Concerto for Orchestra - Adelaide Symphony Orchestra · ADELAIDE SYMPHONY MASTER SERIES 3 Adelaide...
Transcript of Concerto for Orchestra - Adelaide Symphony Orchestra · ADELAIDE SYMPHONY MASTER SERIES 3 Adelaide...
see. hear. feel.
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
25 July, 8pm & 26 July, 6.30pmAdelaide Town Hall
Concerto for Orchestra
Adelaide’s No.1
kwp!
SA
S10
255
3ADELAIDE SYMPHONY MASTER SERIES
Adelaide Town Hall 25 July 8pm & 26 July 6.30pm
SE NADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2014
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
Eugene Tzigane Conductor Alban Gerhardt Cello
Peter Sculthorpe Sun Song
Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor, B 191, Op 104
Allegro
Adagio ma non troppo
Allegro moderato
Alban Gerhardt - Cello
Peter Sculthorpe From Oceania
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123, Sz 116
Introduzione: Andante non troppo – Allegro vivace
Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando
Elegia: Andante non troppo
Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto
Finale: Pesante – Presto
This concert runs for approximately 110 minutes including interval. Friday evening's concert will be broadcast live on ABC Classic FM.
Classical Conversations - one hour prior to each performance in the auditorium at the Adelaide Town Hall.
Musicologist and educator Christabel Saddler introduces Peter Sculthorpe’s unique voice alongside two masterpieces by Dvořák and Bartók.
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eugene tzigane conductor
Eugene Tzigane is in his fourth season as Principal Conductor of the North West German Philharmonic in Herford. He achieved early recognition in competitions including Second Prize at the 2008 Solti Competition (Frankfurt), First Prize at the 2007 Fitelberg Competition (Katowice), and Second Prize at the 2007 Matačić Competition (Zagreb). Following the Solti Competition he was invited to conduct the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra. After the Fitelberg Competition he conducted extensively in Poland and was subsequently appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Pomeranian Philharmonic.
Orchestral engagements have taken him to the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Oregon Symphony, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. Highlights for the 2013/14 season include return visits to the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and concerts with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Basel Symphony Orchestra. He has a natural flair for working with singers and made his opera debut at the Bavarian State Opera in 2009 conducting a new production of Così fan tutte. Last year he made his debut at Frankfurt Opera conducting Christof Loy’s acclaimed production of Die Fledermaus.
Born to American and Japanese parents, Eugene Tzigane studied conducting at the Julliard School with James DePreist, where he was awarded the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. He completed his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm under the guidance of Jorma Panula, where he was awarded the Franz Berwald Memorial Scholarship. Additionally he has attended masterclasses with Daniel Harding, Michael Tilson Thomas and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
How would you sum up tonight’s program in three words?
Appassionata, melancholy, rollicking.
Why do you love Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra?
Having been raised on Hungarian folk music, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra has a very special place in my heart. It has this aura of mystery and intensity that is so distinctly Hungarian, like someone with a penetrating gaze that can see right through you. There is also a rhythmic vivaciousness that is absolutely infectious and is able to communicate to audiences the world over.
Where do you go to feel inspired?
Into nature, especially the mountains, forests, and lakes though having been raised in California, a good dose of surfing and beaches never hurts! On the other hand, I often go to YouTube to find interesting things. Why, just last week I found an incredible interview of Rubenstein at 90! So many wise words and so very humbling. They don't make 'em like they used to! It's simply astonishing what is available online these days.
Clapping between movements – harmless or heinous?
That depends on the situation! I wouldn't want applause after a peaceful quiet ending to a movement but after a stormy, virtuosic finish it is great to have applause. That's where I feel that jazz musicians really get it right. There is an authentic contact with the audience after every number and applause after a solo is more or less customary and dependent on the impact of the solo itself. In fact, even Mozart wanted applause during the performance (while he or the orchestra were playing). He wanted that connection and to know whether his theme/music pleased or not. If there was no applause after a movement, he would have considered it disastrous!
Which three ingredients are always in your fridge?
If I owned a fridge, it would be milk, bratwurst, and eggs. Standard fare, I'm afraid, but you limit me to just three!
v
STAGEBACK
We spoke with Eugene Tzigane ahead of his performances with us.
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alban gerhardt cello
Since his early competition successes and debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Semyon Bychkov, Alban Gerhardt has performed with almost 250 orchestras worldwide. His repertoire includes more than 70 cello concerti, and his collaborations with composers such as Thomas Larcher, Brett Dean, Jörg Widmann, Pēteris Vasks, Osvaldo Golijov and Matthias Pintscher demonstrate his commitment to enlarging the cello repertoire. In 2009 he gave the world premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Cello Concerto - which was composed for him - at the BBC Proms, and has since performed the concerto with the Bavarian State Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Recent engagements include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tonhalle Zurich, the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, Czech Philharmonic, Philharmonia Zurich, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Melbourne, Sydney and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. He has performed extensively in the USA, and from 2012-15 he will be artist in residence at the Oregon Symphony.
Chamber music plays an important role in Alban Gerhardt’s life; he is a frequent performer at the Edinburgh Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Suntory Hall and the Châtelet in Paris. His regular chamber partners include Steven Osborne, Cecile Licad, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, Lisa Batiashvili, Arabella Steinbacher, Gergana Gergova and Emmanuel Pahud.
Alban Gerhardt is a highly acclaimed recording artist and has won three ECHO Klassik Awards, most recently for his double CD of works by Max Reger (2009). Other recent releases include Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante and Cello Concerto in E minor with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Can you tell us a little more about the piece you’ll be performing? What do you love about Dvořák’s Cello Concerto?
The Dvořák Cello Concerto is a blessing and a curse for us cellists; a blessing because not only cellists claim that it is the most beautiful concerto for any instrument. But I also see it as a curse as no other concerto is as strong as "the Dvořák" which I believe is the reason why so few concerti of the vast cello repertoire are getting performed. What makes it so unique? It features the cello at its best, as the melodic, sensual instrument it is, with its beautiful human voice which can whisper, cry, long, but also become angry and scream or threaten. There are also virtuosic elements, fireworks and impressive passages, but I have always been most attracted by its lyrical side. At the same time the orchestra is featured as an equal partner without ever drowning the cello. Dvořák's orchestra writing is as exquisite as in his best symphonies, but he treats it so delicately that in a good performance the cello is always the protagonist, once in a while challenged by the solo violin, flute, clarinet or oboe. Whenever I play the work I have to think of the Czech grandfather I was never able to meet but whose many piano opera reductions (he was composer and conductor) influenced me deeply in wanting to become a musician myself.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world who would it be?
If my beloved wife wasn't available, I'd love to dine with Franziskus, the new Pope. I am not religious but he seems to be one of the most extraordinary people in the world - after my wife that is.
If you had your time again, would you be a musician?
Oh yes, but I might have studied cello and conducting as I have always been fascinated by it. I would have loved the typical career of an opera conductor.
What is your favourite drink after a big night on stage?
Depends on the country I am in: In Belgium definitely one of those delicious beers; in France, Italy or Spain (depending on the season), some wine; in Brazil, a Caipirinha - and everywhere else? Water (just kidding!).
What are you looking forward to most about returning to Adelaide?
The spirit of the people - very fresh, open, always happy, great to hang out with, a real joy to spend time with. Oh, and also the food.
v
STAGEBACK
We spoke to Alban Gerhardt about Dvořák's Cello Concerto and Caipirinhas.
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Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor Arvo Volmer
Artist in Association Nicholas McGegan
Associate Guest Conductor Nicholas Carter
Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto
Musical Chair sponsored by ASO Chair of the Board Colin Dunsford AM & Lib Dunsford
VIOLINS Natsuko Yoshimoto* (Concertmaster)Cameron Hill** (Guest Associate Concertmaster)
Shirin Lim* (Principal 1st Violin)
Musical Chair in the memory of Dr Nandor Ballai
Michael Milton** (Principal 2nd Violin)
Musical Chair supported by The Friends of the ASO
Lachlan Bramble~ (Associate Principal 2nd Violin)
Musical Chair supported in the memory of Deborah Pontifex
Janet Anderson Ann AxelbyMinas Berberyan
Musical Chair supported by Merry Wickes
Gillian BraithwaiteJulia BrittainHilary Bruer
Musical Chair supported by Marion Wells
Elizabeth Collins Alison HeikeDanielle Jaquillard Alexis Milton Jennifer NewmanJulie Newman Emma Perkins
Musical Chair supported by Peter & Pamela McKee
Alexander PermezelJudith PolainMarie-Louise SlaytorKemeri Spurr
VIOLAS Juris Ezergailis**
Musical Chair supported in the memory of Mrs JJ Holden
Linda Garrett~(Guest Associate)Martin ButlerLesley CockramAnna HansenRosi McGowranCarolyn MoozMichael Robertson
CELLOS Simon Cobcroft** Ewen Bramble~
Musical Chair supported by Barbara Mellor
Sarah Denbigh Musical Chair supported by an anonymous donor
Joseph Freer Christopher Handley
Musical Chair supported by Johanna and Terry McGuirk
Gemma Phillips
David Sharp Musical Chair supported by Aileen Connon AM
Jillian Visser
DOUBLE BASSES David Schilling**
Musical Chair supported by Mrs Maureen Akkermans
Belinda Kendall-Smith~
(Acting Associate) Jacky Chang Harley Gray
Musical Chair supported by Bob Croser
Hugh KlugerDavid Phillips
Musical Chair supported for a great Bass player, with lots of spirit - love Betsy
FLUTES Geoffrey Collins**
Musical Chair supported by Pauline Menz
Lisa Gill
PICCOLOJulia Grenfell*
Musical Chair supported by Chris & Julie Michelmore
OBOES Celia Craig**
Musical Chair supported by Penelope & Geoffrey Hackett-Jones
Renae Stavely
COR ANGLAIS Peter Duggan*
Musical Chair supported by Dr JB Robinson
CLARINETS Dean Newcomb**
Musical Chair supported by the Royal Over-Seas League SA Inc
Darren Skelton
E FLAT CLARINETDarren Skelton*
BASS CLARINETMitchell Berick*
Musical Chair supported by Nigel Stevenson & Glenn Ball
BASSOONS Mark Gaydon**
Musical Chair supported by Pamela Yule
Leah Stephenson Musical Chair supported by Liz Ampt
CONTRA BASSOONJackie Hansen*
Musical Chair supported by Norman Etherington & Peggy Brock
HORNS Sarah Barrett** (Acting Principal)Heath Parkinson~
(Guest Associate)Bryan Griffiths Philip PaineAnna Handsworth
TRUMPETS Matt Dempsey**
Musical Chair supported by R & P Cheesman
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
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ASO BOARDColin Dunsford AM (Chair)Jillian AttrillCol EardleyChris MichelmoreMichael MorleyNigel Stevenson
ASO MANAGEMENT
ExecutiveVincent Ciccarello - Managing DirectorMargie Corston - Assistant to Managing Director ArtisticSimon Lord - Director, Artistic PlanningKatey Sutcliffe - Artistic AdministratorEmily Gann - Learning and Community Engagement Coordinator Finance and HRBruce Bettcher - Business and Finance Manager Louise Williams - Manager, People and CultureKarin Juhl - Accounts/Box Office CoordinatorSarah McBride - PayrollEmma Wight - Administrative Assistant
OperationsHeikki Mohell - Director of Operations and CommercialKaren Frost - Orchestra Manager Kingsley Schmidtke - Venue/Production SupervisorBruce Stewart - LibrarianDavid Khafagi - Operations Assistant
Marketing and DevelopmentPaola Niscioli - General Manager, Marketing and DevelopmentVicky Lekis - Director of DevelopmentAnnika Stennert - Marketing CoordinatorKate Sewell - PublicistTom Bastians - Customer Service Manager
FRIENDS OF THE ASO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEElizabeth Bowen - PresidentAlyson Morrison - Past PresidentAlison Campbell and Michael Critchley - Vice PresidentsHonora Griffith - Honorary SecretaryJohn Gell - Assistant Secretary/ MembershipJudy Birze - Treasurer
Martin Phillipson~ Musical Chair supported by Rick Allert AO
Gregory FrickRobin Finlay
TROMBONES Cameron Malouf**
Musical Chair supported by Virginia Weckert & Charles Melton of Charles Melton Wines
Ian Denbigh
BASS TROMBONEHoward Parkinson*
TUBA Peter Whish-Wilson*
Musical Chair supported by Ollie Clark AM & Joan Clark
TIMPANI Robert Hutcheson* PERCUSSION Steven Peterka**
Musical Chair supported by The Friends of the ASO
Gregory RushAmanda Grigg
HARP Suzanne Handel**
Musical Chair supported by Shane Le Plastrier
Carolyn Burgess
** denotes Section Leader* denotes Principal Player~ denotes Associate Principal(Orchestra list correct at time of printing)
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Sun Song (1994) for orchestra
Sculthorpe first used ‘Sun’ in a title in 1958, for his song cycle Sun, setting poems by D.H. Lawrence. In the 1960s he looked beyond Lawrence’s New Mexico sun to take in ‘Asian, Pacific, Australian suns’ in his Sun Music I-IV – a series of separate orchestral works later also collected into a ballet, Sun Music. The series contained some of his most strikingly modernist music, but also seeds of his later ‘Kakadu’ style. This began to emerge fully several years before Kakadu (1988) itself, in orchestral scores like Earth Cry (1986) and – earlier still – in yet another sun-titled score, Sun Song, completed in August 1984.
Sun Song reworks ideas Sculthorpe had developed the previous year in his String Quartet No.10 and First Sonata for Strings. All three make prominent use of a tiny melodic cell, whose significance struck him first in the mid-1970s, on learning about astronomer Johannes Kepler’s Music of the Spheres (1619). Kepler’s ‘music’ for the planet Earth oscillates from G to A flat and back to G, a mournful semitone that, Sculthorpe has explained, ‘permeated almost all my music since that time. Many of the works are like extended songs, both sorrowful and joyful … for the survival of this planet.’ He also returned to a melody used in another short work, also
called Sun Song (1976), for recorder quartet. Based on motifs from native-American Pueblo music, the tune’s characteristic falling phrases additionally follow the ‘tumbling strain’ pattern of Indigenous Australian chant. Apart from the introductory chords (Poco misterioso), the whole of Sun Song is marked Estatico. Ostinato-driven free variations on the flowing main tune are punctuated by contrasting episodes using a quizzical, stuttering rhythmic idea derived from Kepler’s ‘Earth’ motif. Borne along on increasingly pervasive drumming, the pattern-making behind the melody intensifies, with the congas again adding ritualistic brilliance to the final repeats.
© Graeme Skinner 2014
The first and only performance of Sun Song by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was at the 2014 Season Launch on 3 September 2013.
Duration 5 minutes.
peter sculthorpe (born 1929)
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From Oceania (1970/2003)
Sculthorpe’s first contribution to Australia’s 1970 celebration of the 200th Anniversary of The Endeavour landing was a symphony-rock fusion piece, Love 200. It focused not on the 1770 Botany Bay landing itself, but on an earlier part of James Cook’s voyage, to observe the Transit of Venus on Tahiti. Sculthorpe’s next work was a new score for the Australian Youth Orchestra to play at Expo 70 in Osaka. Originally intending to call it Love 201, he first imagined ‘a lot of bright tunes’. However, on seeing photos of Australia’s strikingly futuristic Expo pavilion, he decided his teenage players might find the exact opposite type of piece more appealing. Following a pattern set in the Sun Music series, the new score contained little conventional melody and harmony. Sculthorpe explained that he treated the orchestra ‘almost like a giant percussion instrument’. The result is his most abstract and modernist orchestral ‘sound piece’. He called it Music for Japan, also explaining that although it was ‘for’ Japan, it was ‘about’ Australia.
In 2003, when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Judd wanted one more short work to record for their Naxos Sculthorpe CD, he decided to rework the final section of Music for Japan. Under the new title From Oceania, it again recalls Cook’s first Pacific
voyage, during which he also circumnavigated New Zealand. The music opens with Oceanic conch shell calls (drammatico), ushering in a gradual entry of percussion (molto ritmico), including claves, bongos, bass drum, timbales, timpani, side drum, and cymbals. The rest of the orchestra then begin to enter (feroce), adding denser layers of percussive sound, and leading to a blistering climax capped with dissonant fanfares from the brass. In the quiet closing section (Calmo), spectral 12-note harmonies slowly resolve onto occluded E major chords (in Sculthorpe’s music, bass E always represents the Earth), before dissolving in the coda.
© Graeme Skinner 2014
This is the first performance of this work by any of the Australian state symphony orchestras.
Duration 7 minutes.
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Cello Concerto in B minor, B 191 Op 104 (1894-95)
Allegro
Adagio ma non troppo
Allegro moderato
Alban Gerhardt cello
Brahms was impressed. ‘If only I’d known,’ he said, ‘that one could write a cello concerto like that, I’d have written one long ago!’ And he wasn’t just being polite. Brahms had recognised Dvořák’s talents early on, ensuring that the young composer received the Austrian State Stipendium from the Imperial Government in Vienna, an annual grant, for five years, and persuading his own publisher, Simrock of Berlin, to publish Dvořák’s music.
But Brahms’ admiration aside, the composition of what Dvořák scholar John Clapham has called simply ‘the greatest of all cello concertos’ was no easy matter. In fact, it was his second attempt at the medium – the first, in A major, was composed in 1865, but appears only to have been written out in a cello and piano score. This work was rediscovered in 1929 by the German composer Günther Raphael. He
made an orchestral version at the time, as did Jarmil Burghauser in 1977, but the versions are significantly different. That Dvořák left the work unorchestrated suggests that he was dissatisfied with this first effort. Despite the urgings of his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, Dvořák thought no more about writing such a piece until many years later, though he did orchestrate the four-hand piano piece Klid (Silent woods) and the Rondo B.171 Op.94 (originally for cello and piano) with solo parts for Wihan.
In 1894 Dvořák was living in New York, having accepted the invitation of Jeannette Meyer Thurber to head the National Conservatory of Music that she had founded there in 1885. In March 1894, Dvořák attended a performance by Victor Herbert of his Second Cello Concerto. The Irish-born American composer and cellist is now best remembered for shows like Naughty Marietta and Babes in Toyland, but his concerto, modelled on Saint-Saëns’ first, made a huge impact on Dvořák, who re-examined the idea of such a work for Wihan. The work was sketched between 8 November 1894 and New Year’s Day, and Dvořák completed the full score early in February.
Much to Dvořák’s annoyance, the first performance of the concerto was not given by its dedicatee, Wihan. The London Philharmonic Society, who premiered it at the Queen’s Hall in
antonín dvorák (1841-1904)
15ADELAIDE SYMPHONY MASTER SERIES
March 1896, mistakenly believed Wihan to be unavailable, and engaged Leo Stern. Despite Dvořák’s embarrassment, Stern must have delivered the goods, as Dvořák engaged him for the subsequent New York, Prague and Vienna premieres of the work. Wihan did, however, perform the work often, and insisted on making some ‘improvements’ to Dvořák’s score so that the cello part would be more virtuosic. Wihan also insisted on interpolating a cadenza in the third movement, which the composer vehemently opposed. For some reason Simrock was on the point of publishing the work with Wihan’s amendments , and only a stiff letter from Dvořák persuaded the publisher to leave out the cadenza. Brahms, incidentally, had by this time taken on the job of correcting the proofs of Dvořák’s music before publication, to save the time of sending them to and from the United States.
Despite being an ‘American’ work, the concerto is much more a reflection of Dvořák’s nostalgia for his native Bohemia, and perhaps for the composer’s father who died in 1894. As scholar Robert Battey has noted, ‘two characteristic Bohemian traits can be found throughout the work, namely pentatonic [‘black note’] scales and an aaB phrase pattern, where a melody begins with a repeated phrase followed by a two-bar “answer”.’ The work is full of some of Dvořák’s most inspired moments, such as the heroic first theme in the first movement, and the complementary melody for horn which adds immeasurably to its Romantic ambience.
The Bohemian connection became even stronger and more personal when Dvořák, working on the piece in December 1894, heard that his sister-in-law Josefina (with whom he had been in love during their youth) was seriously, perhaps mortally ill. Dvořák was sketching the slow
movement at the time. The outer sections of this movement are calm and serene, but Dvořák expresses his distress in an impassioned gesture that ushers in an emotionally unstable central section in G minor, based on his song Kéž duch muj sám (Leave me alone) which was one of Josefina’s favourites.
Josefina died in the spring of 1895, and Dvořák, by this time back in Bohemia, made significant alterations to the concluding coda of the third movement, adding some 60 bars of music. The movement begins almost ominously with contrasting lyrical writing for the soloist. Dvořák’s additions to the movement, and his determination not to diffuse its emotional power with a cadenza, allowed him, as Battey notes, to revisit ‘not only the first movement’s main theme, but also a hidden reference to Josefina’s song in the slow movement. Thus, the concerto becomes something of a shrine, or memorial.’
Gordon Kerry Symphony Australia © 2004
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra first performed this cello concerto on 29 June 1950 in a concert conducted by Henry Krips; Eldon Fox was the soloist. The ASO most recently performed the work in April 2008 with Arvo Volmer and Ralph Kirshbaum.
Duration 40 minutes.
˚
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Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123, Sz 116
Introduzione: Andante non troppo – Allegro vivace
Giuoco delle coppie: Allegretto scherzando
Elegia: Andante non troppo
Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto
Finale: Pesante – Presto
Bartók himself described the Concerto for Orchestra in a program note as ‘a gradual transition from the sternness of the first movement … to the life-assertion of the last one’. The piece was composed during the autumn of 1943 by the idyllic Saranac Lake in upstate New York, and was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky in December 1944. As its title suggests, it is more than a symphony, rather a work where, as Bartók put it, ‘single instruments or instrument-groups’ are treated ‘in a concertant or soloistic manner’.
In view of his circumstances at the time it is hard to imagine how Bartók could speak in terms of life-assertion, let alone produce such a sustained piece of beautifully crafted and radiant music. Bartók and his wife had arrived in the USA as refugees from fascism in 1940 and made a precarious living from performances
and teaching. Early in 1943, Bartók’s health deteriorated – the trip to Saranac Lake, paid for by the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers, was for him to convalesce after a mysterious illness that proved to be the early signs of leukemia; the commission from Koussevitzky was secretly brokered by fellow Hungarian emigrés to help Bartók’s dire finances.
While the Concerto makes a linear transition from sternness to life-affirmation, it is, formally, symmetrical, an example of what scholars call ‘arch-form’. The outer movements, and the even-numbered ones, mirror each other in their duration and tempo, and the whole work pivots on the central Elegia. The work begins mysteriously, producing a motif of rising perfect fourths (a reminiscence of Bartók’s 1911 opera, Bluebeard’s Castle) that will return, inverted, in the Elegia. It leads to an impassioned, buoyant Allegro section, a rich mosaic of orchestral colour that offers moments of quiet delicacy and reaches its climax in a jubilant cacophony of hunting calls (perfect fourths again) from the brass.
The second movement, Giuoco delle coppie (‘game of pairs’), is introduced by a passage of drum taps, after which pairs of instruments state a perky tune that is always harmonised in mellifluous sixths – until the muted trumpets insist on playing it in dissonant parallel seconds. This musical joke is dispelled by a solemnly
béla bartók (1881-1945)
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glowing ‘chorale’ passage from the rest of the brass, before a return to a version of the original material. The Elegia that follows, with its folk melodies and birdcalls, reflects Bartók’s grief at leaving a homeland that would be forever changed, but this spills over into sarcastic anger in the fourth movement. A deceptively simple Balkan tune, passed among the winds, alternates with a broad ‘Hungarian’ melody in the strings. The clarinet then introduces a parody of the ‘fascist’ march theme from Shostakovich’s ‘Leningrad’ Symphony, whose popularity Bartók despised, which is in turn crushed by loud raspberries from the trombone section.
The finale is a thrilling compendium of orchestral colour, energetic ostinatos and passages of masterful counterpoint. Bartók proudly reported that Koussevitzky thought it ‘“the best orchestra piece in the last 25 years”, including the works of his idol Shostakovich’.
© Gordon Kerry 2014
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra first performed Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra on 30 May 1963 with conductor Henry Krips, and most recently in May 2011 under Giancarlo Guerrero.
Duration 36 minutes.
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Thursday 14 August 7pm, Adelaide Town Hall Join us for this World Premiere concert celebrating the life, times and spirit of Sir Donald Bradman with guest appearance by actor Gary Sweet. Conducted by Luke Dollman, the first half includes a performance of Golijov’s Songs by Greta Bradman, acclaimed soprano and grand-daughter of the cricketing legend, and opens with Graeme Koehne’s Shaker Dances. Then witness Our Don, a new multimedia musical portrait for orchestra and narrator by South Australian composer Natalie Williams. Interwoven with stunning archival video, and words by Bradman biographer, Peter Allen, this specially commissioned score celebrates Sir Donald Bradman’s life as a national hero and Australian icon.
Program Graeme Koehne Square order shuffle from the Shaker DancesOsvaldo Golijov Three Songs for Soprano and OrchestraNatalie Williams Our Don – A Symphonic Tribute to Bradman AC (World Premiere)Commissioned by the State Government of South Australia
Tickets $55, Child $20Book at BASS.net.au/131 246
Photo from The Advertiser courtesy Bradman Collection
For more information visit aso.com.au
Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto
Sponsored by ASO Chair of the Board Colin Dunsford AM & Lib Dunsford
Associate Principal Cello Ewen Bramble
Supported by Barbara Mellor
Principal Viola Juris Ezergailis
Supported in the memory of Mrs JJ Holden
Principal 2nd Violin Michael Milton
Supported by The Friends of the ASO
Associate Principal 2nd Violin Lachlan Bramble
Supported in the memory of Deborah Pontifex
Principal 1st Violin Shirin Lim
Supported in the memory of Dr Nandor Ballai
Unlike the game, Musical Chair donors walk in unison with the players thereby assisting the artistic vibrancy of the orchestra. If you'd like to support the ASO and enjoy taking part in Musical Chairs, please contact Vicky Lekis, Director of Development on (08) 8233 6260 or [email protected]
Violin Hilary Bruer
Supported by Marion Wells
Violin Emma Perkins
Supported by Peter & Pamela McKee
Violin Minas Berberyan
Supported by Merry Wickes
Cello Sarah Denbigh
Supported by an anonymous donor
Cello Chris Handley
Supported by Johanna and Terry McGuirk
Cello David Sharp
Supported by Aileen Connon AM
Cello Sherrilyn Handley
Supported byJohanna and Terry McGuirk
musical chair players & donors
Principal Bass David Schilling
Supported by Mrs Maureen Akkermans
Principal Bass Clarinet Mitchell Berick
Supported by Nigel Stevenson & Glenn Ball
Principal Bassoon Mark Gaydon
Supported by Pamela Yule
Principal Tuba Peter Whish-Wilson
Supported by Ollie Clark AM & Joan Clark
Principal Clarinet Dean Newcomb
Supported by Royal Over-Seas League SA Inc
Principal Flute Geoffrey Collins
Supported by Pauline Menz
Principal Cor Anglais Peter Duggan
Supported by Dr JB Robinson
Principal Trumpet Matt Dempsey
Supported by R & P Cheesman
Bassoon Leah Stephenson
Supported by Liz Ampt
Harp Suzanne Handel
Supported by Shane Le Plastrier
Principal Piccolo Julia Grenfell
Supported by Chris & Julie Michelmore
Principal Contra Bassoon Jackie Hansen
Supported by Norman Etherington & Peggy Brock
Associate Principal Trumpet Martin Phillipson
Supported by Rick Allert AO
Bass David Phillips
Supported for "a great Bass player, with lots of spirit - love Betsy"
Principal Percussion Steven Peterka
Supported by The Friends of the ASO
Principal Trombone Cameron Malouf
Supported byVirginia Weckert & Charles Melton of Charles Melton Wines
Bass Harley Gray
Supported by Bob Croser
Is this you?
Violin Janet Anderson
Supported by...
Principal Oboe Celia Craig
Sponsored byPenelope & Geoffrey Hackett-Jones
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our inspirational donors
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Dr Aileen F Connon AM
Plus three anonymous donors
Richard Hugh Allert AOMr Donald Scott GeorgeGeoffrey & Penelope Hackett-Jones
Mr & Mrs Keith & Sue Langley & the Macquarie Group FoundationJohanna & Terry McGuirk
Peter & Pamela McKeeMrs Diana McLaurinSan Remo Macaroni Company Pty LtdMr & Mrs Norman & Carol Schueler
Plus one anonymous donor
Mrs Maureen AkkermansMs Liz AmptDr Margaret ArstallR & P CheesmanMr Ollie Clark AM & Mrs Joan ClarkMr Bob CroserLegh & Helen DavisMr Colin Dunsford AM & Mrs Lib DunsfordNorman Etherington & Peggy BrockMr & Mrs Simon & Sue HatcherMr Robert KenrickShane Le PlastrierMrs Barbara Mellor
Mrs Pauline MenzMr & Mrs Chris & Julie MichelmoreDr Ben RobinsonRoyal Overseas League South Australia IncorporatedMr Nigel Stevenson & Mr Glenn BallDr Georgette StraznickyVirginia Weckert & Charles Melton of Charles Melton WinesMrs M W WellsDr Betsy Williams & Mr Oakley DyerMrs Pamela YulePlus two anonymous donors
A sincere thank you to all our donors who contributed in the past 12 months. All gifts are very important to us and help the ASO continue to provide Adelaide audiences access to worls-class music. Your donation makes a difference.
Friends of the Adelaide Symphony OrchestraMr & Mrs Anthony & Margaret GerardMs Merry WickesKim Williams AM
Plus one anonymous donor
Maestro Patron ($1,000 - $2,499)
ASO as winner of Adelaide Critics Circle ACColade
Mr Neil ArnoldProf Andrew & Mrs Elizabeth Bersten
The Hon D J & Mrs E M BlebyDianne & Felix BochnerMrs Patricia CohenTony & Rachel DavidsonMrs Lorraine DrogemullerRJ, LL & SJ GreensladeMr P R GriffithsMr Donald GrowdenDr Robert HeckerMrs M JanzowMrs Alexandra JarvisDr I KlepperMr Ian Kowalick AM & Mrs Helen Kowalick
Mrs Joan LyonsDr & Mrs Neil & Fay McIntoshMr & Mrs Peter & Rosalind Neale
Mrs Christine & The Late Dr Donald Perriam
Ms Marietta ResekMr & Mrs Andrew & Gayle Robertson
Mr Richard Ryan AO & Mrs Trish Ryan
Mr Roger SalkeldPhilip Satchell AM & Cecily Satchell
Larry & Maria ScottMr & Mrs H W ShortDr & Mrs Nigel & Chris Steele-Scott OAM
Ms Guila TiverDr D R & Mrs L A TurnerMr J W ValeDr Richard & Mrs Gweneth Willing
Plus six anonymous donors
Soloist Patron ($500 - $999)
Aldridge Family EndowmentMr & Mrs David & Elaine Annear
Dr E Atkinson & Mr J HardyMs Dora O'BrienBarbara BahlinMr John BakerMr & Mrs R & SE BartzMrs Susan BethuneLiz, Mike & Zoe BowenMr Rob BroughtonDr Ivan Camens
Mr Vincent CiccarelloMrs Josephine CooperMr Bruce Debelle AOFr John DevenportDr Chrstopher DibdenMrs A E DowLady Mary DownerMrs Jane DoyleMr L J EmmettMr & Mrs Jiri & Pamela FialaMr Douglas FidockMr Otto FuchsDr Noel & Mrs Janet GrieveMr Neil HallidayMrs Eleanor HandreckMr & Mrs Michael & Stacy Hill Smith
Dr Douglas & Mrs Tiiu HoileFR & VG HorwoodDr Wilfrid JaksicMr & Mrs G & L JaunayMs Elizabeth Keam AMMrs Joan LeaMr Michael McClaren & Ms Patricia Lescius
Mr Melvyn MadiganMrs Caroline MilneDr D G & Mrs K C MorrisMs Jocelyn ParsonsMr Tom F PearceCaptain R S & Mrs J V PearsonMr Martin PenhaleMr & Mrs John & Jenny PikeJ M ProsserMr & Mrs David & Janet RiceMr Mark RinneMrs Janet Ann RoverTrevor & Elizabeth RowanMrs Jill RussellMr A D SaintMs Linda SampsonMr & Mrs W ScharerDr Peter ShaughnessyProf Ivan Shearer AMBeth & John ShepherdMr & Mrs Antony & Mary Lou Simpson
Mr W & Mrs H StacyMrs Anne SutcliffeMr & Mrs John & Diana ToddThe Honourable Justice Ann Vanstone
Mr Nick WardenMrs Pamela WhittleMs Janet WorthHon David Wotton AM & Mrs Jill Wotton
Plus 10 anonymous donors
Tutti Patron ($250 - $499)
Mr & Mrs Rob & Cathy Anderson
Mr Rob BaillieMr Brenton BarrittMrs Jillian BeareDr Gaby BerceDr Adam BlackMr & Mrs Andrew & Margaret Black
Mrs Betty A BlackwoodMr Mark BlumbergProf & Mrs John & Brenda Bradley
Dr & Mrs J & M BrooksMs Rosie BurnR W & D A ButtroseDr R B CooterMr Stephen CourtenayMr Don R R CreedyMr & Mrs Michael & Jennifer Critchley
Mrs Betty CrossGeorge & Ilana CulshawMrs M D Daniel OAMDr Alan DownMrs Margaret DuncanMr & Mrs Stephen & Emma Evans
Dr Laurence J FergusonMs Barbara FergussonMr J H FordMr William FrogleyMr John GazleyMr & Mrs Andrew & Helen Giles
Dr David & Mrs Kay GillThe Hon R & Mrs L Goldsworthy
Mrs Jill HayMr John H Heard AMDr Robert & Mrs Margaret Heddle
Mrs Judith HeidenreichMr & Mrs Peter & Helen Herriman
Ms Rosemary HuttonMrs Rosemary KeaneMr Angus KennedyMrs Bellena KennedyMr & Mrs M & K KloppLodge Thespian, No. 195 IncMr J H LoveMr Colin MacdonaldMrs Beverley MacmahonMr Ian MaitlandRobert MarroneMr & Mrs Rob & Sue Marshall
Dr Ruth MarshallMrs Lee MasonMrs Barbara MayMs Fiona MorganMrs Alyson MorrisonMr Alex NicolDr Kenneth and Dr Glenys O'Brien
Mrs Christine O'NyonsDr John OvertonK & K PalmerMs Debbie PhillipsThe Hon Carolyn PicklesMr D G PittMr & Mrs Michael & Susan Rabbitt
Mr & Mrs Ian & Jen RamsayAL & JM ReadMr Richard RowlandMr Frank and Mrs Judy Sanders
Mrs Meredyth Sarah AMDr W T H & Mrs P M ScalesChris SchachtMr David ScownMr Roger SiegeleMs Georgina SimpsonMr & Mrs Jim & Anne SpikerMr & Mrs Graham & Maureen Storer
Dr Anne Sved WilliamsMrs Verna SymonsDr G M Tallis & Mrs J M Tallis AM
Mr & Mrs R & J TaylorDr & Mrs Barrie ThompsonDr Peter TillettDr M G Tingay & Mrs A N Robinson
Mr & Mrs John & Janice Trewartha
Mr David TurnerMrs Neta Diana VickeryProf Robert WarnerDr R C WarrenMr & Mrs Glen & Robina WeirMrs Ann WellsDr Nicholas WickhamMrs Gretta Willis
Plus 18 anonymous donors
The ASO also thanks the 609 patrons who gave other amounts in the past 12 months.
In memory of Laurie Casey, former Orchestra Manager, donated by the ASO Players Association
As a lover of orchestral music, we invite you to enrich your musical interests, add beautiful low-cost concerts to your musical diary and widen your social network, while assisting in raising valuable funds to help ensure the future of the ASO. Why would you hesitate? Everyone wins!
become a friend
OF THE ASO Benefits of becoming a Friend of the ASO
• Supporting one of South Australia’s most valuable assets
• Opportunities to meet orchestra members
• Receptions to meet local and visiting international artists
• Access to rehearsals and education concerts
Friends of the ASO also receive discounts at the following businesses:
• ABC Shop Myer Centre, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, Phone 8410 0567 (10% on total bill)
• John Davis Music 6 Cinema Place, Adelaide, Phone 8232 8287
• Hilton Adelaide Hotel 233 Victoria Square, Adelaide, Phone 8217 2000 (10% Brasserie)
• Hotel Grand Chancellor - Bistro 65 65 Hindley Street, Adelaide, Phone 8231 5552 (10% on total bill)
• La Trattoria Restaurant 346 King William Street, Adelaide, Phone 8212 3327 (10% on total bill)
• Newman’s Nursery Main North East Road, Phone 8264 2661, Tea Tree Gully (10% plants)
• Rigoni’s Bistro 27 Leigh Street, Adelaide, Phone 8231 5160 (10% on total bill)
Note: Friends must produce Membership Cards as identification for discounts. So join now!
For information about joining, phone (08) 8233 6211. Hours: Wednesday and Friday, 10am to 12 noon.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Please complete and send to: Secretary, Friends of the ASO, GPO Box 2121, Adelaide SA 5001
Name
Address
Postcode
Phone (home) Phone (work)
Mobile E-mail
Payment
Cheque made payable to FASO $ Please charge my credit card for $
Mastercard Visa Expiry: / Card No. _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _
Name of card holder: Signature:
Please tick membership requirements
$35 - Individual Friend $30 - Individual Country Friend
$20 - Individual Concession Friend $45 - Joint Friends
$40 - Joint Country Friends $35 - Joint Concession Friends
$15 - Student Pension/Student Card Number:
Government Support
57 FilmsAbsorb – Paper Products Australian Education Union – SA Branchcolourthinking – Corporate ConsultantCoopers Brewery Ltd Corporate ConversationHaigh’s Chocolates
Hickinbotham GroupNormetalsNova SystemsPeregrine TravelPoster ImpactThe Playford Adelaide
The ASO receives Commonwealth Government funding through the Australia Council; its arts funding and advisory body. The Orchestra continues to be funded by the Government of South Australia through Arts SA. The Adelaide City Council continues to support the ASO during the 2013–14 financial year.
thank youto our partners
When not unlocking Australia’s valuable energy resources, we’re behind the scenes supporting a wide range of cultural and community activities.
Santos has been the Principal Partner of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for 15 years, helping deliver popular community events such as the Symphony Under the Stars.
Not meaning to beat our own drum, but in 2012 alone, we backed South Australian community events and organisations to the tune of $6 million.
At Santos, we believe that contributing to the vibrant culture and diverse communities of South Australia is well worth the effort.
Because we’re not just an energy company, we’re a company with energy.
Standing behind our community
When not unlocking Australia’s valuable energy resources, we’re behind the scenes supporting a wide range of cultural and community activities.
Santos has been the Principal Partner of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for 15 years, helping deliver popular community events such as the Symphony Under the Stars.
Not meaning to beat our own drum, but in 2013, we backed South Australian community events and organisations to the tune of $9 million.
At Santos, we believe that contributing to the vibrant culture and diverse communitiesof South Australia is well worth the effort.
Because we’re not just an energy company,we’re a company with energy.