SYMPHONIC FIRSTS Brahms and Mahler

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

Thursday 27 November 2014

EMIRATES METRO SERIES

Friday 28 November 2014

GREAT CLASSICS

Saturday 29 November 2014

MONDAYS @ 7

Monday 1 December 2014

*Selected performances. Booking fees of $5.00 – $8.50 may apply. ̂ Additional fees may apply.

concert diary

FOR COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE 2014 SEASON VISIT

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Brahms & Mahler Symphonic FirstsBRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1 MAHLER Symphony No.1

Donald Runnicles conductor Yefim Bronfman piano

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

Thu 27 Nov 1.30pmEmirates Metro Series

Fri 28 Nov 8pmGreat Classics

Sat 29 Nov 2pmMonday @ 7

Mon 1 Dec 7pmPre-concert talk by Martin Buzacott

Enigma Variations Zimmermann plays SibeliusBRITTEN Sinfonia da requiem SIBELIUS Violin Concerto ELGAR Enigma Variations

Donald Runnicles conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin

APT Master Series

Wed 3 Dec 8pm Fri 5 Dec 8pm Sat 6 Dec 8pmPre-concert talk at 7.15pm

Symphony in the DomainBARTON Birdsong at Dusk SCULTHORPE Beethoven Variations BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5 TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture

Johannes Fritzsch conductor William Barton didjeridu & vocals

FREE EVENT Presented by Sydney Festival

Sun 18 Jan 8pm Sydney Domain

Greatest Hits of ViennaGreat waltzes, Viennese classics and songs from operettas like Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Princess.

Ola Rudner conductor Elisabeth Flechl soprano

Presenting Partner Vienna Tourist Board

Wed 4 Feb 8pm

Mozart at the Opera

Arias and overtures from The Marriage of Figaro, Lucio Silla, Idomeneo, La finta giardiniera and La clemenza di Tito.

Dene Olding violin-director Fiona Campbell mezzo-soprano

Mozart in the City

Thu 5 Feb 7pm City Recital Hall Angel Place

Pre-concert talk by David Garrett

The Schumann Symphonies 11, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21 Feb

CLASSICAL

TICKETS FROM $39* TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE ATSYDNEYOPERAHOUSE.COM 9250 7777 MON-SAT 9AM-8.30PM SUN 10AM-6PMCITYRECITALHALL.COM^ 8256 2222 MON-FRI 9AM-5PMAll concerts at Sydney Opera House unless otherwise stated

COMING UP IN 2015

Hear all four Schumann symphonies in 6 concerts across 10 days - plus star violinist Christian Tetzlaff performs concertos by Mendelssohn and Widmann

David Robertson conductor • Christian Tetzlaff violin

WELCOME TO THEEMIRATES METRO SERIES

Rob Gurney Divisional Vice President Australasia Emirates

2014 marks the 12th anniversary of Emirates’ partnership with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. We’re proud to continue one of the longest running partnerships for the SSO and remain the naming sponsor of the orchestra’s Emirates Metro Series.

Emirates connects travellers around the globe, bringing people together to discover, enjoy, and share experiences. Our partnership with the SSO is about connecting with you – our customers.

The Emirates Metro Series showcases a wonderful array of highly regarded compositions, including many key European composers. We hope that tonight’s performance prompts you to consider a future trip to Europe, where we fly to more than 35 destinations with the recent addition of Oslo, or internationally to more than 140 destinations in 80 countries.

Like the SSO, Emirates specialises in first-class entertainment, taking out the award for best inflight entertainment for the ninth consecutive year at the international Skytrax Awards in 2013.

With up to 1,800 channels to choose from, on 28 flights per week to New Zealand and 84 flights per week to Dubai, including a double daily A380 from Sydney, those flying on Emirates will now be able to watch SSO concerts onboard.

We are dedicated to the growth of arts and culture in Australia and we’re delighted to continue our support of the SSO. We hope you enjoy this final concert in the 2014 Emirates Metro Series and encourage you to enjoy as many performances as possible next year.

2014 concert season

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONYTHURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER, 1.30PM

EMIRATES METRO SERIESFRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER, 8PM

GREAT CLASSICSSATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER, 2PM

MONDAYS @ 7MONDAY 1 DECEMBER, 7PM

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL

SYMPHONIC FIRSTSDonald Runnicles conductor Yefim Bronfman piano

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897) Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.15

Maestoso Adagio Rondo (Allegro non troppo)

INTERVAL

GUSTAV MAHLER (1860–1911) Symphony No.1 in D

Langsam. Schleppend. ‘Wie ein Naturlaut’ – Im Anfang sehr gemächlich (Slow, dragging. ‘Like a sound of Nature’ – Very comfortably) Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell – Trio. Recht gemächlich (Forcefully, yet not too fast – Trio. Quite slowly) Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (Solemn and measured, without dragging) – Stürmisch bewegt (Stormily)

Friday evening’s performance will be recorded by ABC Classic FM for broadcast on Monday 1 December at 8pm

Pre-concert talk by Martin Buzacott in the Northern Foyer 45 minutes before each performance. Visit bit.ly/SSOspeakerbios for more information

Estimated durations: 50 minutes, 20-minute interval, 55 minutes The concert will conclude at approximately 3.40pm (Thu), 10.10pm (Fri), 4.10pm (Sat), 9.10pm (Mon).

COVER IMAGE: Woman in a Yellow Dress (1899) by Austrian painter Max Kurzweil (1867–1916). The subject is the artist’s wife, Martha Guyot.

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Sketch by Theo Zasche for a caricature of Mahler conducting his First Symphony, first published in the Illustriertes Wiener Extrablatt in 1900. Zasche includes some of the key motifs from the symphony,

such as the ‘cuckoo’ motif from the first movement (top left).

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

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READ IN ADVANCEYou can also read SSO program books on your computer or mobile device by visiting our online program library in the week leading up to the concert: sydneysymphony.com/program_library

INTRODUCTION

Last week we performed Brahms’s First Symphony. This week we perform his First Piano Concerto. The programming of these two works in close succession was more coincidence than design, but how appropriate! The music by Brahms in this concert nearly ended up as his first symphony rather than his first concerto.

But what a concerto! Brahms’s symphonic thinking during its creation is apparent in the scale of the concerto (it takes 50 minutes to play) as well as the richness of the orchestral writing. And the piano part is ambitious, demanding and thrilling to hear. The result is a mighty concerto from a young composer with the weight of symphonic expectations on his shoulders. (Audiences would have to wait another 17 years before they could hear a Brahms symphony, as he struggled under the shadow of Beethoven.)

Mahler, it would appear, had no such hang-ups. With all the confidence of a young man (like Brahms, he was in his 20s) he composed his First Symphony relatively quickly, doing most of the work during a period of six weeks. But after the premiere in 1889 there began an extended period of major revisions; the symphony as we know it today wasn’t published until ten years later.

The caricature opposite shows an appreciation for Mahler’s symphony: its musical motifs, the cuckoo call, and ‘Brother Martin’ asleep near the composer’s right foot. But it shows something else: lightning bolts, confusion, listeners with hands over their ears! Mahler’s symphony had polarised audiences as much as Brahms’s concerto had. Now, just as Brahms’s ‘brilliant and decisive failure’ has become a brilliant and decisive success, so Mahler’s First is a staple of the repertoire and the recording catalogue.

Together these mighty classics of the concert hall give us a chance to hear two young composers pushing the boundaries of the orchestral medium. They might be ‘first efforts’ but they are well worth returning to, again and again.

Symphonic Firsts: Brahms and Mahler

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Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.15Maestoso Adagio Rondo (Allegro non troppo)

Yefim Bronfman piano

‘My Concerto has been a brilliant and decisive failure!’, wrote Brahms, after his new work was premiered at the Leipzig Gewandhaus early in 1859. ‘At the end, three pairs of hands were brought together very slowly, whereupon quite distinct hissing from all sides stopped any further applause in its tracks.’

In all likelihood, Brahms was devastated. The first major orchestral work of his career, the concerto was also his first opportunity to test for himself, publicly, whether his late lamented mentor Robert Schumann had been right in suggesting: ‘If only he will dip his magic wand where the forces of the choral or orchestral realms will lend him their strength, then there will appear before us the most wonderful glimpses of the secrets of the spiritual world.’

Leipzig, however, refused to be spiritually enlightened. One critic, while recognising the young Brahms’s valiant attempts to come to grips with modernity, described the results in the first movement as giving an ‘impression of monstrosity’.

KeynotesBRAHMS

Born Hamburg, 1833 Died Vienna, 1897

In 1853, the 20-year-old Brahms met his idol, Robert Schumann. Eugenie (Robert and Clara Schumann’s sixth child) left a vivid description of his first visit to their house: ‘He brought his compositions with him and father thought that, so long as he was there, he could play his things…The young man sat down at the piano. He had barely played a few bars when my father interrupted and ran out saying, ‘Please! Wait a moment. I must call my wife.”’ That night, Schumann wrote in his diary: Visit from Brahms, a genius.

FIRST PIANO CONCERTO

The orchestral opening of this concerto, with its rumbling kettle drums, has been likened to an image of young Brahms hurling a thunderbolt. Thereafter, his writing for the piano is robust and athletic. Brahms and Clara Schumann came to depend closely on each other through the crisis of Robert’s madness and death. Brahms wrote to her: ‘I am painting a lovely portrait of you. It is to be the Adagio.’ Then the piano simply presents the finale’s vigorous ‘gypsy’ theme, which recurs and is transformed throughout, before it leads into a luminous conclusion.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

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A more conservative critic was far less generous: ‘This rooting and rummaging, this straining and tugging, this tearing and patching…not only must one drink this fermenting mass: for dessert there’s the shrillest discords and unpleasant sounds.’

Despite this, Brahms claimed that his first concerto’s failure had ‘not impressed me at all’. Even in his mid-20s he was possessed of the strong self-protective streak that would make him the prickly figure of later life. The Leipzig hissing he scornfully thought ‘rather too much’. ‘After all,’ he reasoned, ‘I am only experimenting and feeling my way’; a fair defence, perhaps, considering his score’s uncertain conception.

Brahms’s first thoughts had been to compose a sonata for two pianos that he and Clara Schumann could play together as a diversion from their shared troubles. This was in March 1854, when, shortly after Robert Schumann had tried to drown himself in the Rhine, Brahms arrived in Düsseldorf to help out in the older composer’s traumatised household. By July he had recast the sonata’s first movement for orchestra, and was thinking of the projected work as a symphony. However, its piano origins were not so easily erased, and by February 1855 he was considering a compromise solution. Abandoning sketches for the rest of the symphony, he recast the D minor first movement yet again, now for piano and orchestra.

The concerto gained a new middle movement during the winter of 1856–57, and then a rondo finale. By March 1858 it was complete enough for Brahms to play it through at a private rehearsal with his friend and constant advisor during its composition, Joseph Joachim, conducting. Up to a year later, Brahms was still tinkering, especially with ‘my unhappy first movement, so incapable of being brought to birth’, and it was only through the constant pestering of Joachim and Clara that public performances were finally scheduled for Hanover and Leipzig in January 1859.

Joachim later claimed (and he should know) that the dramatic opening theme of the first movement reflects Brahms’s shock on first hearing of Schumann’s self-destructive dip in the Rhine. Stressed, scared, a mere stark sketch of a melody, it is underpinned by rumblings from the kettle drums and double basses that could easily be taken to represent the murky waters. Before the piano enters, there is a subdued interlude for strings and woodwinds, and a reprise of the opening in which the main theme is presented in canon, staggered between the violins, horns and orchestral basses. Finally the orchestral texture settles and fades to make way for the soloist. Of the piano’s two main themes, the first (in D minor, espressivo) is restless and questing, despite its soft

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dynamic, and agitated by insistent quavers. The second, entirely without orchestral support, is assured and steady, and in a glowing major. It creates the maximum contrast with the music of the orchestral opening, which recurs at major points in the movement’s design, including the bleak coda. Perhaps another critic, the song composer Hugo Wolf, had sensed correctly after all, when he judged the concerto: ‘so icy, dank and foggy…you could catch a cold from it. Unhealthy stuff!’

Schumann died insane in July 1856, and if the first movement has a haunted quality, Brahms perhaps sought in the middle Adagio, respectfully and reverently, to lay a ghost to rest. The texture of its opening is like a warm answer to the preceding chill, with the high strings again announcing a unison melody above a drone-like bass. There, however, the similarity ends: there are the added bassoons, and the strings are now muted, while the melody itself is of classical warmth and simplicity. Brahms inscribed the score with the words (in Latin): ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’, suggesting some sort of consolation. When the piano enters, it repeats and calmly develops the theme, proceeding with an almost improvisatory freedom through a series of increasingly rhapsodic episodes, whose tendency to fantasy is gently held in check only by the periodic reappearance in the orchestra of the theme in original form. Brahms left conflicting clues as to the sources of his consolation here, at various times describing aspects of the movement as portraits of Clara and (less credibly) Joseph Joachim.

A few years before they premiered the concerto, Joachim had described Brahms’s piano playing, approvingly, as being ‘so light and clear, so cold and indifferent to passion’ that it was second only to Liszt’s in his estimation. Clarity is to the fore from the outset of the last movement, which, true to Classical precedent for concerto rondos, begins with the piano alone. The movement offers a satisfying amalgam of simplicity and sophistication in the way its vigorous tuneful themes (sometimes described as alla zingarese or in gypsy style) recur or are transformed, via a central fugue-like episode, leading ultimately into the broad major-key reprise of the opening theme in the coda.

GRAEME SKINNER © 2012

Brahms’s Piano Concerto No.1 calls for an orchestra comprising pairs

of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons; four horns and two trumpets;

timpani (kettle drums) and strings

The SSO first performed the concerto in 1939 with conductor George

Szell and soloist Artur Schnabel, and most recently in 2012, with soloist

Nicholas Angelich and conductor Jakub Hrůša.

‘…so light and clear, so cold and indifferent to passion’ and second only to Liszt.

JOACHIM ON BRAHMS’S PIANO PLAYING

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Gustav Mahler Symphony No.1 in D major Langsam. Schleppend. ‘Wie ein Naturlaut’ – Im Anfang sehr gemächlich (Slow, dragging. ‘Like a sound of Nature’ –  Very comfortably) Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell – Trio. Recht gemächlich (Forcefully, yet not too fast – Trio. Quite slowly) Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen (Solemn and measured, without dragging) – Stürmisch bewegt (Stormily)

The opening of Mahler’s First Symphony places the listener on the conductor’s podium. It’s as if Mahler has slowed down time itself, allowing us to hear with tremendous clarity every detail of colour and effect. Listen, and you’re immersed in the ‘sound of Nature’; watch, and you can see the delicate threads of the texture enter and interact.

The first notes float into the hall: fluting sounds from the strings, all founded on the same note, A. From the primeval shimmer emerges a descending two-note motif: a ‘cuckoo’ call. It’s played over and over, interrupted only by fleeting fanfares heard in the distance; a clarinet gives it birdlike colour. In three-and-a-half minutes of mostly very quiet and subtly shaded music, Mahler engrains in our ears the single most important motif of the entire symphony.

The motif is echoed and shared through all the registers of the orchestra until it springs into the easy gait of a joyful, pastoral theme from the second of Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. The mood is spirited: the singer is walking through the fields on a fine, bright day, the birds are in a cheerful mood. And the very first notes of the theme outline the same descending interval as the ‘cuckoo’ call.

This simple, joyous theme is in some ways the heart of the symphony. Not only is it the source for the cuckoo motif, but it becomes the source for aspects of the exuberant second movement and the heroic theme of the finale. It also points to the twin strands of Mahler’s creative output – symphony and song – and to the intimate connections between his work on Songs of a Wayfarer and the first symphony, both begun in 1884.

The quotations from the Songs of a Wayfarer – there will be another in the third movement – emphasise the deeply personal character that was to permeate all of Mahler’s symphonies. The heartfelt songs were prompted by a failed love affair with the soprano Joanna Richter. And perhaps the affair inspired the symphony, too, if Mahler’s later qualifications are any guide: ‘the symphony is greater than the love affair on which it is based…the external experience formed the work’s motivation, not its content.’

KeynotesMAHLER

Born Kalischt, 1860 Died Vienna, 1911

Mahler is now regarded as one of the greatest symphonists, but during his life his major career was as a conductor – he was effectively a ‘summer composer’. Mahler’s symphonies are large-scale, requiring huge orchestras and often lasting more than an hour. They cover a tremendous emotional range, blending romantic and modern values, self-obsession and universal expression, idealism and irony.

FIRST SYMPHONY

The beginning of Mahler’s First Symphony is crucial – don’t be caught napping as the first notes of the symphony float into the hall. From these emerge the sound of a flute: two notes outlining the single most important motif of the whole work, a descending ‘cuckoo’-like idea. Hold that motif in your ears: this simple idea will be echoed and shared through the orchestra until the music bursts into a joyful, pastoral theme.

The journey of this symphony moves through rustic exuberance in the second movement and the macabre funeral-march parody of ‘Frère Jacques’ in the third movement – a rare solo moment for the double bass. The funeral march is repeatedly broken up by street musicians (klezmer style) and eventually the whole thing is interrupted by a heartrending cry. This is the transition to the 20-minute finale, morphing from that stormy, apocalyptic opening into a radiant conclusion.

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Mahler’s assessment seems plausible in the first movement, where the quotations from ‘Ging heut morgen übers Feld’ (I went out this morning into the fields) are apparently unsystematic and unconnected with the specific images of the song, except in the broadest sense of evoking Nature. But at the centre of the third movement, where Mahler quotes ‘Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz’ (The two blue eyes of my sweetheart), it’s difficult not to draw meaning from the profound sadness of the gentle tune and its original text – longing for peace, or is it death? ‘By the road stands a linden tree, and there for the first time I slept peacefully.’ As Zoltan Roman describes it, the episode has a ‘“song without words” character’ and its placement in the middle of a funeral march suggests a resolution to the ambiguity of the song.

The question of content versus motivation was a serious matter. Mahler had mixed feelings as to whether a symphony could or should have a program, a narrative, and the relationship between extra-musical inspiration and the music itself balanced uneasily in his creations. He distanced himself from composers such as Richard Strauss – whose innovations were to be found in dramatic forms and a new genre, the symphonic poem. At the same time, he couldn’t completely deny the programmatic motivations of his symphonic music.

At its premiere in 1889, the First Symphony was billed as a ‘Symphonic Poem in Two Parts’. Its five movements were given abstract tempo headings, with the exception of one marked ‘In the style of a Funeral Ceremony’. There was no official program, other than a simple outline, leaked to the newspaper in advance: spring, happy daydreams, and a wedding procession; a funeral march representing the burial of the poet’s illusions, and the achievement of spiritual victory.

For the second version of the symphony (Hamburg, 1893), Mahler’s friends persuaded him that the audience would find the music easier to understand if he gave the symphony a program. So, for a short while, it became a ‘tone poem in the form of a symphony’ with the name Titan, after a novel by Jean Paul. The individual movements were given descriptive titles and detailed explanations. The first three took Nature and Youth as the theme, with the charming Blumine movement at the centre; the fourth and fifth movements represented Human Comedy, with the funeral march and the finale, Dall’Inferno.

But Mahler couldn’t win: he was criticised for presenting the music as an abstract symphonic poem, and criticised for presenting it as a programmatic symphony. By 1899, when the symphony was first published, he had not only dropped the Blumine movement, but he had firmly rejected the Titan name

Gustav Mahler in 1902, a portrait sketch by Emil Orlik

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The Huntsman’s Funeral Procession (woodcut after an illustration by Moritz von Schwind)

and the elaborate program, dismissing it as ‘anti-musical’, inadequate and misleading.

His 1893 description for the first movement had been ‘Spring Without End’, and he’d explained that the introduction depicts the awakening of nature from its long winter sleep. The main part of the movement remained unexplained, although the song quotation invites a mood of hope and optimism, and only later does the music take on a darker, more ominous tone, sighing, as the singer does at the end of the song: ‘Will my happiness blossom again like the spring?’

Happiness does indeed blossom in the relaxed simplicity of the second movement, the shortest section of the symphony and the movement that received the warmest reception from early listeners. Originally it was dubbed a ‘scherzo’, the trademark playful character emerging in the easygoing rhythms of the Ländler, rustic ancestor to the waltz. The main theme – both stamping bass line and melody – is constructed around the cuckoo motif. Later a horn introduces the swaying elegance of the central Trio section – the Ländler has been invited into the ballroom.

Mahler eventually dropped the ‘funeral march’ designation from the third movement, but his original inspiration survives in the detailed description he gave of a satirical illustration in a book of fairy tales, ‘The Hunter’s Funeral Procession’:

…the beasts of the forest accompany the dead hunter’s coffin to the grave, with hares carrying a small banner, with a band of Bohemian musicians, in front, and the procession escorted by music-making cats, toads, crows, etc., with stags, roes, foxes, and other four-legged and feathered creatures of the forest in comic postures.

This is a topsy-turvy scene – an inversion of power as the hunted now lead the hunter to his grave. At this point, says Mahler, the mood is now ironically merry, now weirdly brooding – an effect brilliantly achieved in what is perhaps the most famous feature of the First Symphony. Mahler takes a popular

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student song, ‘Bruder Martin’ (it’s still well-known, even to Australians in the 21st century, as the singing round ‘Frère Jacques’), moves it into a mournful minor key and slows it to a dirge. And in a stroke of genius – not, incidentally, his first idea – he gives this distorted theme to a solo double bass, accompanied only by the timpani.

Ironic merriment arrives when a kind of sentimental klezmer music breaks in on the funeral-march parody. But the ultimate effect of the paired woodwinds and trumpets above the boom-chick of plucked strings is to intensify the ‘weirdly brooding’ mood it interrupts. Mahler is mixing laughter and tears.

At the heart of the third movement there is another interruption – not schmalzy or raucous but extraordinarily beautiful. This is the quotation from the final Wayfarer song, and it arrives, sad and eloquent, with muted strings, harp and just a few soft woodwinds. There is more to this movement than the bleak satire of the huntsman’s funeral, and this ‘song without words’ at its heart adds to the compelling impression of music with a story.

But Mahler later insisted that even in the funeral march the situation being represented was irrelevant, the important thing was the mood to be expressed. So, he said, the fourth movement, the finale, should bolt out, like lightning from a dark cloud. ‘It is simply the cry of a deeply wounded heart, preceded by the spooky, ironically brooding oppressiveness of the funeral march.’ That heartrending shriek from the full orchestra – its dissonance the equivalent of playing a cluster of three adjacent keys on the piano – explodes into the stormy, apocalyptic opening of the 20-minute finale.

The finale is the movement that can seem most troublesome, to listeners and even to the greatest of interpreters. In particular, it gives the feeling that it has arrived at its conclusion about halfway in. It’s easy to be deceived into expecting that the transcendent chorale will bring the final chords, only to discover that the finale is far from finished and the composer is setting out all over again. When Strauss questioned this ‘premature triumph’, Mahler explained:

At the place in question the solution is merely apparent (in the full sense of a ‘false conclusion’), and a change and breaking-down of the whole essence is needed before a true ‘victory’ can be won after such a struggle. My intention was to show a struggle in which victory is furthest from the protagonist just when he believes it is closest. This is the nature of every spiritual struggle. For it is by no means simple to become or to be a hero.

…in a stroke of genius he gives a distorted version of ‘Frère Jacques’ to a solo double bass, accompanied only by the timpani.

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The nature of the spiritual struggle is suggested in the finale’s rejected programmatic title – from the Inferno to Paradise. Musically, the movement is struggling to regain the symphony’s home key of D major, which hasn’t been heard since the first movement. The finale has begun in despairing F minor: ‘Again and again, the music had fallen from brief glimpses of light into the darkest depths of despair. Now, an enduring, triumphal victory had to be won.’ Mahler then explains in harmonic terms the ‘considerable vain groping’ he went through in order to make the arrival at D major seem inevitable, ‘to sound as though it had fallen from heaven, as though it had come from another world’.

D major falls from heaven at that first, false conclusion, and from this point on, according to an early analysis from 1921, we experience an extended coda of ‘such gigantic proportions…it could pass for a finale itself’. The remainder of the movement does in fact behave like a coda: significant transformation of musical motifs ceases, and it is as if Mahler is retracing the course of the whole symphony, from the shimmering ‘sound of Nature’ to the radiant chorale. The journey now complete, Mahler instructs the horns to stand in order to achieve the greatest possible sound (and, he adds in the score, to drown out even the trumpets!). The hero has come home and it is music itself.

ABRIDGED FROM A NOTE BY YVONNE FRINDLE © 2010

Mahler’s First Symphony calls for four flutes (three doubling piccolo), four

oboes (one doubling cor anglais), four clarinets (with bass clarinet and E flat

clarinet doublings) and three bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon);

seven horns, four trumpets, three trombones and tuba; two timpani and

percussion (bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam); harp and strings.

The SSO gave the first performance by an ABC orchestra of Mahler’s

First Symphony in 1948, conducted by Eugene Goossens. The most recent

performance was in 2010 in Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Mahler Odyssey.

Including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in your estate plans is a wonderful way to ensure a legacy of artistic excellence for your orchestra. In appreciation of your generosity and vision, you will become a member of the Stuart Challender Legacy Society, bringing you closer to your orchestra.

Contact Luke Gay to discuss how your bequest can make a difference (02) 8215 4625 luke.gay@sydneysymphony.com

Stuart Challender Legacy SocietyIncluding the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in your estate plans

‘…to sound as though it had fallen from heaven…’

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MORE MUSIC

BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTOS

After he moved to the United States, one of Yefim Bronfman’s teachers was Leon Fleisher, and Fleisher’s own recording of the Brahms piano concertos holds an enduring place in the catalogue. His magnificent performances were captured in 1958 and 1962 with the Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell, and the most recent remastered release adds two mono recordings of piano pieces: Brahms’s Handel Variations and the Waltzes, Op.39.

SONY CLASSICAL MASTERWORKS 63225

MAHLER SYMPHONIES

The last time the SSO played Mahler 1 was in 2010, in the first concerts of Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Mahler Odyssey. That performance was recorded for posterity on our own label.

SSO 201001

If you’re curious about the rejected Blumine movement, or the Songs of a Wayfarer, which is quoted so extensively in Mahler’s First Symphony, look for the 2-CD set featuring Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in performances of Blumine and the symphony, together with Frederica von Stade singing Songs of a Wayfarer accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Andrew Davis.

RCA VICTOR RED SEAL 76233

DONALD RUNNICLES

Among Donald Runnicles’ most recent releases is his insightful recording of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

HYPERION 67916

www.donaldrunnicles.org

YEFIM BRONFMAN

If you enjoyed Bronfman’s approach to the first Brahms piano concerto, then look for his 2009 recording of the second concerto with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta. Also on the album: Saint-Saëns’ second piano concerto, and solo pieces by Scarlatti, Schumann and Chopin.

HELICON 9644

www.yefimbronfman.com

Broadcast Diary

November–December

Saturday 29 November, 1pm SCULTHORPE’S 70TH BIRTHDAY (1999)Lawrence Foster conductor John Williams guitarSculthorpe, Dvořák

Monday 1 December, 8pm SYMPHONIC FIRSTSDonald Runnicles conductor Yefim Bronfman pianoBrahms, Mahler

Saturday 6 December, 8pm JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET IN RECITALBeethoven, B Mantovani, Ravel (From the Melbourne Recital Centre)

Saturday 13 December, 8pm VARIATIONS ON AN ENGLISH THEME (2013)James Gaffigan conductor Vilde Frang violinHaydn, Britten, Brahms

Wednesday 17 December, 8pm ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER PLAYS MOZARTAnne-Sophie Mutter playing and directing Mozart violin concertos

Saturday 20 December, 1pm VÄNSKÄ CONDUCTS BRAHMSOsmo Vänskä conductor Colin Currie percussionBeethoven, Aho, Brahms

Wednesday 31 December, 8pm ENIGMA VARIATIONSDonald Runnicles conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violinBritten, Sibelius, Elgar

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HOUR

Tuesday 9 December, 6pm

Principal Cello Umberto Clerici talks about the life of the orchestra and forthcoming concerts. Hosted by Andrew Bukenya.

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Donald Runnicles is currently the General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

He enjoys close and enduring relationships with several of the world’s most significant opera companies and orchestras, and is especially celebrated for his interpretations of the Romantic and post-Romantic symphonic and opera repertoire which is central to his musical identity.

Engagement highlights of the 2014–15 season include a new production at San Francisco Opera of Les Troyens by Berlioz; new productions in Berlin of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette, together with eight revivals; and guest conducting engagements with the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

Previous posts have included San Francisco Opera, where he was Music Director from 1992 to 2008, during which time he conducted world premieres of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic,

Conrad Susa’s Liaisons Dangereuses, and the United States premiere of Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise. He was also Chief Conductor of the Orchestra of St Luke’s, New York, and General Music Director of the Freiburg theatre and orchestra (1989–1993).

Donald Runnicles’ most recent recording – Wagner arias with Jonas Kaufmann and the Deutsche Oper Berlin orchestra – won the 2013 Gramophone prize for best vocal recording, and his extensive discography includes complete recordings of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Britten’s Billy Budd, Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Donald Runnicles was awarded an OBE in 2004 and holds honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His most recent appearance with the SSO was in 2009, when he conducted a program of Brahms and Richard Strauss.

Donald Runniclesconductor

THE ARTISTS

SIM

ON

PA

ULY

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Yefim (‘Fima’) Bronfman was born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union in 1958, and in 1973 he migrated with his family to Israel, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at the Juilliard School, Marlboro and the Curtis Institute, and with Rudolf Firkušný, Leon Fleisher and Rudolf Serkin.

His 2014–15 season began with summer festivals at Tanglewood, Aspen, Vail, La Jolla and Santa Fe, and engagement highlights include performances with the orchestras of Chicago, St Louis, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta and Pittsburgh, as well as the New World Symphony in Miami, the Metropolitan Orchestra, the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, and the Berlin Philharmonic. In October he performed Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No.2 (commissioned for him) with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and he will give the UK premiere with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in March. This season he will play and record both Brahms concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst; and will also take these concertos to La Scala Milan with Valery Gergiev. He also returns to

Japan for recitals and concerts with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and will appear in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing. Next year he will join Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lynn Harrell for their first US tour together.

Yefim Bronfman was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1991, and the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in piano performance from Northwestern University in 2010. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009 for his recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s piano concerto, and in 1997 he won a Grammy Award for his recording of the three Bartók concertos with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Salonen conducting. Last year he was nominated for a Grammy with the New York Philharmonic for their recording of the Lindberg second concerto.

Yefim Bronfman’s most recent appearance in Sydney was last year, when he performed Beethoven with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Mariss Jansons. His most recent appearance with the SSO was in 2008 when he played Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with David Robertson conducting.

Yefim Bronfmanpiano

DA

RIO

AC

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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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

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

The orchestra’s first Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in 1947; he was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdenĕk Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti. Vladimir Ashkenazy was Principal Conductor from 2009 to 2013. The orchestra’s history also boasts collaborations with legendary figures

such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

The SSO’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, Lee Bracegirdle, Gordon Kerry, Mary Finsterer, Nigel Westlake and Georges Lentz, and the orchestra’s recordings of music by Brett Dean have been released on both the BIS and SSO Live labels.

Other releases on the SSO Live label, established in 2006, include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and David Robertson. 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 ABC Classics.

This is the first year of David Robertson’s tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director.

DAVID ROBERTSON Chief Conductor and Artistic Director

PATRON Professor The Hon. Dame Marie Bashir ad cvo

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FIRST VIOLINS Andrew Haveron CONCERTMASTER

Kirsten Williams ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Lerida Delbridge ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Fiona Ziegler ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Sophie ColeClaire HerrickGeorges LentzNicola LewisEmily LongAlexandra MitchellAlexander NortonLéone ZieglerEmma Jardine*Elizabeth Jones*Emily Qin*Lucy Warren*Dene Olding CONCERTMASTER

Sun Yi ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Jenny BoothBrielle ClapsonAmber Davis

SECOND VIOLINS Marina Marsden Emma Jezek ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Emma HayesStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeMaja VerunicaAlexandra D’Elia*Rebecca Gill*Monique Irik*Vivien Jeffery°Belinda Jezek*Narine Melconian*Kirsty Hilton Marianne Broadfoot Maria DurekShuti HuangBiyana Rozenblit

VIOLASTobias Breider Justin Williams ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Sandro CostantinoRosemary CurtinGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenFelicity TsaiLeonid VolovelskyJacqueline Cronin*Andrew Jezek*David Wicks*Roger Benedict Anne-Louise Comerford Jane HazelwoodAmanda Verner

CELLOSUmberto ClericiCatherine Hewgill Henry David Varema Leah Lynn ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Kristy ConrauFenella GillTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockDavid WickhamAdrian Wallis

DOUBLE BASSESKees Boersma Alex Henery David CampbellSteven LarsonRichard LynnBenjamin WardJosef Bisits*Hugh Kluger*Neil Brawley PRINCIPAL EMERITUS

David Murray

FLUTES Janet Webb Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer PRINCIPAL PICCOLO

OBOESDiana Doherty Shefali Pryor David PappAlexandre Oguey PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS

CLARINETSFrancesco Celata Christopher TingayCraig Wernicke PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET

Sandra Ismail*Lawrence Dobell

BASSOONSBen Hoadley*Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON

Matthew Wilkie

HORNSBen Jacks Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly PRINCIPAL 3RD

Euan HarveyMarnie SebireRachel SilverMichael Dixon*Katy Grisdale*

TRUMPETSDavid Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony HeinrichsRainer Saville*

TROMBONESRonald Prussing Scott Kinmont Christopher Harris PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE

Nick Byrne

TUBASteve Rossé

TIMPANIRichard Miller Mark Robinson ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSIONRebecca Lagos Timothy ConstableIan Cleworth*

HARP Louise Johnson

BOLD = PRINCIPALITALICS = ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

° = CONTRACT MUSICIAN

* = GUEST MUSICIANGREY = PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NOT APPEARING IN THIS CONCERT

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

To see photographs of the full roster of permanent musicians and find out more about the orchestra, visit our website: www.sydneysymphony.com/SSO_musicians

If you don’t have access to the internet, ask one of our customer service representatives for a copy of our Musicians flyer.

MUSICIANS

David RobertsonCHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SUPPORTED BY EMIRATES

Dene OldingCONCERTMASTER

Jessica CottisASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SUPPORTED BY PREMIER PARTNER CREDIT SUISSE

Andrew HaveronCONCERTMASTER

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BEHIND THE SCENES

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Rory Jeffes

EXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT

Lisa Davies-Galli

ARTISTIC OPERATIONSDIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

Benjamin Schwartz

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Eleasha Mah

ARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Ilmar Leetberg

RECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

Philip Powers

LibraryAnna CernikVictoria GrantMary-Ann Mead

LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENTDIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

Kim Waldock

EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Mark Lawrenson

EDUCATION MANAGER

Rachel McLarin

EDUCATION OFFICER

Amy Walsh

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENTDIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

Aernout Kerbert

ORCHESTRA MANAGER

Rachel Whealy

ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR

Georgia Fryer

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Kerry-Anne Cook

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Laura Daniel

STAGE MANAGER

Courtney Wilson

PRODUCTION COORDINATORS

Tim DaymanDave Stabback

SALES AND MARKETINGDIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Mark J Elliott

MARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES

Simon Crossley-Meates

A/ SENIOR SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

Matthew Rive

MARKETING MANAGER, WEB & DIGITAL MEDIA

Eve Le Gall

MARKETING MANAGER, CRM & DATABASE

Matthew Hodge

A/ SALES & MARKETING MANAGER,SINGLE TICKET CAMPAIGNS

Jonathon Symonds

DATABASE ANALYST

David Patrick

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Christie Brewster

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tessa Conn

SENIOR ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jenny Sargant

MARKETING ASSISTANT

Theres Mayer

Box OfficeMANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS

Lynn McLaughlin

BOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

Jennifer Laing

BOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

John Robertson

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Karen Wagg – Senior CSR Michael DowlingTim Walsh

PublicationsPUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Yvonne Frindle

EXTERNAL RELATIONSDIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Yvonne Zammit

PhilanthropyHEAD OF PHILANTHROPY

Luke Andrew Gay

PHILANTHROPY COORDINATOR

Sarah Morrisby

Corporate RelationsBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Belinda Besson

CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER

Janine Harris

CommunicationsPUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Katherine Stevenson

COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA MANAGER

Bridget Cormack

DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Kai Raisbeck

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY OFFICER

Caitlin Benetatos

BUSINESS SERVICESDIRECTOR OF FINANCE

John Horn

FINANCE MANAGER

Ruth Tolentino

ACCOUNTANT

Minerva Prescott

ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT

Emma Ferrer

PAYROLL OFFICER

Laura Soutter

PEOPLE AND CULTURE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL

Michel Maree Hryce

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA STAFF

John C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus am

Ewen Crouch am

Ross GrantCatherine HewgillJennifer HoyRory JeffesAndrew Kaldor am

David LivingstoneThe Hon. Justice AJ MeagherGoetz Richter

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BOARD

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COUNCILGeoff Ainsworth am Doug Battersby Christine Bishop The Hon John Della Bosca mlc Michael J Crouch ao Alan Fang Erin Flaherty Dr Stephen Freiberg Simon Johnson Gary Linnane Helen Lynch am David Maloney am Justice Jane Mathews ao Danny May Jane Morschel Andy Plummer Deirdre Plummer Seamus Robert Quick Paul Salteri am Sandra Salteri Juliana Schaeffer Fred Stein oam Gabrielle Trainor John van Ogtrop Brian White Rosemary White

HONORARY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Ita Buttrose ao obe Donald Hazelwood ao obe The Hon. Paul Keating Yvonne Kenny am David Malouf ao Wendy McCarthy ao Leo Schofield am Peter Weiss ao

23

Through their inspired financial support, Patrons ensure the SSO’s continued success, resilience and growth. Join the SSO Patrons Program today and make a difference.

sydneysymphony.com/patrons (02) 8215 4674 • philanthropy@sydneysymphony.com

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRONS

MAESTRO’S CIRCLESUPPORTING THE ARTISTIC VISION OF DAVID ROBERTSON, CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Peter Weiss ao Founding President & Doris WeissJohn C Conde ao ChairmanBrian AbelGeoff Ainsworth am Tom Breen & Rachael KohnThe Berg Family FoundationAndrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor aoVicki Olsson

Roslyn Packer aoDavid RobertsonPenelope Seidler amMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetMr Frank Lowy ac & Mrs Shirley Lowy oam

Brian & Rosemary WhiteRay Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam

CHAIR PATRONS

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

02 Umberto Clerici Principal Cello Garry & Shiva Rich Chair

03 Lerida Delbridge Assistant Concertmaster Simon Johnson Chair

04 Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Anne & Terrey Arcus am Chair

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

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

07 Jane Hazelwood, Viola Bob & Julie Clampett Chair in memory of Carolyn Clampett

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

09 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

10 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

11 Shefali Pryor Associate Principal Oboe Mrs Barbara Murphy Chair

12 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

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

14 Kirsten Williams, Associate Concertmaster I Kallinikos Chair

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHAIR PATRONS PROGRAM,

CALL (02) 8215 4619.

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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

DIAMOND PATRONS: $30,000+Geoff Ainsworth am

Anne & Terrey Arcus am

Doug & Alison BattersbyThe Berg Family FoundationTom Breen & Rachael KohnMr John C Conde ao

Robert & Janet ConstableThe Estate of Dr Lynn JosephMr Andrew Kaldor am &

Mrs Renata Kaldor ao

In Memory of Matthew KrelMrs Roslyn Packer ao

Ian Potter FoundationPaul Salteri am & Sandra SalteriScully FoundationMrs W SteningMr Fred Street am &

Mrs Dorothy StreetPeter Weiss ao & Doris WeissMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteKim Williams am & Catherine

Dovey

PLATINUM PATRONS: $20,000–$29,999Brian AbelRobert Albert ao & Elizabeth

AlbertAlan & Christine BishopSandra & Neil Burns

James & Leonie FurberI KallinikosHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerMrs T Merewether oam

Mrs Barbara MurphyMr B G O’ConorVicki OlssonAndy & Deirdre PlummerDavid RobertsonMrs Penelope Seidler am

G & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzie

Geoff StearnRay Wilson oam in memory of

James Agapitos oam

Anonymous (1)

GOLD PATRONS: $10,000–$19,999Bailey Family FoundationAudrey BlundenMr Robert BrakspearIan & Jennifer BurtonMr Robert & Mrs L Alison CarrBob & Julie ClampettMichael Crouch ao & Shanny

CrouchThe Hon. Mrs Ashley

Dawson-Damer am

Ian Dickson & Reg HollowayPaul EspieEdward & Diane Federman

Nora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantMr Ervin KatzJames N Kirby FoundationRuth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher &

Mrs Fran MeagherMr John MorschelDrs Keith & Eileen OngGarry & Shiva RichCaroline WilkinsonAnonymous (2)

SILVER PATRONS: $5000–$9,999John Augustus & Kim RyrieStephen J BellDr Hannes & Mrs Barbara

BoshoffMr Alexander & Mrs Vera

BoyarskyPeter Braithwaite & Gary

LinnaneMr David & Mrs Halina BrettEwen Crouch am & Catherine

CrouchIn memory of Dr Lee

MacCormick EdwardsDr Stephen Freiberg & Donald

CampbellDr Colin GoldschmidtThe Greatorex Foundation

Rory & Jane JeffesThe late Mrs Isabelle JosephFrank Lowy am & Shirley

Lowy oam

J A McKernanDavid Maloney am & Erin

FlahertyR & S Maple-BrownJustice Jane Mathews ao

Mora MaxwellWilliam McIlrath Charitable

FoundationJohn & Akky van OgtropSeamus Robert QuickRodney Rosenblum am &

Sylvia RosenblumDr Evelyn RoyalThe late Greta C RyanManfred & Linda SalamonMrs Joyce Sproat &

Mrs Janet CookeMr John Symond am

David Tudehope & Liz DibbsMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary

WalshWestpac GroupMichael & Mary Whelan TrustIn memory of Geoff WhiteJune & Alan Woods Family

BequestAnonymous (2)

PRESTO PATRONS: $2,500–$4,999Mr Henri W Aram oam

Ian BradyMr Mark BryantIta Buttrose ao obe

Dr Rebecca ChinDr Diana Choquette &

Mr Robert MillinerMr B & Mrs M ColesMr Howard ConnorsGreta DavisFirehold Pty LtdWarren GreenAnthony GreggAnn HobanIrwin Imhof in memory of

Herta ImhofMr John Lam-Po-TangJames & Elsie MooreDarrol Norman & Sandra HortonMs Jackie O’BrienJuliana SchaefferDr Agnes E SinclairEzekiel SolomonTony StrachanMr Ervin Vidor am &

Mrs Charlotte VidorMr Lang & Mrs Sue WalkerYim Family Foundation

VIVACE PATRONS: $1,000–$2,499Mrs Lenore AdamsonMrs Antoinette AlbertRae & David AllenAndrew Andersons ao

Mr Matthew AndrewsThe Hon Justice Michael BallDavid BarnesMr Garry BessonAllan & Julie BlighJan BowenLenore P BuckleMargaret BulmerIn memory of RW BurleyMrs Rhonda CaddyMrs Stella ChenMs Suzanne CollinsJoan Connery oam &

Maxwell Connery oam

Debby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham scm &

Mrs Margaret CunninghamLisa & Miro DavisElizabeth DonatiColin Draper & Mary Jane

BrodribbProf. & Mrs John EdmondsMalcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillMrs Margaret Epps

Professor Michael Field am

Mr Tom FrancisMr Matt GarrettVivienne Goldschmidt &

Owen JonesMrs Fay GrearIn Memory of Angelica GreenAkiko GregoryMr & Mrs Harold & Althea

HallidayJanette HamiltonAngus HoldenDr & Mrs Michael HunterMichael & Anna JoelMrs W G KeighleyDr Andrew KennedyAron KleinlehrerProf. Andrew Korda am &

Ms Susan PearsonMr Justin LamMr Peter Lazar am

Professor Winston LiauwAirdrie LloydPeter Lowry oam & Dr Carolyn

Lowry oam

Kevin & Deirdre McCannIan & Pam McGawMacquarie Group FoundationBarbara MaidmentJohn Mar

Renee MarkovicHenry & Ursula MooserMilja & David MorrisMrs J MulveneyDr Mike O’Connor am

Mr & Mrs OrtisMr Andrew C PattersonDr Natalie E PelhamAlmut PiattiIn memory of Sandra Paul

PottingerDr Raffi QasabianMichael QuaileyMr Patrick Quinn-GrahamErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment

Pty LtdDr Marilyn RichardsonLesley & Andrew RosenbergIn memory of H St P ScarlettMr Samuel F ShefferDavid & Alison ShilligtonDavid Smithers am & Isabel

SmithersDr Judy SoperMrs Judith SouthamMs Barbara SpencerMrs Elizabeth SquairCatherine Stephen

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PLAYING YOUR PART

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRON, PLEASE

CONTACT THE PHILANTHROPY OFFICE ON (02) 8215 4674

OR EMAIL PHILANTHROPY@SYDNEYSYMPHONY.COM

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The Hon. Brian Sully qc

Mrs Margaret SwansonThe Taplin FamilyKevin TroyJohn E TuckeyJudge Robyn TupmanDr Alla WaldmanMiss Sherry WangWestpac Banking CorporationHenry & Ruth WeinbergThe Hon. Justice A G WhealyDr Richard T WhiteMrs Leonore WhyteBetty WilkenfieldA Willmers & R PalDr Edward J WillsProf. Neville Wills &

Ian FenwickeAnn & Brooks C Wilson am

Dr Richard WingDr Peter Wong &

Mrs Emmy K WongGeoff Wood & Melissa WaitesSir Robert WoodsMr & Mrs Lindsay WoolveridgeIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (15)

ALLEGRO PATRONS: $500–$999Ms Jenny AllumMr Peter J ArmstrongGarry & Tricia AshMr & Mrs George BallDr Lilon BandlerBarlow Cleaning Pty LtdMichael Baume ao & Toni BaumeBeauty Point Retirement ResortMr Michael BeckDr Andrew BellRichard & Margaret BellMrs Jan BiberMinnie BiggsG D BoltonMr Colin G Booth

Dr Margaret BoothIn memory of Jillian BowersMrs R D Bridges obe

R D & L M BroadfootDr Peter BroughtonDr David BryantArnaldo BuchDr Miles BurgessPat & Jenny BurnettEric & Rosemary CampbellMr JC Campbell qc &

Mrs CampbellBarrie CarterMr Jonathan ChissickMrs Sandra ClarkIn memory of Beth HarpleyMr Phillip CornwellDom Cottam & Kanako

ImamuraDr Peter CraswellMr David CrossPhil Diment am &

Bill ZafiropoulosDr David DixonSusan DoenauMrs Jane DrexlerDr Nita DurhamJohn FavaloroMrs Lesley FinnMs Julie Flynn & Mr Trevor

CookMrs Paula FlynnMr John GadenClive & Jenny GoodwinRuth GrahameMr Robert GreenRichard Griffin am

Dr Jan GroseBenjamin Hasic &

Belinda DavieMr Robert HavardMrs Joan HenleyRoger HenningSue HewittIn memory of Emil HiltonDorothy Hoddinott ao

Mr Kevin Holland & Mrs Roslyn Andrews

Bill & Pam HughesMs Cynthia KayeMrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamDr Joyce KirkChris J KitchingMrs Patricia KleinhansAnna-Lisa KlettenbergSonia LalL M B LampratiElaine M LangshawDr Leo & Mrs Shirley LeaderMargaret LedermanMrs Erna LevyMrs A LohanMr Gabriel LopataPanee LowDr David LuisMelvyn MadiganMs Jolanta MasojadaHelen & Phil MeddingsI MerrickLouise MillerPatricia MillerKenneth Newton MitchellHelen MorganChris Morgan-HunnMr Graham NorthE J NuffieldMr Sead NurkicDr A J PalmerDr Kevin PedemontDr John PittMrs Greeba PritchardThe Hon. Dr Rodney Purvis am

& Mrs Marian Purvis

Miss Julie RadosavljevicRenaissance Tours Anna RoMr David RobinsonAgnes RossMrs Christine Rowell-Miller Mr Kenneth RyanGarry Scarf & Morgie BlaxillPeter & Virginia ShawV ShoreMrs Diane Shteinman am

Victoria SmythDoug & Judy SotherenColin SpencerJames & Alice SpigelmanAshley & Aveen StephensonMargaret & William SuthersDr & Mrs H K TeyDr Jenepher ThomasMr Michael ThompsonMs Rhonda TingAlma TooheyMrs M TurkingtonGillian Turner & Rob BishopMr Robert VeelRonald WalledgeIn memory of Denis WallisIn memoriam JBL WattMiss Roslyn WheelerThe Wilkinson FamilyAudrey & Michael WilsonYetty WindtDr Richard WingateMr Evan WongMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (45)

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA VANGUARDA MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM FOR A DYNAMIC GROUP OF GEN X & Y SSO FANS AND FUTURE PHILANTHROPISTS

COLLECTIVEMr Justin Di Lollo ChairOscar McMahonTaine MoufarrigeSeamus Robert QuickShefali PryorCamille Thioulouse

FOUNDING PATRONSSeamus Robert QuickTaine Moufarrige

MEMBERSJames ArmstrongJoan BallantineJames BaudzusAndrew BaxterAnthony BeresfordDavid BluffPeter BraithwaiteBlake Briggs

Andrea BrownMelanie BrownProf. Attila BrungsIan BurtonJennifer BurtonPaul ColganRobbie CranfieldJuliet CurtinRosalind DesaillyAlastair FurnivalAlexandra GibsonSam GiddingsMarina GoJeremy GoffHilary GoodsonTony GriersonLouise HaggertyRose HercegFrancis HicksPeter Howard

Jennifer HoyKatie HryceThe Hon. Virginia JudgeJonathan KennedyAernout KerbertPatrick KokAlisa LaiTristan LandersJessye LinGary LinnaneGabriel LopataRobert McGroryDavid McKeanNick NichlesKate O’ReillyPeter O’SullivanLaurisa PoulosMichael RadovnikovicSudeep RaoMichael Reede

Paul ReidyChris RobertsonDr Benjamin RobinsonAlvaro Rodas FernandezJacqueline RowlandsProf. Anthony Michael

SchembriBenjamin SchwartzCaroline SharpenKatherine ShawCeclilia StornioloRandal TameSandra TangIan TaylorMichael TidballMark TimminsMichael TuffyKim WaldockJon WilkieYvonne Zammit

26

SALUTE

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is assisted by the

Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council,

its arts funding and advisory body

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is

assisted by the NSW Government

through Arts NSW

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

EDUCATION PARTNERPLATINUM PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNER MARKETING PARTNERVANGUARD PARTNER

PREMIER PARTNER

SILVER PARTNERS

s i n f i n i m u s i c . c o m

UNIVERSAL MUSIC AUSTRALIA

Salute 2014_FOUR-3_20Nov.indd 1 20/11/14 9:50 AM

❝There’s much less of the artistic temperament these days.

❞with marketing, in ways they weren’t before. Bernstein was one of the first to embrace the medium of television, and it’s really grown from there.’

Despite the wealth of information available now via the internet about each artist, Ilmar maintains a professional but personable approach. ‘It’s important for an artist to feel comfortable with the person that they’re going to be with for the week. While it’s good to know the bare bones about someone, it’s not in anyone’s interest to know too much about them before you meet in real life; that’s very artificial.’

The very model of discretion, Ilmar isn’t one to tell tales out of school of artists’ embarrassing moments. ‘You’ll have to wait for my memoirs,’ he jokes. ‘There are a lot of nervous artists out there – I have to fund my retirement somehow!’

A riddle for you: You’ll only ever see him on stage when the orchestra is silent. He neither plays nor conducts a single note, but without him, the music would never sound. Who is he?

Amongst the staff of any orchestra, there is one key role that acts as the touchpoint for every visiting performer or conductor; that of artist liaison manager. Ilmar Leetberg has fulfilled that role with the SSO for 17 years. His occasional appearances on the platform of the concert hall, carefully ensuring scores, batons, glasses of water and the like are all in place before a performance, are just a tiny part of his wide-ranging job. ‘Ultimately my goal is to make sure that the only thing the artists have to worry about are the rehearsals

and performance.’ Ilmar is required to be at almost every performance – that’s over 100 nights per year. His responsibilities start long before any artist arrives in Sydney, with travel arrangements, contracts and special requirements all confirmed well in advance.

From early days as Bernstein’s London-based PA – ‘despite every attempt, I could never beat him into the office, he was so driven!’ – through working with conducting greats like Hiroyuki Iwaki, and, more recently, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ilmar has seen many changes in the industry. ‘There’s much less of the artistic temperament these days. That’s been replaced by business acumen. Artists are being savvy with social media, savvy with patrons and savvy

TOUCHPOINTThere are many unsung heroes of the SSO – Ilmar Leetberg is one!

ORCHESTRA NEWS | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2014

SSO Bravo! #9 2014 Insert.indd 1 11/11/14 10:31 AM

and Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique. ‘The music had an important role to play in expressing what words could not. It was inspiring, emotionally profound and incredibly uplifting.’

CommemorationGough Whitlam Memorial ServiceWe were extremely honoured to perform at the State Memorial Service for Edward Gough Whitlam, Australia’s 21st Prime Minister. Conductor Benjamin Northey moved heaven and earth to come back from Albany, WA to join us in time for rehearsals for this special commemoration. ‘It was an extraordinary experience and a great honour for all of us,’ says Benjamin. ‘On the day, despite the magnitude of the occasion, I was almost totally free of nerves. I felt as if the performers and the audience were somehow a single entity throughout, all unified in the task of honouring this great

Paul

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ock Last month the historic 19th-century

Mortuary Station near Central played host to a performance by an ensemble of SSO musicians for our Vanguard guests, a dynamic group of Sydney’s next generation of philanthropists. Before the heavens erupted on that stormy October evening, we were treated to a program that included New Orleans jazz funeral number ‘Just a Closer Walk With Thee’ and Irving Berlin’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’, sung by Philanthropy Coordinator Sarah Morrisby. The Gothic-style station, which saw mourners departing for Rookwood Cemetery until the early 1940s, proved an evocative setting for our final Vanguard event for 2014. Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter at #ssovanguard

I’m sure I saw one of your musicians performing in a completely different context the other week – Fiona Ziegler playing the viol? It got me thinking about SSO musicians making ‘extra-curricular’ music. Is it very common? Adam, via email

Many youngsters who later join the ranks of a professional orchestra either start out on a completely different instrument, or seek out challenges later in life by taking up additional instruments. Assistant Concertmaster Fiona Ziegler falls

into the latter category: as well as playing tenor viol (a string instrument from the Renaissance and Baroque periods that is held between the knees), she has also picked up mandolin and mandola (the viola of the mandolin family) for fresh challenges and a different palette of sounds.

Bassist David Murray strayed into less traditional territory growing up. Originally from the Twin Cities in the States, Dave met a lot of jazz musicians, and fell in love with the genre. ‘The difference [from classical music] is in the style of learning: the tools are the same – like scales

and arpeggios – but with jazz you learn how to use them for your own purposes; you get creative with an arpeggio, maybe even turn it into a melody.’ The similarities with classical music are in the listening. ‘You’re actively listening to the harmony, to what everyone else is doing. In many respects it isn’t that different [to playing in the orchestra].’

Have a question about music, instruments or 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 Musician

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Australian leader. Even the anthem took on a new depth of meaning.’

Gough’s wish list for the service at the Sydney Town Hall included music from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Verdi’s Nabucco

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and Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique. ‘The music had an important role to play in expressing what words could not. It was inspiring, emotionally profound and incredibly uplifting.’

CommemorationGough Whitlam Memorial ServiceWe were extremely honoured to perform at the State Memorial Service for Edward Gough Whitlam, Australia’s 21st Prime Minister. Conductor Benjamin Northey moved heaven and earth to come back from Albany, WA to join us in time for rehearsals for this special commemoration. ‘It was an extraordinary experience and a great honour for all of us,’ says Benjamin. ‘On the day, despite the magnitude of the occasion, I was almost totally free of nerves. I felt as if the performers and the audience were somehow a single entity throughout, all unified in the task of honouring this great

Paul

Wilc

ock Last month the historic 19th-century

Mortuary Station near Central played host to a performance by an ensemble of SSO musicians for our Vanguard guests, a dynamic group of Sydney’s next generation of philanthropists. Before the heavens erupted on that stormy October evening, we were treated to a program that included New Orleans jazz funeral number ‘Just a Closer Walk With Thee’ and Irving Berlin’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’, sung by Philanthropy Coordinator Sarah Morrisby. The Gothic-style station, which saw mourners departing for Rookwood Cemetery until the early 1940s, proved an evocative setting for our final Vanguard event for 2014. Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter at #ssovanguard

I’m sure I saw one of your musicians performing in a completely different context the other week – Fiona Ziegler playing the viol? It got me thinking about SSO musicians making ‘extra-curricular’ music. Is it very common? Adam, via email

Many youngsters who later join the ranks of a professional orchestra either start out on a completely different instrument, or seek out challenges later in life by taking up additional instruments. Assistant Concertmaster Fiona Ziegler falls

into the latter category: as well as playing tenor viol (a string instrument from the Renaissance and Baroque periods that is held between the knees), she has also picked up mandolin and mandola (the viola of the mandolin family) for fresh challenges and a different palette of sounds.

Bassist David Murray strayed into less traditional territory growing up. Originally from the Twin Cities in the States, Dave met a lot of jazz musicians, and fell in love with the genre. ‘The difference [from classical music] is in the style of learning: the tools are the same – like scales

and arpeggios – but with jazz you learn how to use them for your own purposes; you get creative with an arpeggio, maybe even turn it into a melody.’ The similarities with classical music are in the listening. ‘You’re actively listening to the harmony, to what everyone else is doing. In many respects it isn’t that different [to playing in the orchestra].’

Have a question about music, instruments or 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 Musician

Ilmar

Lee

tber

g

Australian leader. Even the anthem took on a new depth of meaning.’

Gough’s wish list for the service at the Sydney Town Hall included music from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Verdi’s Nabucco

Kai

Rai

sbec

k

SSO Bravo! #9 2014 Insert.indd 2 11/11/14 10:35 AM

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Schumann Symphony CycleNext year, our Sydney Opera House season opens with a cycle of symphonies from one of the great Romantics, Robert Schumann. Until his marriage to Clara Wieck in 1839, Schumann had focused solely on piano music. But Clara believed he should be writing for orchestra: ‘his imagination cannot find sufficient scope on the piano…His compositions are all orchestral in feeling.’

Her influence must have worked on him: in a fit of inspiration in 1841 he composed his enlivening Spring Symphony; soon after, he drafted what was to become his Fourth Symphony in 1851. The Second was composed in 1845–46, during a period when he was suffering from ‘nervous prostration’ – its energy-filled finale suggests triumph over troubled exhaustion and deep melancholy. The majestic Rhenish Symphony was written over a month in 1850, after he’d taken up a conducting post in Düsseldorf.

But the tragedy of mental illness led to Schumann’s premature death at the age of 46. There would be no more symphonies. Even so, the four symphonies he did compose reveal a marvellous imagination and capacity for musical feeling. And in 2015 you have the chance to hear them all in close succession, and to experience the emotional highs and lows and powerful drama of this rich symphonic cycle.

Schumann Symphonies with David RobertsonPerformed over a fortnight in programs with violin concertos by Mendelssohn and Widmann, and a new work by Georges Lentz.11, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21 February 2015Visit sydneysymphony.com for details.

The Score

the opportunity to do that sort of stuff very much, and even if we do, the cost is often so great, that we can’t really enjoy it.’ One young charge Alex, who is blind, was particularly taken by the timpani. Says Sue, ‘Alex likes to rock when he gets excited. He was so enthusiastic he nearly rocked himself off his seat!’ The program ranged from Mozart to Martinu°, and was performed by the SSO Sinfonia, conducted by Anthony Pasquill at the Eugene Goossens Hall in the ABC Ultimo Centre.

Across the other side of Sydney, Associate Concertmaster Kirsten Williams has been weaving gentle skeins of magic with her instrument to help sooth and stabilise the tiny newborns at Westmead NICU. ‘The violin sounds very similar to the female voice in tone quality and emotional depth,’ she says, ‘much like a mother singing a lullaby.’ Staff in the NICU have reported that the babies become more settled and stable when Kirsten plays. ‘It’s a huge privilege, to be allowed into such a special place where healing is taking place’ says Kirsten.

There are many in our community who, for one reason or another, aren’t able to come along to a conventional symphony orchestra concert. People with physical and intellectual special needs rarely experience live orchestral music. Another audience unlikely to experience the soothing magic of live music is premature or very sick newborn babies. And yet who could argue about the transportative and transformative power of listening to live music? Certainly not the nearly 140 people of all ages who attended our recent Come and Be Yourself concert, nor the tiny inpatients at Westmead’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Come and Be Yourself was a concert designed for people with physical or intellectual disabilities that might normally keep them from going to a concert, and was attended by almost 140 people from various services and schools throughout Sydney.

Sue Popplewell, a support worker from Sylvanvale Disability Services, said the benefits of a concert like this were enormous. ‘We don’t get

Education Focus

MUSIC FOR EVERYONEAll ages and abilities were catered to in some very special recent SSO performances

Alex with SSO Sinfonia timpanist Mathew at Come and Be Yourself.

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DIGITAL MASTERCLASSESHave you checked out our new series of SSO Audition Masterclasses on YouTube? Concertmaster Andrew Haveron and Principal Double Bass Kees Boersma put two of our Fellows, Nicholas Waters and Aurora Henrich, through their paces in some key orchestral excerpts, exploring matters of interpretation, technique and audition strategy.

Kees was working with Aurora on the double bass ‘recitative’ from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth – music in which the instrument has to ‘speak’ with rhetorical power. And Andrew took the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances as a starting point for his masterclass with Nicholas, posing important – but often neglected – questions such as: ‘Who supplied the bowing on this part?’ (In the case of the Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninoff asked none other

than Fritz Kreisler to edit and bow his violin parts!)

These tutorials are designed to help other budding orchestral musicians with their own audition preparations. Visit www.youtube.com/sydneysymphony and stay tuned for more instalments.

INVALUABLE EXPERIENCEOur Education Partner DownerTenix will host their annual SSO Experience Day on 28 November. Four lucky music students will fly in from around the country to spend time with musical mentors from the SSO, see behind-the-scenes at a rehearsal, and attend a concert. An invaluable experience, to be sure!

ADIEU We recently farewelled Development Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn, who was responsible for the birth of our fantastic Vanguard program. Thank you Amelia, et bonne chance à Paris and beyond!

EDUCATION IN 2015In early October, our Learning and Engagement team launched their comprehensive 2015 program for schools and teachers. Next year, we’ll present 32 schools concerts for all ages in central and western Sydney, and regional NSW, as well as 12 subscription concerts at the Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall for senior music students. To support teachers, we’re running ten professional learning workshops, including TunED-Up! – two five-day residential workshops. And as part of our outreach activities, next year Playerlink will be held in Bellingen. Phew! That should keep the Education team out of trouble for the next little while…

DESTINATION VIENNAPenelope Seidler, in association with the Vienna Tourist Board, will be hosting a traditional Viennese salon to celebrate this magical musical heart of Old Europe. A string quartet drawn from our string players will entertain the guests with the music of Schubert.

CODA

EDITOR Genevieve Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravo

SSO Bravo! #9 2014 Insert.indd 6 13/11/14 7:05 AM

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