works. Nielsen’s concerto was composed for Danish violinist Peder Møller, who premiered the work in February 1912 (with Nielsen conducting) and performed it extensively throughout northern Europe, but it is dedicated to Nielsen’s son-in-law Emil Telmányi.

Despite being in three movements, the concerto sounds like a symmetrical pairing of two, each of which begins with a lengthy slow section followed by a contrasting fast one. The harmony, while decidedly tonal, reflects Nielsen’s stated wish ‘to protest against the typical Danish soft smoothing over. I wanted stronger rhythms and more advanced harmony.’ And it paid off: this and the Third Symphony mark a new stage in Nielsen’s growing reputation as Denmark’s pre-eminent composer.

He went on to say that ‘the piece must have substance and be popular and showy without being superficial. These conflicting elements must and shall meet and form a higher unity.’ The expansive first movement begins with a Largo, but even here Nielsen’s knowledge of the instrument and the soloist produces some ornate virtuosic gestures against a relatively static (or ‘vegetative’, to use Nielsen’s preferred metaphor) background. The marking of the subsequent Allegro as cavalleresco (chivalrous) might lead us to expect something of an ancient air or dance, or a Bruckner symphony. In fact, while there are echoes of folk-dance and birdsong in places, the piece is, despite its length, crisply neoclassical, alternating passages of glittering virtuosity with elegant orchestral commentary.

The Poco adagio that opens the second paired movement is characterised, at first, by the sylvan sounds of oboe, horn and flute, before the violin offers a cantilena melody that is accompanied by light passages of simple counterpoint. After this respite Nielsen turns to the rondo finale, in which he evokes, again, certain mannerisms of folk music within a neoclassical framework. Nielsen is often quoted as saying that the music ‘renounces everything that might dazzle or impress’ and while there is no shortage of musical acrobatics, overall the movement is more concerned with coherent argument and clarity of structure.

© Gordon Kerry 2009/ 15

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s only previous performance of the Nielsen Violin Concerto was given by Adele Anthony under the direction of Vassili Sinaisky, on 20 February 1991.

CARL NIELSEN (1865–1931)

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, FS 61 (Op.33)Praeludium: Largo – Allegro cavalleresco

Poco adagio – Rondo: allegretto scherzando

Kolja Blacher violin

We rightly think of Sibelius as a composer who distilled a national musical language from Finnish legend and the austere beauty of Finland’s landscape. As a culture-hero, however, Sibelius was made, not born. The Finnish language possesses a large and ancient literature of poetic cycles dedicated to mythic heroes. The greatest of these was the Kalevala. As part of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, Sibelius hadn’t given much thought to the traditional mythology of the Finns until his engagement to Aino Järnefelt, whose family was very pro-Finnish; Järnefelt’s enthusiasm inspired him to start reading its literature.

The results became quickly apparent in early works of Sibelius’ maturity: the 1890s saw the composition of works like the Kullervo Symphony, En saga, the Karelia Suite and the Lemminkäinen Suite (also known as Four Legends from the Kalevala). This depicts four episodes in the story of the mythical hero Lemminkäinen, from the Kalevala.

Having seduced all but one of the island maidens in the first movement, Lemminkäinen is sent on a quest: to kill the swan that floats, singing mournfully, on the river that surrounds Tuonela, the island of the dead. (In the third and fourth movements, Lemminkäinen is mortally wounded and dismembered before he can kill the swan, but is brought back to life by his mother, and returns home.)

The Swan of Tuonela does not seek to enact any specific incident, but depicts the bird in one of the most famous solos for cor anglais ever written. The instrument’s plangency against a halo of divided strings contains unspeakable grief, which is answered in the latter parts of the movement by a sombre but purposeful melody from the orchestra.

Abridged from a note by Gordon Kerry © 2011

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra first performed The Swan of Tuonela on 6 November 1943 under Bernard Heinze, and most recently in 2007 with Hannu Lintu.

JEAN SIBELIUS (1865–1957)

Lemminkäinen – Suite, Op.22: The Swan of Tuonela

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The pitiless despair of Sibelius’ Fourth Symphony puzzled many of its first listeners. The work seemed an unlikely sequel to the gentle radiance of the Third, yet its gaze into the abyss gave way, in the Fifth, to one of Sibelius’ most shining, life-affirming creations. While the Fifth is light to the Fourth’s darkness, it nevertheless represents no shift in Sibelius’ compositional principles. 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.

He wrote the Fifth at a time of great personal difficulty. The Great War had broken out and, as a result, Sibelius had lost access to the revenue from his German publishers. To earn some regular income he wrote a great number of salon pieces for domestic performance, and had little time for other composing; the Fifth Symphony is his only major work of the war years.

Sibelius himself conducted the symphony’s first 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 first two of the original four movements together, and he made further revisions before it was published in 1919.

The symphony begins quietly on horns and timpani. This theme is soon elaborated into a woodwind cadenza. At its conclusion the strings enter, and we seem to be moving 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 first theme of the symphony, shortly after which the mood changes to one of dancing lightness. Soon the music gathers pace and the strings take up the dance strain with increasing excitement until the brass join in for the final, 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 finale throws us into its hurly-burly almost immediately. Following a whirlwind passage for strings, the horns give out one of the most famous of all themes in Sibelius’ music, that in which, as Donald Tovey famously described it, Thor swings his hammer. 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 finally reappears, 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 final 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.

Abridged from a note by Phillip Sametz © 1995/ 2004

The final version of Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony was premiered in Helsinki under the direction of the composer on 24 November 1919. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra first performed it in a Finnish Relief Fund concert conducted by Georg Schnéevoigt on 12 April 1940. The Orchestra’s most recent performances took place in 2008 under Robin Ticciati.

JEAN SIBELIUS (1865–1957)

Symphony No.5 in E flat, Op.82Tempo molto moderato

Andante mosso, quasi allegretto

Allegro molto

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ORCHESTRA

First ViolinsDale Barltrop Concertmaster

Eoin Andersen Concertmaster

Sophie Rowell Associate Concertmaster

Peter Edwards Assistant Principal

Kirsty Bremner MSO Friends Chair

Sarah CurroPeter FellinDeborah GoodallLorraine HookKirstin KennyJi Won KimEleanor ManciniMark Mogilevski Michelle RuffoloKathryn TaylorRebecca Adler* Jacqueline Edwards* Kirsty Hilton* Robert John* Oksana Thompson*

Second ViolinsMatthew Tomkins The Gross Foundation Principal Second Violin Chair

Robert Macindoe Associate Principal

Monica Curro Assistant Principal

Mary AllisonIsin CakmakciogluFreya FranzenCong GuAndrew HallFrancesca HiewRachel Homburg Christine JohnsonIsy WassermanPhilippa WestPatrick WongRoger YoungAnnabelle Swainston*

ViolasChristopher Moore Principal

Fiona Sargeant Associate Principal

Lauren BrigdenKatharine BrockmanChristopher Cartlidge Gabrielle HalloranTrevor Jones Fiona Sargeant Cindy WatkinCaleb WrightCameron Campbell* Anthony Chataway* Ceridwen Davies* Lisa Grosman* Helen Ireland* Isabel Morse*

CellosDavid Berlin MS Newman Family Principal Cello Chair

Rachael Tobin Associate Principal

Nicholas Bochner Assistant Principal

Miranda BrockmanRohan de KorteKeith JohnsonSarah MorseAngela SargeantMichelle WoodMolly Kadarauch*

Double BassesSteve Reeves Principal

Andrew Moon Associate Principal

Sylvia Hosking Assistant Principal

Damien EckersleyBenjamin HanlonSuzanne LeeStephen NewtonJonathon Coco* Jaan Pallandi*

FlutesPrudence Davis Principal Flute Chair - Anonymous

Wendy Clarke Associate Principal

Sarah Beggs

PiccoloAndrew Macleod Principal

OboesJeffrey Crellin Principal

Thomas Hutchinson Associate Principal

Ann BlackburnRachel Curkpatrick*

Cor AnglaisMichael Pisani Principal

ClarinetsDavid Thomas Principal

Philip Arkinstall Associate Principal

Craig Hill

Bass ClarinetJon Craven Principal

BassoonsJack Schiller Principal

Elise Millman Associate Principal

Natasha Thomas

ContrabassoonBrock Imison Principal

Horns Peter Davida* Guest Principal

Geoff Lierse Associate Principal

Saul Lewis Principal Third

Jenna BreenAbbey EdlinTrinette McClimont

TrumpetsGeoffrey Payne Principal

Shane Hooton Associate Principal

William EvansJulie PayneCarl Harvoe*

TrombonesBrett Kelly Principal

Bass TromboneMike Szabo Principal

TubaTimothy Buzbee Principal

Alex Hurst*

TimpaniChristine Turpin Principal

PercussionRobert Clarke Principal

John ArcaroRobert Cossom

HarpYinuo Mu Principal

Julie Raines*

*Guest musician

Sir Andrew Davis Harold Mitchell AC Chief Conductor Chair

Diego Matheuz Principal Guest Conductor

Benjamin Northey Patricia Riordan Associate Conductor Chair

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MANAGEMENT

BoardMichael Ullmer Chairman

Andrew DyerDanny GorogMargaret Jackson ACBrett KellyDavid Krasnostein David LiAnn PeacockHelen Silver AOKee Wong

Company SecretaryOliver Carton

ExecutiveRichard Evans Interim Managing Director

Catrin Harris Executive Assistant

Human ResourcesMiranda Crawley Director of Human Resources

BusinessFrancie Doolan Chief Financial Officer

Raelene King Personnel Manager

Leonie Woolnough Financial Controller

Nathalia Andries Accountant

Grace Gao Finance Officer

Suzanne Dembo Strategic Communications and Business Processes Manager

ArtisticRonald Vermeulen Director of Artistic Planning

Andrew Pogson Special Projects Manager

Laura Holian Artistic Coordinator

Helena Balazs Chorus Manager

Stephen McAllan Artist Liaison

Education and Community EngagementMichelle Hamilton Interim Director of Education and Community Engagement

Lucy Bardoel Education and Community Engagement Coordinator

Louise Godwin Pizzicato Effect Program Manager

Lucy Rash Pizzicato Effect Coordinator

OperationsGabrielle Waters Director of Operations

Angela Bristow Orchestra Manager

James Foster Operations Manager

James Poole Production Coordinator

Alastair McKean Orchestra Librarian

Kathryn O’Brien Assistant Librarian

Michael Stevens Assistant Orchestra Manager

Lucy Rash Operations Coordinator

MarketingAlice Wilkinson Director of Marketing

Jennifer Poller Marketing Manager

Megan Sloley Marketing Manager

Ali Webb PR Manager

Kate Eichler Publicity and Online Engagement Coordinator

Isobel Pyrke Publicity Coordinator

Kieran Clarke Digital Manager

Chelsie Jones Front of House Supervisor

James Rewell Graphic Designer

Chloe Schnell Assistant Marketing Manager

Clare Douglas Marketing Coordinator

Claire Hayes Ticket and Database Manager

Paul Congdon Box Office Supervisor

Martin Gray Ticketing Coordinator

Angela Ballin Customer Service Coordinator

DevelopmentLeith Brooke Director of Development

Jessica Frean MSO Foundation Manager

Ben Lee Donor and Government Relations Manager

Arturs Ezergailis Donor and Patron Coordinator

Judy Turner Major Gifts Manager

Justine Knapp Major Gifts Coordinator

Michelle Monaghan Corporate Development Manager

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SUPPORTERS

Artist Chair BenefactorsHarold Mitchell AC Chief Conductor Chair

Patricia Riordan Associate Conductor Chair

Joy Selby Smith Orchestral Leadership Chair

Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO International Guest Chair

MSO Friends Chair

The Gross Foundation Principal Second Violin Chair

MS Newman Family Principal Cello Chair

Principal Flute Chair – Anonymous

Program BenefactorsMeet The Orchestra Made possible by The Ullmer Family Foundation

East meets West Supported by the Li Family Trust

The Pizzicato Effect (Anonymous)

MSO UPBEAT Supported by Betty Amsden AO DSJ

MSO CONNECT Supported by Jason Yeap OAM

Benefactor Patrons $50,000+Betty Amsden AO DSJPhilip Bacon AM Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO John and Jenny Brukner Rachel and the Hon. Alan Goldberg AO QC The Gross FoundationDavid and Angela LiAnnette MaluishHarold Mitchell ACMS Newman FamilyRoslyn Packer AOMrs Margaret S Ross AM and Dr Ian Ross Joy Selby SmithUllmer Family Foundation

Impresario Patrons $20,000+Michael AquilinaPerri Cutten and Jo DaniellSusan Fry and Don Fry AOMargaret Jackson AC John McKay and Lois McKayElizabeth Proust AO Rae Rothfield

Maestro Patrons $10,000+John and Mary BarlowKaye and David BirksPaul and Wendy Carter Mitchell ChipmanJan and Peter ClarkSir Andrew and Lady Gianna Davis Andrew and Theresa DyerFuture Kids Pty Ltd Robert & Jan GreenLou Hamon OAMDavid Krasnostein and Pat Stragalinos Mr Greig Gailey and Dr Geraldine LazarusMimie MacLarenMatsarol FoundationIan and Jeannie Paterson Onbass FoundationGlenn Sedgwick Maria Solà, in memory of Malcolm Douglas Drs G & G Stephenson. In honour of the great Romanian musicians George Enescu and Dinu LipattiLyn Williams AMKee Wong and Wai TangJason Yeap OAMAnonymous (1)

Principal Patrons $5,000+Lino and Di Bresciani OAM Linda BrittenDavid and Emma CapponiTim and Lyn EdwardJohn and Diana Frew Danny Gorog and Lindy SusskindNereda Hanlon and Michael Hanlon AMHans and Petra Henkell Hartmut and Ruth HofmannJenny and Peter Hordern

Jenkins Family FoundationSuzanne KirkhamVivien and Graham KnowlesElizabeth Kraus in memory of Bryan Hobbs Dr Elizabeth A Lewis AM Peter LovellThe Cuming BequestMr and Mrs D R MeagherWayne and Penny MorganMarie Morton FRSA Dr Paul Nisselle AM Lady Potter ACStephen Shanasy Gai and David TaylorThe Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall Anonymous (5)

Associate Patrons $2,500+Dandolo PartnersWill and Dorothy Bailey BequestBarbara Bell in memory of Elsa BellMrs S BignellStephen and Caroline BrainMr John Brockman OAM and Mrs Pat Brockman Leith and Mike Brooke Rhonda Burchmore Bill and Sandra BurdettOliver CartonJohn and Lyn CoppockMiss Ann Darby in memory of Leslie J. Darby Mary and Frederick Davidson AMPeter and Leila DoyleLisa Dwyer and Dr Ian DicksonJane Edmanson OAMDr Helen M FergusonMr Bill FlemingColin Golvan QC and Dr Deborah GolvanSusan and Gary HearstGillian and Michael HundRosemary and James Jacoby John and Joan Jones Kloeden Foundation Sylvia LavelleAnn and George Littlewood H E McKenzieAllan and Evelyn McLarenDon and Anne MeadowsAnn Peacock with Andrew and Woody Kroger

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Player Patrons $1,000+Anita and Graham Anderson, Christine and Mark Armour, Arnold Bloch Leibler, Marlyn and Peter Bancroft OAM, Adrienne Basser, Prof Weston Bate and Janice Bate, Timothy and Margaret Best, David and Helen Blackwell, Bill Bowness, Michael F Boyt, M Ward Breheny, Suzie Brown, Jill and Christopher Buckley, Lynne Burgess, Dr Lynda Campbell, Sir Roderick Carnegie AC, Andrew and Pamela Crockett, Natasha Davies, Pat and Bruce Davis, Merrowyn Deacon, Sandra Dent, Dominic and Natalie Dirupo, Marie Dowling, John and Anne Duncan, Kay Ehrenberg, Gabrielle Eisen, Vivien and Jack Fajgenbaum, Grant Fisher and Helen Bird, Barry Fradkin OAM and Dr Pam Fradkin, David Frenkiel and Esther Frenkiel OAM, Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner, David Gibbs and Susie O’Neill, Merwyn and Greta Goldblatt, Dina and Ron Goldschlager, George Golvan QC and Naomi Golvan, Charles and Cornelia Goode, Dr Marged Goode, Louise Gourlay OAM, Ginette and André Gremillet, Max Gulbin, Dr Sandra Hacker AO and Mr Ian Kennedy AM, Jean Hadges, Paula Hansky OAM and Jack Hansky AM, Tilda and Brian Haughney, Penelope Hughes, Dr Alastair Jackson, Stuart Jennings, George and Grace Kass, Irene Kearsey, Ilma Kelson Music Foundation,

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SUPPORTERS

Dr Anne Kennedy, Bryan Lawrence, Lew Foundation, Norman Lewis in memory of Dr Phyllis Lewis, Dr Anne Lierse, Violet and Jeff Loewenstein, The Hon Ian Macphee AO and Mrs Julie Mcphee, Elizabeth H Loftus, Vivienne Hadj and Rosemary Madden, Dr Julianne Bayliss, In memory of Leigh Masel, John and Margaret Mason, In honour of Norma and Lloyd Rees, Ruth Maxwell, Trevor and Moyra McAllister, David Menzies, Ian Morrey, Laurence O’Keefe and Christopher James, Graham and Christine Peirson, Andrew Penn and Kallie Blauhorn, Kerryn Pratchett, Peter Priest, Eli Raskin, Peter and Carolyn Rendit, S M Richards AM and M R Richards, Dr Rosemary Ayton and Dr Sam Ricketson, Joan P Robinson, Doug and Elisabeth Scott, Jeffrey Sher, Dr Sam Smorgon AO and Mrs Minnie Smorgon, John So, Dr Norman and Dr Sue Sonenberg, Dr Michael Soon, Pauline Speedy, State Music Camp, Dr Peter Strickland, Geoff and Judy Steinicke, Mrs Suzy and Dr Mark Suss, Pamela Swansson, Tennis Cares- Tennis Australia, Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher, Margaret Tritsch, Judy Turner and Neil Adam, P & E Turner, Mary Vallentine AO, The Hon. Rosemary Varty, Leon and Sandra Velik, Elizabeth Wagner, Sue Walker AM, Elaine Walters OAM and Gregory Walters, Edward and Paddy White, Janet Whiting and Phil Lukies, Nic and Ann Willcock, Marian and Terry Wills Cooke, Pamela F Wilson, Joanne Wolff, Peter and Susan Yates, Mark Young, Panch Das and Laurel Young-Das, YMF Australia, Anonymous (5)

The Mahler SyndicateDavid and Kaye Birks, John and Jenny Brukner, Mary and Frederick Davidson AM, Tim and Lyn Edward, John and Diana Frew, Louis Hamon OAM, Francis and Robyn Hofmann, The Hon Dr Barry Jones AC, Dr Paul Nisselle AM, Maria Solà in memory of Malcolm Douglas, The Hon Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall, Anonymous (1)

MSO RosesFounding RoseJenny Brukner

RosesMary Barlow, Linda Britten, Wendy Carter, Annette Maluish, Lois McKay, Pat Stragalinos, Jenny Ullmer

RosebudsMaggie Best, Penny Barlow, Leith Brooke, Lynne Damman, Francie Doolan, Lyn Edward, Penny Hutchinson, Elizabeth A Lewis AM, Sophie Rowell, Dr Cherilyn Tillman

Foundations and TrustsThe A.L. Lane FoundationThe Annie Danks TrustCollier Charitable FundCreative Partnerships AustraliaCrown Resorts Foundation and the Packer Family FoundationThe Cybec FoundationThe Harold Mitchell FoundationHelen Macpherson Smith TrustIvor Ronald Evans Foundation, managed by Equity Trustees Limited and Mr Russell BrownLinnell/Hughes Trust, managed by PerpetualThe Marian and EH Flack TrustThe Perpetual Foundation – Alan (AGL) Shaw Endowment, managed by PerpetualThe Pratt FoundationThe Robert Salzer FoundationThe Schapper Family FoundationThe Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust

Conductor’s CircleCurrent Conductor’s Circle MembersJenny Anderson, G C Bawden and L de Kievit, Lesley Bawden, Joyce Bown, Mrs Jenny Brukner and the late Mr John Brukner, Ken Bullen, Luci and Ron Chambers, Sandra Dent, Lyn Edward, Alan Egan JP, Gunta Eglite, Louis Hamon OAM, Carol Hay, Tony Howe, Audrey M Jenkins, John and Joan Jones, George and Grace Kass, Mrs Sylvia Lavelle, Pauline and David Lawton, Lorraine Meldrum, Cameron Mowat, Laurence O’Keefe and Christopher James, Rosia Pasteur, Elizabeth Proust AO, Penny Rawlins, Joan P Robinson, Neil Roussac, Anne Roussac-Hoyne, Jennifer Shepherd, Drs Gabriela and George Stephenson, Pamela Swansson, Lillian Tarry, Dr Cherilyn Tillman, Mr and Mrs R P Trebilcock, Michael Ullmer, Ila Vanrenen, Mr Tam Vu, Marian and Terry Wills Cooke, Mark Young, Anonymous (22)

The MSO gratefully acknowledges the support received from the Estates of:Angela Beagley, Gwen Hunt, Pauline Marie Johnston, C P Kemp, Peter Forbes MacLaren, Prof Andrew McCredie, Miss Sheila Scotter AM MBE, Molly Stephens, Jean Tweedie, Herta and Fred B Vogel, Dorothy Wood

Honorary AppointmentsMrs Elizabeth Chernov Education and Community Engagement Patron

Sir Elton John CBE Life Member

The Honourable Alan Goldberg AO QC Life Member

Geoffrey Rush AC Ambassador

The MSO relies on your ongoing philanthropic support to sustain access, artists, education, community engagement and more.

We invite our supporters to get close to the MSO through a range of special events and supporter newsletter The Full Score.

The MSO welcomes your support at any level. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible, and supporters are recognised as follows:

$1,000 (Player), $2,500 (Associate), $5,000 (Principal), $10,000 (Maestro), $20,000 (Impresario), $50,000 (Benefactor)

The MSO Conductor’s Circle is our bequest program for members who have notified of a planned gift in their Will.

Enquiries: Ph: +61 (3) 9626 1248

Email: philanthropy@mso.com.au

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SUPPORTERS

MEDIA PARTNERGOVERNMENT PARTNERS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

MAESTRO PARTNERS

3L ALLIANCE ELENBERG FRASER

FEATURE ALPHA INVESTMENT FUTURE KIDS

VICTORIA WHITELAW

GOLDEN AGE GROUP KABO LAWYERS LINDA BRITTEN

NAOMI MILGROM FOUNDATION UAG + SJB

OFFICIAL CAR PARTNER

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has been truly blessed in its leadership over the decades, perhaps never more so than under the inspired Chairmanship of Harold Mitchell AC (2008–2015). As Chairman of the MSO Board Harold steered the company through tough times and good, including the triumph of the 2014 international tour, and has been an exemplary leader recruiting a talented and dedicated Board. Announcing his retirement as Chairman at the MSO’s 2015 Symphony Banquet, outgoing Managing Director André Gremillet said “Harold is not only one of the greatest entrepreneurs; he is also one of the country’s most generous and influential philanthropists. He has been the ideal Chairman and we have been lucky to have him in this role for this long.”

Brett Kelly, MSO Principal Trombone and current staff representative on the Board, paid tribute to Harold saying “When it was announced to the musicians and staff of the MSO that Harold

Mitchell was to become the next Chairman of our Board there was an audible gasp in the room. Even those not familiar with his remarkable achievements in business and public life still knew that when Harold threw his support behind a cause things were bound to happen …and happen they did! He quickly infused the whole organisation with a renewed sense of confidence and the sure knowledge that not only could we be great, but that we must be great.”

Fortunately for the Orchestra, Harold will be taking on a leadership role with the MSO Foundation. His new focus will be on securing a viable financial future for MSO by raising much needed funds, and he will be supported in this by new Board Chairman, Melbourne businessman Michael Ullmer.

Let the final word be from Harold himself, who in September this year said “I am delighted to be stepping away from the Chairman role at a time when the Board has

truly begun to see the realisation of its vision to celebrate the MSO’s tradition, entertain and inspire audiences and build music’s future. The Orchestra is also in fine artistic hands, led by Chief Conductor Sir Andrew Davis and by Michael Ullmer, who has great world knowledge and the amazing capacity to work with people at the highest level. He has the respect of all of the board.”

Thank you Harold from all of us – your impact is seen on the stage and in the rehearsal room every day, and we look forward to it continuing on.

Harold Mitchell AC – A Remarkable Ongoing

Contribution

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The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will take you on a classical adventure next year, with a jam-packed season of music making that is set to inspire people of all ages.

If you have always wanted to learn more about how an orchestra works, then the 2016 Schools and Families program has something for you, featuring events that showcase the spectacular sights and sounds of a symphony orchestra for children, teenagers, adults and families.

The MSO will be collaborating with the acrobatic limbs of Circus Oz for The MSO Runs Away to the Circus, and the stars of the popular ABC Kids show Lah-Lah’s Adventures for Lah-Lah and Buzz Meet the MSO, in performances

aimed to introduce and encourage young children to interact and engage with the sounds of the MSO.

And there is something for everyone next year! The spectrum of events ranges from the interactive and engaging programs that are aimed at a younger audience, to the behind the scenes Open Rehearsals program. There is even an opportunity for music teachers to expand their skills on the podium with an Instrumental Conducting Workshop led by Benjamin Northey.

As a big advocate for musical education, Northey is heavily involved in the 2016 School and Families Season, which will see him conduct the sixth annual MSO Education Week. This popular mini festival, aims to bring

new audiences of all ages into the heart of the Orchestra in a week-long celebration of music making programs and activities directed by internationally acclaimed music educator, Paul Rissmann.

The MSO will also present two side-by-side initiatives during the season, an opportunity for community musicians to perform with their MSO counterpart, Symphony in a Day (for adult community musicians across Victoria), and the Secondary Symphony Project (for upper Secondary Students).

For more information visit www.mso.com.au/education

A Classical Music Making Adventure

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Tune a piano, help fund a regional tour

or gift a child an instrument

Donate now mso.com.au/appeal (03) 9626 1104 philanthropy@mso.com.au

Donate to the MSO and support the sound and soul of our city .

Create Your Own package of gift s ranging from $45 to $7,000

Look out for the catalogue of gift s in your mailbox this November

emirates.com/au

Complimentary Chauffeur-drive service* w Fine dining on demand w World-class service

Relax to music and smooth sips of Hennessy Paradis, or a good story and a glass of Dom Perignon. Savour every indulgence in our First Class Private Suites.

Principal Partner of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Master the art of me-time

*Complimentary Chauffeur-drive service available for First Class and Business Class, excluding Trans-Tasman services and codeshare flights operated by Qantas to Southeast Asia. Mileage restrictions apply. For full terms and conditions visit emirates.com/au. For more information visit emirates.com/au, call 1300 303 777, or contact your local travel agent.

Four short bal lets, feat . music by Debussy, Bizet , L iebermann & Tchaikovsky, and starr ing:SARAH LAMB,CARLOS ACOSTA,STEVEN MCRAE &MARIANELA NUÑEZ

P A L A C E O P E R A & B A L L E T present s

C A P T U R E D L I V E F R O M C O V E N T G A R D E N , L O N D O N

SCREENING AT PALACE CINEMAS DECEMBER 11-16PalaceOperaAndBallet.com.au

The Royal Ballet: QUADRUPLE BILL