SSO 2012 Program by Ian Wheaton

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

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w e lc o m e For 80 years, the Sydney Symphony has performed music that inspires. In 2012 we celebrate this milestone with a spectacular line-up of renowned guest artists, conductors and, of course, terrific concert programs, performed for youÂ by your acclaimed orchestra. Whether you are new to concert-going, or have been around for a while, we warmly invite you to join us in 2012 for a grand adventure of great concert music. And what better way to savour the sounds than with your very own subscription package!

Dear Music Lover In a world where many people change jobs every few years, an orchestra stands out as something unusual. Some of the musicians in the Sydney Symphony have been performing for the audiences in this city for thirty years or more. It makes my own time with the orchestra so far seem very brief. And yet, as I welcome you to our fourth season together, I feel I have already come to know this orchestra, this beautiful city and you in the audience very well. Your enthusiasm is palpable every time we take to the stage and it’s this that makes the work of a musician so rewarding. In 2012 – the orchestra’s 80th anniversary year – our programming highlights three composers in particular. First there is Brahms, who was so significant in the early years of the Sydney Symphony. Then there is Richard Strauss, an unbelievably gifted musician. He was supremely skilful as a composer – and he knew it! – but more than that, he was truly inspired. The third composer is Tchaikovsky, a man whose tragic life and personal suffering has given us so much great music. But to name just these three is merely to scratch the surface. I invite you to join us in 2012 to discover a whole world of music and feeling – sometimes profoundly emotional, sometimes lighthearted, but always fantastic. Yours sincerely

Vladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Sydney Symphony

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Begin the year with Beethoven’s immortal Ninth, then explore Brahms masterpieces, the best of the Russians and more, with some of the world’s top artists in the Sydney Symphony’s flagship series.

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Your chance to immerse yourself in music by Mozart and friends. Four one‑hour concerts in the heart of the city at City Recital Hall Angel Place.

The “queen of violin-playing” Anne-Sophie Mutter, trumpet sensation Chris Botti, a re-creation of the 1973 Sydney Opera House Opening Gala, Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades and more from The Lord of the Rings. Add these special concerts to your package!

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Presented by Tenix If only every class at school was as fun as Discovery… Australia’s most inspiring music educator, Richard Gill, sheds new light on four of the great composers. No homework required.

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Presented by Theme & Variations Breathtaking virtuosity, piano masterpieces, soul-searching interpretations. We bring you four recitals in the intimate surrounds of City Recital Hall Angel Place.

In 2012 the Sydney Symphony celebrates 80 years of music-making. During the season we’re recognising important musical events and world or Australian premieres from throughout our history – with a re-creation of the 1973 Opening Gala Concert of the Sydney Opera House as the highlight.

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Ausgrid Master Series

Great music, familiar and new, from across the centuries. Stellar artists who bring maturity and insight. The power of great musicmaking. You. Whether you’re a recent convert or have years of concert-going behind you, bring your ears, bring your curiosity and find yourself in a stimulating journey of inspiration. In 2012 the music-making begins with a gala event – Ashkenazy conducting Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. And we bring you Brahms’s three great concertos and his Second Symphony – a nod to the Brahms we presented in a festival in the 1930s. That festival was an ambitious undertaking for a fledgling orchestra; now Brahms is the lifeblood of a vital ensemble. And it wouldn’t be an Ashkenazy season without music from the Russian masters – this year he conducts Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky!

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music is “ In the pensive Adagio movement [Lisa Batiashvili] played with aching tenderness and melting sound. The rousing finale had rustic vigor galore...” The New York Times

pa s s i o n

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Ausgrid Master series

BEETHOVEN 9 Ode to Joy Season opening gala

THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss

MOZART’S REQUIEM Choral Contrasts

Wed 8 Feb 8pm Fri 10 Feb 8pm Sat 11 Feb 8pm

Wed 22 Feb 8pm Fri 24 Feb 8pm Sat 25 Feb 8pm

Wed 2 May 8pm Fri 4 May 8pm Sat 5 May 8pm

R STRAUSS Metamorphosen BEETHOVEN Symphony No.9 (Choral)

BEETHOVEN Coriolan – Overture BRAHMS Violin Concerto R STRAUSS Thus Spake Zarathustra

POULENC Gloria MOZART Requiem

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Lorina Gore soprano Sally-Anne Russell mezzo-soprano James Egglestone tenor Michael Nagy baritone Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers and VOX) This concert ends with the “Ode to Joy” – words by Schiller, music by Beethoven, combining in a great symphonic finale. The Ninth was the symphony where Beethoven turned everything on its head: he introduced voices, he made his instruments sing, he composed the longest symphony yet written. But he was more than an innovator – he wrestled with fate, he believed in freedom, he was a voice for the world. He still is. And that’s why the monumental Ninth Symphony resonates, nearly two hundred years later. The concert begins with an “ode to sorrow”. Metamorphosen is Richard Strauss’s response to the devastation of World War II. It’s weighty, tormented music, tinged with personal suffering. And at its conclusion there’s the quotation that Strauss says “escaped from his pen” – Beethoven’s funeral march for a hero. It is, says Ashkenazy, the most genuinely moving music Strauss ever wrote. “Both pieces relate to the humanity of mankind. One is pessimistic, the other is gloriously open.”

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Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Lisa Batiashvili violin Music takes on philosophy in Richard Strauss’s Thus Spake Zarathustra, inspired by Nietzsche. When Stanley Kubrick stole the beginning of this tone poem for his 2001 soundtrack, his ear had been caught by one of the most magnificent musical sunrises ever written, and the music blossoms from there – colourful, mysterious, spine-tingling and gloriously climactic. Then Strauss leaves us with the uncertainty of existence – “an incredible ending” says Ashkenazy. This concert of masterpieces begins with imperious pride and tragic indecision in Beethoven’s overture to Collin’s play Coriolan. And Brahms’s Violin Concerto is the jewel in the crown. Played by Georgian-born violinist Lisa Batiashvili on her second visit to the Sydney Symphony, this concerto will be revealed in all its good-natured power. This is serious music that brings delight at every turn, from its expansive virtuosity and sweet melodies to its exhilarating gypsy finale.

David Zinman conductor Jennifer Welch-Babidge soprano Fiona Campbell mezzo-soprano Paul McMahon tenor Paul Whelan bass Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Poulenc and Mozart lived 150 years apart, but in some ways they were alike. Both men could be irreverent and wickedly playful, both knew how to entertain. And both had a deeply serious side, spiritual and profound. In Poulenc’s Gloria, the two sides come together in religious music that bubbles over with the joy of faith – there’s nothing dreary about this call to praise. Mozart’s Requiem brings a shift in mood with an intensely dramatic mass for the dead. This is music by a composer whose heart was in the theatre and the evidence can be heard at every turn. From the solemn intonations of the beginning to the fearsome “Day of Wrath” and the weeping “Lacrimosa’” we could be in the opera house (or on a film set). As far as Mozart is concerned, the world is our stage – in death as well as in life.

2012 Ausgrid Master Series

MAJESTIC BRAHMS The Second Piano Concerto

TCHAIKOVSKY’S PATHÉTIQUE Impassioned Masterpiece

SYMPHONIC DANCES ˇ Brahms, Dvo Rák, Rachmaninoff

Wed 6 Jun 8pm Fri 8 Jun 8pm Sat 9 Jun 8pm

Wed 4 Jul 8pm Fri 6 Jul 8pm Sat 7 Jul 8pm

Wed 1 Aug 8pm Fri 3 Aug 8pm Sat 4 Aug 8pm

BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.2 SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.6

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis ADÈS Violin Concerto – Concentric Paths TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.6, Pathétique

BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1 ˇ DvoRák Carnival Overture RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Oleg Caetani conductor Philippe Bianconi piano This season we feature all three of Brahms’s great solo concertos, and in this concert French pianist Philippe Bianconi will perform the Olympian second piano concerto. It’s huge – symphonic in scale and character – and the solo part is one of the most challenging in the repertoire. This is music for an ambitious era, full of confidence, power and brilliance. The Soviet Union in the 1930s was no comfortable place to be – Shostakovich was one of many artists who kept a suitcase packed in case the authorities came for him in the night. Fear and anguish kept company with the optimism of propaganda, and both emerge in Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony. The emotional heart is the long, tragic first movement; then the symphony does an about-face and adopts a mask of thrilling energy for its race to the finish.

David Robertson conductor Anthony Marwood violin In what’s possibly his most popular creation, Ralph Vaughan Williams conjures up the atmosphere of an English cathedral – choir echoing to choir as a 20th-century composer eavesdrops on an Elizabethan world of stained-glass beauty. Thomas Adès also nods to tradition and the past in his violin concerto, written for Anthony Marwood, although the result has the dazzling verve of a contemporary voice renowned for its energy and imagination. The three movements journey through perpetual motion to a fierce Baroque lament and on to the playful finale – the soloist spiralling above a contemporary dance beat. Tchaikovsky’s impassioned Sixth Symphony runs a gamut of emotions. There’s the confidence of the first movement – thirsty for life, there’s malevolence and false triumph, and the haunting, tragic mood of the finale. This is music in which to hear the Sydney Symphony in all its elegance, brilliance and power.

Tugan Sokhiev conductor Nicholas Angelich piano The young Brahms was trying to write his first symphony when he came up with his first piano concerto. No surprise, then, that it’s ambitious in scope – almost a symphony for piano and orchestra. The ballet score Rachmaninoff was writing towards the end of his life never reached the stage, but its dance inspiration gave the world a glamorous and intoxicating work for the concert hall. It begins at high noon, reaches a brooding twilight, then twelve chimes of midnight usher in the finale and a dance of death becomes a mighty affirmation of faith. This is a concert that moves in tragic and fatalistic realms – it has the beauty of storm clouds, the impetuosity of youth and the nostalgia of old age. At its centre is a moment of unrestrained celebration – noisy exuberance as Dvoˇrák’s nocturnal revellers sing and dance.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

ausgrid Master series

BRAHMS 2 A Romantic Symphony

ANGELA HEWITT PLAYS MOZART Mystery and Motion

RUSSIAN MASTERS Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky

Wed 22 Aug 8pm Fri 24 Aug 8pm Sat 25 Aug 8pm

Wed 19 Sep 8pm Fri 21 Sep 8pm Sat 22 Sep 8pm

Wed 21 Nov 8pm Fri 23 Nov 8pm Sat 24 Nov 8pm

DEBUSSY Gigues and Rondes de printemps (from Images) VINE Piano Concerto No.2 Premiere BRAHMS Symphony No.2

DUTILLEUX Mystère de l’instant Australian Premiere MOZART Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K466 BEETHOVEN Symphony No.4

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.4 (Australian premiere of the original version) TCHAIKOVSKY Manfred Symphony

Hugh Wolff conductor Piers Lane piano Born this week in 1862, Claude Debussy became one of France’s most influential and innovative composers and in 2012 we celebrate his 150th anniversary. In this concert, two dance-inspired impressions give a Gallic portrait of England (‘Jigs’) and an evocation of spring. This subtly coloured pairing introduces the premiere of a new piano concerto, composed for Piers Lane by one of Australia’s master composers for the orchestra. Carl Vine has sometimes described his music as “radically tonal” – you can look forward to the music of a composer who’s unashamed of big tunes and Technicolor richness.

Hannu Lintu conductor Angela Hewitt piano This concert begins with a string of gems – captivating and luminous – tiny “moments” from a composer with a matchless ear for colour. In Mystery of the Moment, Henri Dutilleux brings together a string orchestra, percussion and the exotic ringing tones of the cimbalom to evoke the fleeting sounds of night.

Brahms’s Second Symphony brings the third master of the orchestra to the mix. The colours are warm, the mood is lyrical – an easy-going Romantic impulse shaped by Classical genius. And the original audience loved this music because it was attractive, understandable and refreshingly unlike Beethoven!

From the stillness of night emerges the sound of Mozart at his most Romantic. Angela Hewitt, acclaimed for her radiant interpretations, plays Mozart’s D minor piano concerto – turbulent and dramatic. Beethoven, on the other hand, sheds his reputation as a scowling genius in the sunny classicism of his Fourth Symphony.

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Scott Davie piano 2012 concludes with Ashkenazy’s grand celebration of the music of Tchaikovsky over three programs. To begin, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony and a piano concerto by Rachmaninoff, the composer who took up the Romantic baton and carried it into the 20th century. Sydney pianist Scott Davie brings inspired advocacy to the original version of Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto. Torn by self-doubt, Rachmaninoff had a bad habit of revising his works, all too often cutting the heart out of the music – this is a chance to hear the fourth concerto in all the dark glamour and thrilling excitement of its original form. Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony follows the Alpine wanderings of a Byronic hero torn by despair and anguish. Emotional torment, dramatic storytelling, glittering magical worlds… these are some of the things Tchaikovsky does best. The first Manfred audience knew it in 1885, Sydney audiences knew it when we gave the Australian premiere in 1948, and it remains true today. See page 69 for more Tchaikovsky concerts in December.

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2012 Ausgrid Master Series

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6-concert PACKAGE*

9-concert PACKAGE*

Thus Spake Zarathustra Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss Wed 22 Feb, Fri 24 Feb, Sat 25 Feb | 8pm

Beethoven 9 Ode to Joy Season Opening Gala Wed 8 Feb, Fri 10 Feb, Sat 11 Feb | 8pm

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Mozart’s Requiem Choral Contrasts Wed 2 May, Fri 4 May, Sat 5 May | 8pm Majestic Brahms The Second Piano Concerto Wed 6 Jun, Fri 8 Jun, Sat 9 Jun | 8pm Symphonic Dances Brahms, Dvorˇák and Rachmaninoff Wed 1 Aug, Fri 3 Aug, Sat 4 Aug | 8pm Brahms 2 A Romantic Symphony Wed 22 Aug, Fri 24 Aug, Sat 25 Aug | 8pm Angela Hewitt plays Mozart Mystery and Motion Wed 19 Sep, Fri 21 Sep, Sat 22 Sep | 8pm Six concerts

Introductory offer! Renewing subscribers save 20% by adding a new second series. Choose from: • Mozart in the City • Discovery • Meet the Music • International Pianists in Recital Terms and conditions apply. See Multi-pack Discounts, page 79.

Add 1, 2, 3 or more specials to your package and save 10%, 15% or 20% when you renew. Choose from: • Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin • Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers • When I Fall in Love: Chris Botti • Wagner Under the Sails: The Opening Gala Revisited Further information, see pages 64–67. Terms and conditions apply.

Seating

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$510

$486

$438

$420

$378

$306

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Youth

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Thus Spake Zarathustra Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss Wed 22 Feb, Fri 24 Feb, Sat 25 Feb | 8pm Mozart’s Requiem Choral Contrasts Wed 2 May, Fri 4 May, Sat 5 May | 8pm Majestic Brahms The Second Piano Concerto Wed 6 Jun, Fri 8 Jun, Sat 9 Jun | 8pm Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Impassioned Masterpiece Wed 4 Jul, Fri 6 Jul, Sat 7 Jul | 8pm Symphonic Dances Brahms, Dvorˇák and Rachmaninoff Wed 1 Aug, Fri 3 Aug, Sat 4 Aug | 8pm Brahms 2 A Romantic Symphony Wed 22 Aug, Fri 24 Aug, Sat 25 Aug | 8pm Angela Hewitt plays Mozart Mystery and Motion Wed 19 Sep, Fri 21 Sep, Sat 22 Sep | 8pm Russian Masters Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky Wed 21 Nov, Fri 23 Nov, Sat 24 Nov | 8pm

$192 Nine concerts | Best Value! Seating

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$630

$594

$531

$396

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Youth

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Emirates Metro Series

Revive and recharge for the weekend with an evening of live music. Make your Friday night remarkable when you catch the Sydney Symphony in concert with fabulous music and exciting guest artists. In 2012 the Emirates Metro Series has a Tchaikovsky spin, with some of his great ballet music, a piano concerto and his masterpiece of fateful emotion, his Fourth Symphony, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Pianist Stephen Kovacevich sets the tone playing Beethoven and there’s exotic colour from Debussy in his 150th anniversary year. But the highlight is sure to be the re‑creation of our gala concert given for the opening of the Sydney Opera House – Simone Young and soprano Christine Brewer in an all-Wagner program, just as it was presented by Charles Mackerras and Birgit Nilsson in 1973.

Five or eight concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Friday | 8pm Principal Partner

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music IS my

vision

Conductor Simone Young

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

e m i r at e s m e t r o s e r i e s

AN ALPINE SYMPHONY Music at the Peak

FIREWORKS AND FANTASY Prokofiev and Berlioz

Fri 17 Feb 8pm

Fri 23 Mar 8pm

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.4 R STRAUSS An Alpine Symphony

Winner of the 80th Anniversary Composition Prize PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No.3 BERLIOZ Harold in Italy

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Stephen Kovacevich piano When the Sydney Symphony gave the Australian premiere of An Alpine Symphony in 1951 it represented a coming of age: the orchestra was busier, more prestigious and attracting larger audiences than ever before. It was also bigger, and it needed to be with a virtuoso showpiece like An Alpine Symphony, which calls for 120 musicians. With this massive symphonic poem, Strauss reached a high point in more ways than one – this music is, in Ashkenazy’s words, a powerful identification with nature. It’s also a breathtaking journey in the concert hall.

“ ...young Abduraimov’s playing was so unbelievably magnificent that it left me speechless.” Musicweb-International

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In this concert, Ashkenazy is joined by one of the world’s most distinguished pianists, Stephen Kovacevich, playing the concerto in which Beethoven puts the soloist first. This revolutionary music is lyrical and exhilarating, powerful and poetic – the creation of a composer at the pinnacle of inventiveness.

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Behzod Abduraimov piano Roger Benedict viola If you love Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique you’re not alone – the 19th-century virtuoso Paganini loved it too, and on the strength of it he asked Berlioz to write a concerto he could play on his newly acquired Stradivarius viola. Harold in Italy was the result – an extravagant blend of concerto and symphony – and Roger Benedict’s role as soloist will be to play a “character”, a Byronic dreamer. Dreams are set aside in Prokofiev’s wide-awake piano concerto. It’s his most popular and rewarding concerto – memorable, good-humoured and bracing in its virtuosity. Behzod Abduraimov has joined the Sydney Symphony and Ashkenazy on tour in Europe and Asia, and we’re delighted to introduce this exceptional young pianist to audiences at home In celebration of our birthday, we’re beginning the concert with the premiere of the winning work from our 80th anniversary composition prize. Stay tuned!

2012 Emirates Metro Series

TCHAIKOVSKY AT THE BALLET Nutcracker and Swan Lake

CARNEVALE Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar

TO THE MEMORY OF AN ANGEL Berg and Bruckner

Fri 20 Apr 8pm

Fri 11 May 8pm

Fri 22 Jun 8pm

GOLIJOV Last Round FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Highlights TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake: Highlights

BERLIOZ Benvenuto Cellini: Overture BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.2 ELGAR Falstaff BERLIOZ Roman Carnival – Overture

BERG Violin Concerto BRUCKNER Symphony No.8

Andrew Grams conductor Louis Lortie piano

David Zinman conductor Andreas Haefliger piano

“Macho, cool and dangerous” – that’s how Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round begins. It’s a sublimated tango, inspired by the great Piazzolla. Hot passion becomes pure pattern, violin bows fly in abstract choreography and the whole thing ends with a sigh. Manuel de Falla shifts the setting from Argentina to old-world Spain with a set of symphonic impressions in which a solo piano dances with the orchestra in a fragrant atmosphere of nostalgia. The dancing continues with Tchaikovsky in highlights from two of his great ballets, chosen by Andrew Grams. The selection from Nutcracker takes us to the Kingdom of the Sweets where everything is delightfully artificial and exotic, including Tchaikovsky’s own take on Spanish music, before ending with the glorious Waltz of the Flowers. His Swan Lake choices dwell in the haunting, turbulent world of enchantment and a love pledged, betrayed and transfigured.

Poor Berlioz: his opera Benvenuto Cellini was a “deadly failure” and “unmercifully hissed” (his words). But there was one part of it that was a huge success: the overture with its bold swagger and wistful tenderness. Later on, Berlioz rescued some of the opera’s most inspired moments to create an even bigger success: his whirlwind Roman Carnival overture. These two “carnival” works frame a concerto from the young Beethoven – composer and virtuoso – and a portrait of Shakespeare’s flawed knight, Falstaff. Elgar was a gallant soul, and he allows the fat and foolish knight a romantic nobility, all wrapped up in astonishingly detailed storytelling, where every escapade (and every quaffed ale!) has its musical representation.

Donald Runnicles conductor Julian Rachlin violin Two Austrian composers, two monuments of music – this promises to be one of the most profoundly moving concerts of the season. Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto was dedicated to “the memory of an angel”, the beautiful Manon Gropius (daughter of Alma Mahler and the architect Walter Gropius) who died just 18 years old. Berg infuses his 20th-century language with sensitivity of feeling and dreamy lyricism in music that transcends the heartache of its inspiration. From Anton Bruckner we hear symphonic writing at its most resplendent. Over the course of 70 minutes he builds a cathedral of sound and fills it with turbulent power, rhythmic vitality, brooding tragedy and radiant serenity. This is music to hear in the concert hall, fully surrendered to the mighty sound of the symphony orchestra and Bruckner’s epic vision.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

e m i r at e s m e t r o s e r i e s

WAGNER UNDER THE SAILS The Opening Gala Revisited

SYMPHONY FOR THE COMMON MAN Copland’s Third Symphony

TOTALLY TCHAIKOVSKY Ashkenazy and Ohlsson

Fri 10 Aug 8pm

Fri 7 Sep 8pm

Fri 7 Dec 8pm

WAGNER Die Meistersinger: Prelude Tannhäuser: “Dich, teure Halle” Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Rhine Journey Siegfried’s Funeral March Brünnhilde’s Immolation

DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun TAKEMITSU From me flows what you call Time COPLAND Symphony No.3

TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No.2 TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.4

Simone Young conductor Christine Brewer soprano On 29 September 1973, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra gave its first official performance in its new home: the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. For this gala occasion Charles Mackerras returned home to conduct and Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson was the soloist. The program was all-Wagner with a ceremonial touch in the form of “Dich, teure Halle” from Tannhäuser. That, said Mackerras later, was most appropriate: teure Halle means, among other things, “expensive hall”! In our 80th anniversary season, we’re recreating that gala program in its entirety. This time Simone Young is the Australian conductor returning home and renowned Wagnerian soprano Christine Brewer will bring her emotional authenticity and commanding sound to the Love-Death scene from Tristan und Isolde and to Brünnhilde’s farewell to life from Götterdämmerung, The Twilight of the Gods.

Robert Spano conductor Rebecca Lagos, Colin Piper, Mark Robinson, Ian Cleworth and Timothy Constable percussion With a yearning flute solo, Debussy’s ethereal and elusive Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun ushered in the 20th century. And where did music go from there? Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu begins From me flows what you call Time with another flute solo and a wash of impressionistic colour – Debussy’s legacy is unmistakeable. But Takemitsu goes further. In this music for five percussionists and orchestra, he creates music that literally “flows” through the venue with awesome spatial effects, chimes suspended throughout the hall and coloured ribbons representing water, fire, earth, wind and sky. Aaron Copland grew up under the influence of Debussy and his successors, but this was just one of a host of influences that contributed to his distinctive “American voice”. In his third and final symphony the spacious nobility of the music comes to a climax with thrilling references to his Fanfare for the Common Man. In this concert we celebrate Copland’s 1978 visit to Sydney, conducting a program that included his Third Symphony.

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Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Of all the great composers for orchestra, Tchaikovsky is the one who gives the most pleasure: he speaks to the heart with candid feeling, he caresses the ear with glorious melody, he lifts the soul with buoyant rhythms. And yet he lived a tragic life. Perhaps, says Ashkenazy, it was his suffering that gave the world such great music. This concert is a Tchaikovsky immersion, beginning with his Second Piano Concerto. This concerto is known for an exquisite moment of chamber music – just the piano, a violin and a cello – that nestles like a pearl in its flamboyant surrounds. The concerto shares the program with arguably Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony, the Fourth. According to the composer, the kernel of this symphony is Fate, the force of destiny. But eventually Fate retreats to the background, as the symphony turns to melancholy, to playfulness, and then the festive brilliance of the finale.

2012 Emirates Metro Series

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An Alpine Symphony Music at the Peak Fri 17 Feb | 8pm

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet Nutcracker and Swan Lake Fri 20 Apr | 8pm

Fireworks and Fantasy Prokofiev and Berlioz Fri 23 Mar | 8pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Fri 22 Jun | 8pm

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet Nutcracker and Swan Lake Fri 20 Apr | 8pm

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Wagner Under the Sails The Opening Gala Revisited Fri 10 Aug | 8pm

Carnevale Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar Fri 11 May | 8pm

Totally Tchaikovsky Ashkenazy and Ohlsson Fri 7 Dec | 8pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Fri 22 Jun | 8pm

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Charles Mackerras and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House Opening Gala Concert, 1973.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Great Classics

Create the perfect Saturday afternoon around a Sydney Symphony concert. Enjoy lunch with friends, admire the beauty of the Sydney Opera House, then surrender to the inspirational power of the music. Great Classics is also the perfect series for a family subscription and a great way to introduce younger music lovers to the sound and excitement of a symphony orchestra. In 2012 we celebrate music’s power to fire the imagination with stories and images, from Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony and Berlioz’s Harold in Italy to Elgar’s musical representation of Shakespeare’s Falstaff and the colourful impressions of Debussy. And in this 80th anniversary year we re-create our gala concert from the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, with Simone Young and soprano Christine Brewer in an all-Wagner program.

Four or seven matinees at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Saturday | 2pm

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music “ At a concert, you engage with music in a very special way, in a very special place. It’s an occasion. Some performances you feel something quite wonderful, and you can tell the audience feels it too. It’s just incredible.” Colin Piper

is LIFE

Sydney Symphony percussionist Colin Piper

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

G r e at C l a s s i c s

AN ALPINE SYMPHONY Music at the Peak

FIREWORKS AND FANTASY Prokofiev and Berlioz

Sat 18 Feb 2pm

Sat 24 Mar 2pm

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.4 R STRAUSS An Alpine Symphony

Winner of the 80th Anniversary Composition Prize PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No.3 BERLIOZ Harold in Italy

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Stephen Kovacevich piano

“ Equally energetic on the podium was conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy who ensured his brilliant band never missed a note...the orchestra was firing on all cylinders.” The Scotsman

When the Sydney Symphony gave the Australian premiere of An Alpine Symphony in 1951 it represented a coming of age: the orchestra was busier, more prestigious and attracting larger audiences than ever before. It was also bigger, and it needed to be with a virtuoso showpiece like An Alpine Symphony, which calls for 120 musicians. With this massive symphonic poem, Strauss reached a high point in more ways than one – this music is, in Ashkenazy’s words, a powerful identification with nature. It’s also a breathtaking journey in the concert hall. In this concert, Ashkenazy is joined by one of the world’s most distinguished pianists, Stephen Kovacevich, playing the concerto in which Beethoven puts the soloist first. This revolutionary music is lyrical and exhilarating, powerful and poetic – the creation of a composer at the pinnacle of inventiveness.

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Behzod Abduraimov piano Roger Benedict viola If you love Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique you’re not alone – the 19thcentury virtuoso Paganini loved it too, and on the strength of it he asked Berlioz to write a concerto he could play on his newly acquired Stradivarius viola. Harold in Italy was the result – an extravagant blend of concerto and symphony – and Roger Benedict’s role as soloist will be to play a “character”, a Byronic dreamer. Dreams are set aside in Prokofiev’s wide-awake piano concerto. It’s his most popular and rewarding concerto – memorable, good-humoured and bracing in its virtuosity. Behzod Abduraimov has joined the Sydney Symphony and Ashkenazy on tour in Europe and Asia, and we’re delighted to introduce this exceptional young pianist to audiences at home In celebration of our birthday, we’re beginning the concert with the premiere of the winning work from our 80th anniversary composition prize. Stay tuned!

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2012 Great Classics

CARNEVALE Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar

TO THE MEMORY OF AN ANGEL Berg and Bruckner

WAGNER UNDER THE SAILS The Opening Gala Revisited

Sat 12 May 2pm

Sat 23 Jun 2pm

Sat 11 Aug 2pm

BERLIOZ Benvenuto Cellini: Overture BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.2 ELGAR Falstaff BERLIOZ Roman Carnival – Overture

BERG Violin Concerto BRUCKNER Symphony No.8

David Zinman conductor Andreas Haefliger piano Poor Berlioz: his opera Benvenuto Cellini was a “deadly failure” and “unmercifully hissed” (his words). But there was one part of it that was a huge success: the overture with its bold swagger and wistful tenderness. Later on, Berlioz rescued some of the opera’s most inspired moments to create an even bigger success: his whirlwind Roman Carnival overture. These two “carnival” works frame a concerto from the young Beethoven – composer and virtuoso – and a portrait of Shakespeare’s flawed knight, Falstaff. Elgar was a gallant soul, and he allows the fat and foolish knight a romantic nobility, all wrapped up in astonishingly detailed storytelling, where every escapade (and every quaffed ale!) has its musical representation.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

G r e at C l a s s i c s

SYMPHONY FOR THE COMMON MAN Copland’s Third Symphony

TOTALLY TCHAIKOVSKY Ashkenazy and Ohlsson

Sat 8 Sep 2pm

Sat 8 Dec 2pm

DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun TAKEMITSU From me flows what you call Time COPLAND Symphony No.3 Robert Spano conductor Rebecca Lagos, Colin Piper, Mark Robinson, Ian Cleworth and Timothy Constable percussion With a yearning flute solo, Debussy’s ethereal and elusive Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun ushered in the 20th century. And where did music go from there? Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu begins From me flows what you call Time with another flute solo and a wash of impressionistic colour – Debussy’s legacy is unmistakeable. But Takemitsu goes further. In this music for five percussionists and orchestra, he creates music that literally “flows” through the venue with awesome spatial effects, chimes suspended throughout the hall and coloured ribbons representing water, fire, earth, wind and sky. Aaron Copland grew up under the influence of Debussy and his successors, but this was just one of a host of influences that contributed to his distinctive “American voice”. In his third and final symphony the spacious nobility of the music comes to a climax with thrilling references to his Fanfare for the Common Man. In this concert we celebrate Copland’s 1978 visit to Sydney, conducting a program that included his Third Symphony.

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TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No.2 TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.4 Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Of all the great composers for orchestra, Tchaikovsky is the one who gives the most pleasure: he speaks to the heart with candid feeling, he caresses the ear with glorious melody, he lifts the soul with buoyant rhythms. And yet he lived a tragic life. Perhaps, says Ashkenazy, it was his suffering that gave the world such great music. This concert is a Tchaikovsky immersion, beginning with his Second Piano Concerto. This concerto is known for an exquisite moment of chamber music – just the piano, a violin and a cello – that nestles like a pearl in its flamboyant surrounds. The concerto shares the program with arguably Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony, the Fourth. According to the composer, the kernel of this symphony is Fate, the force of destiny. But eventually Fate retreats to the background, as the symphony turns to melancholy, to playfulness, and then the festive brilliance of the finale.

Vladimir Ashkenazy performs with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Town Hall in 1977.

2012 Great Classics

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An Alpine Symphony Music at the Peak Sat 18 Feb | 2pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Sat 23 June | 2pm

Fireworks and Fantasy Prokofiev and Berlioz Sat 24 Mar | 2pm

Symphony for the Common Man Copland’s Third Symphony Sat 8 Sep | 2pm

Carnevale Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar Sat 12 May | 2pm

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Totally Tchaikovsky Ashkenazy and Ohlsson Sat 8 Dec | 2pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Sat 23 June | 2pm

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Wagner Under the Sails The Opening Gala Revisited Sat 11 Aug | 2pm Symphony for the Common Man Copland’s Third Symphony Sat 8 Sep | 2pm Totally Tchaikovsky Ashkenazy and Ohlsson Sat 8 Dec | 2pm Seven concerts | Best Value!

Add 1, 2 or 3 specials to your package and save 10%, 15% or 20% on all three when you renew. Choose from: • Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin • Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers • When I Fall in Love: Chris Botti • Wagner Under the Sails: The Opening Gala Revisited

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Mondays @ 7

Begin your week with the sound of a symphony orchestra! At the convenient time of 7pm, these concerts give you an evening full of inspiration and magic, with no need to sleep in on Tuesday morning. In 2012 your Mondays will be singing and dancing, with Beethoven’s great choral symphony, culminating in the “Ode to Joy”, and Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades as highlights. There’ll be ballet music, a saxophone dancing under the full moon and Ravel’s Bolero. And just as the weather turns cool there’s a Gershwin Tribute to warm the heart… Summertime!

Five concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

music is my bliss

Monday | 7pm

Saxophonist Amy Dickson

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

M o n d ay s @ 7

Beethoven 9 ode to joy Season opening gala

TCHAIKOVSKY AT THE BALLET Nutcracker and Swan Lake

A GERSHWIN TRIBUTE Summertime, Rhapsody in Blue…

Mon 13 Feb 7pm

Mon 23 Apr 7pm

Mon 21 May 7pm

R STRAUSS Metamorphosen BEETHOVEN Symphony No.9 (Choral)

GOLIJOV Last Round FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Highlights TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake: Highlights

GERSHWIN Cuban Overture Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin Songbook Catfish Row – Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess

Andrew Grams conductor Louis Lortie piano “Macho, cool and dangerous” – that’s how Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round begins. It’s a sublimated tango, inspired by the great Piazzolla. Hot passion becomes pure pattern, violin bows fly in abstract choreography and the whole thing ends with a sigh. Manuel de Falla shifts the setting from Argentina to old-world Spain with a set of symphonic impressions in which a solo piano dances with the orchestra in a fragrant atmosphere of nostalgia.

The concert begins with an “ode to sorrow”. Metamorphosen is Richard Strauss’s response to the devastation of World War II. It’s weighty, tormented music, tinged with personal suffering. And at its conclusion there’s the quotation that Strauss says “escaped from his pen” – Beethoven’s funeral march for a hero. It is, says Ashkenazy, the most genuinely moving music Strauss ever wrote. “Both pieces relate to the humanity of mankind. One is pessimistic, the other is gloriously open.”

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The dancing continues with Tchaikovsky in highlights from two of his great ballets, chosen by Andrew Grams. The selection from Nutcracker takes us to the Kingdom of the Sweets where everything is delightfully artificial and exotic, including Tchaikovsky’s own take on Spanish music, before ending with the glorious Waltz of the Flowers. His Swan Lake choices dwell in the haunting, turbulent world of enchantment and a love pledged, betrayed and transfigured.

Bramwell Tovey piano-conductor Tracy Dahl soprano George Gershwin brought jazz into the concert hall and made a serious business of popular success. From the soaring clarinet and infectious rhythms of Rhapsody in Blue to the poignant sounds of “Summertime” in Porgy and Bess, he gave the world some of the most memorable music ever written. In this program, Bramwell Tovey will not only conduct but play the jazz-inflected piano solos in Rhapsody in Blue. And Canadian soprano Tracy Dahl will make her Sydney Symphony debut with favourites from the Gershwin songbook, including “They can’t take that away from me” and “Fascinatin’ rhythm”. Join us for this tribute to Gershwin the pianist, Gershwin the spinner of songs and Gershwin the man we love.

2012 Mondays @ 7

5-concert PACKAGE* Choose your package and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

DANCING WITH THE SAXOPHONE Amy Dickson and Ravel’s Bolero

Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades An Opera in Concert

Mon 8 Oct 7pm

Mon 3 Dec 7pm

Verdi The Force of Destiny: Overture EDWARDS Full Moon Dances – Saxophone Concerto Sydney Premiere RAVEL Alborada del gracioso La Valse Bolero

TCHAIKOVSKY The Queen of Spades Sung in Russian with English surtitles

Miguel Harth-Bedoya conductor Amy Dickson saxophone When Ravel decided to include the provocative sound of the saxophone in Bolero he was on to something. The saxophone was the emerging instrument of the day, but did Ravel contemplate putting it at the front of the orchestra as a soloist? Australian composer Ross Edwards thinks that’s where the saxophone belongs, especially when it’s in the hands of virtuoso Amy Dickson, and in Full Moon Dances he once again brings his irresistible dance-chant style and instinct for theatre into the concert hall. There’s more dancing and more Ravel in the mercurial Alborada del gracioso – a morning song for a jester – and in the tempestuous climaxes of La Valse, giving Bolero a run for its money!

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Dina Kuznetsova soprano (Lisa) Stuart Skelton tenor (Herman) Irina Tchistjakova mezzo-soprano (Countess) Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano (Pauline) José Carbo bass-baritone (Tomsky) Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Tchaikovsky’s fantastic tragedy moves in the aristocratic salons of 18th-century St Petersburg. There’s an angry young man – a damaged soul. There’s the beautiful young woman he desires. And there’s an obsession – gambling at cards. The secret to success is held by an aged countess, the ‘Queen of Spades’. But, despite ghostly interventions, it all ends badly and it wouldn’t be opera without a double suicide. The last time Sydney audiences experienced this opera was in 1979 in a production by the Australian Opera. Now Ashkenazy brings a concert version to the stage of the Concert Hall, with Australian tenor Stuart Skelton in the leading role.

Beethoven 9 Ode to Joy Mon 13 Feb | 7pm Tchaikovsky at the Ballet Nutcracker and Swan Lake Mon 23 Apr | 7pm A Gershwin Tribute Summertime, Rhapsody in Blue… Mon 21 May | 7pm Dancing with the Saxophone Amy Dickson and Ravel’s Bolero Mon 8 Oct | 7pm Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades An Opera in Concert Mon 3 Dec | 7pm Five concerts Seating

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Meet the Music

music is

Presented by Ausgrid

In every Meet the Music concert you can hear a masterpiece, something unexpected, and something from the best of our Australian composers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a student, just getting to know the repertoire, or a regular concertgoer wanting to expand your musical experiences – Meet the Music is the perfect way to get to know orchestral music in all its beauty and variety. When you subscribe to this series you’re joining the generations of music lovers who’ve “met the music” – enjoying favourites and making discoveries. Every concert is a journey and this year composer and broadcaster Andrew Ford and conductor David Robertson will be your guides.

Four concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Wednesday or Thursday | 6.30pm Meet the Music plays a central role in our acclaimed Education program and the series is popular with students and school groups.

Platinum Partner

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“ William Barton’s didjeridu was the heartbeat...what he brings to the world of classical music is both something new and something ancient.” Time Magazine

my ENERGY William Barton

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Meet the Music

STRAVINSKY REMEMBERED Igor in Australia, 1961

KALKADUNGU Didjeridu meets Orchestra

Wed 7 Mar 6.30pm Thu 8 Mar 6.30pm

Wed 27 Jun 6.30pm Thu 28 Jun 6.30pm

RAVEL Mother Goose – Suite STRAVINSKY Violin Concerto PINTSCHER towards Osiris Australian Premiere STRAVINSKY The Firebird: Suite (1945)

MOZART Symphony No.31 (Paris) MACKEY Stumble to Grace – Piano Concerto Australian Premiere BARTON & HINDSON Kalkadungu PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony

Matthias Pintscher conductor Isabelle Faust violin

David Robertson conductor Orli Shaham piano William Barton didjeridu

In 1961 the ABC pulled off a coup, bringing the celebrity composer Igor Stravinsky to Australian shores to conduct his own music with the Sydney and Melbourne orchestras. It was a highlight of the decade, and the collaboration remains a memorable moment in the Sydney Symphony’s history. To conclude one of his concerts, Stravinsky conducted the exquisite Berceuse and Finale from his Firebird suite and in our 80th anniversary year we remember and celebrate by playing the whole suite. And Isabelle Faust returns to Sydney to play Stravinsky’s brilliant Violin Concerto. Igor Stravinsky in Sydney, 1961

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For his first visit to the Sydney Symphony, composer-conductor Matthias Pintscher brings some music of his own – an intense and dazzling piece inspired by Osiris, the Egyptian fertility god. And to begin the concert, he’s chosen the Mother Goose suite – a direct contemporary of the original Firebird, from a composer who rivalled Stravinsky in his ear for luscious orchestral colour.

In 2008, a couple of months after Kevin Rudd said ‘sorry’ to the Stolen Generations, the Sydney Symphony premiered a groundbreaking collaboration between composers William Barton and Matthew Hindson, Kalkadungu. Barton was also the soloist, impressing audiences with didjeridu, electric guitar and his voice. This vibrant meeting of Indigenous Australian and Western music won a standing ovation from young and old. Now we’re excited to bring it back in a well-deserved reprise for our 80th anniversary. In this program, it’s joined by even newer music: Stumble to Grace, a piano concerto composed especially for Orli Shaham and David Robertson by American Steven Mackey. And framing the thrilling effects of solo virtuosity and haunting drama are two ‘classical’ symphonies: Mozart’s ambitious Paris Symphony and Prokofiev’s 20th-century take on Haydn. This concert will be introduced from the stage by conductor David Robertson.

2012 Meet the Music

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RUSSIAN PASSIONS Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky

ARIEL’S MUSIC Clarinet Impressions

Wed 15 Aug 6.30pm Thu 16 Aug 6.30pm

Wed 7 Nov 6.30pm Thu 8 Nov 6.30pm

LIADOV Kikimora RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.2 sculthorpe Sun Song (1984) TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini

DEBUSSY Ibéria (from Images) DEAN Ariel’s Music DEBUSSY First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra CONYNGHAM Symphony Premiere

Thomas Sanderling conductor Alexander Gavrylyuk piano Three Russians make for a richly coloured and exhilarating concert. Liadov’s jewel-like miniature has all the ingredients of the best Russian fairytales: it’s haunting, mysterious and malevolent, and it’s bewitching to the ear! The irresistible melodies of Rachmaninoff’s best-loved piano concerto sound as if they could be pop songs – and in fact several of them are. And the program ends with the whirling passion of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasia after Dante – a story of illicit love, murder and the tempests of hell. When he was invited to include music by an Australian composer in his Sydney Symphony debut program, Thomas Sanderling chose Peter Sculthorpe. Clean-cut and extrovert, Sun Song mixes free-flowing melody and bewitching rhythms to ecstatic effect.

Richard Gill conductor David Thomas clarinet Ariel – perhaps you think of Shakespeare’s Tempest, or Disney’s Little Mermaid. For Brett Dean, Ariel is Ariel Glaser, who died of AIDS in 1988, just seven years old, and Ariel’s Music for clarinet and orchestra is a tribute to her heroic mother. The result is lamenting, agitated, impassioned and defiant in turn – music that speaks to the heart of a heart-breaking ordeal. On this program Brett Dean’s music will be joined by a brand new work by Australian Barry Conyngham. It will be his first symphony, inspired by and dedicated to Richard Gill – music to celebrate the struggle, the joy and the sheer excitement of learning. Debussy’s thrilling evocation of Spain gives the concert a festive beginning. And the First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra is a miniature masterpiece, languid and sultry – imagine the Spain of the Moors.

Presented by Ausgrid Stravinsky Remembered Igor in Australia, 1961 Wed 7 Mar, Thu 8 Mar | 6.30pm Kalkadungu Didjeridu meets Orchestra Wed 27 Jun, Thu 28 Jun | 6.30pm Russian Passions Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky Wed 15 Aug, Thu 16 Aug | 6.30pm Ariel’s Music Clarinet Impressions Wed 7 Nov, Thu 8 Nov | 6.30pm Four concerts Seating

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music is Kaleidoscope

Smooth, rhapsodic, whirling, hypnotic, intoxicating – a kaleidoscope for the senses in four fabulous concerts. 2012 is the year to catch American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti with his signature fusion of jazz and pop. It’s the year for a Gershwin tribute with Rhapsody in Blue and some of his timeless songs. It’s the year to be seduced by Ravel’s Bolero. It’s the year to discover the amazing sound of gifted Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson. And it’s the year to dive into a world of Spanish inspiration with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. We’re tapping our toes in anticipation. Join us!

Four concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Friday or Saturday | 8pm

P l e asu r e Trumpeter Chris Botti

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

K aleidoscope

“ Back arched and blowing hard, Chris Botti creates sounds of almost Alpine purity. But this American jazz trumpeter can swing low as well, coaxing achingly beautiful blue notes from his gleaming instrument.” Herald Sun

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WHEN I FALL IN LOVE An Evening with Chris Botti

A GERSHWIN TRIBUTE Summertime, Rhapsody in Blue…

Fri 16 Mar 8pm Sat 17 Mar 8pm

Fri 18 May 8pm Sat 19 May 8pm

Classic standards and contemporary hits

GERSHWIN Cuban Overture Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin Songbook Catfish Row – Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess

Chris Botti trumpet and his band with the Sydney Symphony Brett Kelly conductor Since the release of his 2004 album When I Fall in Love, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti (pronounced ‘boat-tee’) has become the top-selling American instrumental artist. The success of his particular brand of smooth and cool jazz has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music, and has led to four No.1 jazz albums and multiple Grammy Awards. Over the past three decades, Chris Botti has recorded and performed with some of the best in music, including Frank Sinatra, Sting, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, as well as some of the finest orchestras on the planet. Don’t miss his first orchestral show in Sydney!

2012 Kaleidoscope

4-concert PACKAGE* Choose your package and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

DANCING WITH THE SAXOPHONE Amy Dickson and Ravel’s Bolero

SPANISH GUITARS The LA Guitar Quartet

Fri 5 Oct 8pm Sat 6 Oct 8pm

Fri 16 Nov 8pm Sat 17 Nov 8pm

Verdi The Force of Destiny: Overture EDWARDS Full Moon Dances – Saxophone Concerto Sydney Premiere RAVEL Alborada del gracioso La Valse Bolero

CHÁVEZ Sinfonia india (Symphony No.2) RODRIGO Concierto andaluz FALLA El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician): Selections ADAMS Lollapalooza GINASTERA Four Dances from Estancia

Michael Stern conductor Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (John Dearman, Matthew Greif, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant) What’s better than one guitar? Four guitars! The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet makes its Australian debut in a concert full of Spanish colour. They’re the soloists in Rodrigo’s Concierto andaluz – a sparkling concoction of flamenco dance rhythms and Rodrigo’s inimitable melodic voice. And they amplify the spirit of Andalusia in their own arrangement for guitar quartet and orchestra of highlights from Manuel de Falla’s ballet Love, the Magician. From Spain to the Americas, this magnetic program takes in the indigenous sounds of Mexico, the virile rhythms of the Argentinean plains, and John Adams in exhilarating fanfare mode.

When I Fall in Love An Evening with Chris Botti Fri 16 Mar, Sat 17 Mar | 8pm A Gershwin Tribute Summertime, Rhapsody in Blue… Fri 18 May, Sat 19 May | 8pm Dancing with the Saxophone Amy Dickson and Ravel’s Bolero Fri 5 Oct, Sat 6 Oct | 8pm Spanish Guitars The LA Guitar Quartet Fri 16 Nov, Sat 17 Nov | 8pm Four concerts Seating

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

Thursday Afternoon Symphony takes the best of our orchestral programs from across our evening series and offers them as mid‑week matinees – perfect for avoiding the evening rush. In the 2012 season, there’s plenty to be excited about, including Vladimir Ashkenazy’s powerful interpretation of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony – a Thursday Afternoon exclusive. We’re re-creating our gala concert from the opening of the Sydney Opera House – an all-Wagner spectacular – and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet will bring Spanish inspiration in an exhilarating program. The year comes to a close with Tchaikovsky: the Second Piano Concerto with soloist Garrick Ohlsson and the great Fourth Symphony, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Four, five, or nine matinees in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Thursday | 1.30pm

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Pianist Behzod Abduraimov

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

TH u r s d a y Af ternoon Symphony

FIREWORKS AND FANTASY Prokofiev and Berlioz

TCHAIKOVSKY AT THE BALLET Nutcracker and Swan Lake

CARNEVALE Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar

Thu 22 Mar 1.30pm

Thu 19 Apr 1.30pm

Thu 10 May 1.30pm

Winner of the 80th Anniversary Composition Prize PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No.3 BERLIOZ Harold in Italy

GOLIJOV Last Round FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Highlights TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake: Highlights

BERLIOZ Benvenuto Cellini: Overture BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.2 ELGAR Falstaff BERLIOZ Roman Carnival – Overture

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Behzod Abduraimov piano Roger Benedict viola

Andrew Grams conductor Louis Lortie piano

David Zinman conductor Andreas Haefliger piano

If you love Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique you’re not alone – the 19thcentury virtuoso Paganini loved it too, and on the strength of it he asked Berlioz to write a concerto he could play on his newly acquired Stradivarius viola. Harold in Italy was the result – an extravagant blend of concerto and symphony – and Roger Benedict’s role as soloist will be to play a ‘character’, a Byronic dreamer. Dreams are set aside in Prokofiev’s wide-awake piano concerto. It’s his most popular and rewarding concerto – memorable, good-humoured and bracing in its virtuosity. Behzod Abduraimov has joined the Sydney Symphony and Ashkenazy on tour in Europe and Asia, and we’re delighted to introduce this exceptional young pianist to audiences at home In celebration of our birthday, we’re beginning the concert with the premiere of the winning work from our 80th anniversary composition prize. Stay tuned!

“ Happy 80th birthday, SSO! It’s a great milestone for an unforgettable orchestra, and I wish you many more.” Edo de Waart

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Edo de Waart Chief Conductor 1994–2003

2012 Thursday Afternoon Symphony

TO THE MEMORY OF AN ANGEL Berg and Bruckner

WAGNER UNDER THE SAILS The Opening Gala Revisited

SYMPHONY FOR THE COMMON MAN Copland’s Third Symphony

Thu 21 Jun 1.30pm

Thu 9 Aug 1.30pm

Thu 6 Sep 1.30pm

DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun TAKEMITSU From me flows what you call Time COPLAND Symphony No.3

BERG Violin Concerto BRUCKNER Symphony No.8 Donald Runnicles conductor Julian Rachlin violin Two Austrian composers, two monuments of music – this promises to be one of the most profoundly moving concerts of the season. Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto was dedicated to “the memory of an angel”, the beautiful Manon Gropius (daughter of Alma Mahler and the architect Walter Gropius) who died just 18 years old. Berg infuses his 20th-century language with sensitivity of feeling and dreamy lyricism in music that transcends the heartache of its inspiration. From Anton Bruckner we hear symphonic writing at its most resplendent. Over the course of 70 minutes he builds a cathedral of sound and fills it with turbulent power, rhythmic vitality, brooding tragedy and radiant serenity. This is music to hear in the concert hall, fully surrendered to the mighty sound of the symphony orchestra and Bruckner’s epic vision.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

TH u r s d a y Af ternoon Symphony

ˇ ÁK AND DVOr SHOSTAKOVICH Beauty and Turmoil

SPANISH GUITARS The LA Guitar Quartet

TOTALLY TCHAIKOVSKY Ashkenazy and Ohlsson

Thu 11 Oct 1.30pm

Thu 15 Nov 1.30pm

Thu 6 Dec 1.30pm

ˇ ÁK Cello Concerto in B minor DVOR SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.10

CHÁVEZ Sinfonia india (Symphony No.2) RODRIGO Concierto andaluz FALLA El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician): Selections ADAMS Lollapalooza GINASTERA Four Dances from Estancia

TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No.2 TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.4

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Jian Wang cello When cellist Jian Wang played Elgar here in 2008 he was praised for the strength and bravura of his performance, his rich, dark-hued tone and the impassioned ardour he brought to the music. And you can be sure these are the qualities he’ll bring to the poetry and tender feeling of Dvorˇák’s great Romantic cello concerto. In one of his first concerts as Principal Conductor of the Sydney Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy gave what The Sydney Morning Herald described as a “magnificently emphatic” performance of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony. It was an interpretation praised for its power and conviction. This is your chance to experience the insight and emotional honesty he brings to this deeply moving symphony in a concert of two masterpieces.

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Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Of all the great composers for orchestra, Tchaikovsky is the one who gives the most pleasure: he speaks to the heart with candid feeling, he caresses the ear with glorious melody, he lifts the soul with buoyant rhythms. And yet he lived a tragic life. Perhaps, says Ashkenazy, it was his suffering that gave the world such great music. This concert is a Tchaikovsky immersion, beginning with his Second Piano Concerto. Not played as often as the first, this concerto is known for an exquisite moment of chamber music – just the piano, a violin and a cello – that nestles like a pearl in its flamboyant surrounds. The concerto shares the program with arguably Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony, the Fourth. According to composer, the kernel of this symphony is Fate, the force of destiny. But eventually Fate retreats to the background, as the symphony turns to melancholy, to playfulness, and then the festive brilliance of the finale.

2012 Thursday Afternoon Symphony

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Tchaikovsky at the Ballet Nutcracker and Swan Lake Thu 19 Apr | 1.30pm

Fireworks and Fantasy Prokofiev and Berlioz Thu 22 Mar | 1.30pm

Carnevale Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar Thu 10 May | 1.30pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Thu 21 Jun | 1.30pm

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet Nutcracker and Swan Lake Thu 19 Apr | 1.30pm

Wagner Under the Sails The Opening Gala Revisited Thu 9 Aug | 1.30pm

Symphony for the Common Man Copland’s Third Symphony Thu 6 Sep | 1.30pm

Carnevale Beethoven, Berlioz and Elgar Thu 10 May | 1.30pm

Totally Tchaikovsky Ashkenazy and Ohlsson Thu 6 Dec | 1.30pm

Dvorˇák and Shostakovich Beauty and Turmoil Thu 11 Oct | 1.30pm

To the Memory of an Angel Berg and Bruckner Thu 21 Jun | 1.30pm

Spanish Guitars The LA Guitar Quartet Thu 15 Nov | 1.30pm

Wagner Under the Sails The Opening Gala Revisited Thu 9 Aug | 1.30pm

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Symphony for the Common Man Copland’s Third Symphony Thu 6 Sep | 1.30pm Dvorˇák and Shostakovich Beauty and Turmoil Thu 11 Oct | 1.30pm Spanish Guitars The LA Guitar Quartet Thu 15 Nov | 1.30pm Totally Tchaikovsky Ashkenazy and Ohlsson Thu 6 Dec | 1.30pm Nine concerts | Best Value!

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Tea & Symphony

If there’s anything more delightful than the sight of the Sydney Opera House sparkling in the morning sunshine, it’s the sound of the Sydney Symphony performing under its sails. When you join us on a Friday morning you can enjoy an hour of wonderful music and the chance to catch up with friends over a cup of tea beforehand. In 2012 the highlights range from classic Mozart to music where the ink’s still wet on the page. The Sydney Symphony Brass Ensemble returns to the spotlight and there’s some great Russian music in store. Choose eight concerts or a pack of four – either way the prices are unbeatable.

Four or eight morning concerts in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Friday | 11am

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Tea & Symphony

“ [François Leleux is] a star act. Here was phenomenal skill and personality, displayed across a vast range of colours and dynamics, delivered with winking wit through an oboe constantly circling the air.” The Times

MOZART’S OBOE CONCERTO

JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS

Fri 2 Mar 11am

Fri 20 Apr 11am

BACH Orchestral Suite No.1 RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin MOZART Oboe Concerto in C, K314

ROSSINI Il signor Bruschino: Overture HAYDN Keyboard Concerto in D SCHUBERT Symphony No.5

François Leleux oboe-director

Roger Benedict conductor Oliver She piano with the 2012 Fellows, Fellowship alumni and musicians of the Sydney Symphony

The last time François Leleux visited Sydney, in 2003, our own Diana Doherty invited him to play principal oboe in the orchestra, a tribute to his reputation as one of the finest oboists in the world today. Now he returns as leader and soloist in a concert that puts the oboe in the spotlight. Bach’s first orchestral suite features a pair of oboes in music that embraces baroque pomp and elegance. The oboe is equally prominent in Ravel’s orchestration of Le Tombeau de Couperin, his baroqueinspired tribute to friends killed in war. And Mozart’s Oboe Concerto brings the program to a buoyant conclusion with music to show off the ravishing sound and brilliant technique of a true virtuoso.

This concert smiles three times: on the sparkling inspiration of a Rossini overture, on the flourishing genius of a Haydn concerto, and on the cosy elegance of one of Schubert’s most popular symphonies. And then it smiles a fourth time: on the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Featured in this performance are the remarkable talents of our orchestral Fellows and their Sydney Symphony mentors, conducted by Principal Viola (and artistic director of the Fellowship program), Roger Benedict. And Oliver She, the 2010 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year, makes his Sydney Symphony debut. Spend the morning with these musicians and three classic composers and you’ll be smiling from ear to ear.

2012 TEA & SYMPHONY

PROKOFIEV’S CLASSICAL SYMPHONY

COPLAND IN THE MORNING

RUSSIAN PASSIONS

Fri 29 Jun 11am

Fri 20 Jul 11am

Fri 17 Aug 11am

MOZART Symphony No.31 (Paris) MACKEY Stumble to Grace – Piano Concerto Australian Premiere PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony

COPLAND Clarinet Concerto R STRAUSS Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Suite

LIADOV Kikimora RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.2 TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini

Nicholas Carter conductor Lawrence Dobell clarinet

Thomas Sanderling conductor Alexander Gavrylyuk piano

In 1956 the Sydney Symphony gave the Australian premiere of the suite from Richard Strauss’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme. This is music for the theatre inspired by two 17th-century masters: Molière and Lully. Strauss pokes merciless fun at the ‘Wouldbe Gentleman’ of the title – you can hear the clumsy attempts at dancing, the gauche attire, and possibly the most extravagantly over-catered feast in all music. It’s the perfect musical picture of this self-made man: rich, ambitious but clueless.

Three Russians make for a richly coloured and exhilarating concert. Liadov’s jewel-like miniature has all the ingredients of the best Russian fairytales: it’s haunting, mysterious and malevolent, and it’s bewitching to the ear!

David Robertson conductor Orli Shaham piano Two classic symphonies and a hot-off-the-press concerto with its dedicatees as performers – this is what live music is all about. American composer Steven Mackey wrote his piano concerto Stumble to Grace especially for pianist Orli Shaham and her husband David Robertson. Be among the first to hear this music from a composer who’s in touch with fundamental musical instincts: the urge to sing and to dance and the search for transcendence. Framing the excitement of solo virtuosity are two “classical” symphonies: Mozart’s ambitious and crowd-pleasing Paris Symphony and Prokofiev’s roller coaster of a tribute to Haydn.

The irresistible melodies of Rachmaninoff’s best-loved piano concerto sound as if they could be pop songs – and in fact several of them are. And the program ends with the whirling passion of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasia after Dante – a story of illicit love, murder and the tempests of hell.

Clarinettist Benny Goodman was ambitious, and very rich, but in no way clueless. Having made jazz respectable, the King of Swing set his sights on the classical repertoire, and in 1947 he gave Aaron Copland $2000 (“real money”) and free rein to write him a concerto. The result shows off the clarinet in all its colours, sometimes languid, sometimes vibrant, and in this concert the soloist is Principal Clarinet Lawrence Dobell, celebrating 30 years with the Sydney Symphony.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Tea & Symphony

BRASS EXHIBITION

Bachianas brasileiras

FRENCH IMPRESSIONS

Fri 14 Sep 11am

Fri 12 Oct 11am

Fri 9 Nov 11am

Preludes, fanfares and canzonas by Giovanni Gabrieli, Richard Strauss, Wagner and Australian composers, with MUSSORGSKY arr. Howarth Pictures at an Exhibition

Program includes… JS BACH Cello Suite No.1 in G Air on the G string arranged for cello and ensemble VILLA-LOBOS Bachianas brasileiras No.1 for 8 cellos Bachianas brasileiras No.5 for soprano and 8 cellos Jaqueline Porter soprano Jian Wang cello Cellists of the Sydney Symphony

DEBUSSY Ibéria (from Images) DEBUSSY First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra CONYNGHAM Symphony Premiere

Michael Mulcahy conductor Sydney Symphony Brass Ensemble You may not always be able to see the brass players of the Sydney Symphony sitting at the back of the stage, but you can certainly hear them as they bring colour and zing to the sound of the orchestra. In 2012 we once again display the talents of these fabulous musicians in a concert that promenades from the high Renaissance to high Romanticism and on to music of our own time and place. The program culminates in Elgar Howarth’s spectacular arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition.

Bach provides the inspiration, Brazil provides the sunshine and massed cellos provide the colour. In this concert, cellist Jian Wang will be joined by the cello section of the Sydney Symphony for a program that takes Villa-Lobos’ exotic melting pot of styles as its starting point. “Mestizo” they call it – when European and native traditions meet – and this is what’s going on in the Bachianas brasileiras when Villa-Lobos spins Brazilian melodies in baroque textures. The most famous and poetic of these is No.5: eight cellos joined by a “lovely songbird” in a moonlit sky. The warmth and richness of the cello sound continues in music by Bach himself, original and with a difference.

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Richard Gill conductor David Thomas clarinet The French impressions in this concert gaze abroad. Debussy’s Ibéria is a riot of colour – castanets, tambourines and strummed violins in a stirring evocation of Spain. And the First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra is a miniature masterpiece, languid and sultry – imagine the Spain of the Moors. The highlight, though, will be a brand new work by Australian Barry Conyngham, commissioned for our 80th anniversary season. He’s written more than 30 works for orchestra, but this is his first symphony – he blames the delay on the composers who’ve influenced him: there are no symphonies by Takemitsu and Sculthorpe, no symphonies by Bartók, Ravel…or Debussy. The inspiration here has been Richard Gill, the symphony’s dedicatee, and this will be music that celebrates the struggle, the joy and the sheer excitement of learning.

2012 TEA & SYMPHONY

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Mozart’s Oboe Concerto Fri 2 Mar | 11am

Jolly Good Fellows Fri 20 Apr | 11am

Mozart’s Oboe Concerto Fri 2 Mar | 11am

Copland in the Morning Fri 20 Jul | 11am

Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony Fri 29 Jun | 11am

Jolly Good Fellows Fri 20 Apr | 11am

Brass Exhibition Fri 14 Sep | 11am

Russian Passions Fri 17 Aug | 11am

Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony Fri 29 Jun | 11am

Bachianas Brasileiras Fri 12 Oct | 11am

French Impressions Fri 9 Nov | 11am

Copland in the Morning Fri 20 Jul | 11am

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Four concerts All reserves

Russian Passions Fri 17 Aug | 11am

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Brass Exhibition Fri 14 Sep | 11am Bachianas Brasileiras Fri 12 Oct | 11am

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French Impressions Fri 9 Nov | 11am Eight concerts | Best Value! All reserves

$336

Stuart Challender Chief Conductor 1987–1991

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Mozart in the City

What’s the best way to unwind after a long day? If you asked an 18th-century Viennese, chances are they’d answer: listen to music. Live music, of course, vibrant and charming. And three centuries on, nothing’s really changed. So we offer you Mozart in the City: an hour’s musical respite in the heart of the week, at a convenient time and venue. In 2012 Mozart’s companions range from the great Johann Sebastian Bach to Aaron Copland in the concerto he wrote for Benny Goodman. But the overall flavour is French, with Ravel and Poulenc giving an elegant 20th-century spin to the classical spirit.

Four early evening concerts without interval at City Recital Hall Angel Place Thursday | 7pm Mystery Moments Each Mozart in the City concert is completed by a Mystery Moment. This is where we offer you a musical surprise – something familiar or perhaps a rare jewel – to send you into the evening with a smile on your face.

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Sydney Symphony violinists (from left): NicolaÂ Lewis, Alexandra Mitchell and Concertmaster Dene Olding

Escape

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

M o z a r t IN T h e C i t y

MOZART’S OBOE CONCERTO

MOZART AND THE FRENCH CONNECTION

MOZART MEETS COPLAND

Thu 1 Mar 7pm

Thu 12 Apr 7pm

Thu 12 Jul 7pm

BACH Orchestral Suite No.1 RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin MOZART Oboe Concerto in C, K314

POULENC Aubade – Concerto chorégraphique MOZART Divertimento in D for strings, K136 MOZART Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat, K271 (Jeunehomme)

MOZART Idomeneo: Ballet Music COPLAND Clarinet Concerto R STRAUSS Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Suite

François Leleux oboe-director The last time François Leleux visited Sydney, in 2003, our own Diana Doherty invited him to play principal oboe in the orchestra, a tribute to his reputation as one of the finest oboists in the world today. Now he returns as leader and soloist in a concert that puts the oboe in the spotlight. Bach’s first orchestral suite features a pair of oboes in music that embraces baroque pomp and elegance. The oboe is equally prominent in Ravel’s orchestration of Le Tombeau de Couperin, his baroqueinspired tribute to friends killed in war. And Mozart’s Oboe Concerto brings the program to a buoyant conclusion with music to show off the ravishing sound and brilliant technique of a true virtuoso.

Louis Lortie piano-director The curtain rises with a charming French ballet-cum-piano concerto from the 1920s, a “morning serenade” for Diana, virgin goddess of the hunt. Poulenc’s mercurial music captures her tempestuous feelings and her cool purity, the whole coloured by his trademark sophistication. Mozart provides a diversion, before the soloist, Louis Lortie, returns to the stage in a piano concerto composed for Mme Jenamy, the daughter of a French choreographer. Mozart was just 21 when he wrote it and it shows him in the full flight of his genius with music that’s imaginative, witty and bold.

Nicholas Carter conductor Lawrence Dobell clarinet Opera was Mozart’s métier, but he also loved dancing. And for his opera Idomeneo he created ballet music that turned out to be as ambitious in scale and expression as any of his symphonies. Clarinettist Benny Goodman was ambitious too: the King of Swing made jazz respectable, then set his sights on the classical repertoire. In 1947 he gave Aaron Copland $2000 (“real money”) and free rein to write him a concerto. The result shows off the clarinet in all its colours, sometimes languid, sometimes vibrant, and in this concert the soloist is Principal Clarinet Lawrence Dobell, celebrating 30 years with the Sydney Symphony. Richard Strauss returns us to the theatre and the past with music inspired by Molière, music for which the Sydney Symphony gave the Australian premiere in 1956. Strauss pokes merciless fun at the “Would-be Gentleman” of the title – you can hear the clumsy attempts at dancing, the gauche attire, and possibly the most extravagantly over-catered feast in all music.

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2012 Mozart in the City

4-concert PACKAGE* Choose your package and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

SYMPHONIC MOZART

Thu 30 Aug 7pm GOUNOD Little Symphony for Wind Instruments BERLIOZ Rêverie et Caprice MOZART Symphony No.33

Mozart’s Oboe Concerto Thu 1 Mar | 7pm Mozart and the French Connection Thu 12 Apr | 7pm Mozart Meets Copland Thu 12 Jul | 7pm Symphonic Mozart Thu 30 Aug | 7pm Four concerts

Dene Olding violin-director

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Mozart would never visit a city without a symphony in his luggage, and this year his Sydney series features one of his most exuberant and warm-hearted creations, a symphony completed in Salzburg when he was just 23 years old.

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Charles Gounod, composing a century later, gives us a symphony with no strings attached. His “Petite Symphonie” for nine wind instruments follows classical models, balancing Mozart’s extroversion with French “precision, neatness and taste”. The result is fresh, perky and utterly charming.

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There is more French charm in Berlioz’s tiny Rêverie et Caprice. Its lyrical, singing character is a dead giveaway that the music was originally intended for an opera – in the concert hall it becomes an elegant solo for violin with orchestra.

Crowds flock to an SSO Town Hall Prom concert in 1970

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Discovery Presented by Tenix

In Discovery we present Richard Gill, one of Australia’s most passionate and entertaining conductoreducators, and the talented young musicians of the Sydney Sinfonia with their Sydney Symphony mentors. Together they “unpack” the music of the great composers. A Discovery concert is more than a concert. You could call it a “lectureconcert” but that doesn’t even begin to convey the energy, the enthusiasm and the illumination you’ll experience. Richard Gill goes straight to the heart of the music in his inimitable way, giving you new ways to listen and leaving you with the excitement of discovery.

Discover classical music with Richard Gill. Four 90-minute concerts without interval at City Recital Hall Angel Place Three Mondays and a Tuesday | 6.30pm

Major Partner

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Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Discovery

“ ...discover that you know more about music than you thought you did – the bliss of ignorance turned into the ecstasy of knowledge.”

DISCOVER RICHARD STRAUSS

DISCOVER WAGNER

Tue 6 Mar 6.30pm

Mon 4 Jun 6.30pm

R STRAUSS Ariadne auf Naxos: Prelude and Aria “Es gibt ein Reich”

WAGNER Siegfried Idyll

Richard Gill

Richard Gill conductor Anke Höppner soprano Everyone thinks of Richard Strauss as a “big composer”, says Richard Gill. This is the man whose Alpine Symphony calls for 20 horns. But he had an intimate side as well, and in this concert with the Sydney Sinfonia, Richard Gill shows how a master musician can “orchestrate spectacularly in a chamber style”. The music comes from Strauss’s one-act opera Ariadne auf Naxos and reveals his great theatrical gift and musical imagination. It’s an opera within an opera and “Es gibt ein Reich” is sung by its prima donna – the fact that her character is in the depths of despair in no way dampens the supreme virtuosity of her singing!

Richard Gill conductor Think of Wagner, think of opera. Opera on an epic scale. But in his Siegfried Idyll – birthday music written for his wife – he demonstrates just how deftly he can write in miniature. Whether Wagner was writing something on a massive scale or intensely felt music for a small ensemble, there’s one thing that’s always obvious, says Richard Gill: he has a sure sense of scale and an instinct for endless melody. Discover Wagner then join us for Wagner Under the Sails with Simone Young (9, 10, 11 August).

Discover Strauss then hear his suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (12, 20 July). Or cast yourself in the deep end with Ashkenazy’s first three concerts of the season, featuring Metamorphosen (8, 10, 11, 13 February), An Alpine Symphony (17, 18 February) and Thus Spake Zarathustra (22, 24, 25 February).

Sir Eugene Goossens Chief Conductor 1947-1956

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2012 DISCOVERY

4-concert PACKAGE* Choose your package and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

DISCOVER DEBUSSY

DISCOVER MOZART AND THE RONDO

Presented by Tenix Discover Richard Strauss Tue 6 Mar | 6.30pm Discover Wagner Mon 4 Jun | 6.30pm

Mon 27 Aug 6.30pm

Mon 12 Nov 6.30pm

DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

JAMESON Introduction and Rondo MOZART Rondo in D for piano and orchestra, K382

Richard Gill conductor Anke Höppner soprano Claude Debussy brought music into the 20th century and along the way he created a distinctive French style. He did it by breaking the “rules” of harmony and structure, and by taking a whole new approach to melody and rhythm and the way he used the sounds of the orchestra. It all began with one piece: Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – pure poetry in music. Discover the colours and the innovations of Debussy. Discover Debussy throughout his 150th anniversary year with Images for piano (14 May) and other piano pieces (20 August), his Images for orchestra (22, 24, 25 August; 7, 8, 9 November) and concert performances of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (6, 7, 8 September).

“ In Sydney I had found a fine orchestra of really high callibre, a music school with great potentialities, and a public hungry for the best and most all-embracing symphonic fare.”

Richard Gill conductor Kathryn Selby piano Mozart was the ultimate Classical composer – a master of all the elegant forms that brought Enlightenment sense and structure to the music of the 18th century. He was a such a master that he rarely bowed to convention; instead, he placed a distinctive stamp on nearly everything he wrote. One of most common Classical forms was the rondo – the concert hall answer to the verse-chorus structure of popular song, and the perfect way for a composer to play with the twin pleasures of repetition and variation. In this concert, young Australian composer Phil Jameson demonstrates the elegant structure of a two-century-old form. And Mozart, being Mozart, goes off on a tangent with a rondo theme that is guaranteed to stick in your mind all evening! Don’t wait till November to discover Mozart. Join us for the Mozart in the City series (page 50), his Requiem (2, 4, 5 May), Symphony No.31 (27, 28, 29 June), and the dramatic Piano Concerto K466 (19, 21, 22 September).

Discover Debussy Mon 27 Aug | 6.30pm Discover Mozart and the Rondo Mon 12 Nov | 6.30pm Four concerts Seating

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Sir Eugene Goossens December 1946 57

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

International Pianists in Recital Presented by Theme & Variations

The piano recital is the most personal and individual of concert formats – one musician shaping an entire evening of drama and emotion and bringing it all to life on the monarch of instruments, the grand piano. There’s virtuosity and brilliance, there’s intimacy and profound expression, and there’s the inspiration of some of the greatest music ever written. In 2012 we present four pianists from around the world – Behzod Abduraimov from Uzbekistan, Andreas Haefliger from Switzerland, and Australian Piers Lane and Canadian Angela Hewitt making the journey from London. But wherever they come from, they bring a universal language, music, in programs full of personality and passion.

Four concerts at City Recital Hall Angel Place Monday | 7pm Gold Partner

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thrill

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

I n t e r n at i o n a l P i a n i s t S i n R e c i ta l

BEHZOD ABDURAIMOV IN RECITAL

ANDREAS HAEFLIGER IN RECITAL

Mon 26 Mar 7pm

Mon 14 May 7pm

D SCARLATTI Four Keyboard Sonatas BEETHOVEN Sonata No.7 in D, Op.10 No.3 BRAHMS Variations on a theme of Paganini, Book 1 SAINT-SAËNS arr. Liszt /Horowitz Danse macabre LISZT Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude Mephisto Waltz No.1

LISZT Selections from Years of Pilgrimage: Book I (Switzerland) DEBUSSY Images, Series 2 BEETHOVEN Hammerklavier Sonata, Op.106

Behzod Abduraimov is no stranger to the Sydney Symphony – he’s appeared with the orchestra on tour in Europe and Asia – but 2012 is the first year he’ll perform on Australian soil. Ashkenazy says Abduraimov has “a big future” and this richly diverse program is sure to prove it. The music-making begins with inventive and glittering sonatas from an Italian-turned-Spaniard, followed by the youthful Beethoven at his most assured (and splendid) and Brahms at his most challenging (and thrilling). The breakneck virtuosity continues with the Danse macabre, made pianistic by Liszt with added pyrotechnics by Horowitz. Abduraimov’s performance of it has prompted at least one critic to ask: “could this fresh-faced child be a new Horowitz?” Then there’s original Liszt, concluding with the equally diabolical Mephisto Waltz No.1.

“For all the drama, aural spectacle and electricity in his playing, it’s substantial, disciplined, and accurate. He doesn’t splash, he doesn’t fake. It’s real.” The Telegraph

Hear Behzod Abduraimov play Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto on 22, 23, 24 March.

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In 2012 Andreas Haefliger returns to Sydney with a recital program that exploits his brilliant technique, his ear for colour and his commanding expression. Liszt’s musical tour of Switzerland follows in the footsteps of Byron, taking in the chapel of William Tell, the valley of Obermann, the bells of Geneva and the tug of homesickness. In music by Debussy, delicate variations of colour and light can be heard as bells through the leaves, goldfish, and the moon descending over ‘the temple that was’ – three fascinating pictures from the imagination. But behind Debussy and Liszt stands Beethoven with his mighty Hammerklavier Sonata. It’s a solitary monument among Beethoven’s late sonatas, taking composer, musician, and listener to the outer limits with its grand conception and fiery and passionate sounds.

“The welcome soloist was Andreas Haefliger, whose easy command of the keyboard meant that lyricism shone through even in the most technically demanding moments.” The Times

Hear Andreas Haefliger play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.2 on 10, 11, 12 May.

2012 INTERNATIONAL PIANISTs IN RECITAL

4-concert PACKAGE* Choose your package and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

PIERS LANE IN RECITAL

ANGELA HEWITT IN RECITAL

Presented by Theme & Variations Behzod Abduraimov in Recital Scarlatti, Beethoven, Brahms and Liszt Mon 26 Mar | 7pm

Mon 20 Aug 7pm

Mon 24 Sep 7pm

CHOPIN Complete Waltzes DEBUSSY Two Arabesques Jardins sous la pluie (Gardens in the Rain) Reflets dans l’eau (Reflections in the Water) L’isle joyeuse (The Happy Isle) LISZT Venezia e Napoli, S162

JS BACH Goldberg Variations

Piano-playing runs in the blood for Piers Lane. He grew up around pianists and pianos and at the age of 19 came to attention as the Best Australian Pianist in the Sydney International Piano Competition. Since then he’s performed all around the world and acquired a vast repertoire that extends from mainstream classics to the newest works. But one composer he nearly always includes in his recitals is Frédéric Chopin, and in 2012 he’ll be playing the complete waltzes – not in their published order but in their order of composition. This is more than a spin around the ballroom, it’s a musical journey. The second half of his program celebrates the music of Debussy in his 150th anniversary year and ends with Liszt’s take on songs and dances of Italy.

“Piers Lane is surely at the zenith of

his career. The Australian is an artist and a virtuoso as well…”

John Amis, 2011

Hear Piers Lane give the premiere of Carl Vine’s Piano Concerto No.2, composed especially for him, on 22, 24, 25 August.

If you’ve heard Angela Hewitt play Bach in concert before, you’ll know this is a recital to lock into your diary. Countless composers benefit from her finesse, her intellectual grasp and the sheer joy of her playing. But she’s most closely associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and in this program she makes a whole concert of the famed Goldberg Variations. This is Bach from a pianist who loves to “untie the knots” of his musical intricacies and bring them alive for the listener. “It’s the terrific joy and vitality in his music that is important to me,” she says, “as well as its relationship to dance. Bringing out those rhythms and making it come alive is what I like best.” The Goldberg Variations are said to have been composed as a cure for insomnia, but in Angela Hewitt’s hands they’ll keep you awake and on the edge of your seat.

“I know of no musician whose Bach playing on any instrument is of greater subtlety, beauty of tone, persuasiveness of judgement or instrumental command…” BBC Music Magazine

Hear Angela Hewitt play Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K466 on 19, 21, 22 September.

Andreas Haefliger in Recital Liszt, Debussy and Beethoven Mon 14 May | 7pm Piers Lane in Recital Chopin, Debussy and Liszt Mon 20 Aug | 7pm Angela Hewitt in Recital Bach’s Goldberg Variations Mon 24 Sept | 7pm Four concerts Seating

Full

Concessions

$256

$232

$180

$164

$148

$132

–

$128

Youth

* This pack offered with renewable

seats year after year, and priority for change requests.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Connoisseur’s Selection

When you know what you want and there isn’t a concert series to match, then this is the option for you. You might travel a lot, or perhaps you have eclectic taste in music. Maybe there’s a favourite composer you’d like to feature in your concert-going. Whatever your scenario, Connoisseur’s Selection allows you to choose from any of our concerts in the entire 2012 season, including special events. If it’s in this brochure, it can be in your package. Just choose four, six or eight concerts and we’ll assure you of the best available seats for each performance within your chosen seating reserve – Deluxe (Premium or A-reserve) or Standard (B- or C-reserve). Connoisseur’s Selection is the ultimate in flexibility and convenience – perfect for the discerning music lover. Connoisseur’s Selection Concerts

Deluxe (Prem or A*)

$465

$618

$798

Standard (B or C*)

$323

$450

$558

* Based on seat availability

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music

is my Sydney Symphony cellists (from left): Elizabeth Neville, Kristy Conrau, Principal Cello Catherine Hewgill and Fenella Gill

Choice

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Special Events Premier Partner Credit Suisse

In 2012 we’re thrilled to present Anne-Sophie Mutter, the violinist who was discovered by Karajan when she was a teenager. Two nights only! At the end of the year, Ashkenazy conducts two concert performances of Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades, last heard in Sydney in 1979. Three more highlights fill out the season: a re-creation of our gala concert for the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, American trumpet sensation Chris Botti and the second part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, on stage and screen.

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2012 SPECIAL EVENTS

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER PLAYS BEETHOVEN

Fri 30 Mar 8pm Sat 31 Mar 8pm BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No.5 Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin When Ashkenazy began as Principal Conductor in 2009, one of his goals was to invite some of the best soloists in the world to Sydney. It’s taken until 2012 to find a spot in the diary of German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Now we can look forward to a fearless and sophisticated interpretation of the noble Beethoven Violin Concerto from a musician who is equal parts formidable virtuoso and glamorous star. Herbert von Karajan discovered her talent when she was 13. Since then, her music-making has graced stages from Berlin to New York and beyond – and now Sydney in exclusive Australian debut concerts. This is your chance to experience the immaculate precision and the “turbo-charged sound” of the woman The Times called “the undisputed queen of violin-playing”.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS Fri 27 Jul 7pm Sat 28 Jul 7pm Sun 29 Jul 2pm A screening of Part II of Peter Jackson’s trilogy with music by Howard Shore, performed live on stage. Ludwig Wicki conductor Kaitlyn Lusk vocalist Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Sydney Children’s Choir In 2011 we presented The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film in Peter Jackson’s epic interpretation of The Lord of the Rings. With the movie on the big screen and the orchestra performing Howard Shore’s music, the result was an awesome evening (or afternoon) in the concert hall.

Add 1 of these events to your package(s) and save 10% on the full single price.

Then we were deluged! Faster than hordes of orcs storming Helm’s Deep, the emails flooded in. And the phone calls, the tweets and the Facebook posts. Everyone wanted to know when we’d be presenting the rest of the trilogy. So we’re delighted to announce Part II of The Lord of the Rings with two evening concerts and one matinee performance.

Add 2 of these events to your package(s) and save 15% on the full single price.

Add this concert to your subscription and join us as the journey continues…

Add 3 of these events to your package(s) and save 20% on the full single price.

The performance will conclude at approximately 10.20pm (5.20pm on Sunday).

Special Renewal Period Offer

These discounts are valid till 30 September 2011 and only when you book your subscription. Price adjustments will be made by the Sydney Symphony Box Office.

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2012 SPECIAL EVENTS

SPECIAL EVENTS Choose your Special Event concerts from the date listed below and order now sydneysymphony.com/subscribe

TCHAIKOVSKY’S QUEEN OF SPADES An Opera in Concert Sat 1 Dec 7pm TCHAIKOVSKY The Queen of Spades Sung in Russian with English surtitles Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor Dina Kuznetsova soprano (Lisa) Stuart Skelton tenor (Herman) Irina Tchistjakova mezzo-soprano (Countess) Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano (Pauline) José Carbo bass-baritone (Tomsky) Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Tchaikovsky’s fantastic tragedy moves in the aristocratic salons of 18th-century St Petersburg. There’s an angry young man – a damaged soul. There’s the beautiful young woman he desires. And there’s an obsession – gambling at cards. The secret to success is held by an aged countess, the “Queen of Spades”. But, despite ghostly interventions, it all ends badly and it wouldn’t be opera without a double suicide. The last time Sydney audiences experienced this opera was in 1979 in a production by the Australian Opera. Now Ashkenazy brings a concert version to the stage of the Concert Hall, with Australian tenor Stuart Skelton in the leading role.

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Beethoven Fri 30, Sat 31 Mar | 8pm

When I Fall in Love An Evening with Chris Botti Fri 16 Mar | 8pm This program is also part of Kaleidoscope (p.36). Wagner Under the Sails The Opening Gala Revisited Fri 10 Aug | 8pm This program is also part of Great Classics (p.23) and Thursday Afternoon Symphony (p.41).

When I Fall in Love: Chris Botti Seating

Full

Concessions

Premium

$107

$89

$84

$68

$64

$50

$47

Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades Wagner Under the Sails: The Opening Gala Revisited

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers On Stage and Screen Fri 27, Sat 28 Jul | 7pm Sun 29 Jul | 2pm Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades An Opera in Concert Sat 1 Dec | 7pm This program is also part of Mondays @ 7 (p.28).

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Beethoven Seating

Full

Concessions

Premium

$143

$116

$110

$93

$88

$80

$76

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Seating

Full

Concessions

Premium

$131

Seating

Full

Concessions

Premium

$125

$113

$106

$107

$101

$89

$84

$89

$84

$68

$64

$68

$64

Subscribers receive 10% discount on extra tickets outside their subscription series. These are the prices for our 2012 Special Events with the 10% discount applied. Seating for these concerts will be finalised after the subscription renewal period.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

2012 Concert calendar Date

Concert

Composers

Series

Page

February 8, 10, 11

Beethoven 9

R Strauss, Beethoven

Ausgrid Master Series

p.10

Beethoven 9

R Strauss, Beethoven

Mondays @ 7

p.28

An Alpine Symphony

Beethoven, R Strauss

Emirates Metro Series

p.16

An Alpine Symphony

Beethoven, R Strauss

Great Classics

p.22

22, 24 , 25

Thus Spake Zarathustra

Beethoven, Brahms, R Strauss

Ausgrid Master Series

p.10

March 1

Mozart's Oboe Concerto

Bach, Ravel, Mozart

Mozart in the City

p.52

Mozart's Oboe Concerto

Bach, Ravel, Mozart

Tea & Symphony

p.46

Discover Richard Strauss

R Strauss

Discovery

p.56

7, 8

Stravinsky Remembered

Ravel, Pintscher, Stravinsky

Meet the Music

p.32

16, 17

When I Fall in Love

An Evening with Chris Botti

Kaleidoscope

p.36

Fireworks and Fantasy

Prokofiev, Berlioz

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.40

Fireworks and Fantasy

Prokofiev, Berlioz

Emirates Metro Series

p.16

Fireworks and Fantasy

Prokofiev, Berlioz

Great Classics

p.22

Behzod Abduraimov in Recital

Scarlatti, Beethoven, Brahms, Saint-SaĂŤns, Liszt

International Pianists in Recital

p.60

30, 31

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Beethoven

Beethoven, Shostakovich

Special Event

p.65

p.52

April 12

Mozart and the French Connection

Poulenc, Mozart

Mozart in the City

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet

Golijov, Falla, Tchaikovsky

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.40

Jolly Good Fellows

Rossini, Haydn, Schubert

Tea & Symphony

p.46

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet

Golijov, Falla, Tchaikovsky

Emirates Metro Series

p.17

Tchaikovsky at the Ballet

Golijov, Falla, Tchaikovsky

Mondays @ 7

p.28

2, 4, 5

Mozart's Requiem: Choral Contrasts

Poulenc, Mozart

Ausgrid Master Series

p.10

Carnevale

Berlioz, Beethoven, Elgar

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.40

Carnevale

Berlioz, Beethoven, Elgar

Emirates Metro Series

p.17

Carnevale

Berlioz, Beethoven, Elgar

Great Classics

p.23

Andreas Haefliger in Recital

Liszt, Debussy, Beethoven

International Pianists in Recital

p.60

18, 19

A Gershwin Tribute

Gershwin

Kaleidoscope

p.36

A Gershwin Tribute

Gershwin

Mondays @ 7

p.28

Discover Wagner

Wagner

Discovery

p.56

6, 8, 9

Majestic Brahms

Brahms, Shostakovich

Ausgrid Master Series

p.11

To the Memory of an Angel

Berg, Bruckner

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.41

To the Memory of an Angel

Berg, Bruckner

Emirates Metro Series

p.17

To the Memory of an Angel

Berg, Bruckner

Great Classics

p.23

May

June

27, 28

Kalkadungu

Mozart, Mackey, Barton & Hindson, Prokofiev

Meet the Music

p.32

Prokofievâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classical Symphony

Mozart, Mackey, Prokofiev

Tea & Symphony

p.47

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Date

Concert

Composers

Series

Page

p.11

July 4, 6, 7

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique

Vaughan Willams, Adès, Tchaikovsky

Ausgrid Master Series

Mozart meets Copland

Mozart, Copland, R Strauss

Mozart in the City

p.52

Copland in the Morning

Copland, R Strauss

Tea & Symphony

p.47

27, 28, 29

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Shore

Special Event

p.66

August 1, 3, 4

Symphonic Dances

Brahms, Dvoˇrák, Rachmaninoff

Ausgrid Master Series

p.11

Wagner Under the Sails

A re-creation of the Sydney Opera House Opening Gala

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.41

Wagner Under the Sails

A re-creation of the Sydney Opera House Opening Gala

Emirates Metro Series

p.18

Wagner Under the Sails

A re-creation of the Sydney Opera House Opening Gala

Great Classics

p.23

15, 16

Russian Passions

Liadov, Rachmaninoff, Sculthorpe, Tchaikovsky

Meet the Music

p.33

Russian Passions

Liadov, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky

Tea & Symphony

p.47

Piers Lane in Recital

Chopin, Debussy, Liszt

International Pianists in Recital

p.61

22, 24, 25

Brahms 2: A Romantic Symphony

Debussy, Vine, Brahms

Ausgrid Master Series

p.11

Discover Debussy

Debussy

Discovery

p.57

Symphonic Mozart

Gounod, Berlioz, Mozart

Mozart in the City

p.53

September 6

Symphony for the Common Man

Debussy, Takemitsu, Copland

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.41

Symphony for the Common Man

Debussy, Takemitsu, Copland

Emirates Metro Series

p.18

Symphony for the Common Man

Debussy, Takemitsu, Copland

Great Classics

p.24

Brass Exhibition

including Mussorgsky

Tea & Symphony

p.48

19, 21, 22

Angela Hewitt plays Mozart

Dutilleux, Mozart, Beethoven

Ausgrid Master Series

p.11

Angela Hewitt in Recital

Bach

International Pianists in Recital

p.61

5, 6

Dancing with the Saxophone

Verdi, Edwards, Ravel

Kaleidoscope

p.37

Dancing with the Saxophone

Verdi, Edwards, Ravel

Mondays @ 7

p.28

Beauty and Turmoil

Dvoˇrák, Shostakovich

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.42

Bachianas Brasileiras

Villa Lobos, Bach

Tea & Symphony

p.48

7, 8

Ariel’s Music: Clarinet Impressions

Debussy, Dean, Conyngham

Meet the Music

p.33

French Impressions

Debussy, Conyngham

Tea & Symphony

p.48

Discover Mozart and the Rondo

Jameson, Mozart

Discovery

p.57

Spanish Guitars

Chávez, Rodrigo, Falla, Adams, Ginastera

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.42

16, 17

Spanish Guitars

Chávez, Rodrigo, Falla, Adams, Ginastera

Kaleidoscope

p.37

21, 23, 24

Russian Masters

Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky

Ausgrid Master Series

p.11

The Queen of Spades

Tchaikovsky

Special Event

p.67

The Queen of Spades

Tchaikovsky

Mondays @ 7

p.28

October

November

December 6

Totally Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

p.42

Totally Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky

Emirates Metro Series

p.18

Totally Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky

Great Classics

p.24

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

2012 Artists & repertoire Repertoire Composer Work Adams Adès

Lollapalooza Violin Concerto – Concentric Paths SYDNEY PREMIERE JS Bach Orchestral Suite No.1 in C, BWV1066 Air on the G string (from BWV 1068), arranged for cello and ensemble Cello Suite No.1 in G, BWV 1007 Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 Barton & Hindson Kalkadungu Beethoven Coriolan Overture Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, Op.19 Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58 Symphony No.4 in B flat, Op.60 Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 (Choral) Violin Concerto in D, Op.61 Piano Sonata in D, Op.10 No.3 Piano Sonata in B flat, Op.106, Hammerklavier Berg Violin Concerto Berlioz Benvenuto Cellini: Overture Roman Carnival – Overture Harold in Italy, for viola and orchestra Rêverie et Caprice, for violin and orchestra Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, Op.15 Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, Op.83 Symphony No.2 in D, Op.73 Violin Concerto in D, Op.77 Variations on a theme of Paganini, Book 1 Bruckner Symphony No.8 in C minor (Nowak 1890) Chávez Sinfonia india (Symphony No.2) Chopin The Complete Waltzes Conyngham Symphony PREMIERE Copland Clarinet Concerto Symphony No.3 Dean Ariel’s Music, for clarinet and orchestra Debussy First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra Images: Gigues & Rondes de printemps Images: Ibéria Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun [Discovery] Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun 2 Arabesques Estampes: Jardins sous la pluie Images for piano, Series 1: Reflets dans l’eau Images for piano, Series 2 L’Isle joyeuse Dutilleux Mystère de l’instant (Mystery of the Moment) Australian Premiere Dvoˇrák Carnival Overture Cello Concerto in B minor Edwards Full Moon Dances – Saxophone Concerto SYDNEY PREMIERE Elgar Falstaff Falla El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician): Selections Nights in the Gardens of Spain, for piano and orchestra Gershwin Catfish Row – Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess Cuban Overture Gershwin Songbook Rhapsody in Blue Ginastera Four Dances from Estancia Golijov Last Round Gounod Little Symphony for Wind Instruments Haydn Keyboard Concerto in D, Hob.XVIII:11 Jameson Introduction and Rondo Liadov Kikimora Liszt Bénediction de Dieu dans la solitude (from S173) Mephisto Waltz No.1 for piano, S514 Venezia e Napoli, S162 Years of Pilgrimage: Book I (Switzerland): Selections

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Date 15, 16, 17 Nov 4, 6, 7 Jul 1, 2 Mar 12 Oct 12 Oct 24 Sep 27, 28 Jun 22, 24, 25 Feb 10, 11, 12 May 17, 18 Feb 19, 21, 22 Sep 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 30, 31 Mar 26 Mar 14 May 21, 22, 23 Jun 10, 11, 12 May 10, 11, 12 May 22, 23, 24 Mar 30 Aug 1, 3, 4 Aug 6, 8, 9 Jun 22, 24, 25 Aug 22, 24, 25 Feb 26 Mar 21, 22, 23 Jun 15, 16, 17 Nov 20 Aug 7, 8, 9 Nov 12, 20 Jul 6, 7, 8 Sep 7, 8 Nov 7, 8, 9 Nov 22, 24, 25 Aug 7, 8, 9 Nov 27 Aug 6, 7, 8 Sep 20 Aug 20 Aug 20 Aug 14 May 20 Aug 19, 21, 22 Sep 1, 3, 4 Aug 11 Oct 5, 6, 8 Oct 10, 11, 12 May 15, 16, 17 Nov 19, 20, 23 Apr 18, 19, 21 May 18, 19, 21 May 18, 19, 21 May 18, 19, 21 May 15, 16, 17 Nov 19, 20, 23 Apr 30 Aug 20 Apr 12 Nov 15, 16, 17 Aug 26 Mar 26 Mar 20 Aug 14 May

Composer Work Mackey

Stumble to Grace – Piano Concerto AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Mozart Divertimento in D, K136 Idomeneo: Ballet music Oboe Concerto in C, K314 Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat, K271 (Jeunehomme) Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K466 Rondo in D for piano and orchestra, K382 Requiem (Süssmayr completion) Symphony No.31 (Paris) Symphony No.33 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, for brass arr. Howarth ensemble and percussion Pintscher towards Osiris AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE Poulenc Aubade, for piano and 18 instruments Gloria Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 in C, Op.26 Classical Symphony (Symphony No.1) Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18 Piano Concerto No.4 in G minor, Op.41 (original version) Australian Premiere Symphonic Dances, Op.45 Ravel Alborada del gracioso Bolero La Valse Le Tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra Mother Goose – Suite Rodrigo Concierto andaluz Rossini Il signor Bruschino: Overture Saint-Saëns arr. Danse macabre, for piano Liszt/Horowitz D Scarlatti Four Keyboard Sonatas Schubert Symphony No.5 in B flat, D485 Sculthorpe Sun Song (1984) Shore The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Shostakovich Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47 Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.54 Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93 R Strauss An Alpine Symphony Ariadne auf Naxos: Prelude and ‘Es gibt ein Reich’ Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Suite Metamorphosen Thus Spake Zarathustra Stravinsky The Firebird: Suite (1945) Violin Concerto Takemitsu From me flows what you call Time, for percussion and orchestra Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini Nutcracker: Highlights Swan Lake: Highlights Piano Concerto No.2 in G, Op.44 Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36 Manfred Symphony, Op.58 Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74, Pathétique The Queen of Spades (opera in concert) Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Verdi The Force of Destiny: Overture Villa-Lobos Bachianas brasileiras No.1, for 8 cellos Bachianas brasileiras No.5, for soprano & 8 cellos Vine Piano Concerto No.2 PREMIERE Wagner Die Meistersinger: Prelude Götterdämmerung: Brünnhilde’s Immolation Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Funeral March Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Rhine Journey Siegfried Idyll Tannhäuser: ‘Dich, teure Halle’

Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod

Date 27, 28, 29 Jun 12 Apr 12 Jul 1, 2 Mar 12 Apr 19, 21, 22 Sep 12 Nov 2, 4, 5 May 27, 28, 29 Jun 30 Aug 14 Sep 7, 8 Mar 12 Apr 2, 4, 5 May 22, 23, 24 Mar 27, 28, 29 Jun 15, 16, 17 Aug 21, 23, 24 Nov 1, 3, 4 Aug 5, 6, 8 Oct 5, 6, 8 Oct 5, 6, 8 Oct 1, 2 Mar 7, 8 Mar 15, 16, 17 Nov 20 Apr 26 Mar 26 Mar 20 Apr 15, 16 Aug 27, 28, 29 Jul 30, 31 Mar 6, 8, 9 Jun 11 Oct 17, 18 Feb 6 Mar 12, 20 Jul 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 22, 24, 25 Feb 7, 8 Mar 7, 8 Mar 6, 7, 8 Sep 15, 16, 17 Aug 19, 20, 23 Apr 19, 20, 23 Apr 6, 7, 8 Dec 6, 7, 8 Dec 21, 23, 24 Nov 4, 6, 7 Jul 1, 3 Dec 4, 6, 7 Jul 5, 6, 8 Oct 12 Oct 12 Oct 22, 24, 25 Aug 9, 10, 11 Aug 9, 10, 11 Aug 9, 10, 11 Aug 9, 10, 11 Aug 4 Jun 9, 10, 11 Aug 9, 10, 11 Aug

2012 Artists & repertoire CONDUCTORS

SOLOISTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy

8, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 22, 24, 25 Feb; 22, 23, 24, 30, 31 Mar; 11 Oct; 21, 23, 24 Nov; 1, 3, 6, 7, 8 Dec

Roger Benedict

20 Apr

Oleg Caetani

6, 8, 9 Jun

Nicholas Carter

12, 20 Jul

Richard Gill (conductor-presenter)

6 Mar; 4 Jun; 27 Aug; 12 Nov

Richard Gill

7, 8, 9 Nov

Andrew Grams

19, 20, 23 Apr

Miguel Harth-Bedoya

5, 6, 8 Oct

Brett Kelly

16, 17 Mar

François Leleux (oboe-director)

1, 2 Mar

Hannu Lintu

19, 21, 22 Sep

Louis Lortie (piano-director)

12 Apr

Michael Mulcahy

14 Sep

Dene Olding (violin-director)

30 Aug

Matthias Pintscher

7, 8 Mar

David Robertson

27, 28, 29 Jun; 4, 6, 7 Jul

Donald Runnicles

21, 22, 23 Jun

Thomas Sanderling

15, 16, 17 Aug

Tugan Sokhiev

1, 3, 4 Aug

Robert Spano

6, 7, 8 Sep

Michael Stern

15, 16, 17 Nov

Bramwell Tovey (piano-conductor)

18, 19, 21 May

Ludwig Wicki

27, 28, 29 Jul

Hugh Wolff

22, 24, 25 Aug

Simone Young

9, 10, 11 Aug

David Zinman

2, 4, 5 May; 10, 11, 12 May

CHOIRS & ENSEMBLES Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

15, 16, 17 Nov

Sydney Children’s Choir

27, 28, 29 Jul

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

8, 10, 11, 13 Feb; 2, 4, 5 May; 27, 28, 29 Jul; 1, 3 Dec

Sydney Symphony Fellows 2012

20 Apr

Sydney Symphony Brass Ensemble

14 Sep

Sydney Symphony Brass Cellists

12 Oct

Sydney Symphony Percussionists

6, 7, 8 Sep

Behzod Abduraimov, piano Nicholas Angelich, piano William Barton, didjeridu, electric guitar, vocals Lisa Batiashvili, violin Roger Benedict, viola Philippe Bianconi, piano Chris Botti, trumpet Christine Brewer, soprano Fiona Campbell, mezzo-soprano José Carbo, bass-baritone Ian Cleworth, percussion Timothy Constable, percussion Tracy Dahl, soprano Scott Davie, piano Amy Dickson, saxophone Lawrence Dobell, clarinet James Egglestone, tenor Isabelle Faust, violin Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano Lorina Gore, soprano Andreas Haefliger, piano Angela Hewitt, piano Anke Höppner, soprano Deborah Humble, mezzo-soprano Stephen Kovacevich, piano Dina Kuznetsova, soprano Piers Lane, piano François Leleux, oboe Louis Lortie, piano Kaitlyn Lusk, vocalist Anthony Marwood, violin Paul McMahon, tenor Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin Michael Nagy, baritone Garrick Ohlsson, piano Dene Olding, violin Jacqueline Porter, soprano Julian Rachlin, violin Sally-Anne Russell, mezzo-soprano Kathryn Selby, piano Orli Shaham, piano Oliver She, piano Stuart Skelton, tenor Irina Tchistjakova, mezzo-soprano David Thomas, clarinet Bramwell Tovey, piano Jian Wang, cello Jennifer Welch Babidge, soprano Paul Whelan, bass

22, 23, 24 Mar; 26 Mar 1, 3, 4 Aug 27, 28 Jun 22, 24, 25 Feb 22, 23, 24 Mar 6, 8, 9 Jun 16, 17 Mar 9, 10, 11 Aug 2, 4, 5 May 1, 3 Dec 6, 7, 8 Sep 6, 7, 8 Sep 18, 19, 21 May 21, 23, 24 Nov 5, 6, 8 Oct 12, 20 Jul 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 7, 8 Mar 15, 16, 17 Aug 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 10, 11, 12, 14 May 19, 21, 22 Sep; 24 Sep 6 Mar 1, 3 Dec 17, 18 Feb 1, 3 Dec 20 Aug; 22, 24, 25 Aug 1, 2 Mar 12 Apr; 19, 20, 23 Apr 27, 28, 29 Jul 4, 6, 7 Jul 2, 4, 5 May 30, 31 Mar 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 6, 7, 8 Dec 30 Aug 12 Oct 21, 22, 23 Jun 8, 10, 11, 13 Feb 12 Mar 27, 28, 29 Jun 20 Apr; 12 Oct 1, 3 Dec 1, 3 Dec 7, 8, 9 Nov 18, 19, 21 May 11, 12 Oct 2, 4, 5 May 2, 4, 5 May

Commissions CARL VINE Piano Concerto No.2 Commissioned for Piers Lane by the Sydney Symphony and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with the generous support of Geoff Ainsworth am and Vicki Ainsworth. ROSS EDWARDS Full Moon Dances – Saxophone Concerto Commissioned for Amy Dickson, the Sydney Symphony and the Australian symphony orchestras by Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor ao with the support of Symphony Services International. BARRY CONYNGHAM Symphony Commissioned for Richard Gill and the Sydney Symphony by The Hon. Justice Jane Mathews ao. Dedicated to Richard Gill.

80TH ANNIVERSARY COMPOSITION PRIZE On 19 March 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. In the same year, the ABC was founded and the orchestra that was to become the Sydney Symphony gave its first concerts. In celebration of this triple birthday, we’ve invited Australian composers whose work has not yet been performed by the Sydney Symphony in the Sydney Opera House to submit an orchestral concert opener for our 80th anniversary. The prize‑winning work will be performed on 22, 23 and 24 March, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Sydney Symphony

Vladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor sponsored by Emirates

Dene Olding Concertmaster

Michael Dauth Concertmaster

Nicholas Carter Assistant Conductor supported by Symphony Services International & Premier Partner Credit Suisse

First Violins

Patron Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir ac cvo Governor of New South Wales

Second Violins

V i o l as

First Violins

01 Sun Yi

Associate Concertmaster

02 Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

03 Katherine Lukey Assistant Concertmaster

04 Fiona Ziegler

Assistant Concertmaster

05 Julie Batty

06 Jennifer Booth 07 Marianne Broadfoot 08 Brielle Clapson 09 Sophie Cole 10 Amber Davis 11 Jennifer Hoy 12 G eorges Lentz 13 Nicola Lewis 14 Alexandra Mitchell 15 LĂŠone Ziegler

Second Violins

Violas

cellos

double basses

01 Marina Marsden

01 Roger Benedict

01 Catherine Hewgill

01 Kees Boersma

02 K irsty Hilton

Principal Viola Roger Allen & Maggie Gray Chair

03 Emma West

02 Tobias Breider

02 Leah Lynn

04 Susan Dobbie

03 Anne Louise Comerford Associate Principal 04 Robyn Brookfield 05 Sandro Costantino 06 Jane Hazelwood

03 K risty Conrau 04 Fenella Gill 05 T imothy Nankervis 06 Elizabeth Neville

Principal Principal

Assistant Principal

Principal Emeritus

05 Maria Durek 06 Emma Hayes 07 Shuti Huang 08 Stan W Kornel 09 Nicole Masters 10 Benjamin Li 11 Emily Long 12 Philippa Paige 13 Biyana Rozenblit 14 Maja Verunica

Photos: Keith Saunders, Sasha Gusov

72 72 sydneysymphony.com/subscribe sydneysymphony.com/subscribe (02) (02)8215 82154600 4600

Principal

Veolia Environmental Services Chair

07 Graham Hennings 08 Stuart Johnson 09 Justine Marsden 10 Felicity Tsai 11 Leonid Volovelsky

Principal Tony & Fran Meagher Chair Assistant Principal

Robert & Ruth MagidÂ Chair

07 Adrian Wallis 08 David Wickham

Principal

02 Alex Henery

Principal

03 Neil Brawley

Principal Emeritus

04 David Campbell 05 Steven Larson 06 Richard Lynn 07 David Murray 08 Benjamin Ward

Cellos

Double Basses

Harp

Flutes

Piccolo

Oboes

Bassoons

cor anglais

Clarinets

Bass Clarinet

ContraBassoon

Horns

Trumpets

Bass Trombone

Trombones

Timpani

Percussion

Tuba

piano

Harp

Oboes

Bass Clarinet

Horns

Trombone

Timpani

Louise Johnson

01 D iana Doherty

01 Robert Johnson

01 Ronald Prussing

01 Richard Miller

02 Ben Jacks

02 Scott Kinmont

02 Mark Robinson

03 Geoff O’Reilly

03 Nick Byrne

Assistant Principal Timpani/Tutti Percussion

Bass Trombone

Percussion

Principal

Flutes

01 Janet Webb

Principal

02 Emma Sholl

Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor & Renata Kaldor ao Chair

02 Shefali Pryor

Associate Principal Oboe Rose Herceg Chair

Craig Wernicke Principal

Bassoons

01 Matthew Wilkie

Principal

02 Roger Brooke

Associate Principal

03 David Papp

03 Fiona McNamara

03 Carolyn Harris

Cor Anglais

Contrabassoon

Piccolo

Rosamund Plummer

Principal

Alexandre Oguey Principal

Clarinets

01 L awrence Dobell

Principal

02 Francesco Celata Associate Principal

03 Christopher Tingay

Noriko Shimada Principal

Principal Principal

Principal 3rd

04 Lee Bracegirdle 05 Euan Harvey 06 Marnie Sebire

Principal

Associate Principal

rogenSi Chair

Christopher Harris

Principal

Trumpets

Tuba

01 Daniel Mendelow

Principal

02 Paul Goodchild

Associate Principal Trumpet The Hansen Family Chair

03 John Foster 04 Anthony Heinrichs

Steve Rossé Principal

Principal

01 Rebecca Lagos

Principal

02 Colin Piper

The Hon. Jane Mathews ao Chair piano

Josephine Allan

Principal (contract)

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

5 easy ways to subscribe 1. Online

Renewing or booking your subscription has never been easier! Just visit sydneysymphony.com/ subscribe. Purchase online before Friday 30 September 2011 and we’ll include a free DVD of Copying Beethoven with your tickets.

subscr How do I book my series subscription? If you’re a new subscriber, simply choose the series and day that suits you, enter it into the booking form and return it to us with your payment. If you’re renewing, simply complete and return the renewal form that is attached to the letter accompanying this brochure. You can also hear samples of the music from the 2012 season and book online at sydneysymphony.com/subscribe Please feel free to call us on (02) 8215 4600 if you would like any advice or assistance with making your subscription.

2. Mail

Return your booking form and payment in the enclosed reply paid envelope, or mail Sydney Symphony Subscriptions, GPO Box 4338, Sydney NSW 2001. (No stamp required if mailed within Australia.)

3. Telephone

Call the Sydney Symphony Customer Service staff on (02) 8215 4600, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm.

4. Fax

Complete the enclosed booking form and fax it to (02) 8215 4660.

5. In person

Visit the Sydney Symphony at The Clocktower, cnr Argyle and Harrington streets, The Rocks (enter from Argyle Street), Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.

74 74 sydneysymphony.com/subscribe sydneysymphony.com/subscribe (02) (02)8215 82154600 4600

How does a subscription work? Each year between February and December the Sydney Symphony presents a season of 100 concerts divided into 11 subscription series. When you subscribe you choose one (or more!) of these series to attend. A series is a curated package of concerts that forms an exciting journey through the season. You choose the series, time and day of the week that suits you best. What if I’d like to hear a concert that’s not in my series? Subscribers have several options for supplementing their series packages or even substituting concerts from a different series. Why not supplement your series with single tickets? Single tickets are available to subscribers from Wednesday 30 November 2011 – one week ahead of their release to the general public. Or you can purchase tickets for special events now. Subscribers receive a 10% discount on most additional performances. If you can’t attend a performance in your series, or would simply prefer to enjoy a different concert, it’s easy to exchange your tickets to another performance from Wednesday 30 November 2011.

What happens after I book? If you are a new subscriber, we will assign seats in the seating reserve you have selected, or be in touch with you to discuss other seating options. We will send your tickets to your nominated address when your subscription is paid in full. Payment We accept the following methods of payment: cheque, money order, cash (in person only), Visa, MasterCard, Diners, Amex. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Sydney Symphony’. Our knowledgeable customer service staff can guide you through the season and help you choose performances. Call (02) 8215 4600 Mon–Fri | 9am–5pm

ribe Purchasing your 2012 subscription online Purchasing your 2012 subscription online has never been easier. Explore the entire season, renew your subscription, purchase a new subscription and manage your account. You can add extra tickets to our 2012 special events, or design your own 4, 6 or 8-concert Connoisseur’s Selection from all that’s available. To renew or buy a subscription online, visit sydneysymphony.com/subscriptions All you’ll need to get started is the Customer ID and surname associated with your account. Your Customer ID is the eight-digit number found in the address panel of your subscription form. Alternatively, call the Sydney Symphony on (02) 8215 4600 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). Until 30 September 2011, if you purchase a new subscription or renew your subscription online you will receive a FREE DVD* of Copying Beethoven.

* Please note one free DVD per transaction.

S tay Tuned

to the Sydney Symphony Sign up to our fortnightly e-newsletter and be the first to know about: • Onsale announcements • Priority bookings • Special offers and much more! sydneysymphony.com/staytuned Find us on… facebook.com/sydneysymphony

Watch us on… youtube.com/sydneysymphony

mahler Let the Mahler odyssey live on! Relive the special moments of the Sydney Symphony’s two-year tribute to Mahler with these powerful performances, recorded live at the Sydney Opera House. Once the cycle is complete, at the end of 2011, we’ll have 12 titles, with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Sydney Symphony in all ten symphonies and two of the great song cycles. Whether you’re after exciting recordings, a souvenir of a memorable concert, or simply a fantastic gift, the Mahler Odyssey CDs are the perfect choice.

Your choice… 1. Pre-order all 12 titles and save $50! The exclusive Sydney Symphony Vladimir Ashkenazy Signature Edition is available only to subscribers and only with your season ticket order during the renewal period. Just one hundred copies of the Signature Edition will be produced and only a few remain unsold. Pay in full, $220, or pay in instalments with your 2012 subsription packages. Collect the discs from our Box Office or have them sent directly to your home as soon as they’re available for an extra $42. 2. Order the Mahler 2011 pack Order the second four releases – Symphony No.3, Symphony No.4, Symphony No.6 and Symphony No.7 – and save 10% off the full price. You’ll also receive a free copy of our bestselling recording Ravel. Only available to 2012 subscribers. Symphony No.6 and Symphony No.7 will be delivered early 2012. 3. Order individual titles from the 2011 season Order CDs of your favourite Mahler performances from 2010 and 2011. Save $5 when you add the recordings to your subscription order.

Single CDs $20* for subscribers only $25* for non-subscribers

Double CDs $23* for subscribers only $28* for non-subscribers

* Plus $7 postage and

handling. Delivery within Australia only. FRONT COVER

SSO201101

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY

SYDNEY SYMPHONY

MAHLER SYMPHONY NO.3

Vladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor

76 76 sydneysymphony.com/subscribe sydneysymphony.com/subscribe (02) (02)8215 82154600 4600

2012 Booking form Simply cut out this form and use it to choose any number of concerts and series. For further assistance with making your selection, please call (02) 8215 4600. 1. Select the series you prefer and the number of concerts, e.g. Ausgrid Master Series 9 package. 2. Tick the day of the week that you wish to attend (if applicable).

3. Insert the number of packages you require next to the price reserve you require. 4. If you are booking a Connoisseur’s Selection, select your concerts.

Full

Note: Shaded Kaleidoscope used as example only. Package

Wed Thu

Kaleidoscope

N/A

Ausgrid Master Series

Fri

No. of concerts

Sat

5. Complete the number of Special Event tickets you require in the reserve you require. 6. Complete your personal and payment details and return the form to us.

Concession

Prem A

Youth

Subtotal

$ 384

$ 340

3 $ 288

$ 212

$ 344

$ 308

1 $ 260

$ 192

$ 128

N/A

$ 792

$ 702

$ 594

$ 396

$ 711

$ 630

$ 531

$ 360

$ 288

N/A

$ 564

$ 486

$ 420

$ 306

$ 510

$ 438

$ 378

$ 276

$ 192

Mondays @ 7

Mondays only

$ 460

$ 415

$ 355

$ 260

$ 415

$ 375

$ 320

$ 235

$ 160

$ 621

$ 540

$ 468

$ 369

$ 558

$ 486

$ 423

$ 333

$ 288

Thursday Afternoon Symphony

Thursdays only

$ 360

$ 320

$ 265

$ 220

$ 325

$ 290

$ 240

$ 200

$ 160

$ 304

$ 264

$ 220

$ 184

$ 272

$ 236

$ 200

$ 164

$ 128

$ 511

$ 448

$ 371

$ 308

$ 462

$ 406

$ 336

$ 280

$ 224

$ 304

$ 272

$ 224

$ 184

$ 272

$ 244

$ 200

$ 164

$ 128

Great Classics

Saturdays only

Emirates Metro Series

Fridays only

Kaleidoscope

N/A

Meet the Music

N/A

$ 696

$ 640

$ 520

$ 368

$ 624

$ 576

$ 472

$ 328

$ 256

$ 475

$ 420

$ 350

$ 260

$ 430

$ 380

$ 315

$ 235

$ 160

$ 384

$ 340

$ 288

$ 212

$ 344

$ 308

$ 260

$ 192

$ 128

$ 272

$ 228

$ 200

$ 176

$ 244

$ 204

$ 180

$ 160

$ 128

$ 336

1,124

$ 336

Tea & Symphony

Fridays only

4 A/B

$ 192

Discovery

Mondays only

$ 208

$ 184

$ 156

$ 188

$ 164

$ 140

$ 128

Int. Pianists in Recital

Mondays only

$ 256

$ 180

$ 148

$ 232

$ 164

$ 132

$ 128

Mozart in the City

Thursdays only

$ 256

$ 184

$ 152

$ 232

$ 164

$ 136

$ 128

$ 192

total

coNnoisseur’s selection – Design your own Deluxe or Standard concert package, with your choice of any four, six or eight concerts. Choose either Deluxe (Premium or A-Res) or Standard (B- or C-Res) pricing. For more information see brochure, page 62. Concert name

No. tickets x Price

Concert name

Date

N/A

x $ 465 Total

x $ 323

Date

No. tickets x Price N/A x $ 618

x $ 450

N/A

x $ 798

Total

x $ 558

special events – Subscribers may purchase tickets for Special Event concerts prior to their release to the general public. Subscribers save 10% on full-priced Special tickets – the prices listed on page 67 already have the discount applied. Concert

Date

Reserve (Prem, A, B, C)

No. of tickets

Subtotal $ $ $ total

Yes, I want to support the Sydney Symphony.

My tax-deductible gift is

GRAND TOTAL

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season OFFICE USE ONLY

Contact details Part of the joy of attending concerts is sharing the music with others. The person who accompanies you to Sydney Symphony concerts can also share the benefits of subscribing. Simply enter their details below so that we can send your companion a subscriber card. If you have more than one companion and need more space, please attach additional information.

Subscriber – Please amend contact details if necessary Mr

Title

Mrs

First name

CSR

Date

Day

Pkg Reserve

Payment options Full

20%

Title

Partial

Mrs

Last name

Street Address

Suburb

Postcode

Suburb

Postcode

Daytime Tel.

Evening Tel.

Daytime Tel.

Evening Tel.

Mobile

I wish to claim a concession as a: Pensioner Full-time Student

Youth (30 & under)

Please email me Stay Tuned for news, special offers and information about concerts

I am a member of Emirates Skywards frequent flyer program www.skywards.com

I would like to receive more information about the benefits of the Skywards program

Initial

Last name

Seated

your companion

First name

Initial

Waitlist

I wish to claim a concession as a: Pensioner Full-time Student

Youth (30 & under)

Please email me Stay Tuned for news, special offers and information about concerts Please enclose photocopied proof of age and/or student card and/or pension details. special assistance : please attach your requirements to this booking form if you require special seating.

PAYMENTS – Please select your payment amount otherwise the full amount will be charged.

full amount

I wish to pay the full amount now insert grand total

I wish to pay a 20% non-refundable deposit on my subscription package(s) now (Option available before 10 December 2011 only). Credit card balances will automatically be deducted on 6 January 2012. Cash or cheque payments will have the balance invoiced and due on 6 January 2012. I wish to pay in 2 equal instalments.* The balance will be automatically deducted on 6 January 2012. I wish to pay in 3 4 equal instalments.* Only available for subscriptions received before 28 October 2011. Payments will be automatically deducted on the first Friday of each month. I wish to pay in 5 6 equal instalments.* Only available for subscriptions received before 31 August 2011 (6 instalments) or 30 September 2011 (5 instalments). Payments will be automatically deducted on the first Friday of each month. *Only available for credit card purchases. Tickets will be posted once final payment has been received.

PAYMENT DETAILS Please tick ONE of the following payment methods: CHEQUE payable to Sydney Symphony (please staple to form) CASH (do not mail, please pay at Sydney Symphony Box Office) VISA

DINERS

MASTERCARD

AMEX

Name on card

POST Use the enclosed reply paid envelope or our freepost address: sydney symphony subscriptions reply paid 4338 sydney nsw 2001 No stamp required if mailed from within AUS PHONE

(02) 8215 4600 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)

FAX ALL forms to (02) 8215 4660 In person Clocktower Square cnr Argyle & harrington streets The Rocks, Sydney (enter from Argyle St) Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Card Number

Expiry Date

AMEX ID No

Cardholder’s Signature Date of Birth (for security reasons)

78 78 sydneysymphony.com/subscribe sydneysymphony.com/subscribe (02) (02)8215 82154600 4600

Your tickets will be mailed to you as soon as possible after your order has been processed and payment has been received in full. Please refer to your brochure for a summary of our subscription fulfilment process. If you have further questions, please call (02) 8215 4600 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

Terms and conditions for renewing & booking your subscription Subscriptions to Sydney Symphony performances are subject to the conditions of sale set out below and to the requirements of the venue at which the performances are presented. Any monies due to applicants as a result of the Sydney Symphony being unable to satisfy ticket requests will be refunded automatically. The Sydney Symphony will issue you with your own personal subscriber number, which will appear on your subscriber card. Please record this number to quote in any further correspondence or contact with the Sydney Symphony regarding your tickets.

Renewing Subscribers

You can renew your subscription with no changes, or you can request a change to your seating, number of seats or series (subject to availability). We will contact you to discuss options if we cannot fulfil your request. You have the option to transfer your seats to another patron in the event you might be travelling for most of the season. Simply request a transfer form from the box office before the renewal deadline of Friday 30 September 2011. In the majority of series, only full-pack subscribers are guaranteed the same seats for the concerts each season. • Subscribers to Master Series 6-concert packages and Metro Series 5-concert packages are entitled to renewable seating. • Connoisseur’s Selection seating will be allocated on a best available basis within Premium or A-reserve for Deluxe; or B- or C-reserve for the Standard option. It is not possible to guarantee the same seats at every concert in these packages. • The Tea & Symphony series offers three packages: a 4-concert A pack; a 4-concert B pack; or an 8-concert full pack. It is only possible to offer renewable seating within your present series. It is not possible to retain your seat if you change from Pack A in 2011 to Pack B in 2012, or vice versa. • Subscription packages comprising less than the full complement of concerts in the series will be seated in their selected reserve where possible. To be eligible to renew your seats, you must submit your renewal by Friday 30 September 2011. If we cannot accommodate your request, we will contact you to discuss options. If you do not renew your subscription before Friday 30 September 2011, your seats will be released and become available to others.

New Subscribers

Choose the series that best suits your musical tastes and schedule. Then complete the form in this brochure and return it to us, or go to www. sydneysymphony.com/subscribe, create your new account and subscribe online. If you have questions or need help with the process, please call our customer service representatives on (02) 8215 4600 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm). You will be offered the best available seats after existing subscribers have taken their seats for the 2012 Season. We will send your tickets as soon as possible after we receive payment in full.

Youth subscribers

Youth subscriptions are available to people aged 30 years or under at 1 January 2012. Proof of age must be supplied when booking and may be required prior to admission to each concert.

Youth subscriptions are seated in C-reserve unless accompanied by a full-price adult subscription in another reserve, in which case the youth and full-priced subscriptions will be seated together, subject to availability.

Concessions

Concession subscriptions are available to current holders of means-tested Australian pensions (Aged, Disability, Veterans’ Affairs, Supporting Parent) and to Australian fulltime students. Proof of concession eligibility must be supplied when booking and may be required prior to admission to each concert.

Processing your subscription

After 11 August 2011, we will process mail, online and phone orders strictly by the date in which applications are received for each series category. The categories themselves will be prioritised as follows: 1. Renewing full pack without change requests 2. Renewing full pack with change requests 3. New full pack orders 4. Renewing Connoisseurs and part-pack orders 5. New Connoisseurs and part-pack orders

Payment options

Payment by cheque, money order, credit card or cash must accompany your booking. Your cheque or money order will be banked, or credit card debited on receipt of your application to establish priority for your application within the Sydney Symphony’s ticketing system. Cash payments can be made in person at the Sydney Symphony box office. Please note that all prices detailed on renewal forms are full price until proof of concession is provided with your payment. Once proof of concession is supplied, the concessionary rate will be applied to your order. You can pay for your subscription in instalments. Please note, if you choose an instalment plan your first deposit is nonrefundable after initial payment is processed. All payments finished in January 2012. Final credit card deduction on 6/1/12 Once we receive your order and payment in full and process it we will mail your subscription pack (including tickets, subscriber card concert diary and diary stickers). If you have elected to pay in instalments, your tickets will be mailed to you after the balance of your payment is paid. Please note that credit card transactions will be automatically deducted at this time without further notice from us. If you have paid by cheque, we will mail you a reminder to pay each instalment.

Multi-pack discounts

The 20% introductory savings on a second subscription package is valid only for first-time Discovery, Mozart in the City, Meet the Music and International Pianists in Recital subscriptions. You must subscribe to another series to be eligible.

Exchanges

Subscription tickets may be exchanged up to two working days before the performance for which tickets were originally issued. Depending on your subscription package and frequency of exchanges, you may be liable to pay a $5/ticket fee plus an upgrade cost – the full single ticket price of the concert you are moving to less your 10% subscriber saving. 1. Subscribers in Master Series 9, Metro 8, Connoisseurs 8 (Standard and Deluxe), Tea & Symphony 8 and Great Classics 7 are entitled to three (3) exchanges with no fee if moving outside the original series. Subsequent changes will incur fees and upgrades. 2. Subscribers in Master Series 6, Connoisseur 6 (Standard and Deluxe), Metro 5, Mondays @ 7 and Thursday Afternoon Symphony 5 are entitled to two (2) exchanges with no fee if moving outside the original series. Subsequent changes will incur fees and upgrades. 3. Subscribers in Tea & Symphony 4A or B, Master Series 4, Great Classics 4, Thursday Afternoon Symphony 4, Kaleidoscope, Connoisseur 4 (Standard and Deluxe), Meet the Music, Mozart in the City, International Pianists in Recital and Discovery are entitled to one (1) exchange with no fee if moving outside the original series. Subsequent changes will incur fees and upgrades. • Exchanges may not be available for all concerts and are subject to the availability. • Exchanges can only be processed through the Sydney Symphony’s Box Office during business hours. • Fees and upgrade costs are payable at the time your exchange is made. • If you request an exchange into an improved seating reserve, you will be liable for the upgrade costs of moving to that better reserve. We cannot refund if you move to a lesser reserve. • Subscribers cannot exchange into Special Events and Galas without upgrade costs. To avoid or minimise any exchange fees you may wish to consider choosing a flexible Connoisseurs package instead of a fixed series, or exchanging to another concert within your series.

Lost or missing tickets

Don’t panic! If you misplace your tickets on the day of a concert, go to the Sydney Symphony Customer Service Desk in the foyer of the venue one hour before the performance and you can be issued with a Missing Ticket Voucher for that performance. For all general terms and conditions about the purchase of Sydney Symphony tickets, visit www.sydneysymphony.com/terms

If you have any questions about these terms and conditions, please call the Sydney Symphony on (02) 8215 4600. General terms and conditions for sale can be seen in full at sydneysymphony.com/terms or requested by calling (02) 8215 4600 Mon–Fri | 9am–5pm.

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Subscribe by 15 September to be in the draw to win Emirates Business Class flights to Copenhagen

Subscribe by Thursday 15 September 2011 to be in the draw to win two Business Class flights to one of Emirates’ newest European destinations – wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen. Emirates, the Principal Partner of the Sydney Symphony, is committed to providing a world-class experience on every flight while connecting passengers to more destinations in Europe than any other airline. From August 2011, the gorgeous harbour-side capital of Denmark, home of the Royal Danish Orchestra, is only one stop from Sydney when you fly Emirates. In addition, the winner will receive two A-reserve tickets for an orchestral, operatic or theatrical performance (depending on dates and availability) at the Royal Danish Theatre while in Copenhagen. With the Emirates A380 flying daily between Sydney and Dubai and on to more than 100 destinations worldwide, the winner will find the journey to Copenhagen is almost as beautiful as the destination. Emirates’ award-winning Business Class features new-generation seating with aisle access for every seat, ice, a digital widescreen inflight entertainment system with more than 1,000 channels plus an onboard lounge where you can enjoy a gourmet selection of beverages and canapés. Simply purchase your Sydney Symphony subscription before Thursday 15 September 2011 to enter the draw. For full terms and conditions visit sydneysymphony.com/terms or call (02) 8215 4600. Authorised under NSW Permit Number: LTPS/11/06147

Sydney Symphony subscribers fly for less with special Emirates fares Emirates is delighted to offer its enhanced discount of 10% across all of its published fares – including special offers – to all Sydney Symphony subscribers. This amazing offer is available on bookings all year round, even in peak travel seasons, and can be booked via the dedicated subscriber website sydneysymphony.com/emirates. Terms and conditions apply.

Sydney Symphony Patrons Program Sincere thanks to the Sydney Symphony Patrons who have contributed to our 80th anniversary in 2012. Your support has enabled us to plan with confidence and thanks to you we can look forward to many wonderful concerts. As a not-for-profit organisation, the Sydney Symphony relies on the support of its Patrons to assist with costs such as augmenting the orchestra for larger scale works and key behind-the-scenes activities. Being a Patron not only connects you to the music, musicians and staff, but provides opportunities to form new friendships with other music lovers. To become a Sydney Symphony Patron contact the Philanthropy office on (02) 8215 4663 or email philanthropy@sydneysymphony.com

Venue seating maps

Stalls Premium A Reserve B Reserve C Reserve

Boxes

From left Helen Hazelwood, Donald Hazelwood ao obe, Fred Stein oam, May Stein

All Sydney Symphony concerts are at either the Sydney Opera House or City Recital Hall Angel Place unless otherwise indicated.

Circle Gallery

If you would like to book wheelchair or disabled access spaces at either venue, please call the Sydney Symphony on (02) 8215 4600 Mon–Fri 9am–5pm. For more information visitsydneysymphony.com/venues.

Level 1

Wheelchair

Level 2

Level 3

A Reserve B Reserve C Reserve

Wheelchair positions are available on all levels. 81

Sydney Symphony 2012 Season

Salute Sydney Symphony applauds the leadership role our partners play and their commitment to excellence, innovation and creativity.

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

Premier PARTNER

platinum PARTNERs

major PARTNERs

gold PARTNERs

82 sydneysymphony.com/subscribe (02) 8215 4600

GOVERNMENT PARTNERs

silver PARTNERs

Television - Audio

regional tour PARTNERs

BRONZE PARTNERS EMANATE BTA VANTAGE marketing partner 2MBS FM 102.5 – Sydney’s Fine Music Station

DIRECTORS’ CHAIRS Emma Sholl, Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair Richard Gill oam, Artistic Director, Education Sandra & Paul Salteri Chair Nick Byrne, Trombone rogenSi Chair Diana Doherty, Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor & Renata Kaldor ao Chair

Leadership Ensemble John Morschel, Chairman of Anz Macquarie Group Foundation David Livingstone, Ceo, Credit Suisse Australia Alan Fang, Chairman of Tianda Lynn Kraus, Sydney Office Managing Partner, Ernst & Young Andrew Kaldor, Chairman, Pelikan Artline

Catherine Hewgill, Principal Cello Tony & Fran Meagher Chair

Design and production: Principals

Paul Goodchild, Associate Principal Trumpet The Hansen Family Chair

Photography ABC Document Archives, Uwe Arens/Sony Classical, Clive Barda, Paul Body, Marco Borggreve, Felix Broede, Peter Campbell, Ben Ealovega/Decca, Berthold Fabricius, Fabrizio Ferri, Anja Frers/Deutsche Grammophon, Priska Ketterer, Klaus Lefebvre, John Marmaras, James Penlidis, Brendan Read, JM Sabat, Keith Saunders, Christian Steiner, Dick Sweeney, Tina Tahir/Deutsche Grammophon, Michael Tammaro, David Thompson/EMI Classics, John Wright, and courtesy of Columbia Artists Management Inc.

Jane Hazelwood, Viola Veolia Environmental Services Chair Elizabeth Neville, Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair Colin Piper, Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair Lawrence Dobell, Principal Clarinet Anne & Terrey Arcus Chair Shefali Pryor, Associate Principal Oboe Rose Herceg Chair

Thank you also to all Sydney Symphony patrons who appear in this brochure.