Ode to Joy 2–3 NOVEMBER 2017
CONCERT PROGRAM
Season Opening Gala Sir Andrew Davis conductor Nelson Freire piano Stuart Skelton tenor Program includes Carl Vine’s Microsymphony, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, plus arias and orchestral excerpts from Fidelio, Götterdämmerung, Die Walküre and Otello. SATURDAY 3 MARCH 2018 | 7.30pm Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall Pre-concert talk at 6.15pm
mso.com.au Nelson Freire Piano
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Benjamin Northey conductor Australian String Quartet Jacqueline Porter soprano Liane Keegan contralto Henry Choo tenor Shane Lowrencev bass Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus Warren Trevelyan-Jones chorus master Adams Absolute Jest INTERVAL
Beethoven Symphony No.9 Choral
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including 20-minute interval In consideration of your fellow patrons, the MSO thanks you for dimming the lighting on your mobile phone. The MSO acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are performing. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Elders from other communities who may be in attendance.
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MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Established in 1906, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an arts leader and Australia’s oldest professional orchestra. Chief Conductor Sir Andrew Davis has been at the helm of MSO since 2013. Engaging more than 2.5 million people each year, and as a truly global orchestra, the MSO collaborates with guest artists and arts organisations from across the world.
AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET For more than 30 years, the Australian String Quartet (ASQ) has created unforgettable chamber music experiences for national and international audiences. From its home base at the University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, the ASQ reaches out across Australia and the world to engage people with an outstanding program of performances, workshops, commissions and education projects.
Northey also appears regularly as a guest conductor with all major Australian symphony orchestras, Opera Australia (Turandot, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Carmen), New Zealand Opera (Sweeney Todd) and State Opera South Australia (La sonnambula, L’elisir d’amore, Les contes d’Hoffmann). His international appearances include concerts with the London Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.
In recent years the ASQ has appeared at international music festivals and toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and Asia. The Quartet members are Dale Barltrop (violin), Francesca Hiew (violin), Stephen King (viola) and Sharon Grigoryan (cello). The distinct sound of the ASQ is enhanced and unified by its matched set of 18th century Guadagnini instruments, handcrafted by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini between (circa) 1743 and 1784 in Turin and Piacenza, Italy. They are on loan to the ASQ for their exclusive use through the generosity of Ulrike Klein and UKARIA. In 2017 the ASQ have been closely associated with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as its Ensemble in Residence.
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Image courtesy Jacqui Way
BENJAMIN NORTHEY CONDUCTOR Australian conductor Benjamin Northey is the Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Associate Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
JACQUELINE PORTER SOPRANO
LIANE KEEGAN CONTRALTO
Jacqueline Porter holds an honours degree in Music Performance and a Bachelor of Arts (Italian) from the University of Melbourne. Equally at home on the operatic stage and the concert platform, Jacqueline appears regularly with Australia’s major symphony orchestras and choral societies.
Liane Keegan has received scholarships from the Opera Foundation Australia, Shell Royal Covent Garden Scholarship which enabled her to study at the National Opera Studio London. She attended the AIMS summer School in Graz Austria on the Opera Australia Foundation Scholarship and in 1997 won a Bayreuth Bursary from the Wagner Society of Great Britain.
Performance highlights include Peer Gynt (Grieg), The Ugly Duckling (Prokofiev) and Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 (Villa Lobos) with Sydney Symphony Orchestra; Faure’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No.4, Mozart’s Requiem and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Tavener’s Song of the Angel (Dark MOFO Festival) and Last Night of the Proms with Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Operatic roles include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro); Despina (Così fan tutte); Princess (Sleeping Beauty); Drusilla (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) for Victorian Opera and Gretel (Hänsel and Gretel) for State Opera of South Australia. Jacqueline has recently performed a Viennese program with the Adelaide Symphony and was not only part of the MSO’s Mid-Season Gala performance of Massenet’s Thaïs, but also sang Exsultate, jubilate with the MSO during this year’s Mozart Festival.
Throughout her career, Liane’s roles have included Azucena (Il trovatore) for the Opera of South Australia, Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera) for Opera Australia, Rosa Mamai (L’Arlesiana) and Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) with Opera Holland Park London, Filippyevna (Eugene Onegin) with Staatstheater Stuttgart, and Klytaemnestra (Elektra) and Brigitta (Die tote Stadt) with Theater Hagen. Concert appearances have included Mozart’s Requiem with Sir Neville Mariner and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Barbara in Korngold’s Violanta at the 1997 BBC Proms conducted by Paul Daniels and Waltraute in Die Walküre with Antonio Pappano at the Edinburgh Festival. She last appeared with the MSO at this year’s Last Night of the Proms and as Albine in Thaïs. 5
HENRY CHOO TENOR
SHANE LOWRENCEV BASS
Henry Choo is regarded as one of Australia's finest lyric coloratura tenors with a voice that displays great versatility across a range of styles. He is an alumnus of both the Young Artist Program of Opera Queensland and the Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist Development Program of Opera Australia. He has received multiple Green Room Award nominations, most recently for his portrayal of Robert Leicester in Melbourne Opera's production of Maria Stuarda.
In 2016, Shane Lowrencev sang Escamillo (Carmen) and Schaunard (La bohème) for Opera Australia and Hunding in Die Walküre for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he appears as Scarpia (Tosca), Escamillo and Shaunard for the national company and is soloist with the Melbourne, Tasmanian and West Australian Symphony Orchestras.
Henry's many roles include Ernesto (Don Pasquale), the Italian Singer (Der Rosenkavalier), Nemorino (L'Elisir d'amore), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Acis (Acis and Galatea), Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Nadir (The Pearl Fishers), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Lord Percy (Anna Bolena), Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Ben (The Bone Feeder). Henry has worked with the Symphony Orchestras of Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Darwin, New Zealand, Christchurch, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestra Victoria, Sydney Philharmonia, Australia Ensemble and Auckland Bach Musica. 6
Born in Melbourne, Shane studied at Melba Memorial Conservatorium, Australian National Academy of Music and at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London; he won the 2008 Australian Singing Competition's Opera Awards. Shane is a full-time principal artist with Opera Australia. His roles have included – Scarpia in Tosca, title roles in Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, Escamillo in Carmen, Schaunard in La bohème and principal bass roles in La fanciulla del West and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shane has enjoyed a distinguished career on the concert platform having performed the bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, La Resurrezione; Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Mass in C Minor; Bach’s B Minor Mass, St John Passion, Christmas Oratorio and St Matthew Passion and Haydn’s Creation.
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS
WARREN TREVELYAN-JONES CHORUS MASTER
For more than 50 years the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus has been the unstinting voice of the Orchestra’s choral repertoire.
Recently appointed as Chorus Master of the MSO Chorus, Warren Trevelyan-Jones is also the Head of Music at St James’, King Street in Sydney and is regarded as one of the leading choral conductors and choir trainers in Australia. Warren has had an extensive singing career as a soloist and ensemble singer in Europe, including nine years in the Choir of Westminster Abbey, and regular work with the Gabrieli Consort, Collegium Vocale (Ghent), the Taverner Consort, The Kings Consort, Dunedin Consort, The Sixteen and the Tallis Scholars. He has appeared on over 60 CD recordings, numerous television and radio broadcasts, and in many of the worlds' leading music festivals and concert halls.
The MSO Chorus sings with the finest conductors, including Sir Andrew Davis, Edward Gardner, Mark Wigglesworth, Bernard Labadie, Masaaki Suzuki and Manfred Honeck, and is committed to developing and performing new Australian and international choral repertoire. Commissions include Brett Dean’s Katz und Spatz, and Paul Stanhope’s Exile Lamentations, and the Chorus has also premiered works by such composers as James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt, Hans Werner Henze, Alfred Schnittke, Gavin Bryars, and Pēteris Vasks. Recordings by the MSO Chorus for Chandos and ABC Classics have received critical acclaim. It has performed across Brazil and at the Cultura Inglese Festival in Sao Paolo, in Kuala Lumpur with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, with The Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Barbra Streisand, at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the AFL Grand Final, the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, and Anzac Day commemorative ceremonies.
Warren is also Director of the Parsons Affayre, Founder and Co-Director of The Consort of Melbourne and, in 2001 with Dr Michael Noone, founded the Gramophone awardwinning group Ensemble Plus Ultra. Since 2015, he has been regular Guest Chorus Master with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Warren is also a qualified music therapist. 7
PROGRAM NOTES
JOHN ADAMS (born 1947) Absolute Jest for string quartet and orchestra Australian String Quartet
John Adams’ music often grows out of his engagement with particular works from the past including vernacular music – march, hymn and jazz ballad. Early pieces like Shaker Loops and Christian Zeal and Activity elaborate patterns out of fragments of nonconformist hymnody; Grand Pianola Music reaches its fulfilment in a rolling, big-hearted popular tune. In 1979 Adams began the series of large-scale orchestral works such as Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Harmonielehre (whose title references the teaching method of Arnold Schoenberg) that spring from a confident, optimistic energy embodied in the use of large-scale fields of stable diatonic harmony; by the early 1990s, in his Chamber Symphony, Adams explores more introspective, and occasionally darker, worlds in a piece that encompasses references to Schoenberg and the scores of Warner Bros. cartoons. Adams has written about how it is a rite of passage as a ‘classical composer…to share the bed’ with one of the canonical figures. And they don’t come more canonical than Beethoven, whose ‘ecstatic energy’ has frequently given Adams ‘powerful, archetypal experiences’. It was, 8
however, a performance of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella by the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas that got Adams thinking about taking ‘musical artefacts from the past’ and, as he says of Stravinsky, working them ‘into his own highly personal language’. For this commission, to celebrate the San Francisco Symphony’s centenary in 2011-12, Adams resolved to write a concerto grosso for string quartet and orchestra. Having, as he says, ‘loved the Beethoven string quartets since I was a teenager […] crafting something out of fragments of Opus 131, Opus 135 and the Grosse Fuge (plus a few more familiar “tattoos” from his symphonic scherzos) was a totally spontaneous act for me’. Fully aware of the logistical challenges, and the significant differences between chamber and orchestral performance, Adams allows for discreet enhancement of the quartet’s sound, and carefully orchestrates so as not to overwhelm it. The reliance on Beethovenian scherzos (‘jokes’) lies, of course, behind the somewhat enigmatic title, and Adams relates that some early audience members and critics took the title to mean that there was no more to the work than a ‘backslapping joke’. In fact, one critic expressed ‘disgust at the abuse of Beethoven’s great music’. But Adams was in no way seeking to make fun of Beethoven (other than the fun that is there already), nor to distort Beethoven’s music to make a political or aesthetic point, as English composer Michael Tippett does in his bitter deconstruction of Beethoven’s Ninth in his own Third
Symphony. Adams insists that... the act of composing the work (one that took nearly a year of work) was the most extended experience in pure ‘invention’ that I’ve ever undertaken. Its creation was, for me, a thrilling lesson in counterpoint, in thematic transformation and formal design. The ‘jest’ of the title should be understood in terms of its Latin meaning, gesta: doings, deeds, exploits. I like to think of ‘jest’ as indicating an exercising of one’s wit by means of imagination and invention. The first of the work’s five linked sections (recomposed extensively after the premiere) begins in mystery: the timpanist quietly but insistently gives out the rhythmic cell from the scherzo of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under a glinting trio of cowbells, harp and piano in meantone tuning (that is, not the ‘equal temperament’ preferred since the late 18th century). This creates a texture of gleaming stillness despite the music’s tempo, from which a fragment from Beethoven’s Ninth and one from the scherzo of Beethoven’s C-sharp minor Quartet, Op.131 emerge, using Adams’ trademark shifts of metrical emphasis and sudden cuts between the solo and orchestral groups. After three sections in fast, energetic tempos, which introduce fragments of the scherzo from the String Quartet in F, Op.135, a section marked Meno mosso creates a quite different atmosphere: relentless bounding is succeeded by more
chromatic and pensive motifs drawn from the opening movement of Op.131, which is cross-bred with material from the Grosse Fuge, Op.133 (the original finale of Op.130, and a work of such abstraction that Stravinsky believed it would be ‘contemporary forever’). Overall, Absolute Jest is a set of free variations but here the material is treated fugally – that is, according to rules of counterpoint that might seem to undermine the spontaneity of variations form. In fact, though, Adams is merely echoing the form of the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which brings together free elaboration and strict counterpoint, as well as popular manners and ‘learnèd’ formality. Raw energy reasserts itself in the finale, which consists of vivacissimo and prestissimo sections that allude to the powerfully repeated opening chords of the “Waldstein” Sonata, Op.53 (inspired by the memory of Adams’ son practising), but the last word is given to the gentle chiming of the harp, piano and cowbells. © Gordon Kerry 2017 This is the first performance of this work by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
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PROGRAM NOTES
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 Choral Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso Molto vivace – Presto – Molto vivace Adagio molto e cantabile – Andante moderato Allegro assai (Choral Finale on Schiller’s Ode to Joy) Jacqueline Porter soprano Liane Keegan contralto Henry Choo tenor Shane Lowrencev bass Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus Warren Trevelyan-Jones chorus master
This Kiss of the whole world! In 1981 the United Nations decided, in resolution 36/67, that 21 September would henceforth be designated as the International Day of Peace; a worldwide day of armistice, ceasefires and nonviolence. On this day Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was going to be performed all around the globe; its message of Alle Menschen werden Brüder (All mankind become brothers) making a profound impact – even if only for a day. It is, however, interesting to look at the political use of this Symphony, which, more than any other piece of music, has become an emblem for the widest variety of ideologies. In 1972 the European Council elected the famous theme from the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as its anthem, and asked 10
the conductor Herbert von Karajan to write three different arrangements, all without text, so the music, being a universal language, would be able to communicate the ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity to people from all nationalities. In 1985 the music even became the offical anthem of the European Union, which was remarkable, given the fact that the Symphony had a very controversial history within Europe, especially in Germany. During the period of the Third Reich the music of the Ninth Symphony was perceived to communicate the idea of one united people under the leadership of a Lieber Vater (Loving Father). Adolf Hitler had the Symphony performed by Wilhelm Furtwängler on 19 April 1942 as a birthday present to himself. It was a performance of incredible depth and intensity, as if the conductor wanted to secure that the message of humanity and compassion would come across in a time where these had become rare virtues. 58 years later, on 7 May 2000, the same music sounded once again; this time with Sir Simon Rattle conducting in the former concentration camp Mauthausen – a concert for which members of the governing Austrian Schwartz-Blaue coalition, among them Chancellor Schüssel and the extreme right wing politician Jörg Haider, were conspicuously not invited. One of the most incredible moments in recent history was, of course, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Immediately afterwards, on Christmas Day 1989, Leonard Bernstein conducted a choir
and orchestra with musicians from both sides of the Iron Curtain during a concert for freedom with – of course – Beethoven’s Ninth. For this occasion Bernstein even adapted the text, substituting the word Freude (joy) with Freiheit (freedom). Furthermore, less than six months previous, on the other side of the world, tens of thousands of students had gathered on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, only becoming silent when Beethoven’s Ninth was played over loudspeakers. Their feeling of liberty was sadly short lived and crushed a day later when the army arrived. Through these, and many other politically charged performances of Beethoven’s Ninth – not to mention the influence this work has had on literature, film and visual arts (think Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange or Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze in Vienna’s Secession Building) – the Symphony has gained almost mythical dimensions. The work has become part of the human collective consciousness. But let’s be clear about one important fact: stripped away from the text, as powerful as Beethoven’s notes are, the notes themselves never convey any political standpoint. Music doesn’t chose sides. As the conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim eloquently expressed: ‘You cannot use music for something else [...] When that happens, the music will be manipulated. Music has indeed been manipulated by many regimes.’ The value of an iconic work of art such as Beethoven’s Ninth lies in its
contribution to the political debate, because of the space it allows for personal reflection and shared emotion. In 1784 Friedrich Schiller – yes, the poet of the Ode to Joy – wrote that the jurisdiction of the stage starts where the jurisdiction of the courts ends: When morals are no longer being taught, when no religion is being believed in, when no laws are at hand, Medea will still look at us, descending the steps of her palace, after the murder of her children. [...] In the same way as a visual presentation works stronger than dead letters or a cold narration, theatre works deeper and longer than morals and laws. Schiller cherished lofty ideals and his Ode to Joy, which was in fact meant as a geselliges Lied (merry song) that could be sung by a group of friends, their glasses raised (Lasst den Schaum zum Himmel sprützen: Dieses Glas dem guten Geist – Let the foam bubble to the heavens: this glass to the Good Spirit), expresses these Utopian ideals about living and dying in freedom under the guiding eye of a benign God in the best possible way. Beethoven made a conscious decision to use not the whole of the lengthy poem, but only a couple of strophes that suited his ideas. Beethoven must have started to think about the poem and the symphony around 1793 and the first real sketches were made in 1789/1799. When he received the commission from the London Philharmonic Society for two new symphonies in 1817, he immediately commenced to work feverishly. From 11
PROGRAM NOTES
that same year we have a groundplan for, in Beethoven’s words: An Adagio Cantique – pious song in a symphony in the ancient modes – Lord we praise thee – alleluja – either as an independent piece or as the introduction to a fugue. The whole second symphony will probably be characterised this way, whereby the singing voices will enter in the finale, or even in the Adagio. [...] Or the Adagio will be repeated in the finale in a certain way, after which the singing voices will be introduced one by one.In the text of the Adagio, a Greek myth, the text of a religious song – in the Allegro, a celebration of Bacchus. In this note we see the structure and the character of the work slowly emerging. The link Beethoven makes between the ancient Greek (the concepts of the Apollinian and the Dionysian) and the Christian faith is very interesting. After the Napoleonic wars, Austria slipped into a political crisis, as well as a deep economical recession. Many of Beethoven’s noble and wealthy patrons went bankrupt and as a result concert life, that was heavily relient on the support of these noblemen, came to a standstil. Still, despite all this, Beethoven was able to organise an Akademie on 7 May 1824 in the Kärntnerthor Theatre with a huge orchestra and chorus made up of some of Vienna’s top musicians and singers. The program opened with the Overture to Die Weihe des Hauses (The 12
Consecration of the House), written two years before for the inauguration of the new Josephstadt Theatre. Was it Beethoven’s intention to ‘consecrate’ the theatre for the ensuing musical ritual by means of this overture? Because, after the Overture, came three movements from the Missa Solemnis – Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei; two prayers for pity and peace, as well as the creed. The final work on the program was the new symphony: three instrumental movements, including an Adagio as ‘cantique’, followed by a ‘Dionysian’ Finale: Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such ihn überm Sternenzelt. (Do you sense your Creator, world? Go seek him beyond the stars!) A look at some of the reviews show that the dramaturgy of the program didn’t fail. The Allgemeine Theater Zeitung called Beethoven a ‘musical Shakespeare’ who has all possibilities of his art at his command and who ‘with the tiniest of gestures can sing about the deepest belief in the holy work of redemption, praises God and the hope for compassion.’ Another found the opening Allegro ‘bold and defiant, executed with truly athletic energy’. Punctuating the movement’s enormous 15-minute design, strategically placed returns of its colossal opening idea underpin the almost fissile energy generated by the sheer mass of scraping, blowing and drumming. Never before had sounds of such sustained violence been imagined, let alone produced by instruments.
Wagner later pictured the second movement as a Bacchanalian spree of worldly pleasures. But while its motoric force is compulsive, Beethoven hardly thought of his big scherzo as mindless. Far from it; he keeps its overflowing energy meticulously controlled and channelled, not least when the predominant fourbar triple beat is dramatically jerked into three-bar phrases. Berlioz imagined the slow movement ‘might better be thought as two distinct pieces, the first melody in B flat, four-in-a-bar, followed by an absolutely different one, in triple-time in D’. Yet, in Beethoven’s interweaving of this unlikely pair, Berlioz heard ‘such melancholy tenderness, passionate sadness, and religious meditation’ as to be beyond words to describe. Everyone in the first Vienna audience in May 1824 must have known that something extraordinary was about to take place. Certainly, the London press intimated in advance of the British premiere a year later: ‘In the last movement is introduced a song! Schiller’s – famous Ode to Joy – which forms a most extraordinary contrast with the whole, and is calculated to excite surprise, certainly, and perhaps admiration.’ To Adolph Bernhard Marx – the early 19th-century music historian whose writings helped enshrine Beethoven as ‘supreme master’ and Germany as centre of the ‘cult of music’ – Beethoven’s earlier symphonies had suggested that instrumental music
could be even more eloquent than words. Yet finally, Marx believed, Beethoven showed that this was not so: ‘Having devoted his life to instrumental sounds, he once again summons his forces for his boldest, most gigantic effort. But behold! – unreal instrumental voices no longer satisfy him, and he is drawn irresistibly back to the human voice.’ As the orchestra introduces brief flashbacks to each of the first three movements, the cellos and basses attempt an unlikely recitative: ‘but when the string basses painfully attempt their ungainly imitation of human speech; and when they begin to hum timidly the simple human tune, and hand it over to the rest of the orchestra, we see that, after all, the needs of humanity reach beyond the enchanted world of instruments, so that, in the end, Beethoven only finds satisfaction in the chorus of humanity itself.’ Despairing of instruments’ feeble efforts, the solo baritone announces (the introductory lines are Beethoven’s own, not Schiller’s): O friends! No more these sounds! Instead let us sing out more pleasingly, with joy abundant! © Graeme Skinner, 2014 and Ronald Vermeulen, 2017 The first performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra took place on 13 November 1941, under conductor Bernard Heinze. The soloists were Thea Philips, Frances Forbes, William Herbert and Raymond Beatty, with the Melbourne Philharmonic Society Choir. The Orchestra’s most recent performances were in April 2015 with Diego Matheuz; the soloists were Susan Gritton, Fiona Campbell, Bülent Bezdüz and Teddy Tahu Rhodes.
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Ode An die Freude (To Joy) after Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere.*
Oh friends, no more these sounds! Instead let us sing out more pleasingly, with joy abundant.
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt: alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Oh joy, pure spark of God, daughter from Elysium, with hearts afire, divine one, we come to your sanctuary. Your heavenly powers reunite what custom sternly keeps apart: all mankind become brothers beneath your sheltering wing.
Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen eines Freundes Freund zu sein, wer ein holdes Weib errungen, mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle weinend sich aus diesem Bund!
Whoever has known the blessing of being friend to a friend, whoever has won a fine woman, whoever, indeed, calls even one soul on this earth his own, let their joy be joined with ours. But let the one who knows none of this steal, weeping, from our midst.
Freude trinken alle Wesen an den Brüsten der Natur, alle Guten, alle Bösen, folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, und der Cherub steht vor Gott.
All beings drink in joy at Nature’s bosom, the virtuous and the wicked alike follow her rosy path. Kisses she gave to us, and wine, and a friend loyal to the death; bliss to the lowest worm she gave, and the cherub stands before God.
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen durch des Himmels prächtgen Plan, laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen!
Joyously, as His dazzling suns traverse the heavens, so, brothers, run your course, exultant, as a hero claims victory.
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Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt: alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Oh joy, pure spark of God, daughter from Elysium, with hearts afire, divine one, we come to your sanctuary. Your heavenly powers reunite what custom sternly keeps apart: all mankind become brothers beneath your sheltering wing.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen, diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Be enfolded, all ye millions, in this kiss of the whole world! Brothers, above the canopy of stars must dwell a loving Father.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muss er wohnen.
Do you fall down, ye millions? In awe of your Creator, world? Go seek Him beyond the stars! For there assuredly He dwells.
Freude, schöner Götterfunken…
O joy, pure spark of God, etc.
Text by Friedrich von Schiller English translation Anthony Cane © 2000 *The initial three lines were added by Beethoven in 1823. 15
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sir Andrew Davis Chief Conductor Benjamin Northey Associate Conductor Tianyi Lu Cybec Assistant Conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki Conductor Laureate (1974-2006) FIRST VIOLINS
Dale Barltrop
CELLOS
Matthew Tomkins
David Berlin
Robert Macindoe
Rachael Tobin
Associate Principal
Associate Principal
Monica Curro
Nicholas Bochner
Principal The Gross Foundation#
Assistant Principal Danny Gorog and Lindy Susskind#
Mary Allison Isin Cakmakcioglu Freya Franzen
Concertmaster
Eoin Andersen Concertmaster
#
Anonymous
Sophie Rowell
Associate Concertmaster The Ullmer Family Foundation#
John Marcus Principal
Peter Edwards
Assistant Principal
Kirsty Bremner Sarah Curro Michael Aquilina
#
Peter Fellin Deborah Goodall Lorraine Hook Kirstin Kenny Ji Won Kim Eleanor Mancini
David and Helen Moses#
Mark Mogilevski Michelle Ruffolo Kathryn Taylor #
Michael Aquilina
Oksana Thompson*
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SECOND VIOLINS
Cong Gu Andrew Hall
Andrew and Judy Rogers#
Isy Wasserman Philippa West Patrick Wong Roger Young Jenny Khafagi*
Principal MS Newman Family#
Assistant Principal
Miranda Brockman Geelong Friends of the MSO#
Rohan de Korte
Andrew Dudgeon#
Keith Johnson Sarah Morse Angela Sargeant Michelle Wood
Andrew and Theresa Dyer# DOUBLE BASSES
Steve Reeves Principal
Andrew Moon
VIOLAS
Associate Principal
Christopher Moore
Assistant Principal
Principal Di Jameson#
Fiona Sargeant
Associate Principal
Lauren Brigden
Tam Vu, Peter and Lyndsey Hawkins#
Katharine Brockman Christopher Cartlidge Michael Aquilina
#
Anthony Chataway Gabrielle Halloran Trevor Jones Cindy Watkin Elizabeth Woolnough Caleb Wright Lisa Grosman* Helen Ireland*
Sylvia Hosking
Damien Eckersley Benjamin Hanlon Suzanne Lee Stephen Newton Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser# FLUTES
Prudence Davis Principal Anonymous#
Wendy Clarke
Associate Principal
Sarah Beggs PICCOLO
Andrew Macleod Principal
TRUMPETS
MSO BOARD
Jeffrey Crellin
Geoffrey Payne
Chairman
Thomas Hutchinson
Shane Hooton
Associate Principal
Managing Director
Ann Blackburn
William Evans Rosie Turner Tristan Rebien*
Sophie Galaise
OBOES Principal
Associate Principal
The Rosemary Norman Foundation# COR ANGLAIS
Michael Pisani
Principal
TROMBONES
Principal
Brett Kelly
CLARINETS
Richard Shirley
David Thomas
BASS TROMBONE
Principal
Philip Arkinstall
Associate Principal
Craig Hill Robin Henry* BASS CLARINET
Jon Craven Principal
BASSOONS
Jack Schiller Principal
Elise Millman
Principal
Mike Szabo Principal TUBA
Principal
John Arcaro
Tim and Lyn Edward#
Robert Cossom
CONTRABASSOON
HARP
Brock Imison
Yinuo Mu Principal
HORNS
PIANO/CELESTE
Carla Blackwood*
Louisa Breen* Leigh Harrold*
Abbey Edlin
Nereda Hanlon & Michael Hanlon AM#
Trinette McClimont Lauren Manuel*^
Oliver Carton
Robert Clarke
Brent Miller*
Principal Third
Company Secretary
PERCUSSION
Natasha Thomas
Saul Lewis
Andrew Dyer Danny Gorog Margaret Jackson AC David Krasnostein David Li Hyon-Ju Newman Helen Silver AO
Principal
TIMPANI ##
Guest Principal
Board Members
Timothy Buzbee
Associate Principal
Principal
Michael Ullmer
# Position supported by ## Timpani Chair position supported by Lady Potter AC * Guest Musician ^ Courtesy of Queensland Symphony Orchestra 17
MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS
CHORUS MASTER
ALTO
TENOR
Warren Trevelyan-Jones
Aleksandra Acker
James Allen
Satu Aho
Tony Barnett
Ruth Anderson
Peter Campbell
Catherine Bickell
John Cleghorn
Cecilia Bjรถrkegren
Geoffrey Collins
Lucien Fischer
Kate Bramley
James Dipnall
SOPRANO
Jane Brodie
David Floyd
Alexandra Cameron
Lyndon Horsburgh
Serena Carmel
Wayne Kinrade
Alexandra Chubaty
Jessop Maticevski Shumack
REPETITEUR
Tom Griffiths CHORUS COORDINATOR
Aviva Barazani Eva Butcher Stephanie Collins Rita Fitzgerald Catherine Folley Susan Fone Camilla Gorman Karling Hamill Emma Hamley Penny Huggett Tania Jacobs Anna Kidman Karin Otto Jodie Paxton Tanja Redl Mhairi Riddet Jo Robin Elizabeth Rusli Natalia Salazar Jillian Samuels Jemima Sim Shu Xian
Jill Giese Debbie Griffiths Ros Harbison Sue Hawley Jennifer Henry Kristine Hensel Helen MacLean Christina McCowan Rosemary McKelvie Siobhan Ormandy Alison Ralph Mair Roberts Helen Rommelaar Annie Runnalls Lisa Savige Helen Staindl Libby Timcke Jenny Vallins
Dominic McKenna Michael Mobach Jean-Francois Ravat Daniel Riley Tim Wright BASS
Maurice Amor Richard Bolitho Paul Alexander Chantler Roger Dargaville Andrew Ham Jordan Janssen Gary Levy Vern O'Hara Edward Ounapuu Stephen Pyk Liam Straughan
Freja Soininen
Matthew Toulmin
Chiara Stebbing
Tom Turnbull
Elizabeth Tindall
Maurice Wan
Tara Zamin
Simon Wright Maciek Zielinski
18
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SUPPORTERS MSO PATRON The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria
ARTIST CHAIR BENEFACTORS
MSO Audience Access Crown Resorts Foundation Packer Family Foundation
Anthony Pratt Associate Conductor Chair
MSO Education supported by Mrs Margaret Ross AM and Dr Ian Ross
Joy Selby Smith Orchestral Leadership Chair
MSO International Touring supported by Harold Mitchell AC
The Cybec Foundation Cybec Assistant Conductor Chair
MSO Regional Touring Creative Victoria The Robert Salzer Foundation
The Ullmer Family Foundation Associate Concertmaster Chair Anonymous Principal Flute Chair The Gross Foundation Principal Second Violin Chair Di Jameson Principal Viola Chair MS Newman Family Foundation Principal Cello Chair
The Pizzicato Effect Collier Charitable Fund The Marian and E.H. Flack Trust Schapper Family Foundation Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust Supported by the Hume City Council’s Community Grants Program (Anonymous)
Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO 2018 Soloist in Residence Chair
Sidney Myer Free Concerts Supported by the Myer Foundation and the University of Melbourne
PROGRAM BENEFACTORS
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE $100,000+
Cybec 21st Century Australian Composers Program The Cybec Foundation
Marc Besen AC and Eva Besen AO John Gandel AC and Pauline Gandel The Gross Foundation ◊ David and Angela Li MS Newman Family Foundation ◊ Anthony Pratt ◊ The Pratt Foundation Joy Selby Smith Ullmer Family Foundation ◊ Anonymous (1)
Cybec Young Composer in Residence made possible by The Cybec Foundation East Meets West supported by the Li Family Trust Meet The Orchestra made possible by The Ullmer Family Foundation 20
VIRTUOSO PATRONS $50,000+
PRINCIPAL PATRONS $5,000+
Di Jameson ◊ David Krasnostein and Pat Stragalinos Mr Ren Xiao Jian and Mrs Li Quian Harold Mitchell AC Kim Williams AM
Christine and Mark Armour John and Mary Barlow Stephen and Caroline Brain Prof Ian Brighthope David and Emma Capponi Wendy Dimmick Andrew Dudgeon AM ◊ Andrew and Theresa Dyer ◊ Tim and Lyn Edward ◊ Mr Bill Fleming John and Diana Frew Susan Fry and Don Fry AO Sophie Galaise and Clarence Fraser ◊ Geelong Friends of the MSO ◊ Jennifer Gorog HMA Foundation Louis Hamon OAM Hans and Petra Henkell Hartmut and Ruth Hofmann Jack Hogan Doug Hooley Jenny and Peter Hordern Dr Alastair Jackson D & CS Kipen on behalf of Israel Kipen Dr Elizabeth A Lewis AM Peter Lovell Lesley McMullin Foundation Mr Douglas and Mrs Rosemary Meagher David and Helen Moses ◊ Dr Paul Nisselle AM The Rosemary Norman Foundation ◊ Ken Ong, in memory of Lin Ong Bruce Parncutt and Robin Campbell Jim and Fran Pfeiffer Pzena Investment Charitable Fund Andrew and Judy Rogers ◊ Max and Jill Schultz
IMPRESARIO PATRONS $20,000+ Michael Aquilina ◊ The John and Jennifer Brukner Foundation Perri Cutten and Jo Daniell Mary and Frederick Davidson AM Rachel and the late Hon. Alan Goldberg AO QC Hilary Hall, in memory of Wilma Collie Margaret Jackson AC Andrew Johnston Mimie MacLaren John and Lois McKay
MAESTRO PATRONS $10,000+ Kaye and David Birks Mitchell Chipman Sir Andrew and Lady Davis Danny Gorog and Lindy Susskind ◊ Robert & Jan Green Nereda Hanlon and Michael Hanlon AM ◊ Suzanne Kirkham The Cuming Bequest Ian and Jeannie Paterson Lady Potter AC CMRI ◊ Elizabeth Proust AO Rae Rothfield Glenn Sedgwick Helen Silver AO and Harrison Young Maria Solà Profs. G & G Stephenson, in honour of the great Romanian musicians George Enescu and Dinu Lipatti Gai and David Taylor Juliet Tootell Alice Vaughan Kee Wong and Wai Tang Jason Yeap OAM
Stephen Shanasy Mr Tam Vu and Dr Cherilyn Tillman ◊ The Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall Lyn Williams AM Anonymous (1)
ASSOCIATE PATRONS $2,500+ Dandolo Partners Will and Dorothy Bailey Bequest Barbara Bell, in memory of Elsa Bell Bill Bowness Lynne Burgess Oliver Carton John and Lyn Coppock Miss Ann Darby, in memory of Leslie J. Darby Natasha Davies, for the Trikojus Education Fund Merrowyn Deacon Beryl Dean Sandra Dent Peter and Leila Doyle Lisa Dwyer and Dr Ian Dickson Jane Edmanson OAM Dr Helen M Ferguson Mr Peter Gallagher and Dr Karen Morley Dina and Ron Goldschlager Louise Gourlay OAM Peter and Lyndsey Hawkins ◊ Susan and Gary Hearst Colin Heggen, in memory of Marjorie Drysdale Heggen Rosemary and James Jacoby Jenkins Family Foundation C W Johnston Family John Jones George and Grace Kass Irene Kearsey and M J Ridley The Ilma Kelson Music Foundation Kloeden Foundation Bryan Lawrence Ann and George Littlewood
H E McKenzie Allan and Evelyn McLaren Don and Anne Meadows Marie Morton FRSA Annabel and Rupert Myer AO Ann Peacock with Andrew and Woody Kroger Sue and Barry Peake Mrs W Peart Graham and Christine Peirson Ruth and Ralph Renard S M Richards AM and M R Richards Tom and Elizabeth Romanowski Jeffrey Sher QC and Diana Sher OAM Diana and Brian Snape AM Dr Norman and Dr Sue Sonenberg Geoff and Judy Steinicke William and Jenny Ullmer Elisabeth Wagner Brian and Helena Worsfold Peter and Susan Yates Anonymous (8)
PLAYER PATRONS $1,000+ David and Cindy Abbey Christa Abdallah Dr Sally Adams Mary Armour Arnold Bloch Leibler Philip Bacon AM Marlyn and Peter Bancroft OAM Adrienne Basser Prof Weston Bate and Janice Bate Janet Bell David Blackwell Anne Bowden Michael F Boyt The Late Mr John Brockman OAM and Mrs Pat Brockman Dr John Brookes Suzie and Harvey Brown
Roger and Col Buckle Jill and Christopher Buckley Bill and Sandra Burdett Lynne Burgess Peter Caldwell Joe Cordone Andrew and Pamela Crockett Pat and Bruce Davis Marie Dowling John and Anne Duncan Ruth Eggleston Kay Ehrenberg Jaan Enden Valerie Falconer and the Rayner Family in memory of Keith Falconer Amy and Simon Feiglin Grant Fisher and Helen Bird Barry Fradkin OAM and Dr Pam Fradkin Applebay Pty Ltd David Frenkiel and Esther Frenkiel OAM David Gibbs and Susie O'Neill Merwyn and Greta Goldblatt Colin Golvan QC and Dr Deborah Golvan George Golvan QC and Naomi Golvan Dr Marged Goode Max Gulbin Dr Sandra Hacker AO and Mr Ian Kennedy AM Jean Hadges Michael and Susie Hamson Paula Hansky OAM Merv Keehn and Sue Harlow Tilda and Brian Haughney Penelope Hughes Basil and Rita Jenkins Stuart Jennings Dorothy Karpin Brett Kelly and Cindy Watkin Dr Anne Kennedy Julie and Simon Kessel Kerry Landman William and Magdalena Leadston
Andrew Lee Norman Lewis, in memory of Dr Phyllis Lewis Dr Anne Lierse Andrew Lockwood Violet and Jeff Loewenstein Elizabeth H Loftus Chris and Anna Long The Hon. Ian Macphee AO and Mrs Julie Macphee Vivienne Hadj and Rosemary Madden Eleanor and Phillip Mancini Dr Julianne Bayliss In memory of Leigh Masel John and Margaret Mason Ruth Maxwell Jenny McGregor AM and Peter Allen Glenda McNaught Wayne and Penny Morgan Ian Morrey and Geoffrey Minter JB Hi-Fi Ltd Patricia Nilsson Laurence O'Keefe and Christopher James Alan and Dorothy Pattison Margaret Plant Kerryn Pratchett Peter Priest Treena Quarin Eli Raskin Raspin Family Trust Bobbie Renard Peter and Carolyn Rendit Dr Rosemary Ayton and Dr Sam Ricketson Joan P Robinson Cathy and Peter Rogers Doug and Elisabeth Scott Martin and Susan Shirley Dr Sam Smorgon AO and Mrs Minnie Smorgon John So Dr Michael Soon Lady Southey AC Jennifer Steinicke Dr Peter Strickland Pamela Swansson 21
SUPPORTERS Jenny Tatchell Frank Tisher OAM and Dr Miriam Tisher P and E Turner The Hon. Rosemary Varty Leon and Sandra Velik Sue Walker AM Elaine Walters OAM and Gregory Walters Edward and Paddy White Nic and Ann Willcock Marian and Terry Wills Cooke Lorraine Woolley Richard Ye Panch Das and Laurel Young-Das Anonymous (22)
THE MAHLER SYNDICATE David and Kaye Birks Mary and Frederick Davidson AM Tim and Lyn Edward John and Diana Frew Francis and Robyn Hofmann The Hon. Dr Barry Jones AC Dr Paul Nisselle AM Maria Solà The Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall
TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS Ken and Asle Chilton Trust, managed by Perpetual Collier Charitable Fund Crown Resorts Foundation and the Packer Family Foundation The Cybec Foundation The Marian and E.H. Flack Trust Gandel Philanthropy Linnell/Hughes Trust, managed by Perpetual The Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust The Harold Mitchell Foundation The Myer Foundation The Pratt Foundation 22
The Robert Salzer Foundation Alan (AGL) Shaw Endowment, managed by Perpetual Telematics Trust
CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE Jenny Anderson David Angelovich G C Bawden and L de Kievit Lesley Bawden Joyce Bown Mrs Jenny Brukner and the late Mr John Brukner Ken Bullen Peter A Caldwell Luci and Ron Chambers Beryl Dean Sandra Dent Lyn Edward Alan Egan JP Gunta Eglite Mr Derek Grantham Marguerite GarnonWilliams Louis Hamon OAM Carol Hay Tony Howe Laurence O'Keefe and Christopher James Audrey M Jenkins John Jones George and Grace Kass Mrs Sylvia Lavelle Pauline and David Lawton Cameron Mowat Rosia Pasteur Elizabeth Proust AO Penny Rawlins Joan P Robinson Neil Roussac Anne Roussac-Hoyne Suzette Sherazee Michael Ryan and Wendy Mead Ann and Andrew Serpell Jennifer Shepherd Profs. Gabriela and George Stephenson Pamela Swansson Lillian Tarry Dr Cherilyn Tillman
Mr and Mrs R P Trebilcock Michael Ullmer Ila Vanrenen The Hon. Rosemary Varty Mr Tam Vu Marian and Terry Wills Cooke Mark Young Anonymous (23) The MSO gratefully acknowledges the support received from the estates of
The MSO relies on your ongoing philanthropic support to sustain our artists, and support access, education, community engagement and more. We invite our suporters to get close to the MSO through a range of special events.
Angela Beagley Neilma Gantner Gwen Hunt Audrey Jenkins Joan Jones Pauline Marie Johnston C P Kemp Peter Forbes MacLaren Joan Winsome Maslen Lorraine Maxine Meldrum Prof Andrew McCredie Miss Sheila Scotter AM MBE Marion A I H M Spence Molly Stephens Jean Tweedie Herta and Fred B Vogel Dorothy Wood
The MSO welcomes your support at any level. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible, and supporters are recognised as follows:
HONORARY APPOINTMENTS
$50,000+ (Virtuoso)
Sir Elton John CBE Life Member
$100,000+ (Chairman’s Circle)
The Hon. Alan Goldberg AO QC* Life Member
The MSO Conductor’s Circle is our bequest program for members who have notified of a planned gift in their Will.
Geoffrey Rush AC Ambassador John Brockman OAM* Life Member
$1,000+ (Player) $2,500+ (Associate) $5,000+ (Principal) $10,000+ (Maestro) $20,000+ (Impresario)
ENQUIRIES
Ila Vanrenen* Life Member
Phone (03) 8646 1551
*Deceased
Email philanthropy@ mso.com.au
◊ Signifies Adopt an MSO Musician supporter
SUPPORTERS PRINCIPAL PARTNER
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
PREMIER PARTNERS
VENUE PARTNER
MAJOR PARTNERS
EDUCATION PARTNERS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Quest Southbank
e CEO Institute
Ernst & Young
Bows for Strings
TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
The Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Trust
e Gross Foundation, Li Family Trust, MS Newman Family Foundation, e Ullmer Family Foundation MEDIA AND BROADCAST PARTNERS
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