VÄNSKÄ CONDUCTS BRAHMS Colin Currie plays Aho

APT MASTER SERIES

Wednesday 19 November 2014 Friday 21 November 2014 Saturday 22 November 2014

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Donald Runnicles conductor Frank Peter Zimmermann violin

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

Johannes Fritzsch conductor William Barton didjeridu & vocals

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

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David Robertson conductor • Christian Tetzlaff violin

WELCOME

We’re delighted to welcome you to this concert in the APT Master Series – a program that brings together two masterpieces of the 19th century and an exciting percussion concerto from our own century.

Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä is a familiar face in the SSO’s

Master Series, and on some of his previous visits he has brought

music by his countryman Rautavaara. This time the contemporary

voice is a student of Rautavaara’s, Kalevi Aho, and the music is a

concerto written especially for tonight’s soloist, Colin Currie.

Tonight’s concert will reveal the worlds of Beethoven and Brahms

but also a Finnish vision that’s vitally modern while finding

inspiration in ancient spirituality. The contrasts in tonight’s

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BEETHOVEN, AHO AND BRAHMSOsmo Vänskä conductor Colin Currie percussion

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Egmont: Overture

Kalevi Aho (born 1949) Sieidi – Percussion Concerto

australian premiere

INTERVAL

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68

Un poco sostenuto – Allegro Andante sostenuto Un poco Allegretto e grazioso Adagio – Più andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

2014 concert season

APT MASTER SERIES

WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER, 8PM

FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER, 8PM

SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER, 8PM

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL

Saturday night’s performance will be broadcast by ABC Classic FM on Saturday 20 December at 1pm.

Pre-concert talk by David Garrett at 7.15pm in the Northern Foyer. Visit sydneysymphony.com/speaker-bios for more information.

Estimated durations: 10 minutes, 36 minutes, 20-minute interval, 45 minutes The concert will conclude at approximately 10.05pm.

COVER IMAGE: A shamanic drum of the Sámi (or Laplander) people, held in the Arktikum Museum in Rovaniemi, Finland (Photo: Zouavman Le Zouave)

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Ludwig van Beethoven Egmont: Overture

The Egmont Overture was written for a revival of Goethe’s play about the Flemish hero Lamoral, Count Egmont who led the Dutch and Flemish people in resisting Spanish domination in the 16th century. Egmont was executed by the Spanish in Brussels in 1565. But his death signalled the eventual revolt and liberation of Spain’s ‘northern provinces’.

Goethe began his play in 1775, completing it in 1787, and Beethoven was commissioned in 1809 by the Burgtheater in Vienna to write incidental music for the long-awaited Viennese premiere, which took place on 10 May 1810. Beethoven so admired the work that he refused a fee from the theatre. In addition to the overture, which is so justly famous, he wrote nine other numbers. (In fact, the overture was the last number to be completed and was premiered at the play’s fourth performance.)

Beethoven’s overture is in itself a gripping musical experience. It doesn’t follow a narrative, but we can imagine it as music accompanying critical historical events. The octave F opening on the strings is perhaps the baldest and boldest of Beethoven’s opening statements, and then the overture launches into a heavy and close-voiced sarabande, perhaps betraying theatrical origins – a typical Spanish dance rhythm conjuring up the Spanish villains? – before the main faster section begins.

The Egmont Overture can stand on its own in the concert hall, but its main innovation comes out of the theatre. Where he might have usually composed a long coda, Beethoven halts the proceedings and launches into strikingly new material. It’s the so-called ‘Victory Symphony’ (Siegessymphonie) that bursts from the orchestra as Egmont steps onto the scaffold, striding forth from his prison to die for the freedom for which he’d lived and fought. And this is how Beethoven’s overture ends: an exhilarating race to the conclusion with scrubbing strings, brass tattoos and the thrilling piccolo we nowadays associate with Beethoven’s Fidelio and the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, his other victorious finales.

ABRIDGED FROM A NOTE BY GORDON KALTON WILLIAMS SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA © 2004

This overture calls for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets and two bassoons; four horns and two trumpets, timpani and strings.

The SSO first performed the Egmont overture in 1938 with conductor George Szell, and most recently in 2011 as part of the complete incidental

music, conducted by Richard Gill with narrator Eddie Perfect.

KeynotesBEETHOVEN

Born 1770, Bonn Died 1827, Vienna

The ten years between 1802 and 1812 are commonly referred to as Beethoven’s ‘middle’ or ‘heroic’ period. His Egmont music was written towards the end of this time, which also saw the composition of such assertive works as the Fifth Symphony, and Beethoven’s notorious crossing-out of Napoleon as dedicatee of his Third Symphony, subsequently called Sinfonia eroica.

EGMONT

Like Beethoven’s opera Fidelio (1805–14), Egmont (1810) is a drama of political oppression and the struggle for liberty. The political and human issues in Goethe’s play captured Beethoven’s imagination, and his overture seized on the vital principles of conflict, using them to shape a powerful drama in miniature. In the music he composed for the play, insistent driving rhythms, noble rising figures, swells and surprising turns triumphantly combine to evoke Beethoven’s hero ideal – an enlightened, honourable and fearless character of integrity acting in the interests of utopian equality.

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Kalevi Aho Sieidi – Percussion Concerto Colin Currie percussion

The composer writes…

In May 2009, percussion virtuoso Colin Currie was the soloist with the Tapiola Sinfonietta, the orchestra of Helsinki’s neighbouring city of Espoo, in the concerto Veni, veni, Emmanuel by James MacMillan. During his visit Colin said he would like to meet me, and when we met, he told me the reason why – he wanted me to compose him a percussion concerto.

I promised to do so, and it later became a joint commission from three institutions: the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Luosto Classic festival and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. The fact that the Luosto venue differs decisively from the concert halls in London and Gothenburg posed an additional challenge in planning the work. For the Luosto performance would be an open-air concert with natural acoustics on the slopes of Luosto Fell in Finnish Lapland, far from any big towns. I therefore had to make special allowance for these special acoustic conditions. And because I knew that my Symphony No.12 (2002–03), likewise composed for this festival and outdoor acoustics, would also be performed at Luosto in the same concert, the percussion concerto further had to be compatible with the ‘Luosto Symphony’.

KeynotesAHO

Born 1949, Forssa, Finland

Kalevi Aho is one of Finland’s most significant living symphonic composers. He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki as a student of Einojuhani Rautavaara and in West Berlin with Boris Blacher. For two decades he held academic posts – at Helsinki University and then the Sibelius Academy – but since 1993 he has devoted himself solely to composition.

He is a master of multiple genres who, in the course of his career, has gone from Shostakovich-tinted neoclassicism towards modernism, postmodernism and free tonality, combining all these in a highly original idiom. In 1992 the Lahti Symphony Orchestra appointed him Composer in Residence, and he has written most of his more recent orchestral works for these musicians.

His aim has been to compose a concerto for every orchestral instrument – a project that is nearly completed, with concertos for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon and tuba, as well as a concerto for two cellos and a very popular flute concerto. The most recent concertos – for trumpet, percussion and trombone – received their premieres in 2012.

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The title ‘Sieidi’ denotes an ancient cult place such as an unusually shaped rock…

Normally, in a percussion concerto, the soloist has to play surrounded by a huge battery of instruments, often behind the orchestra. In Sieidi Colin Currie uses only nine instruments, and he is in front of the orchestra the whole time. The instruments are in a row in front of the platform, starting with the djembe on the far right (as viewed by the audience) and ending with the tam tam on the far left. The soloist plays only one instrument at a time. The concerto begins with a djembe solo, which is followed after a bridge passage by the darabuka. The soloist then proceeds from the hand-beaten instruments to membranophones played with drumsticks, the five tom-toms and the snare drum. These are followed by the wooden percussions: the five-octave marimba, wood blocks and temple blocks. Finally the soloist arrives at the metal percussions: the vibraphone and tam tam on the left-hand side at the front of the platform. A tam tam cadenza marks a turning point; from then onwards the soloist works back across the platform in the reverse order, ending with the djembe with which he began. This way the listener can also keep a visual track of the concerto’s progress.

The orchestra also has three other percussionists drumming different instruments like the soloist. One of them plays behind the orchestra, and the other two are in the centre of the hall, facing each other on either side. In this way I have tried to create spatial musical effects as well.

The title of the concerto, Sieidi, is Sámi – a language spoken in the northern region of Finland, Sweden and Norway known as Lapland. It denotes an ancient cult place such as an unusually shaped rock, sometimes also a special rock face or even a whole mountain fell. The mighty Luosto Fell commanding the Luosto region may possibly have been regarded as a sieidi by the ancient Sámi inhabitants. The djembe and darabuka drumming at the beginning and end is by nature shamanistic, and the listener could well imagine it taking place at the foot of precisely one such sieidi.

The Sieidi concerto is in one movement but divided into several sections both faster and slower, wildly rhythmic, lyrical and more static. For the soloist it is extremely demanding because he is constantly having to switch from one technique to another – for djembe and darabuka playing with the hands differs radically from that of tom-tom or drumstick technique or the playing of pitched percussion instruments such as the marimba and vibraphone.

KALEVI AHO © 2012

TRANSLATED BY SUSAN SINISALO

Sieidi calls for an orchestra of two

flutes, piccolo, two oboes, cor

anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet,

two bassoons, contrabassoon and

alto saxophone; four horns, three

trumpets, three trombones and

tuba; timpani and strings. Aho

also includes three orchestral

percussionists, spatially placed in

the hall.

The premiere of Sieidi took

place on 18 April in 2012 with Colin

Currie accompanied by the London

Philharmonic Orchestra and Osmo

Vänskä conducting. This is the

Australian premiere.

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Percussionist Colin Currie talks about Aho’s Sieidi and the pleasures of commissioning new works.

If Colin Currie’s flight schedule is any indication, then demand for percussion music is thriving, with trips in coming months throughout Europe, the United States, and of course to join us in Australia for this series of concerts. In a case of ‘needs must’ for a soloist with a more unusual instrument, Colin has had a clear hand in driving that interest, having commissioned many composers, including Elliott Carter and James MacMillan, to write for him.

Kalevi Aho’s Sieidi is one such commissioned concerto. When anticipating a new work, does he ever worry about a composer’s mastery of so many instruments?

‘If a composer’s music appeals to me,’ explains Colin, ‘I never worry about how they’re going to go about writing for my instrument. I just let them work it out!’ He continues, ‘Kalevi is well known for his excellent and meticulous study of instruments, so I was fascinated by how he got to grips with such exotica as the djembe and darabuka drums in this concerto.’ In this instance, there was no consultation between composer and performer – ‘some composers take care of things very privately and pleasant surprises come along!’.

Colin uses words like ‘extreme’, ‘tribal’, and ‘dramatic’ to describe the Aho. ‘At every point, you feel drawn into something very spirited, mysterious and magical. Being in one movement, the whole piece feels like a complete life cycle, and the percussionist leads the adventure, through all kinds of conditions – stormy and still, poignant and powerful.’ Aho felt his challenge in writing a percussion concerto was two-fold: to write a convincing part of the orchestra, but also a truly spearheaded performance from the soloist. ‘He makes excellent use of the orchestra, with many very important solos for the wind and brass especially.’

Though you might think that the concept of phrasing doesn’t, or can’t, apply to percussion because of the nature of the rapid sound decay on most of the struck instruments, Colin says that’s an erroneous assumption. ‘The approach [to phrasing] is largely as per other instruments – the notion of joining one note to the next in as simple and effective way as possible, regardless of how much space there is the between the notes and how much decay on the individual sounds. Clearly, composers showing alacrity in their percussion writing will write sensibly and helpfully for whichever instrument in question, allowing phrases to

INTERVIEW

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The Colin Currie Group performing Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians – the combination of vibraphones and marimbas in the core mallet group ‘is just delicious’!

emerge and for there to be clarity and cohesion in the overall sound.’

One of the most peculiar aspects of being a percussionist, to the outsider at least, is the notion that you never know what your instrument is going to look like. Though in percussion terms, ‘instrument’ really refers to the assemblage of a number of instruments – which in this case includes less common instruments like djembe, darabuka, and gourds, as well as more conventional instruments like tom-toms, marimba, vibraphone, tam tam and wood blocks. It’s a reality for percussionists that every piece requires a different configuration, and thus a ‘new’ instrument.

With so many instruments to choose from, is there a particular favourite sound world Colin prefers to inhabit? ‘I love multiple mallet instruments. In my ensemble The Colin Currie Group we play numerous Reich works, nearly all of which have a mallet group at its core. The combination of instruments such as vibraphones and marimbas, often in pairs (or more!) is just delicious. I also love a good drum set-up!’

GENEVIEVE HUPPERT © 2014

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Johannes Brahms Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68Un poco sostenuto – Allegro

Andante sostenuto

Un poco Allegretto e grazioso

Adagio – Più andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio

Brahms’s first symphony begins with an afterthought – a powerful slow introduction devised years after he had conceived the main part of the first movement. The whole symphony took more than 14 years to write, and by the time he had completed it in 1876 Brahms was 43 years old. Beethoven, by comparison, was 30 when he composed his First, Schubert 16, Mozart not even 10.

The First Symphony was not Brahms’s first essay in orchestral writing, nor was it his first attempt at a symphony. Both honours go to his First Piano Concerto (1855), which began life as a symphony in D minor. Brahms had almost certainly been goaded into symphonic ambitions by Robert Schumann’s famous article ‘New Paths’, which hailed him in almost messianic terms as ‘the One who has been called’, a second Beethoven who would be the saviour of the declining symphony.

The article, published in 1853, was a mixed blessing for Brahms. It attracted attention to his considerable talent, but also invited ridicule from those who believed, with Wagner, that there was nothing more to be done with the symphonic genre that Beethoven had not already achieved.

Brahms was not the only composer conscious of Beethoven’s daunting legacy, but he felt it more keenly than most, telling conductor Hermann Levi: ‘I shall never write a symphony! You have no idea how it makes one feel to hear the thunderous step of a giant like him always behind you!’

Beethoven’s heroic stature in 19th-century Europe must have seemed overwhelming; the challenge left by his Ninth Symphony, with its unprecedented vocal finale, insurmountable. No wonder Brahms spent nearly 20 years skirting around the symphony: he completed the piano concerto, two orchestral serenades on a symphonic scale, and the brilliant Variations on a Theme of Haydn rather than commit himself to an actual symphony.

Brahms was a ruthless perfectionist, consigning to the flames whole works that failed to meet his high standards. But from a crucible fuelled by rejected drafts and discarded sketches emerged a symphony that was extraordinary, not in its innovation but in its ingenuity and power of expression.

KeynotesBRAHMS

Born 1833, Hamburg Died 1897, Vienna

Brahms might not have considered himself primarily an orchestral composer, but his symphonies occupy a firm place in the orchestral repertoire. Brahms took 14 years to write his first symphony, completing it in 1876. But in the meantime he composed a piano concerto, two orchestral serenades, the Haydn Variations and A German Requiem – a symphonic apprenticeship. All the while he was haunted by Beethoven’s legacy, ‘the thunderous step of a giant’ behind him.

FIRST SYMPHONY

By the time he was 43, Brahms was already famous and his first symphony was much- awaited. Appropriately it is monumental in character and proportions, at least in its outer movements. The inner movements (one not quite a slow movement, the other not quite a scherzo) wouldn’t seem out of place in the lighter context of a serenade, especially in the second movement when the concertmaster is given a solo. In the fourth movement Brahms turns around to face the ‘giant’ with a magnificent finale that celebrates the symphonic possibilities of the orchestra.

The First Symphony was premiered on 4 November 1876 by the court orchestra at Karlsruhe, Baden. The concert, conducted by Otto Dessof, also included Beethoven’s Ninth.

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Not without reason did Hans von Bülow dub Brahms’s First Symphony ‘the Tenth’ (observing that ‘the First’ was in fact Mozart’s last, the Jupiter).

Listening Guide

Work on the symphony began around the time of Schumann’s madness and death and during a period when Brahms felt deep emotional ties to Clara Schumann. In 1862 Brahms sent her a draft of the first movement. Without its slow introduction (Un poco sostenuto) the impetuous opening of the Allegro must have been startling, and Clara wrote to the violinist Joseph Joachim remarking on its harshness.

What Brahms added later is a more subdued introduction to the immense tragedy of the first movement. The throbbing timpani notes of the opening are a portent of the struggle to come as the symphony follows a trajectory that mirrors both Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (beginning in C minor and ending in radiant C major) and his Ninth (D minor to D major).

The momentum and sense of dramatic conflict is then confirmed by the stormy Allegro. But for all its romantic turbulence, the symphony never departs from classical principles of structure, nor does it exceed the boundaries of the harmonic system inherited from Beethoven and Schubert. Brahms remained aloof from the rhapsodic constructions of

Since we are dealing with an artist like Brahms, and since the relationship to Beethoven, the reference to his master’s last, or ninth, symphony is so obvious here, we cannot postulate a weak, unproductive imitative intent. What we have here is conscious intent, an artistic will that gives the work its historical significance. We are witnessing here a composer’s confrontation with the problem of how to create a counterpart to the last segments of the Ninth Symphony, one that can produce the impact of the latter by its nature and strength, yet without resorting to voices. And this attempt, to the extent that it has been successful, has guided the mixed symphonic form – consisting of instruments and voices – back to its purely instrumental configuration while augmenting the aforementioned impact solely by instrumental means.

UNSIGNED REVIEW OF BRAHMS’ FIRST SYMPHONY, 1878

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Liszt and the expanded tonality of Wagner, and he declined any opportunity to augment his orchestra in the manner of Berlioz.

Almost without exception, Brahms wrote for modest, classical forces. (The instrumentation of his First Symphony is virtually identical to Beethoven’s Ninth.) And Brahms employs his orchestra quite differently to his contemporaries. The instrumental groups are treated almost as choirs, rather than as a source of individual colours. In this symphony, for example, the woodwind never appear independently but always in the company of the strings. And the richness of sonority derives from much doubling and dividing of parts, particularly in the lower registers.

In contrast to the monumental weightiness of the first movement, the two central movements are spare and light in texture, as well as relatively short. They sound as if they would be more at home in one of Brahms’s serenades, especially when the concertmaster emerges as violin soloist at the conclusion of the second movement (Andante sostenuto). The contrast of character is emphasised by a shift, for this movement only, to the distant key of E major, its natural ‘brightness’ is a foil to the dark and intense effect of C minor. The mood becomes calmer, more serene, and Brahms adopts a simple three-part structure based on two main themes – an impassioned, expansive melody for the strings from which emerges another, more intricate, for the oboe.

There are no true scherzos in Brahms’s symphonies – the closest he comes to this Beethovenian fixture is the boisterous third movement of his Fourth Symphony. For the third movement of the First Symphony he retains the scherzo’s dance structure with its contrasting central trio, but subdues the traditional whirlwind exuberance in favour of a more artless character. Lightness and grace is established by the clarinet, launching unpretentiously into a gentle, folk-like theme, accompanied by the horn.

These three movements were the first completed and apologetically circulated to friends and colleagues for their appraisal. By 1868 work on the final movement was underway, and the horn theme introduced in the Più andante became a birthday greeting for Clara set with the words: ‘High on the mountain, deep in the valley, I greet you many thousands of times!’

The finale would have given Brahms the most cause for concern, for it was in its finale that, in the words of Hans von Bülow, Beethoven’s Ninth ‘trespassed over music’s boundaries’, introducing voices, and therefore text, into the absolute medium of the symphony. Other composers had since grappled

The horn theme in the finale became a birthday greeting for Clara: ‘High on the mountain, deep in the valley, I greet you many thousands of times!’

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with the idea of a symphony with voices – Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) was a ‘symphony-cantata’, Berlioz had extended the concept still further with his Roméo et Juliette, a ‘dramatic symphony’. But Brahms returns to a purely instrumental solution for his symphonic finale, and in doing so confronts the legacy of Beethoven head on.

As in the first movement, there is a portentous slow introduction (Adagio – Più andante) – a ‘magnificent cloudy procession’ of themes that will take full shape in the movement proper. It begins in the home key of C minor, caught between resignation and rushing urgency, then with a brave timpani roll shifts to C major for the entry of Clara’s birthday tune, a chiming ‘Alphorn’ theme. At the same time the sonority changes with the very first entry of the trombones, a reminder of the way Beethoven introduced trombones to a symphony for the first time ever in his Fifth. The trombones will carry the symphony to its conclusion, but for now a chorale fragment hints at the liturgical connotations of this instrument.

Brahms’s passionate yet introverted voice emerges time and again in his tempo directions, full of qualifications, and the finale is no exception: Allegro non troppo, ma con brio (Fast, not too much, but with life). At this point Brahms makes an overt allusion – now famous – to Beethoven’s Ninth with a noble theme in the strings, broad and square. From the first, listeners remarked on its unmistakable similarity to the Ode to Joy, and Brahms’s retort became ‘Yes indeed, and what is more remarkable is that every fool hears it immediately.’

Fools or not, the similarity we hear is almost as immediately abandoned. The allusion is not a sign of Brahms’s inability to escape the influence of Beethoven, as some of his contemporaries thought, but his means of both embracing and distancing himself from the ‘giant’. (For that matter, the upward leaps and downward rushing scales that follow this noble theme could be regarded as an allusion to the finale of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony.) Brahms’s theme plays a completely different role in his symphony and it is the ‘Alphorn’ tune rather than a Brahmsian ‘Ode to Joy’ that becomes the resplendent climax of the movement and the work. If this first symphony is an allegory of the struggle between instrumental and vocal ideas then Brahms has given the orchestra the last word.

YVONNE FRINDLE © 2000/2007

Brahms’s First Symphony calls for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two

bassoons and contrabassoon; four horns, two trumpets and three

trombones; timpani and strings.

The SSO first performed this symphony in November 1933 with Bernard

Heinze conducting, and most recently in 2011 with Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Brahms’s passionate yet introverted voice emerges time and again…

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2014 Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship End-of-Year Concert

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTEDDUKAS arr. Farrington The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeSTRAVINSKY The Soldier’s Tale: SuiteMUSSORGSKY arr. Yu Pictures at an Exhibition

Sat 29 Nov | 7.30pmSydney Opera House, Utzon Room

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MORE MUSIC

BEETHOVEN OVERTURESFor a collection of (nearly) all the Beethoven overtures, try Kurt Masur’s recording with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. All that is missing is the final overture to the opera Fidelio.DECCA 468 1012

AHO CONCERTOSKalevi Aho’s music is well-represented in recordings, mostly on the BIS label. His popular flute concerto has been recorded by its dedicatee, Sharon Bezaly, with Osmo Vänskä conducting the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. On the same album, Nordic Spell: flute concertos by Haukur Tómasson and Christian Lindberg.BIS 1499

As with Sieidi, Aho’s horn concerto has ritualistic elements and a dynamic use of the performance space, and his theremin concerto (Eight Seasons) is intrinsically theatrical given the nature of the instrument. You can hear both concertos on a recording that came out earlier this year, with soloists Annu Salminen and Carolina Eyck. John Storgårds conducts the Lapland Chamber Orchestra.BIS 2036

BRAHMS SYMPHONIESIf you’d like to explore the Brahms symphonies further, look for Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Tragic and Academic Festival overtures are included with the four symphonies.DECCA/LONDON 4307992

For the complete symphonies with an Australian connection, look for the recording made by Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The performances use the smaller forces and layout – as well as performance practices – typical of the 49-piece Meiningen Court Orchestra, which premiered the Fourth Symphony.TELARC 80450

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

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HOUR

Tuesday 9 December, 6pm

Musicians and staff of the SSO talk about the life of the orchestra and forthcoming concerts. Hosted by Andrew Bukenya.

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SSO Live RecordingsThe Sydney Symphony Orchestra Live label was founded in 2006 and we’ve since released more than two dozen recordings featuring the orchestra in live concert performances with our titled conductors and leading guest artists. To buy, visit sydneysymphony.com/shop

LOOK OUT FOR…

Our recording of Holst’s Planets with David Robertson. Due for release later in 2014.

Join us on Facebook facebook.com/sydneysymphony

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/sydsymph

Watch us on YouTube www.youtube.com/SydneySymphony

Visit sydneysymphony.com for concert information, podcasts, and to read the program book in the week of the concert.

Stay tuned. Sign up to receive our fortnightly e-newsletter sydneysymphony.com/staytuned

Download our free mobile app for iPhone/iPad or Android sydneysymphony.com/mobile_app

SSO Online

Mahler 1 & Songs of a Wayfarer SSO 201001

Mahler 2 SSO 201203

Mahler 3 SSO 201101

Mahler 4 SSO 201102

Mahler 5 SSO 201003 Mahler 6 SSO 201103

Mahler 7 SSO 201104

Mahler 8 (Symphony of a Thousand) SSO 201002

Mahler 9 SSO 201201

Mahler 10 (Barshai completion) SSO 201202

Song of the Earth SSO 201004

From the archives: Rückert-Lieder, Kindertotenlieder, Das Lied von der Erde SSO 201204

MAHLER ODYSSEY

The complete Mahler symphonies (including the Barshai completion of No.10) together with some of the song cycles. Recorded in concert with Vladimir Ashkenazy during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. As a bonus: recordings from our archives of Rückert-Lieder, Kindertotenlieder and Das Lied von der Erde. Available in a handsome boxed set of 12 discs or individually.

Strauss & SchubertGianluigi Gelmetti conducts Schubert’s Unfinished and R Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Ricarda Merbeth. SSO 200803

Sir Charles MackerrasA 2CD set featuring Sir Charles’s final performances with the orchestra, in October 2007. SSO 200705

Brett DeanTwo discs featuring the music of Brett Dean, including his award-winning violin concerto, The Lost Art of Letter Writing. SSO 200702, SSO 201302

RavelGelmetti conducts music by one of his favourite composers: Maurice Ravel. Includes Bolero. SSO 200801

Rare RachmaninoffRachmaninoff chamber music with Dene Olding, the Goldner Quartet, soprano Joan Rodgers and Vladimir Ashkenazy at the piano. SSO 200901

Prokofiev’s Romeo and JulietVladimir Ashkenazy conducts the complete Romeo and Juliet ballet music of Prokofiev – a fiery and impassioned performance. SSO 201205

Tchaikovsky Violin ConcertoIn 2013 this recording with James Ehnes and Ashkenazy was awarded a Juno (the Canadian Grammy). Lyrical miniatures fill out the disc. SSO 201206

Tchaikovsky Second Piano ConcertoGarrick Ohlsson is the soloist in one of the few recordings of the original version of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.2. Ashkenazy conducts. SSO 201301

Stravinsky’s FirebirdDavid Robertson conducts Stravinsky’s brilliant and colourful Firebird ballet, recorded with the SSO in concert in 2008. SSO 201402

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Osmo Vänskä is recognised for his compelling interpretations of repertoire from all ages – passionately conveying the authentic message of the composer’s score. Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra for over a decade, he has also received exceptional acclaim for his work with many other leading orchestras.

Recent and upcoming performances include re-engagements with the Chicago and San Francisco symphony orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He regularly conducts the London Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker, Finnish Radio and Yomiuri Nippon symphony orchestras. He has developed regular relationships with the New World Symphony, the Mostly Mozart Festival and the BBC Proms, and is Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The 2014–15 season also sees performances with the Helsinki and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras and the Melbourne and Shanghai symphony orchestras, as well as the South African National Youth Orchestra.

He gained distinction as a recording artist through his acclaimed landmark Sibelius cycle with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, his recording with the Minnesota Orchestra of Sibelius’s First and Fourth Symphonies won a Grammy award – following the nomination of the Second and Fifth Symphonies the year before. Previously, a complete Beethoven symphonies cycle with the orchestra garnered worldwide praise.

Osmo Vänskä is the recipient of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, the Finlandia Foundation’s Arts and Letters award, and the 2010 Ditson Award from Columbia University for his support of American music. He holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Glasgow and Minnesota and was named Musical America’s 2005 Conductor of the Year. In 2013 he received the Annual Award from the German Record Critics’ Award Association for his involvement in BIS’s recordings of the complete works by Sibelius.

Osmo Vänskä’s most recent performances with the SSO were in 2011, when he conducted music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Beethoven.

Osmo Vänskäconductor

THE ARTISTS

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Colin Currie is a solo and chamber artist at the peak of his powers. Championing new music at the highest level, he is the soloist of choice for many of today’s foremost composers and he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors.

He has forged a pioneering path in creating new music for percussion. He was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award in 2000 for his inspirational role in contemporary music-making and received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2005. He has premiered works by composers such as Elliott Carter, Louis Andriessen, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Jennifer Higdon, Kalevi Aho, Rolf Wallin, Kurt Schwertsik, Simon Holt, Alexander Goehr, Dave Maric, Julia Wolfe and Nico Muhly, and in coming seasons will premiere works by Steve Reich, James MacMillan, Anna Clyne, HK Gruber, Andrew Norman and Brett Dean.

He is Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre where, just this month, he has been the focus of a major percussion festival, Metal Wood Skin. This season he will also be Red Sofa Artist at Rotterdam’s De Doelen, a season-long residency. Other highlights of the 2014–15

season include concerto performances in Europe, Asia and North America, and recital and chamber music appearances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Montreux Festival, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam and NCPA Beijing.

His dynamic percussion ensemble, the Colin Currie Group, was formed in 2006 to celebrate the music of Steve Reich and, with the composer’s personal endorsement, has taken on the role of ambassador for Drumming. In 2013 the group gave its first performance of Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians in a sold-out Royal Festival Hall.

Colin Currie has recorded many concerto, recital and chamber works including most recently Alexander Goehr’s Since Brass, nor Stone (2013). His recording of Rautavaara’s Incantations with the Helsinki Philharmonic and John Storgårds was released to critical acclaim and won a 2012 Gramophone Award. Previous releases include MacMillan’s Veni, veni, Emmanuel, Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto, which won a 2010 Grammy Award, and a recital disc Borrowed Time featuring music by Dave Maric.

www.colincurrie.com

Colin Curriepercussion

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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

Fiona Ziegler ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Jenny BoothSophie ColeClaire HerrickGeorges LentzNicola LewisEmily LongAlexandra MitchellAlexander NortonEmma Jardine*Emily Qin*Ike See*Lucy Warren*Nicholas Waters†Dene Olding CONCERTMASTER

Sun Yi ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Lerida Delbridge ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Brielle ClapsonAmber DavisLéone Ziegler

SECOND VIOLINS Marina Marsden Marianne Broadfoot Emma Jezek ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Emma HayesShuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitMaja VerunicaBelinda Jezek*Alexandra D’Elia*Rebecca Gill*Vivien Jeffery°Kirsty Hilton Maria Durek

VIOLASRoger Benedict Tobias Breider Justin Williams ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Sandro CostantinoRosemary CurtinJane HazelwoodGraham HenningsJustine MarsdenFelicity TsaiAmanda VernerLeonid VolovelskyJacqueline Cronin*Anne-Louise Comerford Stuart Johnson

CELLOSUmberto ClericiCatherine Hewgill Henry David Varema Leah Lynn ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Kristy ConrauFenella GillElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid WickhamTimothy Nankervis

DOUBLE BASSESKees Boersma Alex Henery David CampbellSteven LarsonRichard LynnBenjamin WardRobin Brawley*Aurora Henrich†Neil Brawley PRINCIPAL EMERITUS

David Murray

FLUTES Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer PRINCIPAL PICCOLO

Janet Webb

OBOESDiana Doherty David PappAlexandre Oguey PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS

Shefali Pryor

CLARINETSFrancesco Celata Christopher TingayAlexei Dupressoir†

Lawrence Dobell Craig Wernicke PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET

BASSOONSNicole Tait*Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON

Matthew Wilkie

SAXOPHONEChristina Leonard*

HORNSRobert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly PRINCIPAL 3RD

Marnie SebireRachel SilverMichael Dixon*Ben Jacks Euan Harvey

TRUMPETSDavid Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony Heinrichs TROMBONESRonald Prussing Nick ByrneChristopher Harris PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE

Scott Kinmont

TUBASteve Rossé

TIMPANIRichard Miller PERCUSSIONRebecca Lagos Timothy ConstableMark Robinson HARP Louise Johnson

BOLD = PRINCIPALITALICS = ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

° = CONTRACT MUSICIAN

* = GUEST MUSICIAN† = SSO FELLOWGREY = 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

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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

AlbertSandra & Neil BurnsJames & Leonie Furber

I 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 FoundationAlan & Christine BishopAudrey 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 BryantDr 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’BrienDr Agnes E SinclairTony StrachanYim 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 WhyteA 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 Hughes

Ms 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 PurvisMiss Julie Radosavljevic

Renaissance 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 ChairBelinda BentleyAmelia Morgan-HunnSeamus Robert QuickJonathan PeaseShefali 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 HowardJennifer Hoy

Katie HryceThe Hon. Virginia JudgeJonathan KennedyAernout KerbertPatrick KokAlisa LaiTristan LandersJessye LinGary LinnaneGabriel LopataRobert McGroryDavid McKeanNick NichlesKate O’ReillyPeter O’SullivanLaurisa PoulosMichael RadovnikovicSudeep RaoMichael ReedePaul ReidyChris Robertson

Dr 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-2A_23Jul.indd 1 23/07/14 9:03 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

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

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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

Kai

Rai

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

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

Ilmar

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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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EDITOR Genevieve Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravo

DIGITAL MASTERCLASSES

Have 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 bowings 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 EXPERIENCE

Our 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 2015

In 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 next year Playerlink will be held in Bellingen. Phew! That should keep the Education team out of trouble for the next little while…

DESTINATION VIENNA

Penelope Seidler, in association with the Vienna Tourist Board, will be hosting a traditional Viennese salon on 18 November 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

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

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.

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

Sydney Opera House TrustMr John Symond am [Chair]Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Brenna Hobson, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Peter Mason am, Ms Jillian Segal am, Mr Robert Wannan, Mr Phillip Wolanski am

Executive ManagementChief Executive Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Louise Herron am

Chief Operating Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire SpencerDirector, Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development & Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . .Greg McTaggartDirector, Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna ReidDirector, External Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brook Turner

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE Administration (02) 9250 7111 Bennelong Point Box Office (02) 9250 7777 GPO Box 4274 Facsimile (02) 9250 7666 Sydney NSW 2001 Website sydneyoperahouse.com

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

All enquiries for advertising space in this publication should be directed to the above company and address. Entire concept copyright. Reproduction without permission in whole or in part of any material contained herein is prohibited. Title ‘Playbill’ is the registered title of Playbill Proprietary Limited. Title ‘Showbill’ is the registered title of Showbill Proprietary Limited. By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specified on the title page of this publication 1/191114 — 35 — S90/92

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

Head Office: Suite A, Level 1, Building 16, Fox Studios Australia, Park Road North, Moore Park NSW 2021 PO Box 410, Paddington NSW 2021Telephone: +61 2 9921 5353 Fax: +61 2 9449 6053 E-mail: admin@playbill.com.au Website: www.playbill.com.auChairman Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan ZieglerOperating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin

Playbill runs its own printery where we print all our theatre programs. We also print a variety of jobs from flyers to posters to brochures. Contact us at print@playbill.com.au for a quote on your printing work.

SSO Bravo! #9 2014 Insert.indd 4 11/11/14 10:35 AM

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

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.

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

Sydney Opera House TrustMr John Symond am [Chair]Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Brenna Hobson, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Peter Mason am, Ms Jillian Segal am, Mr Robert Wannan, Mr Phillip Wolanski am

Executive ManagementChief Executive Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Louise Herron am

Chief Operating Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire SpencerDirector, Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development & Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . .Greg McTaggartDirector, Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna ReidDirector, External Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brook Turner

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE Administration (02) 9250 7111 Bennelong Point Box Office (02) 9250 7777 GPO Box 4274 Facsimile (02) 9250 7666 Sydney NSW 2001 Website sydneyoperahouse.com

PAPER PARTNER

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

All enquiries for advertising space in this publication should be directed to the above company and address. Entire concept copyright. Reproduction without permission in whole or in part of any material contained herein is prohibited. Title ‘Playbill’ is the registered title of Playbill Proprietary Limited. Title ‘Showbill’ is the registered title of Showbill Proprietary Limited. By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specified on the title page of this publication 17429 — 1/061114 — 33MM/K S85/87

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

Head Office: Suite A, Level 1, Building 16, Fox Studios Australia, Park Road North, Moore Park NSW 2021 PO Box 410, Paddington NSW 2021Telephone: +61 2 9921 5353 Fax: +61 2 9449 6053 E-mail: admin@playbill.com.au Website: www.playbill.com.auChairman Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan ZieglerOperating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin

Playbill runs its own printery where we print all our theatre programs. We also print a variety of jobs from flyers to posters to brochures. Contact us at print@playbill.com.au for a quote on your printing work.