Ng Pei-Sian plays Dvořák • Rach 2 Programme Booklet

28 & 29 MAY 2022 SOTA CONCERT HALL

ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS

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CONCERT INFORMATION ABOUT OMM ARTIST BIOS PROGRAMME NOTES UPCOMING CONCERTS THE MUSIC MAKERS OUR DONORS SUPPORT US

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NG PEI-SIAN PLAYS DVOŘÁK • RACH 2 28 MAY 2022, 7.30PM 29 MAY 2022, 5PM SOTA CONCERT HALL ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS JOSHUA TAN, CONDUCTOR NG PEI-SIAN, CELLO ANTONIN DVOŘÁK - CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR, OP. 104 (41 MIN) SERGEI RACHMANINOV - SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN E MINOR, OP. 27 (55 MIN)

Concert duration: ~2h inclusive of 15 min intermission Photographs and videos will be taken at the event, in which you may appear.

These may be published in OMM’s publicity channels and materials.

By attending the event, you consent to the use of these photographs and videos for the foregoing purposes.

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ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS

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WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS, AND WE ARE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS. — ARTHUR O’SHAUGHNESSY, “ODE” The Orchestra of the Music Makers (OMM) is a Singapore-based symphony orchestra established in 2008, comprising over 140 highly-trained volunteer musicians. Although many have chosen careers outside of music, our musicians are dedicated to the high standards of music-making and community work which OMM stands for. Under the mentorship of Chan Tze Law, a leading Singaporean conductor and Vice-Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, OMM has become an integral part of Singapore’s classical music scene and has gained international repute.

Over the years, OMM has continued to challenge expectations by taking on works of epic proportions. Following the successful performances of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Bernstein’s Mass in 2017 and 2018 respectively, OMM presented the long overdue Singapore Premiere of Wagner’s Die Walküre in January 2020 to critical acclaim.

OMM was among the most active arts groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, organising 16 digital productions, live performances, and outreach events from August 2020 to December 2021. Recordings of these digital productions have also been featured at the Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as on the Singapore Airlines Inflight Entertainment System.

Orchestra of the Music Makers Ltd. is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

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JOSHUA TAN, CONDUCTOR

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Joshua Tan was 2nd Prize winner of the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition and an awardee of numerous scholarships and awards. For an unprecedented two years running, his performances of Bernstein’s Mass and the opera Don Pasquale were selected as the best classical concert of the year 2018 and 2019 by the Straits Times.

Joshua has conducted the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Beethoven Bonn Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others. He has studied with various eminent conductors - James DePreist, Charles Dutoit, David Zinman and Kurt Masur.

Joshua is at home with symphonic, operatic, ballet works and also equally adept with music for film and multimedia. Presently Principal Conductor of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and Director of the Asia Virtuosi, he has served successful stints as Resident Conductor of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

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NG PEI-SIAN, CELLO

Born in Sydney in 1984, Pei-Sian began studies in Adelaide with Barbara Yelland and later with Janis Laurs at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, before winning the prestigious Elder Overseas Scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music. Pei-Sian completed his studies under Professor Ralph Kirshbaum, during which he was awarded the RNCM Gold Medal.

Pei-Sian has made appearances in important music festivals including the Manchester International Cello Festival, Kronberg Academy, and Adelaide International Cello Festival. He performed Tan Dun's Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto with The Festival Orchestra, and has also shared the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Cho Liang Lin, Renaud Capuçon and Alina Ibragimova.

Pei-Sian is currently Principal Cellist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. He performs on a 1764 Giovanni Antonio Marchi cello, Bologna.

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18 & 19 JUNE 2022, 7.30PM I ESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO LOH JUN HONG, VIOLIN I NG PEI-SIAN, CELLO I ABIGAIL SIN, PIANO Ravel Sonata for Violin and Cello Martinu Cello Sonata No. 3 Beethoven Piano Trio, Op. 97 "Archduke" Tickets at https://frommetoyou.peatix.com

Supported by

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DVOŘÁK

CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR, OP. 104 I. ALLEGRO II. ADAGIO MA NON TROPPO III. FINALE: ALLEGRO MODERATO

Dvořák's Cello Concerto was the last work he completed in the United States, where he conducted and taught for three years. In the spring of 1894, Dvořák had heard his American colleague Victor Herbert’s Second Cello Concerto, and was inspired to write one. He especially admired Herbert’s brilliant use of the cello’s upper registers, which he had previously regarded as weak and limited, and the way in which Herbert effectively balanced the cello and orchestra.

Written in the traditional three-movement structure, the first movement (Allegro) opens tentatively and rapidly builds to a scorching orchestral introduction. The second theme’s tender heart-on-sleeve lyrical affection led Sir Donald Tovey to describe it as "one of the most beautiful passages ever written for horn". The solo cello enters, improvising on the opening theme, which becomes a backbone of the masterful development section. In the recapitulation, the two main themes are reversed, as the opening theme grandly concludes the movement.

In the second movement (Adagio ma non troppo), Dvořák spins another of his classic slow movements, full of emotional warmth and lyricism. In a free three-part form, a choralelike theme in the winds opens the movement, and a serene, pastoral mood is evoked. After a sudden outburst, the cello sings Leave Me Alone, one of Dvořák’s 4 Lieder, Op. 82, and a favourite of Josefina Kaunitzova, his sister-in-law, whom he had fallen in love with in his youth. This song fragment is passed around the winds, this time accompanied

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by the solo cello. Eventually, the main theme of the movement is restated prayerfully in a trio of French horns. A short cello cadenza, accompanied by fluttering birdsong, returns us to the initial pastoral mood.

The Finale features several rhythmic and lyrical themes. The dance-like fast sections sparkle with finger-breaking virtuosity while the slower episodes are filled with some of the work’s most heartfelt moments. Through several Wagnerian harmonic shifts, the Concerto arrives at its climax, where the concertmaster joins the soloist in a radiantly fervent duet. The music then dashes towards what was meant to be its original conclusion. However, when Dvořák learnt that Josefina had passed away, he rewrote the ending, adding recollections of themes from the first two movements. In particular, Leave Me Alone reappears – this time in the heights of the solo violin. A slow section, reminiscent of a funeral march with elegiac triplets in the timpani, gives way to an astonishing Andante Maestoso, concluding the Concerto in a blaze of orchestral splendour.

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RACHMANINOV

SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN E MINOR, OP. 27 I. LARGO; ALLEGRO MODERATO II. ALLEGRO MOLTO III. ADAGIO IV. ALLEGRO VIVACE

By the autumn of 1906, Rachmaninov came to feel that his concertizing activities were leaving him too little time for composition. He moved to Dresden to escape the burden of public life in Moscow, where he was in constant demand as a pianist, conductor, guest and collaborator on all things musical. He leased a villa there, in which he would spend considerable time over the next few years.

During this period, he composed several important scores, including Piano Sonata No. 1 and the symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead.

Having finally exorcised the demon of his First Symphony’s failure, he was able to consider the creation of a successor. His efforts won total vindication when the first performance, which he personally conducted in St. Petersburg on February 8, 1908, scored a resounding triumph.

Desperation exudes from the opening of the first movement (Largo), cellos and basses playing a dark motto theme, a stark leftover from Rachmaninov’s depression. First the woodwinds, and then the violins enter, sinuously playing a variant of the motto theme in response, before the lower strings take centre-stage again and the sequence is repeated, with more and more instruments entering, leading up to an intense climax and a rapid descent. Out of this, arises a pensive English horn soliloquy, which brings us into the first movement proper (Allegro Moderato). A soft shuddering rising scale brings us to yet another variant of the motto theme, but more urgent and forward-thrusting this time. There is a gradual increase in tempo, building towards a

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warm climax, before sinking back into silence.

The lyrical second theme is introduced, a gentle sighing figure for woodwinds answered by whispering strings. This too dies away into silence, and a solo violin rhapsody marks the start of the development section. The orchestra grows animated as the opening theme of the Allegro is developed into a series of climaxes, in which the recapitulation section is introduced, with reprises of the first and second themes, coupled with a soaring melody for strings. An abrupt coda rounds the movement off with a harsh and strident military tone.

The energy at the end of the first movement is carried into the Scherzo (Allegro Molto), which in true Russian form comes before the third, slow movement of the symphony.

An infectious gallop is infused right from the beginning of this movement, with a passionate and exuberant subject that is tossed with wild abandon between sections. The second violins start a brilliant fugue – which requires utmost virtuosity from the orchestra. A swift transition back into the Scherzo leads into a brass chorale that cites the Dies Irae from the Gregorian Mass for the Dead.

The violins begin the Adagio with a beautiful sunrise – arguably the most memorable tune of the whole symphony. The heart-rending clarinet melody that follows is yet another example of how Rachmaninov builds expansive phrases upon just a few notes. With a musical scene change, various solo instruments, beginning with the horn, quote the opening phrase of the movement. This is the transition

to the return of the great melody at the start of the movement, but this time, the clarinet delivers the introduction, and the violins take over the great melody.

The finale (Allegro Vivace) opens with a wild burst of energy and a highly rhythmic theme that recalls the Neapolitan tarantella folk dance. Full of vigour and excitement, it is contrasted with a hushed march for horns, timpani and plucked strings. Reminiscences from previous movements abound, and the transition back into the tarantella merges the Dies Irae with a network of descending scales, generating a swirl of sound. With the return of the brass chorale from the second movement, a blood-stirring rush to the close seals one of the greatest romantic symphonies ever written.

PROGRAMME NOTES

BY CHRISTOPHER CHEONG

Turkish Delights & Simple Gifts re:Sound with Keila Wakao Leader: Yang Shuxiang m o z a r t

Overture to The Abduction from the Seralgio

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c o p l a n d

Appalachian Spring Suite (chamber version)

Violin Concerto No.5 in A Major ("Turkish")

Keila Wakao Winner, Menuhin Competition 2021 (Junior section)

Presented by

With the Support of

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UPCOMING CONCERTS 28 AUG 2022, 5PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL CHAN TZE LAW, CONDUCTOR QIN LI-WEI, CELLO Astor Piazzolla (arr. Jonathan Shin) The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, arranged for Cello and Strings Richard Strauss An Alpine Symphony, Op. 64

All programmes subject to prevailing safe management measures

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THE MUSIC MAKERS Chan Tze Law, Music Director Seow Yibin, Associate Conductor VIOLIN Alan Choo, Concertmaster Kimberlyn Wu, 2nd Violin Principal Chikako Sasaki, Associate Principal Ang Dun Jie Nicole Chan Gene Chen Foo Yue Ning Alyssa Goh Chloe Goh Nathanael Goh Goh Ying Xiang Luke Ho Regan Madison Ho Ho Yin Shan Joel Hoe Keong Jo Hsi Minhye Kim Koh Cheng Ya Jaslyn Lee Pauline Lee Loi Si Xian Gloria Loo Elizabeth Low

Lieu Kah Yen Lieu May Yen Tsumugu Misugi Maximilian Neo Andre Ng Estee Ng Adele Wee Wu Tianhao Xu Hongyun VIOLA Yeo Jan Wea, Principal Shannon Chan Christopher Cheong Joan Fun Joelle Hsu Claudia Huang Hoyan Lam Neo Wei Qing Benedict Ng Ng Tze Yang Aaron Soh Oliver Tan Samuel Tan Toh Xue Qian

CELLO James Ng, Principal Ophelia Toh, Associate Principal Lavinia Chu Eda Chua Koh Xuan Wen Charis Low Audrey Ng Peh Xiang Hong Isaac Tah Joel Tay Tang Ya Yun Tobias Teo DOUBLE BASS Julian Li, Principal Damien Chew Kenrick Lam Mian Jun Lee Alvin Liew Richmond Lip Alwyn Loy Fredrick Suwandi

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FLUTE Rachel Ho, Principal Alvin Chan, Associate Principal Kelsey Tan OBOE Seow Yibin, Principal Leow Rui Qing, Associate Principal John Fung CLARINET Miao Kaiwen, Principal Daniel Yiau, Associate Principal Chua Jay Roon BASSOON Lu Meng, Principal Shi Jia Ao HORN Alexander Oon, Principal Bryan Chong, Associate Principal Lee Yan Liang Nigel Leong Linnet Sim

TRUMPET Lee Jinjun, Principal Lim Jit Xin Alvin Quek TROMBONE Sam Armstrong, Principal Hendrik Kwek Ng Jun Jie TUBA Tan Yao Cong, Principal TIMPANI Mario Choo, Principal PERCUSSION Rei Lim, Principal Kevin Tan Tan Sheng Rong

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lee Guan Wei Daniel, Acting Chairman Jenny Ang Assoc. Prof Chan Tze Law Chay Choong Christopher Cheong Susan Loh Tan Peng Chin Toh Xue Qian Prof Bernard Tan, Advisor

PROJECT TEAM Christopher Cheong, Project Lead

Rayner Tan, Ticketing

Nathanael Goh, Human Resource

Wu Tianhao, Library

Michael Huang, Assistant Project Lead Lee Jinjun, Human Resource

Kimberlyn Wu, Human Resource Neo Wei Qing, Finance

Toh Xue Qian, Audience Experience Chan Chen, Marketing

Joel Hoe, Programme Booklet

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OMM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES ARTISTIC PLANNING Christopher Cheong, Head Nathanael Goh Joel Hoe Michael Huang Lee Jinjun Miao Kaiwen Maximilian Neo Oliver Tan

HUMAN RESOURCE Nathanael Goh Lee Jinjun Rei Lim Estee Ng Chester Tan Kimberlyn Wu COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Andre Ng, Head Benedict Ng

DEVELOPMENT SPONSORSHIP Chay Choong, Head Christopher Cheong Edward Neo Rayner Tan

LIBRARY & LOGISTICS Wu Tianhao, Head Edward Neo Tan Yao Cong

BRANDING & MARKETING Michael Huang, Head Chan Chen Shannon Chan Chloe Goh Elizabeth Ip

TECHNOLOGY Chay Choong, Head Lam Yun En Tasya Rukmana

CORPORATE SERVICES FINANCE Neo Wei Qing, Head Edward Neo Shi Jia Ao

AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE Toh Xue Qian, Head Lam Hoyan Jorim Jireh Sim

Tickets from SISTIC

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SPECIAL THANKS TO: National Arts Council School of the Arts Singapore Singapore Chinese Orchestra HSBC Yamaha Music (Asia) Voices of Singapore Furama Hotel International Singapore Press Holdings Singapore International Foundation

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