Miloš: Spanish Romance

LAN SHUI Music Director

SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT

MILOS: SPANISH ROMANCE 11 October 2018

Esplanade Concert Hall

Performing Home of the SSO Carolyn Kuan, conductor Milos Karadaglic, classical guitar

Sponsored by

ME S S AG E F R OM S Y MP HON Y 924 “You couldn’t not like someone who liked the guitar” – Stephen King, The Stand Welcome to a romantic evening of soulful guitar classics.

You will love Grammy award winner Milos Karadaglic who is making his Singapore Symphony Orchestra debut tonight.

Proudly sponsored by Symphony 924, tonight’s concert will showcase Spanish guitar classics performed by Milos Karadaglic under the baton of Taiwanese-American conductor Carolyn Kuan, the first woman to be awarded the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship.

The SSO will also present Liquid Interface by Mason Bates, Musical America’s Composer of the Year 2018, alongside Rachmaninoff’s final composition which rounds up his symphonic thoughts for orchestra.

As Singapore’s only classical radio station, Symphony 924 is proud to be in partnership with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Its programmes accentuate playlists for a socially and culturally diverse audience.

We are honoured to have you in the audience tonight. Thank you for sharing our passion for the universal language of mankind. Let the music begin!

Irene MK Lim CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER MEDIACORP PTE LTD

11 Oct 2018, Thu

MILOS: SPANISH ROMANCE Singapore Symphony Orchestra Carolyn Kuan, conductor Milos Karadaglic, classical guitar* MASON BATES

Liquid Interface (Singapore Premiere) 23’

1.

2.

3.

4.

Glaciers Calving Scherzo Liquido Crescent City On the Wannsee

LUIGI BOCCHERINI (arr. FOSKETT)

Fandango from Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major * 4’

JOAQUÍN RODRIGO (arr. FOSKETT)

Españoleta from Fantasia para un gentilhombre * 5’

ANONYMOUS (orch. HAZELL)

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (arr. ISRAEL)

Spanish Romance * 3’ Libertango * 4’

Intermission 20’

Milos Karadaglic will sign autographs in the stalls foyer

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF

Symphonic Dances 35’

1. Non allegro 2. Andante con moto (Tempo di valse) 3. Lento assai – Allegro vivace

Concert duration: 1 hr 50 mins Go green. Digital programme booklets are available on www.sso.org.sg.

Scan the QR code in the foyer to view a copy.

S ingapore S ymphony Or c hes t ra Since its founding in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene in the cosmopolitan city-state.

In addition to its subscription series concerts, the orchestra is well-loved for its outdoor and community appearances, and its significant role educating the young people of Singapore. The SSO has also earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity, having garnered sterling reviews for its overseas tours and many successful recordings.

Concert Hall. More intimate works and all outreach and community performances take place at the 673-seat Victoria Concert Hall, the home of the SSO. The orchestra performs 100 concerts a year, and its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres. Bridging the musical traditions of East and West, Singaporean and Asian musicians and composers are regularly showcased in the concert season. This has been a core of the SSO’s programming philosophy from the very beginning under Choo Hoey, who was Music Director from 1979 to 1996.

The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade

Since Lan Shui assumed the position of Music Director in 1997, the SSO has

performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. In May 2016 the SSO was invited to perform at the Dresden Music Festival and the Prague Spring International Music Festival.

This successful five‑city tour of Germany and Prague also included the SSO’s return to the Berlin Philharmonie after six years. In 2014 the SSO’s debut at the 120th BBC Proms in London received critical acclaim in the major UK newspapers The Guardian and Telegraph.

The SSO has also performed in China on multiple occasions.

Notable SSO releases under BIS include a Rachmaninoff series, a “Seascapes” album, two Debussy discs “La Mer” and “Jeux”, and the first-ever cycle of Tcherepnin’s piano concertos

and symphonies. The SSO has also collaborated with such great artists as Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Neeme Järvi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Diana Damra, Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham.

The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

The mission of the Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich Singapore’s diverse communities.

Carolyn Kuan conductor Recognised as a conductor of extraordinary versatility, Carolyn Kuan has enjoyed successful associations with top tier orchestras, opera companies, ballet companies, and festivals worldwide. Her commitment to contemporary music has defined her approach to programming and established her as an international resource for new music and world premieres. Appointed Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in 2011, she has signed a renewal contract extending their creative collaboration through May 2022.

Kuan’s North American engagements have included performances with the symphonies of Baltimore, Detroit, Milwaukee, Omaha, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto; the Florida and Louisville orchestras; the New York City Ballet; the Colorado Music Festival and Glimmerglass Festival; New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, and a recent premiere of Philip Glass’ The Trial with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. International engagements have included the Bournemouth Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony of Taiwan, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande,

Royal Danish Ballet, and the West Australian Symphony. Highlights of the 2018/19 season include debuts with the Singapore Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, and the Portland Opera.

While maintaining a solid connection with traditional repertoire, Carolyn Kuan has cultivated a unique expertise in Asian music and contemporary works, collaborating with composers on provocative projects in a variety of settings. Some of her finest successes have bridged the gap between cultural and social issues.

Recipient of numerous awards, Kuan holds the distinction of being the first woman to be awarded the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship in 2003, resulting in her residency at the 2004 Salzburg Festival. She graduated cum laude from Smith College and received a Master of Music from the University of Illinois, as well as a Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory.

Milos K aradaglic classical guitar Firmly positioned as a leading exponent of his instrument, “The hottest guitarist in the world” (Sunday Times), Milos Karadaglic, continues to top record charts and delight audiences worldwide.

as a mentor for the nationwide talent competition Guitar Star on Sky Arts, in addition to co-presenting the 2014 BBC Young Musician competition and returning as a member of the jury in 2018.

His first three releases on Deutsche Grammophon achieved major chart successes around the globe, and he is the first ever classical guitarist to have performed in solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Born in Montenegro in 1983, Milos first started playing the guitar at the age of 8. At 16, he successfully applied for a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music and moved to London where he continues to live while keeping close ties with his family and homeland.

He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2015. In 2016 BBC Music Magazine included him amongst six of the greatest classical guitarists of the last century.

In August 2018, Milos performed the world premiere of the guitar concerto Ink Dark Moon, written for Milos by Joby Talbot, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms.

In the 2018/19 season, Milos will perform the world premiere of Howard Shore’s guitar concerto, commissioned for Milos by the National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa and Alexander Shelley.

Milos will also perform “The Voice of the Guitar” across the United Kingdom, Europe, Dubai, South Korea, and the United States.

Milos often finds himself in the role of radio and TV presenter, having appeared

Milos records exclusively for Decca Classics/Universal Music. He performs on a 2007 Greg Smallman guitar.

SSO MU S ICI A N S Lan Shui Music Director joshua tan Associate Conductor andrew litton Principal Guest Conductor Choo Hoey Conductor Emeritus Eudenice Palaruan Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster

FIRST VIOLIN Igor Yuzefovich1 Concertmaster, The GK Goh Chair Lynnette Seah2 Co-Concertmaster Kong Zhao Hui* Associate Concertmaster Chan Yoong-Han Fixed Chair Cao Can* Chen Da Wei Duan Yu Ling Foo Say Ming Gu Wen Li Jin Li Cindy Lee Lim Shue Churn^ Sui Jing Jing Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe Yew Shan^ SECOND VIOLIN Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair

Kong Xianlong^ Nikolai Koval* Lee Shi Mei^ Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Ikuko Takahashi^ Lillian Wang Wu Man Yun* Xu Jue Yi* Ye Lin* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhang Si Jing* VIOLA Zhang Manchin Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Janice Tsai Wang Dandan Yang Shi Li CELLO Ng Pei-Sian Principal Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Ding Xiao Feng^ Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er DOUBLE BASS Guennadi Mouzyka Principal Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Wang Xu

FLUTE

HORN

Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan

Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Kartik Alan Jairamin^

PICCOLO Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal OBOE Rachel Walker Principal Pan Yun Associate Principal Carolyn Hollier Elaine Yeo

TRUMPET Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin TROMBONE

Elaine Yeo Associate Principal

Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong

CLARINET

BASS TROMBONE

Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping

Wang Wei Assistant Principal

COR ANGLAIS

TUBA Hidehiro Fujita Principal Brett Stemple^

BASS CLARINET Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal

TIMPANI

ALTO SAXOPHONE

Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal

Tang Xiao Ping BASSOON Wang Xiaoke Principal Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue CONTRA BASSOON Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Lim Meng Keh Joachim Lim^ Zhu Zheng Yi HARP Gulnara Mashurova Principal ELECTRONICA Dayn Ng^

*With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments.

Igor Yuzefovich plays an instrument generously loaned by Mr & Mrs G K Goh 2 Lynnette Seah performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation. ^Musician on temporary contract Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.

1

The G K G oh Cha ir The SSO Concertmaster Chair is named for Mr GK Goh. We would like to thank the Family and Friends of Mr Goh Geok Khim for their donations. We are especially grateful to Mr and Mrs Goh Yew Lin for their most generous donation.

Igor Yuzefovich, Concertmaster The GK Goh Chair

L A R G E G IF T S The SSO recognises large gifts in a variety of ways, including the naming of a position in the Orchestra. Endowing a Musician Chair associates your name with an orchestral position that has a special significance to you.

For more information about making a gift to the SSO, please write to peggykek@sso.org.sg

HE A R T F E LT T H A NK S TO S S O C OR P OR AT E PAT R ON S A ND SP ON S OR S We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the following companies and organisations that support our mission to create memorable shared experiences with music.

Major Corporate Patrons Temasek Foundation Nurtures CLG Ltd Far East Organization Santa Lucia Asset Management Pte Ltd Interchem Pte Ltd John Swire & Sons (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Aquilus Pte Ltd Lee Foundation, Singapore G K Goh Holdings Ltd Kingsmen Exhibit Pte Ltd NSL Ltd Major Corporate Sponsors Conrad Centennial Singapore Singapore Airlines Ltd Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Join our pres t ig iou s l is t of c orporat e pat rons and sponsors Support Singapore’s national orchestra and form a special relationship with one of the country’s most celebrated arts groups. By committing to growing the arts through the SSO, you can increase your organisation’s visibility and reach an influential and growing audience. Corporate donors may also enjoy attractive tax benefits.

For more information on donations and sponsorships, please write to director_development@sso.org.sg

Thank you for attending Miloš: Spanish Romance

FAMILIAR FAVOURITES: TALES OF LOVE ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL 15 NOV 2018

Still in the mood for musical romance?

Let the young Taiwanese-American violinist Richard Lin, who was just awarded Gold at the 2018 Indianapolis Violin Competition, tell you a tale of love this November. Korngold's luscious Violin Concerto is music of soaring rapture and heartfelt adoration.

Kees Bakels, conductor Richard Lin, violin

DVORAK: CELLO CONCERTO ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL 22 NOV 2018

Our very own Principal Cellist, Ng Pei-Sian, stars in one of the finest cello concertos in the repertory. In fact, it's an entirely Dvořák programme, which means guaranteed richness of melody all night.

We welcome back Bulgarian Maestro Pavel Baleff who conducted us in last season's Diana Damrau gala.

Pavel Baleff, conductor Ng Pei-Sian, cello

TINE THING HELSETH ARUTIUNIAN TRUMPET CONCERTO ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL 5 JAN 2019

Besides the talented young trumpeter Tine (pronounced rather like "Tina") Thing Helseth, this concert offers a selection of music inspired by Spain, including Ravel's popular Bolero and the electrifying Alborada del gracioso.

Jun Märkl, conductor Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet

MASTER OF THE HARP VICTORIA CONCERT HALL 1 & 2 MAR 2019

If it's the delectable sound of plucked strings that fascinates you, keep a lookout for our guest harpist, Xavier de Maistre, next March.

Even if you've never heard of Boieldieu, you can be assured that the enchanting harp concerto by this "French Mozart" will instantly charm you.

Alexander Liebreich, conductor Xavier de Maistre, harp

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M A S ON B AT E S (b. 1977 ) Liquid Interface 23’ (Singapore Premiere) Water has influenced countless musical endeavors – La Mer and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey quickly come to mind – but it was only after living on Berlin’s enormous Lake Wannsee did I become consumed with a new take on the idea. If the play of the waves inspired Debussy, then what about water in its variety of forms?

Liquid Interface moves through all of them, inhabiting an increasingly hotter world in each progressive movement. Glaciers Calving opens with huge blocks of sound drifting slowly upwards through the orchestra, finally cracking off in the upper register. (Snippets of actual recordings of glaciers breaking into the Antarctic, supplied by the adventurous radio journalist Daniel Grossman, appear at the opening.) As the thaw continues, these sonic blocks melt into aqueous, blurry figuration. The beats of the electronics evolve from slow trip-hop into energetic drum ’n bass. The ensuing Scherzo Liquido explores water on a micro-level: droplets splash from the speakers in the form of a variety of nimble electronica beats, with the orchestra swirling around them.

The temperature continues to rise as we move into Crescent City, which examines the destructive force as water grows from the small-scale to the enormous. This is

Instrumentation 3 flutes, all doubling on piccolos 3 oboes, 1 doubling on cor anglais 3 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet & E-flat clarinet) 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon) 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones tuba timpani vibraphone, harmonicas, suspended cymbal, bass drum, triangle, high-pitched suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, chimes, ride cymbal, bowed crotales, xylophone, splash cymbal, high-pitched tam-tam, bongos, castanets, sizzle cymbals, 6 crystal wine glasses, drum set (consisting of bass drum, 4 toms, snare drum, Hi-hat, ride cymbal, suspended cymbal), wind machine, very high triangle, marimba, washboard, medium-pitched suspended cymbal harp piano electronica strings World Premiere 22 Feb 2007 (Washington, D.C.) First performed by SSO 11 Oct 2018

illustrated in a theme and variations form in which the opening melody, at first quiet and lyrical, gradually accumulates a trail of echoing figuration behind it. In a nod to New Orleans, which knows the power of water all too well, the instruments trail the melody in a reimagination of Dixieland swing. As the improvisatory sound of a dozen soloists begins to lose control, verging into big-band territory, the electronics – silent in this movement until now – enter in the form of a distant storm.

Programme note by Mason Bates

PROGRAMME NOTES

At the peak of the movement, with an enormous wake of figuration swirling behind the soaring melody, the orchestra is buried in an electronic hurricane of processed storm sounds. We are swept into the muffled depths of the ocean. This water-covered world, which relaxes into a kind of balmy, greenhouse paradise, is where we end the symphony in On the Wannsee. A simple, lazy tune bends in the strings above ambient sounds recorded at a dock on Lake Wannsee.

At near pianissimo throughout, the melody floats lazily upwards through the humidity and – at the work’s end – finally evaporates.

LUIG I B OCC HE R INI (174 3–18 05) Fandango from Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D major 4’ (arr. Foskett) Composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini worked as the “virtuoso of the chamber and composer of music” at the court of Don Luis, younger brother of the Spanish King, Charles III, for approximately 40 years. During this time, he was influenced by the sounds around him – musical or not – and found creative means of infusing these into his music.

The Spanish nobleman, Marquis de Benavente commissioned Boccherini to arrange some of his string quintets for a string quartet and guitar just before the turn of the 19th century. Boccherini promptly replaced the second cello part in his quintets with the guitar and made some modifications to the existing music.

Boccherini put together his fourth Guitar Quintet from two different string quintets, with the last movement, Fandango, taken from his 1788 Quintet Op. 40 No. 2. A folk dance for couples, the Fandango was traditionally accompanied by the guitar with castanets and sistrum (a type of rattle) – both of which Boccherini provides parts for. In its original setting, the previous movement serves as a slow introduction to the finale of the Quintet – beginning softly, but soon erupting into a feisty affair.

J OAQUÍN R ODR IG O (19 01–19 9 9) Españoleta from Fantasia para un gentilhombre 5’ (arr. Foskett)

Rodrigo could not play the guitar himself and it is highly probable that he consulted a manual written by Gaspar Sanz (16401710) when learning how to compose for the instrument. Sanz’s Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española (“Musical instruction for the Spanish guitar”) is regarded as the definitive guide to the Spanish Baroque guitar. Rodrigo looked through Sanz’s compositions and collected a series of themes, on which he composed this Fantasia – somewhat similar to what Stravinsky did with Pulcinella.

Sanz’s compositions were based on the popular music of his time, and the second movement from Rodrigo’s Fantasia, Españoleta y Fanfare de la caballería de Nápoles evokes a Catalonian aristocratic

PROGRAMME NOTES

The leading Spanish guitarist of the 20th century, Andrés Segovia, had asked composer Joaquín Rodrigo to rewrite several passages in Concierto de Aranjeuz.

Rodrigo refused, and Segovia never performed Aranjeuz (now the most popular guitar concerto ever written) in public, let alone record it. Segovia commissioned Rodrigo to write a new concerto instead.

The Fantasia para un gentilhombre (“Fantasia for a Gentleman”) was the result.

dance (the Españoleta) before a Neapolitan cavalry fanfare takes over. The string col legno (playing with the wood of the bow) leads the slow charge, followed by the aristocratic but melancholic dance which gracefully weaves itself back in.

A NON Y MOU S Spanish Romance 3’ (orch. Hazell) One of the most popular pieces ever written for the guitar has a mysterious provenance. It has been attributed to at least nine different composers – many of whom were also guitarists – but no one has claimed to be the composer of this famous piece.

The melancholic Spanish Romance has thus been free from copyright-related encumbrances, and has been freely arranged, recorded, and used in multiple formats. First recorded at the turn of the 20th century, Spanish Romance gained worldwide reach through its use in French director René Clément’s war film, Jeux interdits (“Forbidden Games”). It has been set to text and covered by artistes as diverse as the band My Chemical Romance to Cantopop singer Eason Chan.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING 1) Blackbird - The Beatles Album Milos Karadaglic (Mercury Classics, 2016)

A S TOR P I A Z ZOLL A (1921–19 92) Libertango 4’ (arr. Israel)

Piazzolla’s agent had asked him to write several short pieces suitable for broadcast on the radio. The result was a set of short tangos, which included the incredibly popular Libertango. With some dissonant grit imbued into the sensual tango over propulsive rhythms, it has been performed by different instrumental combinations at all levels – from saxophone quartets to tonight’s performance with Milos Karadaglic and the strings of the SSO – spreading the spirit of the New Tango far and wide.

PROGRAMME NOTES

Probably the most performed LatinAmerican composer, Astor Piazzolla inherited and modernised the tango.

Before Piazzolla, the tango was an explicitly sensual dance that had its roots in the back alleys of Buenos Aires. Piazzolla combined jazz and classical elements such as dissonance, counterpoint and metric shifts, and brought what became known as the Tango Nuevo (New Tango) to the concert halls of the world.

SE R G E I R AC HM A NINOF F (1873–194 3) Symphonic Dances 35’ With the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, Sergei Rachmaninoff permanently settled in Long Island, New York, near his friend and fellow virtuoso pianist, Vladimir Horowitz, and choreographer Michel Fokine, with whom he had just collaborated on a ballet featuring the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

Amidst a busy concert touring schedule in 1940, Rachmaninoff found the creative impulse to compose, and wrote to Eugene Ormandy, Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, that August: “Last week I finished a new symphonic piece, which I naturally want to give first to you and your orchestra. It is called Fantastic Dances. I shall now begin the orchestration”. He completed the orchestration by October, and the title had changed to Symphonic Dances.

Rachmaninoff had mulled over just calling the work “Dances”, but was afraid that audiences would think he had written dance music for a jazz orchestra – as was commonly done at that time. His original idea to title the movements Midday, Twilight and Midnight had also been scrapped. One of Rachmaninoff’s researchers, Robert Threlfall, remarked that the Symphonic Dances, with its many musical quotations and references, was a “totalling of the sum”, in which Rachmaninoff reflected on his life.

There were several unfortunate misses with the Symphonic Dances. Rachmaninoff had presented the Dances to Fokine, who was enthusiastic about collaborating on another possible hit ballet, but Fokine’s death in August 1942 prevented that from happening. Additionally, Rachmaninoff had proposed to the record company RCA Victor to record the two-piano version with Horowitz, but was turned down.

Rachmaninoff’s last major work, the elusive musical language, combining romantic gestures with hard-edged rhythms and shifting harmonies, probably contributed to the mixed reaction the Symphonic Dances received in the forties, but it has since become one of Rachmaninoff’s most well-loved works and commonly regarded as one of his finest compositions.

Right from the beginning, Rachmaninoff parachutes us into the middle of the action, as the winds perform a threenote descending theme that is almost omnipresent in this movement. A series of jagged chords start the first movement proper, and stomping rhythms set us off on this “mid-day” dance. The alto saxophone performs one of Rachmaninoff’s great swooning tunes, which is taken to emotional heights by the strings, with the piano and harp adding some glitter. The bass clarinet starts the transition back to the main dance, and the pace picks up, bringing us back to the vigorous opening.

Rachmaninoff takes every opportunity possible to present each passage in vivid technicolour.

As this dance draws to a close, Rachmaninoff quotes the main theme (in C major) from his First Symphony, dressing it in swaddling harmonies. In a poignant touch, Rachmaninoff chose his final orchestral work to reminisce about his First Symphony – which was so badly mangled at its premiere by the drunk Glazunov’s horrific conducting, that it resulted in the then-young composer falling into depression and having writer’s block for three whole years.

A deathly spectre looms large over the third movement – with Rachmaninoff’s liberal use of the ominous Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”) sequence informing this dance at “midnight”. Perhaps recalling Berlioz’s Witches’ Sabbath, a virtuosic orchestral frenzy takes hold. An eerie transition leads to an even bleaker, central section.

The Russian Orthodox liturgical chant Blagosloven yesi, Gospodi (“Blessed be the Lord”) symbolising the Resurrection creeps in, and starts to subvert the despondency from within as hope is rekindled. The chant grows in strength, and engages in a musical battle with the Dies Irae for musical supremacy, before finally vanquishing it in a blaze of spectacular orchestral glory.

Programme notes by Christopher Cheong

Instrumentation 2 flutes piccolo 2 oboes cor anglais 2 clarinets (1 doubling on alto saxophone) bass clarinet 2 bassoons contrabassoon 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones tuba timpani triangle, tambourine, cymbals, suspended cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, snare drum, xylophone, glockenspiel, chimes harp piano strings World Premiere 3 Jan 1941 First performed by SSO 15 Apr 1994

PROGRAMME NOTES

Muted trumpets herald the second movement. The waltz at “twilight” takes its time to start up, but when it does, it whirls away with élan, punctuated with moments of brief hesitation. At times, this waltz takes on a shadowy and macabre tone, and revels in its radiantly dark hues.

Rachmaninoff wrote at the end of the manuscript, “I thank thee, Lord” and, perhaps having a premonition, said of the Symphonic Dances, “it must have been my last spark”.

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boar d of direc tors & C OMMITT E e S board of directors Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Ms Yong Ying-I (Deputy Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Mrs Odile Benjamin Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Lionel Choi Mr Warren Fernandez Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Liew Wei Li Ms Lim Mei Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Mr Paul Tan Dr Kelly Tang Mr Yee Chen Fah

SSO Council HUMAN RESOURCES Committee Ms Yong Ying-I (Chair) Prof Arnoud de Meyer Mr Yee Chen Fah Dr Kelly Tang Endowment Fund Committee Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Mr David Goh Mr Sanjiv Misra Audit Committee Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chair) Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Lim Mei

Nominating and Executive Committee

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Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Prof Arnoud de Meyer Mr Paul Tan Ms Yong Ying-I

Ms Liew Wei Li (Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Valarie Wilson

Musicians’ Committee Mr Chan Wei Shing Mr Jon Paul Dante Mr Jamie Hersch Mr Ng Pei-Sian Mr Mark Suter Mr Christoph Wichert Mr Yeo Teow Meng

Prof Cham Tao Soon (Honorary Chair) Mr Alan Chan (Chair) Mr Choo Chiau Beng Dr Geh Min Mr Goh Geok Khim Mr Khoo Boon Hui Prof Tommy Koh Mr JY Pillay Dr Stephen Riady Ms Priscylla Shaw Dr Gralf Sieghold Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Dr Tan Chin Nam Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Tan Soo Nan Mr Wee Ee Cheong SSO LADIES’ LEAGUE Mrs Odile Benjamin (Chair) Mrs Kwan Lui (Deputy Chair) Mrs Celeste Basapa Mrs Maisy Beh Mrs Kim Camacho Mrs Rosy Ho Ms Judy Hunt Prof Annie Koh Dr Julie Lo Mrs Clarinda TjiaDharmadi-Martin Ms Paige Parker Ms Kris Tan Ms Manju Vangal Mrs Grace Yeh

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23 Oct 2018 | 7:30PM VICTORIA CONCERT HALL Canadian violinist James Ehnes makes his Singapore debut together with pianist Andrew Armstrong in an intimate recital.

BEETHOVEN Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12 RAVEL Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major BRAHMS Scherzo from F.A.E. Sonata (Sonatensatz) CORIGLIANO Sonata for Violin and Piano

"Ehnes and Armstrong are stunningly responsive... with a sense of propulsion, yet without overlooking its moments of delicacy." - Gramophone

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