RCM Symphony Orchestra & Thomas Zehetmair

THOMAS ZEHETMAIR CONDUCTS MOZART AND DVOŘÁK Friday 22 March 2019 7.30pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall Thomas Zehetmair conductor Alec Harmon oboe Lewis Graham clarinet Kristina Yumerska horn Petr Sedlak bassoon RCM Symphony Orchestra

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THOMAS ZEHETMAIR CONDUCTS MOZART AND DVOŘÁK Friday 22 March 2019, 7.30pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall Thomas Zehetmair conductor Alec Harmon oboe Lewis Graham clarinet Kristina Yumerska horn Petr Sedlak bassoon RCM Symphony Orchestra

Simon Holt (b 1958 )

an icicle of moon

6’

Mozart (1756–1791)

Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major K 297b i Allegro ii Adagio (Andante) iii Andantino con variazioni

32’

Symphony no 8 in G major op 88 B 163 i Allegro con brio ii Adagio iii Allegretto grazioso – Molto vivace iv Allegro ma non troppo

37'

INTERVAL Dvořák (1841–1904)

Austrian violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair directs the RCM Symphony Orchestra in this varied evening concert. An icicle of moon opens the concert, a work written by RCM composition professor Simon Holt and dedicated to the 80th birthday of fellow composer Harrison Birtwistle. The piece takes its name from a line in the Garcia Lorca poem Romance Somnámbulo. Mozart's popular Sinfonia Concertante follows and features four wind soloists. Dvořak’s Symphony no 8 closes the programme, a work written in celebration of the composer’s admission to the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Simon Holt an icicle of moon The title an icicle of moon is a phrase from the great poem of Garcia Lorca, Romance Somnámbulo: ‘Un carámbano de luna la sostiene sobre el agua’ (An icicle of moon suspends her above the water). It is scored for a small, essentially classical orchestra. © Simon Holt Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major K 297b

Mozart left Salzburg in September 1777 in the company of his mother, and arrived in Paris in late March 1778 via Munich, Augsburg and Mannheim. He soon met Jean Le Gros, the impresario of the Concert Spirituel, a prestigious and popular concert series, who commissioned him to compose a work in the form that was then the rage in Paris – the sinfonia concertante, a concerto with several soloists. Mozart’s new work – scored for flute, oboe, horn and bassoon – was not performed while Mozart was in Paris, yet the manuscript apparently remained in Le Gros’ possession.

The Sinfonia Concertante performed tonight was discovered in the late nineteenth century. The manuscript is not in Mozart’s hand, but is a copy made in the late 1860s from an older source, subsequently lost. The work quickly staked its claim as the long lost Paris score, even though it has a slightly different quartet of soloists (with oboe and clarinet as the top voices, instead of flute and oboe). The score became a problematic work for Mozart scholars, who could uncover no evidence, aside from the style of the music itself that it is actually by Mozart.

Indeed, we may never know its true relationship to the lost Paris score. The Mozart scholar Robert Levin has suggested that the solo parts – and therefore, all the themes in the work – are indeed by Mozart, but that the orchestral music was reconstructed by a later composer. Aside from uncertainty and musicological speculation, we are certainly left with a wonderfully inventive piece of music, with ensemble writing of real brilliance and moments for each individual soloist to shine. © Colin Lawson

Dvořák Symphony no 8 in G major op 88 B 163 Written in 1889, Dvořák composed his Symphony no 8 in G major while at his summer residence in Vysoká. Composed in response to Dvořák’s election to the prestigious Emperor Franz Joseph Czech Academy for Sciences, Literature and Arts, the Symphony would accompany several momentous occasions throughout his life, notably when accepting an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge in June 1891.

The premiere of Dvořák’s Symphony no 8 took place in Prague on 2 February 1890 with the composer himself conducting. It was a resounding success. The work’s UK premiere in April 1890, also conducted by Dvořák, followed suit, leaving a lasting impression not only on the critics and the public, but also the composer. Following the performance at St James’ Hall, Dvořák told fellow composer Václav Juda Novotný that applause followed each movement, so much so that by the end of the third movement, Dvořák recalled turning around on the podium to thank the audience several times. Following the end of the final movement, applause resounded from both the audience and the orchestra.

Rife with pastoral themes, the work is written in the traditional symphony format with four movements each containing an abundance of musical themes derived from Czech and Bohemian material. The lush tranquility heard in the opening of the second movement Adagio undoubtedly reflects the composer’s appreciation for his surroundings. Contrasting to the traditional scherzo, the third movement is marked Allegretto grazioso and though some scholars classify this as a waltz, others are in favour of labelling it as a Dumka, due to the minor mode and the sigh-like motifs. This movement also contains musical reminiscences from Dvořák’s early opera Tvrdé palice (The Stubborn Lovers) op 17. The final movement begins with a trumpet fanfare, followed by the main theme introduced by the cellos. This theme is subsequently modified and presented in different guises, employing varying tempi, dynamic indications and instrumental combinations. Dvořák ends the work with a thrilling and vivacious symphonic outburst, employing the full force of the orchestra.

Contrary to Dvořák’s earlier works which were published by Berlin-based Simrock, Symphony no 8 was published by London firm, Novello. Prior to the publication of the work, Dvořák had a good relationship with Simrock. The publishing house had partly been responsible for Dvořák’s fame following its commission and publication of the composer’s Slavonic Dances op 46 in 1878. However, a dispute over the composer’s compensation for the Symphony caused Dvořák to break his contract with Simrock in favour of Novello’s more attractive sum. The publication of Dvořák’s Symphony no 8 by the well-known English house led to the occasional subtitling of the work as Dvořák’s ‘English’ Symphony — a bizarre title for a work so resoundingly Czech in its musical language.

Title page of the manuscript score from which Dvořák conducted the first London performance of his eighth symphony (RCM MS MS 5067).

© Melissa Gerber

Thomas Zehetmair Thomas Zehetmair’s ability to skilfully blend his musical interests is unparalleled.

He enjoys widespread international acclaim not only as a violinist, but also a conductor and chamber musician, making him one of the most prominent artistic personalities of today. Since the 2016/17 season he is Principal Conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur and from 2019/20, Zehetmair will take over the position as chief conductor at the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.

Thomas Zehetmair has recorded many of the major works for the violin; with a number of his releases attracting multiple awards. These recordings include, among others, B A Zimmermann’s Violin Concerto with the WDR Sinfonieorchester under Heinz Holliger (Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2009), 24 Paganini Caprices (Best List of the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2009, Midem Classic Award 2010), a recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Hallé Orchestra under Sir Mark Elder (Gramophone Award 2010) and Mozart’s violin concertos with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under Frans Brüggen, widely recognised as a reference recording of these works.

Taking the helm of the Royal Northern Sinfonia as Principal Conductor in 2002, he sculpted it into one of England’s leading orchestras during his term. As Conductor Laureate he will stay closely connected to the orchestra in the future. A number of recordings document his prolific work with the orchestra. Between 2012 and 2015 he held the position of Principal Conductor of the Orchester de Chambre de Paris.

Thomas Zehetmair is both a sought-after soloist and conductor among leading international orchestras worldwide. He is Artistic Partner at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the USA. Furthermore he is the founding member of the Zehetmair Quartet, with which he was awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize by the City of Hanau in November 2014 in recognition of outstanding musical achievement.

For his far-reaching artistic contributions, Thomas Zehetmair has been awarded the certificate of honour by the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik as well as the Karl Böhm Interpretation Prize by the federated state of Styria. Thomas Zehetmair holds honorary doctorates from the University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar and Newcastle University.

Alec Harmon Alec is studying at the Royal College of Music on the Artist Diploma course with Olivier Stankiewicz, Juliana Koch and Fabien Thouand. He is an Alvin Gold award holder supported by the Keith Poole award and Help Musician’s UK. At the RCM Alec has performed under the batons of Bernard Haitink, John Wilson, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rafael Payare and Jac van Steen. He has also performed with Maxim Vengerov and with members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Alec took part in the BBC Symphony Orchestra Pathway Scheme for 2016–17 and was mentored by principal oboe Richard Simpson and principal cor anglais Alison Teale. He has performed in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and Buckingham Palace. Freelance work has included guest principal oboe with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, recording for BBC Radio 3 and BBC4, appearances at the Cerne Abbas Music Festival and performing with soloists Guy Johnston and Jennifer Pike. Alec took part in the Britten Pears Young Artists programme 2018, performing under the baton of Marin Alsop and also won scholarships to attend the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Institute and Pacific Region International Summer Academy.

Lewis Graham Lewis Graham is studying at the Royal College of Music with Timothy Lines and Barnaby Robson (clarinet), and Michael Harris and Paul Richards (bass clarinet).

He is a Foundation Scholar supported by a Herbert Howells and Thomas Fielden Scholarship. Previously he attended the Junior Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Lewis has performed with a variety of ensembles including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, of which he was principal. He has worked under worldclass conductors including Sir Mark Elder, John Wilson and Edward Gardner.

Since joining the RCM, he has performed with the RCM Symphony Orchestra, RCM Philharmonic, Opera Orchestra, New Perspectives and RCM Wind Ensemble. Lewis has participated in masterclasses with Andreas Sundén, Fredrik Fors, Romain Guyot and Maximiliano Martin. As a soloist, Lewis was awarded the Yamaha Clarinet Prize in the RCM Solo Woodwind Competition. He has performed concertos with the East Renfrewshire Symphony Orchestra and the Junior RCS Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, he was granted the coveted Ailie Cullen Memorial Prize in the final night of the Glasgow Music Festival.

Kristina Yumerska Kristina is from Bulgaria and is currently in her third year of undergraduate studies at the Royal College of Music, studying French horn with Timothy Jones, Simon Rayner and Nigel Black. She is a Needley Family Scholar, RCM Foundation Scholar and Frederick and Phyllis Treby Scholar. Kristina has participated in numerous RCM Symphony and Philharmonic orchestra concerts under the batons of renowned conductors such as Jac van Steen and Michael Rosewell. She has also performed in the masterclasses of Stefan Dohr, Fergus McWilliam (Berlin Philharmonic) and Jasper de Waal (Chamber Orchestra of Europe). She began her studies at the age of 11 with Stoyan Karaivanov at the Dobrin Petkov National School of Music and Dance Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Since then she has won numerous prizes from competitions in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. She was also a scholarship holder of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Kamdzhalov foundation. As a soloist, she has performed in numerous solo recitals and made her first orchestral soloist debut in a performance with the Plovdiv State Opera Symphony Orchestra in 2015.

Petr Sedlak Czech-born bassoonist Petr Sedlรกk studied at Brno Conservatoire with Pavel Zatloukal and Roman Novozamsky, and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He is currently a third year undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, studying with Julie Price, Sarah Burnett and Andrea de Flammineis. At the RCM he is a Peter and Sheila Bennett Scholar and is also being supported by the Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic. He played with the Brno Philharmonic at the Prague Spring Festival 2017. During his orchestral career he has also played with Czech Philarmonic, Czech Youth Philharmonic and Ensemble Opera Diversa. He has attended several masterclasses with some of the finest bassoonists such as Sergio Azzolini, Bence Bogรกnyi, Giorgio Mandolesi, Ole Kristian Dahl and Jaroslav Kubita. Apart from performing, he also studied conducting for two years and led several amateur orchestras in Czech Republic. He is a Hattori Foundation Senior Award winner, member of EUYO, Pacific Music Festival and an extra player for the BBC Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestras.

RCM Symphony Orchestra The Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra plays with conductors and musicians of the highest international stature, and is frequently invited to perform in prestigious venues across London and beyond. The orchestra also performs regularly at its home in South Kensington, and its concerts are broadcast live to an international audience via the RCM website. Equally at home in classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire, the RCM Symphony Orchestra enjoys close relationships with some of the world’s most celebrated conductors, including Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Jurowski, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Jac van Steen. Their willingness to return is evidence of the consistently high standards of playing that the RCM orchestral musicians achieve.

The members of the RCM Symphony Orchestra are some of the world’s very best young instrumentalists. They have chosen to study at the RCM because of its unrivalled blend of superlative teaching, extensive performance opportunities, and close connections with the orchestral profession. In addition to the many professors who are active professional instrumentalists, the RCM participates in side-by-side and other experience schemes with, amongst others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of English National Opera, the Philharmonia, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. This enables students to experience professional conditions and achieve professional standards before they graduate. The RCM’s long tradition of high-quality orchestral training has launched the careers of many distinguished orchestral players over several decades.

Founded in 1882, the RCM moved to its present site on Prince Consort Road in 1894. Illustrious alumni include Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Colin Davis, John Wilson, Alina Ibragimova, Gerald Finley and Dame Sarah Connolly. In addition to its 800 full time students, the College engages dynamically with a wider and more diverse community of children and adults through a dedicated range of creative activities delivered by RCM Sparks’ education and participation projects, RCM Junior Department programme and the Creative Careers Centre. A further development is the growing schedule of live-streamed concerts and masterclasses which can be viewed on www.rcm.ac.uk.

The RCM would like to thank the following orchestral coaches: Thomas Zehetmair & Gaby Lester (tutti strings) Colin Lawson (Mozart soloists) Simon Channing (woodwind & Mozart soloists) Michael Harris & Christopher McMullen-Laird (tutti woodwind, brass & timpani) Dominic Hackett (timpani)

Violin I Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux Maren Bosma Juhee Yang Claire Edwards Esther Abrami Xingchen Guo Anna Ziman Abel Puustinen Leonardo Ranucci Annie Pham Eliza Nagle Violin II Asier Merino Blanco Flora Fontanelli Elizaveta Saul Mei Fujisato Xiaoqing Xu Sophie Leung Kellija Moncaka Seda Margarjan Alex Collins Dimitra Sioras Viola Geeta Nazareth Connie Pharoah Tiffany Cheng Jose Freitas Nakyung Park Toby Warr Charis Morgan

Cello Shizuku Tatsuno Jobine Siekman Florian Belbeoch Xiaodi Xu Lavinnia Rae Alexa Palmer Campiglia Bass Daniel Tancredi Evangeline Tang Peter Farthing Danny Cleave Flute Anna Steirud Maja Persson (pic) Oboe Henrietta Cooke Becca Whitehouse (cor) Clarinet Ross Montgomery Lewis Graham Diogo Bandola (Holt) Bassoon James Fisher Petr Sedlak Julia Flint (Holt)

Horn Joel Ashford Diana Sheach Lawrence Plant Emma Edwards Olivia Gandee Trumpet Henry Thomas Ed Sykes Trombone William Barnes-McCallum Gemma Riley Ed Curtis (bass) Tuba Ollie Brooks Timpani Adam Cracknell Personnel correct at the time of going to print.

Italics denote section principals.

ANDREW GOURLAY CONDUCTS THE PLANETS Tuesday 2 July 2019, 7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre Andrew Gourlay conductor Victor Maslov piano RCM Symphony Orchestra Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no 3 in D minor op 30 Holst The Planets op 32 In partnership with Southbank Centre

Hear the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra this summer performing unforgettable works by Holst and Rachmaninov.

In Southbank Centre’s newly refurbished Queen Elizabeth Hall, talented musicians are joined by conductor and RCM graduate Andrew Gourlay. Described as ‘One to Watch’ by Gramophone magazine, Gourlay directs this stunning programme, which delves into the depths of astrology in Holst’s iconic suite The Planets.

Alongside, Victor Maslov joins the orchestra to perform one of the most technically challenging pieces in the pianist’s repertoire: Rachmaninov’s powerful concerto no 3, featured prominently in the Oscar-winning movie Shine.

Tickets: £5–£20 RCM Box Office 020 7591 4314 | www.rcm.ac.uk/events