SSO 40th Anniversary Gala

LAN SHUI MUSIC DIRECTOR

SSO 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA 18 January 2019

Esplanade Concert Hall Performing Home of the SSO Lan Shui, conductor Lim Yan, piano

MAKE A GIFT OF MUSIC The SSO has turned 40 and we hope that you're still enjoying our music.

If you’ve loved our concerts, please do consider making a donation for our birthday. Your gift to our national orchestra will give less well-off students and other underserved communities the chance to come to our concerts for free, or on discounted tickets.

Did you know?

Our free concerts and events delight over 45,000 people every year Ticket revenue accounts for less than 10% of our total budget To keep our concerts accessible, we keep ticket prices as low as $10

The government and the Tote Board together provide more than half of our funding needs, but a large part of it is in the form of matching funds, where the money will only get to us if we raise funds from the public.

And that’s you.

So won’t you join us to make a gift of music please?

Ways You Can Donate: Visit www.sso.org.sg/donate Scan the QR code in PayLah! or PayNow (provide your email under 'Reference No.') Contact Ms Nikki Chuang at nikki@sso.org.sg or 6602 4238

From all of us at the SSO, thank you for your generous support! *Singapore tax-payers may qualify for 250% tax deduction for donations above $50.

ME S S AG E F R OM P r ime minis t er of s ingapore When the Singapore Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1979, it was unthinkable that a young nation preoccupied with economic growth and job creation would devote attention and resources to setting up a national orchestra. But Dr Goh Keng Swee publicly commented in 1973 that it was “a minor scandal” that we did not have a professional symphony orchestra, and followed up to start the SSO. I am glad that our founding fathers, in particular Dr Goh who became SSO’s patron and champion, looked beyond immediate bread and butter issues. While it is important that we put bread to the table, man does not live by bread alone. Our nation would be soul-less without an appreciation of arts and culture.

Our founding fathers believed a symphony orchestra would enrich our culture and show the world that Singapore aimed to be a gracious society. The SSO started modestly with just 41 members, but it expanded its talent pool over time, hiring musicians internationally, many of whom stayed on and naturalised as Singaporeans. It also developed generations of local musicians through generous scholarships and its training programme under the youth orchestra and chorus.

Forty years on, the SSO is a fixture in our cultural firmament. When it performs to standing ovations and critical acclaim in major venues like the BBC Proms, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Prague Spring Festival, it is cause for pride and celebration. The SSO continues to bring joy to Singaporeans from all walks of life, making sure that its music is not just enjoyed by a select few. You perform regularly in schools, public parks and the HDB heartlands, bringing music to Singaporeans’ ears and joy to their hearts.

Your SG50 concert in the Botanic Gardens was particularly well-received by an audience of 10,000 people, including me and my wife.

I congratulate the musicians, management and staff of the SSO past and present for your remarkable achievements. I am confident that SSO will continue to scale greater heights.

Happy 40th Anniversary, SSO!

Lee Hsien Loong PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE

ME S S AG E F R OM C H A IR M A N, Singapore S y mphon y gro up It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s founding, and to thank our Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee for honouring us with their presence this evening.

Music lovers in Singapore owe a huge debt of gratitude to our founding patron, Dr Goh Keng Swee. His plans for SSO were ambitious, far-reaching, meticulous and long-term in nature: from the start, he had already envisaged the need to build a modern concert hall and this became a reality 23 years later.

We thank Dr Goh’s pioneering team which comprised Attorney-General Tan Boon Teik, Dr Bernard Tan and Conductor Emeritus Choo Hoey; and also Lan Shui who ends his 22-year tenure as Music Director next week. Each of them dedicated much time, effort and passion to build the wonderful orchestra we have today.

The Singapore Symphony Group now comprises the SSO, four choirs and, since 2016, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. It also manages the National Piano and Violin Competition and the ABRSM music examinations in Singapore, and curates a series of concerts at the Victoria Concert Hall, including the Singapore International Piano Festival.

As the orchestra’s reputation has grown, it has become easier to attract famous names to come to Singapore. We have recently performed with stellar artists like Martha Argerich, Gustavo Dudamel, Krystian Zimerman and Leonidas Kavakos, but we also have to thank those wonderful musicians who came to inspire us when this was still a very young ensemble, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Pascal Rogé and Gil Shaham.

We aim for excellence in all that we do, across the more than 120 concerts and events that we put on each year. These range from the core season of symphonic concerts, as well as performances that bring music to schools, public parks and other venues in Singapore’s heartlands.

We could not do all that we do without the whole-hearted support of the Singapore government, and of the many individuals and corporates who have donated sums large and small over the years. As our mission has broadened, so our funding needs have risen. It is therefore very heartening that the number of our donors has increased each year, reflecting the broadening sense of ownership and pride in our national orchestra.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Goh Yew Lin CHAIRMAN, SINGAPORE SYMPHONY GROUP

18 Jan 2019, Fri Guest-of-Honour Mr Lee Hsien Loong Prime Minister of Singapore

SSO 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Singapore Symphony Orchestra Lan Shui, conductor LEONG YOON PIN

Dayong Sampan Overture 9’

CHARLES IVES

The Unanswered Question 5’

LUDWIG VAN Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor” 38’ BEETHOVEN 1. Allegro 2. Adagio un poco mosso 3. Rondo: Allegro

Lim Yan, piano

Intermission 20’

LUDWIG VAN Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 36’ BEETHOVEN 1. Poco sostenuto – Vivace 2. Allegretto 3. Presto – assai meno presto 4. Allegro con brio

Concert duration: 2 hrs Go green. Digital programme booklets are available on www.sso.org.sg.

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

Supporting the Local Arts and Cultural Scene Partner of SSO since 1978 NSL is a long-standing sponsor for Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). We have been instrumental in helping the Orchestra reach out to the community-at-large as SSO brings music to the world.

A leading industrial group in the Asia Pacific with businesses in Precast & Prefabricated Bathroom Unit and Environmental Services, NSL believes that while achieving business goals is important, its actions need to also create a positive impact on the community, environment and all stakeholders.

NSL LTD 77 Robinson Road #27-00 Robinson 77 Singapore 068896 Tel: 6536 1000 I Fax: 6536 1008 I www.nsl.com.sg

S ingapore S y mphon y Orches 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 Damrau, 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.

LO-HEI PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS AT CONRAD Usher in the good fortune of the spring festival with our Chef Ku Keung’s appetising sculpted Yu Sheng.

A work of art created with an assortment of julienned vegetables and completed with a tangy sauce, this dish is a must-have for the lunar celebration with families, friends and business associates.

Priced from S$68++ Available between 21 January and 19 February 2019 To order your Yu Sheng or for more information, please call 6432 7482/8 or email sinci.goldenpeony@conradhotels.com

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LAN SHUI conductor Lan Shui is renowned for his abilities as an orchestral builder and for his passion in commissioning, premiering and recording new works by leading Asian composers. As Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1997, American Record Review noted that Shui has “turned a good regional orchestra into a world-class ensemble that plays its heart out at every concert”.

Together they have made several acclaimed tours to Europe, Asia and the United States and appeared for the first time at the BBC Proms in September 2014.

Lan Shui held the position of Chief Conductor of the Copenhagen Phil from 2007 to 2015, and from 2016 he became their Conductor Laureate. He recently concluded a four-year period as Artistic Advisor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. As a guest conductor, Shui has worked with many orchestras. In the United States he has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Baltimore and Detroit symphony orchestras. In Europe he has

performed with Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Gothenburg Symphony, Tampere Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lille. In Asia he has conducted the Hong Kong, Malaysian and Japan Philharmonic orchestras and maintains a close relationship with the China Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony.

Since 1998 Shui has recorded over 20 CDs for BIS – including a Rachmaninov series, a “Seascapes” disc and the first-ever complete cycle of Tcherepnin’s symphonies with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra – and also music by Arnold and Hindemith with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, which has received two Grammy nominations.

Lan Shui is the recipient of several international awards from the Beijing Arts Festival and the New York Tcherepnin Society, the 37th Besançon Conductors’ Competition in France and Boston

University (Distinguished Alumni Award) as well as the Cultural Medallion – Singapore’s highest accolade in the arts.

Born in Hangzhou, China, Shui studied composition at the Shanghai Conservatory and graduated from the Beijing Central Conservatory. He continued his graduate studies at Boston University while at the same time working closely with Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Festival. He has worked together with David Zinman as Conducting Affiliate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as Associate Conductor to Neeme Järvi at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and with Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic and Pierre Boulez at The Cleveland Orchestra.

Lim Yan piano 2006 Young Artist Award recipient Lim Yan started playing the piano at the age of five and was a student of Lim Tshui Ling before leaving for Manchester in 1993. There, he attended Chetham’s School of Music under the tutelage of first David Hartigan and later Ronan O’Hora, who was also his tutor at the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music.

A seasoned recitalist and concerto soloist, Yan’s performances have taken him all over Europe and Asia. He has given two recitals at the Cheltenham Festival and played concert tours in Serbia with the Belgrade Radio Orchestra and in Sweden with Vägus. In Bacau, Romania, he collaborated with the “Mihail Jora” Philharmonic; in Hanoi with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra; and at the 2010 Beijing International Piano Festival, he worked with the China Radio-Film Symphony Orchestra. When the Singapore National Youth Orchestra was invited to the 2011 Aberdeen International Youth Festival, he was the soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with conductor Darrell Ang.

Nearer home, Yan has appeared with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in works such as Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Grieg’s Piano Concerto. He was also the soloist for the visit of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in April 2009. Over the course of three concerts in June 2012, he completed a cycle of all five Beethoven Piano Concertos as well as the Triple Concerto with Grace Lee and Lin Juan, together with The Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Lim Yau; and also performed the Choral Fantasy as part of the Esplanade’s 10th Anniversary celebrations later that year.

Currently based in Singapore, Yan has been on the faculty at the School of the Arts since its inception in 2008. He also teaches at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts as well as the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

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 SMRT Corporation Singapore Airlines Ltd Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Join our pres t ig iou s l is t of corporat e pat ron s a nd spon sors 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

SSO MU S IC I 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^ Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe SECOND VIOLIN Midori Tramaseur^ Principal Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair Nikolai Koval*

Lee Shi Mei^ Yoko Mano^ Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Wu Man Yun* Xu Jue Yi* Ye Lin* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhang Si Jing* Zhao Tian* VIOLA Zhang Manchin Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Ho Qian Hui^ Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Janice Tsai Wang Dandan Yang Shi Li Yeo Jan Wea^ CELLO Ng Pei-Sian Principal Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Lin Juan^ 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 Julian Li^ Ma Li Ming^

Jacek Mirucki Wang Xu FLUTE Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan PICCOLO Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal

HORN Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc TRUMPET Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin

OBOE Rachel Walker Principal Pan Yun Associate Principal Carolyn Hollier Elaine Yeo

TROMBONE

COR ANGLAIS

BASS TROMBONE

Elaine Yeo Associate Principal

Wang Wei Assistant Principal

CLARINET

TUBA

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

Hidehiro Fujita Principal

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

Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong

TIMPANI Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal PERCUSSION Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Lim Meng Keh Zhu Zheng Yi HARP Gulnara Mashurova Principal

Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal

*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 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 2

40 YE ARS

1979 SSO Makes its Debut Dr Goh Keng Swee establishes the Singapore Symphonia Company Ltd in 1978, with Tan Boon Teik as Chairman.

On 24–26 January 1979, SSO debuts at the Singapore Conference Hall, where Music Director Choo Hoey leads 41 musicians – comprising 13 Singaporeans – with Acting Leader Lynnette Seah and pianist Ong Lip Tat. SSO also initiates music scholarships for talented Singaporeans who will join the SSO upon graduation.

1984 Botanic Gardens On 1 May, SSO plays its first concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

1981 First Album Recording SSO records its first album, “Hung Hu Violin Concerto”.

1985 First European Tour & Ladies’ League SSO goes on its first European tour, covering 10 cities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

SSO Ladies’ League holds its first fundraiser to build a new pipe organ and purchase new instruments for the orchestra.

1979 – 1989

1980 First Tour & Opening of VCH Choo Hoey receives the Cultural Medallion Award.

SSO goes on its first overseas tour to Kuala Lumpur, with pianist Seow Yit Kin. Czech violinist Pavel Prantl becomes SSO’s first Leader. The orchestra performs the opening concert at the refurbished Victoria Concert Hall, officiated by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

1986 Promoting Singaporean Works SSO co-organises the inaugural “New Music Forum” to promote Singaporean compositions.

Today, SSO continues to commission and perform works

by Singaporeans every year.

of

1990 – 1999

1995 President’s Charity Concert Young musicians perform with SSO at the President’s Charity Concert by Young Talents, commissioned by President Ong Teng Cheong to raise funds for charities.

1993 New Leader Russian violinist Alexander Souptel takes over as Leader from Pavel Prantl.

1999 Music Label BIS and NDP The orchestra records its first album with the international label BIS, playing the works of Tcherepnin with pianist Noriko Ogawa. On 9 August, SSO performs at the National Day Parade for the first time.

1997 New Music Director After Choo Hoey steps down in 1996, Lan Shui conducts his first concert as SSO Music Director on 10 January 1997.

2001 Excellence for Singapore Award & First China Tour SSO is conferred the Excellence for Singapore Award by the Singapore Totalisator Board.

In its first China tour, SSO performs in Beijing at the invitation of the Beijing Music Festival.

2003 Youngest Singaporean to Perform with SSO Eleven-year-old pianist Abigail Sin becomes the youngest Singaporean soloist to perform with SSO.

2002 Esplanade Inauguration and SSO Babies’ Proms SSO performs for the national inauguration of the Esplanade Concert Hall. The orchestra launches SSO Babies’ Proms, where infants and toddlers enjoy fun and lively concerts.

2009 Lan Shui Awarded Music Director Lan Shui is awarded the Cultural Medallion.

2005 First US Tour & VCH Centennial The orchestra gives its first performance in the US, with soloists Yo-Yo Ma and Gil Shaham.

José Carreras sings in an SSO concert to mark Victoria Concert Hall’s 100th year.

2000 – 2009

2010 – 2019 2014 SSO at the BBC Proms The orchestra is invited to perform at the celebrated BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

2016 Invitation to Tour SSO embarks on a five-city tour of Germany and the Czech Republic, with invitations to the prestigious Dresden Music Festival and Prague Spring International Music Festival.

2015 Singapore’s Jubilee SSO celebrates SG50 at the VCH, with artistes including Lim Yan and the T’ang Quartet.

The orchestra also performs at the Botanic Gardens drawing a 10,000-strong audience.

2019 SSO Turns 40 The orchestra celebrates its 40th year with free performances around Singapore and a gala concert, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is guest of honour.

2018 National Day Concert SSO stages its first National Day concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall, featuring works

by Singaporean composers.

The concert is streamed on Facebook Live.

MESSAGES I am very proud that one my very first solo orchestral recording discs was made with the SSO. The trademark of the orchestra has always been apparent: beautiful and detailed playing with warmth in its sound.

BRIGHT SHENG COMPOSER

I’ve had such a wonderful history with the orchestra, and I particularly love the adventurous spirit you have working with Silk Road [ensemble]. We’ve collaborated with the wonderful musicians, to take the essentials of what makes Singapore so special – the cultural diversity that you’ve actually socially engineered into society. It’s something that I admire so deeply.

YO-YO MA CELLIST

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Congratulations on this magnificent anniversary achievement! There is no doubt in my mind that you have become the pre-eminent orchestra in Asia .

JOHN NELSON CONDUCTOR

Since SSO and TMSO started the musicians’ exchange project in 2009 we have developed a meaningful partnership and friendship. Congratulations on SSO’s 40th anniversary!

TOMOKO AKABANE MANAGING DIRECTOR TOKYO METROPOLITAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

from

Photo: Adam Latham

Photo: Nick Granito

To my very dear friends at the Singapore Symphony, happy 40th anniversary. Wishing you 40, 50, 60, 70, 100 many years more making music. A lot of great memories when we worked together.

I have many fond memories playing with this wonderful orchestra. I salute them for the important musical and artistic role they play in the greater Asia.

GUSTAVO DUDAMEL CONDUCTOR

PASCAL ROGÉ VIOLINIST

I am delighted and honoured to be associated with the SSO in so many wonderful performances we have done together. Happy 40th anniversary and many more years to come!

MELVYN TAN PIANIST

Culture and art are vital to any civilised society and they are in constant need of champions and defenders. The thriving development of the SSO since its birth is inspiring and makes one hopeful for the bright future of classical music.

SOFI JEANNIN CONDUCTOR

A S ta nding Ovat ion to our Donors a nd Spon sors PATRON SPONSOR

Tote Board Group (Tote Board, Singapore Pools & Singapore Turf Club) $500,000 AND ABOVE

Temasek Foundation Nurtures CLG Limited Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin $100,000 and above

Christopher Ho & Rosy Ho Anonymous $50,000 and above

Far East Organization John Swire & Sons (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Lee Foundation Singapore Santa Lucia Asset Management Pte Ltd Singapore Press Holdings Ltd Aquilus Pte Ltd G K Goh Holdings Limited Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi-Martin & Christopher Martin Anonymous (2)

$20,000 and above Kingsmen Group Singapore Institute of Management Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Grace Yeh & Family European Union Delegation to Singapore Kris Foundation Dr Julie Lo

Paige Parker & Jim Rogers United Overseas Bank Ltd Dr Thomas & Mrs Mary Zuellig Maisy Koh & Dr Beh Swan Gin Stephen Riady Group of Foundations Holywell Foundation Limited Andreas & Doris Sohmen-Pao

$10,000 and above Irene Tedja Geoffrey & Ai Ai Wong Dr Gralf Sieghold At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy Pte Ltd Odile & Douglas Benjamin BinjaiTree Boardroom Limited Lito & Kim Camacho CellResearch Corporation Pte Ltd Prof Cham Tao Soon Prof Chan Heng Chee Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd Choo Chiau Beng DBS Bank Ltd Fraser Property Dr Geh Min Amy & Kevin Gould Hong Leong Foundation

Judy Hunt Interchem Pte Ltd LGT Bank Singapore Ltd Liew Wei Li Prima Limited Devika & Sanjiv Misra Nicholas A. Nash & Phalgun Raju Nomura Asset Management Singapore Ltd One North Capital Pte Ltd Raffles Medical Group Ltd SC Global (Singapore) Pte Ltd Sam Goi, Tee Yih Jia Group Total Trading Asia Pte Ltd Neil & Mijong Tottman Van Cleef & Arpels Peter CY Wong Yong Ying-I Anonymous (5)

$5,000 and above Prof Arnoud De Meyer Chng Hak-Peng Vinod & Melissa Kumar Chandra Mohan Rethnam Robin Ian Rawlings Manju & Arudra Vangal Chang Hwee Nee Lionel Choi

Heinrich Grafe Steven & Liwen Holmes Dr Andre Klein Lin Diaan-Yi Loke Cheng Kim Foundation Institut Francais Singapour Dr June & Peter Sheren

$1,000 and above Philippe Capdouze Takashi & Saori Kousaka Christopher & Bernice Franck Taizo Son Guru Vishwanath Dr Tan Chin Nam Adam & Brittany Levinson Eric Wong Dr Yeo Ning Hong Vihari Poddar Tina Lee Siah Geok Wah Ron & Janet Stride Pauline Chan & Jean Nasr Oscar Mico Mark Dembitz Tony & Serene Liok Lim Swee Lin Lawrence & Celeste Basapa Kris & Elizabeth Wiluan Jamie Thomas Seah & Siak Serene Tan & Carol Shieh Alicia Thian Wu Peichan Valerie Tan Kok Kiong Karen Fawcett Bernard Jean Sabrier Christopher Chen Mr & Mrs Winston Hauw Robert Khan & Co Pte Ltd Kennie Ting Guy J P Hentsch Paterson Lau & Pauline Tan Zhang Wei Hua Innocentia Krisnawati Zack Ong Kong Hong Timothy Pitrelli Wicky Wong Robert Langstraat Michelle Loh Igor Yuzefovich Aznan Abu Bakar Aloha Dental Pte Ltd Ang Seow Long Pauline Ang Hooi Yeong Taehyon Anh Cees & Raife Armstrong Prof Kanti Bajpai Marcie Ann Ball John & Eliza Bittleston Alexander Bock Chan Ah Khim Chan Wai Leong Cynthia Chee Richard Chen John Chen Margaret Chew Sing Seng This list is for donations from 1 Nov 2017 to 31 Oct 2018.

Evelyn Rachel Chin Belinda Chua Jennie Chua Kheng Yeng Chua Guek Hoon Barry Duncan Clarke Hartley Clay Arthur Davis John S Davison Maureen Derooij Jamie Lloyd Evans Elizabeth Fong Christopher John Fussner Eugenia Gajardo Patricia Gaw Goh Sze Wei Goh Chiu Gak Mark Edward Hansen William H Hernstadt High Notes Music Solutions Florian Hoppe Peggy Kek Ying-ru Chen-Keong Ad Ketelaars Khoo Boon Hui Khor Cheng Kian Paul Kitamura Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Prof Tommy Koh Dr Norman Lee Lee Li-Ming Lee Siong Ted Lee Peck Gee Viktor Leendertz Lek Lee Yong Leong Keng Hong Wendy Leong Bettina Lieske Alvin Liew Liew Geok Cheng Mavis Lim Geck Chin Lim Hong Eng Janet Lim Leong Thian Stanley Ling Yu Fei Stuart Liventals Dr Brian Lo Victor Loo Low Boon Hon Benjamin Ma Eunice Mah Li Lien Andre Maniam Vanessa Martin Gillian Metzger Million Lighting Co Pte Ltd Izumi Miyake Kathleen Moroney Mr & Mrs Willem Mark Nabarro David Neo Chin Wee Dr Agnes Ng

Ng Pei-Sian Hunter Nield Jenny Kim-O'Connor Todd On Enhao Reuben Ong Monique Ong Herve Pauze Derek Quah Allyson Rameker Jonathan Reiter Michael & Megumi Schlesinger Arend Schumacher See Tho Kai Yin Michiel van Selm Retno Setyaningsih Naoyoshi Nick Shimoda Prof Richard R. Smith Tan Cheng Guan Ivan Tan Meng Cheng Giles Tan Ming Yee Tan Kok Huan Tan Lian Yok Daniel Tando Mildred Tao Teo Ee Peng Fatima Terrill Peter White & Ong Yaw Hwee Iwona Wiktorowska Wong Liang Keen Satoru Yano Michelle Yeo Li-Ching Yip Teem Wing Zemans David Catherine Anonymous (14)

HE A R T F E LT A P P R EC I ATION TO S S O 4 0 t h A nni v ersar y A ppeal Donors We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our patrons who have responded to the SSO's 40th Anniversary Appeal so far. It would be impossible for our national orchestra to continue to strive for artistic excellence, touch the hearts of Singaporeans with our music, and make Singapore proud, if we didn't have ardent patrons like you.

Thank you for your generosity!

$20,000 to $25,000 Dr AndrĂŠ Klein Leong Wai Leng Christina Ong Anonymous

$10,000 AONIA Strategic Events

Dr Geh Min

Peter C.Y. Wong

BinjaiTree

Lee Li-Ming

Anonymous (3)

Prof Cham Tao Soon

Kai S. Nargolwala

Prof Chan Heng Chee

Saga Tree Capital Advisors Pte Ltd

Cara & Tamara Chang

$2,500 to $5,000 Prof Kanti Bajpai Chang Hwee Nee Chng Hak-Peng Lionel Choi Prof Arnoud De Meyer Warren Fernandez Goh Sze Wei Heinrich Grafe

Jerry Gwee Steven & Liwen Holmes Peggy Kek Lorinne Kon Kwan Meng Hui Mr & Mrs Paterson Lau Lee Kok Keong Dr Lee Shu Yen

Eddy Ooi Tang See Chim Dr Dang Vu & Ms Oanh Nguyen Eric Wong David Harris Zemans Anonymous (5)

$1,000 Aznan Bin Abu Bakar Dr Brenda Ang Cham Gee Len Chan Ah Khim Vivian Chandran Dr Faith Chia Pamela Chong Sally Chy Winifred Dente degli Scrovegni

Elizabeth Fong Gan Chee Yen Vivien Goh Heart Partners Clinic Mr & Mrs Simon Ip Khoo Boon Hui Dr Koh Chee Kang & Ms Chang Ting Lee Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Dr Norman Lee

Dr Lee Suan Yew Lek Lee Yong Low Boon Hon Monique Ong Quek Boon Hui Caroline Seow Susan Sim Gordon H.L. Tan Ivan Tan Meng Cheng

Tan Yee Deng Eddie Teo Wicky Wong Wu Guowei Yip Teem Wing Yong Seow Kin Anonymous (6)

We would like to express our sincere thanks to donors whose names were inadvertently left out at print time.

The Singapore Symphony Group is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. Singapore tax-payers may qualify for 250% tax deduction for donations above $50.

You can support us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate.

For inquiries, please contact Nikki at nikki@sso.org.sg or call 6602 4238.

SSO 40TH A NNIV E R S A R Y G A L A

L EONG YOON P IN (1931–2011)

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) held its first concerts at the Singapore Conference Hall on 24, 25 and 26 January 1979, conducted by Choo Hoey. They performed Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture, Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, Mao Yuan’s Dance of the Yao People, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and Ives’ The Unanswered Question. 40 years on, the Beethoven and Ives are performed today, led by the Orchestra’s second Music Director, Lan Shui.

Dayong Sampan Overture 9’

Ronly-Riklis requested to open his first concert with the SSO with a local work. To this end, Choo Hoey asked Leong Yoon Pin to write a new piece. The first performance of Dayong Sampan was regarded as a unanimous success, leading Choo Hoey to promise that he would perform more local works with the SSO. Ronly-Riklis returned to conduct the SSO again in 1982, 1983 and 1991.

Written in 1980, the Dayong Sampan Overture was premiered by the then oneyear-old Singapore Symphony Orchestra that same year. Based on a popular Malay folk song of that name (which was also appropriated by Teresa Teng in 1979 in the

PROGRAMME NOTES

Leong Yoon Pin’s Dayong Sampan Overture was the first local piece to be performed by the SSO, in February 1980. Shalom Ronly-Riklis (1922–1994), an Israeli conductor who had been involved in the National Theatre Symphony Orchestra back in 1968 and had contributed to proposals to set up the SSO, was invited to conduct the new orchestra.

Leong Yoon Pin is regarded as the father of Singaporean composers. He studied music at the Guildhall School in London and subsequently, composition with the legendary French teacher, Nadia Boulanger in 1966. Boulanger encouraged her students to draw from their unique individual backgrounds; Leong was inspired by this and sought to infuse Asian elements into his compositions.

He proceeded to compose several tone poems, many choral works, and two symphonies, while also conducting choral groups and orchestras in the pre-SSO era such as the Singapore City String Orchestra, Singapore National Orchestra and the Metro Philharmonic Society. For his pioneering contributions to music, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1982.

song Tian Mi Mi, 甜蜜蜜), it has become one of the most often performed local compositions since then. The composer provided the following description of the overture: “Against the distant drums, horns and bassoons… herald…the quiet dawn. Earth is soon awakened by three bugle calls… [echoed] by the brass and the lower strings, and behold, morning promises to be bright and beautiful, with the mood set by oboes counter-singing against a cheerful melody on the cellos. After further calls from the trumpets, the introduction closes on four subdued brass chords.

The aquatic sports on the southern seas begin with the allegro section in full merriment. First subject theme A announced by the woodwinds is followed by theme B with strings chasing each other in parts, now and then punctuated by winds and brass…the timpani… [ushers in] the well-known Malay folk tune, Dayong Sampan, played by the oboe and clarinet against pizzicato strings and the tambourine [accompanying]…

The development section evolves from material taken from the introduction and the second subject. A four-bar adagio leads into the recapitulation, and the coda is meant to be played with great jollity.”

Instrumentation 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons 4 horns 2 trumpets 3 trombones timpani triangle, tambourine, cymbals strings World Premiere (performed by SSO) 1 & 2 Feb 1980, Singapore

C H A R L E S IV E S (1874–195 4) The Unanswered Question 5’

American composer Charles Ives was an insurance salesman by day and composer by night. His day job enabled him to write pieces which he wanted, without the need to care about their consequent popularity or box office appeal. He engaged extensively with experimental music and avant-garde techniques for his time, and looked to integrate popular and church music with Western art music.

As a result, Ives’ compositions do not sound contemporaneous with that of other composers, but as if they were written almost half a century in the future. This forward-thinking experimentation resulted in many unperformed works, and some of his works took 50 years after their completion to be performed.

Written in 1908, The Unanswered Question was meant to be the first movement of “Two Contemplations”, titled “A Contemplation of a Serious Matter,

In its original form, the piece was written for offstage string quartet, solo trumpet and woodwind quartet. Ives later revised it between 1930 and 1935 to the more commonly performed chamber orchestra version for four flutes, trumpet and strings, first performed in 1946. Despite initial reticence towards programming it, The Unanswered Question is today one of Ives’ most frequently performed works.

Ives described the work as a “cosmic landscape”, in which “the strings are ‘the silences of the Druids, who know, see, and hear nothing’; over this indifferent universal background the trumpet repeatedly poses ‘the perennial question of existence’; the winds are the ‘fighting answerers’ who, for all their sound and fury, get nowhere.”

His biographer Jan Swafford suggests that Ives used this piece to suggest the philosophical idea that “a question can be better than an answer”.

Instrumentation 4 flutes trumpet strings World Premiere 11 May 1946, New York First performed by SSO 24, 25 & 26 Jan 1979

PROGRAMME NOTES

Choo Hoey programmed this work for the SSO’s inaugural concerts, revealing in a 2014 interview that he did so “because [he] really had a lot of unanswered questions”, and together with Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, it created a “very suggestive programme because [he] was also very unsure”. Choo Hoey also used this to signal his intention to perform many works written in the 20th century – which was a bold move then, due to the possible negative repercussions on the box office.

or The Unanswered Question”, with “A Contemplation of Nothing Serious, or Central Park in the Dark in the Good Old Summertime” to follow. Today, it is commonly performed on its own.

L UDW IG VaN B E E T HOV E N (1770 –18 27 ) Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor” 38’ Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto was performed at the SSO’s inaugural concerts by the then 24-year-old Ong Lip Tat, who later came to be regarded as Singapore’s ‘godfather of the piano’.

The Concerto was written between 1809 and 1810 while the French lay siege to Vienna, during which Beethoven suffered immensely. He hid in his brother’s house, covering his head with pillows in an attempt to preserve what was left of his hearing while the French artillery shelled the city. He wrote to his publisher Härtel (of Breitkopf and Härtel fame) that “The whole course of events has affected my body and soul. What a disturbing, wild life around me; nothing but drums, cannons, men, misery of all sorts.”

Yet, against this tumultuous background, Beethoven wrote this Concerto, one of the most heroic and beautiful works of all time. It is said to have derived its English nickname, “Emperor”, from a French soldier jumping to his feet after hearing the work and exclaiming “L’empereur!” Beethoven would certainly not have sanctioned this, as he thoroughly disapproved of the French leader by that time. He was even reported to have remarked “Pity that I do not understand

the art of war as well as I do the art of music; I should yet conquer Napoleon!"

The Allegro opens with three orchestral chords. The piano responds to each in what Michael Steinberg aptly described as “fountains and cascades of broken chords, trills and scales”. The entire movement is built from material introduced in these “fountains”, as Beethoven demonstrates his masterful creative invention throughout. Two main themes encompass the movement; the first is overtly heroic and filled with power, and the second is introduced with a slight lilt but quickly transformed by the horns to one of noble grace and confidence.

Brilliant piano writing is tempered by quiet, sweet reflection, and at the section where a cadenza is traditionally introduced, Beethoven dispenses with one and directs the horns to lead the bravura dénouement.

In contrast, the Adagio’s expansive song of tranquillity unwinds across two variations on its main string-led chorale, with utmost beauty. Its sheer lyricism led Leonard Bernstein to later set the words “there’s a place for us” to one of the movement’s most yearning phrases in West Side Story’s “Somewhere”.

With a subtle harmonic shift, the pianist muses on fragments of an arpeggio, before the Rondo suddenly bursts forth into life.

The exuberant theme dances through the movement, as Beethoven weaves in some subdued and reflective moments, while travelling to distant harmonic lands. Near the end, the movement winds down to reveal a surprisingly quiet duet between piano and timpani, but that quickly passes

as the Concerto concludes in a brilliantly glorious finale.

Instrumentation 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons 2 horns 2 trumpets timpani strings

First performed by SSO 24, 25 & 26 Jan 1979

RECOMMENDED LISTENING Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 John Bingham, Choo Hoey and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (Meridian, 2009)

Written just a year after his Fifth Piano Concerto, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was written between the summer of 1811 and June 1812. With the War of the Fifth Coalition recently concluded and Napoleon’s French Empire at its greatest extent (though his disastrous Russian invasion would soon follow in the latter half of 1812), there was little for Beethoven to rejoice about, and morale was low in the defeated Austrian Empire.

Yet against this backdrop, Beethoven produced one of the most exuberant Symphonies ever written. His biographer Maynard Solomon suggested a different source of inspiration here: the composer had found his “Immortal Beloved”.

Solomon wrote, “Beethoven, for the first and as far as we know the only time in his life, had found a woman whom he loved and who fully reciprocated his love.”

Unfortunately this pursuit was ultimately in vain, but for a time, Beethoven seems to have been filled with hope.

Within the one and a half years since the Symphony’s composition, Napoleon had been defeated in Russia, and the War of the Sixth Coalition (1812—1814) would result in his eventual exile to the island of Elba. The Symphony was premiered in December 1813 to raise funds for Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau. The audience probably associated the Symphony’s driving force with Napoleon’s impending defeat, and greeted it with great joy, even demanding that the second movement be encored.

The contemporaneous German composer

PROGRAMME NOTES

World Premiere 13 Jan 1811, Leipzig

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 36’

Spohr reported that Beethoven, who conducted the premiere, was invigorated by this atmosphere — “as a sforzando occurred, he tore his arms with great vehemence asunder… at the entrance of a forte he jumped into the air.”

The Symphony’s consistent rhythmic drive is present from the outset, as Beethoven builds an immense introduction to the first movement. Orchestral chords are answered by lyrical songs in the woodwinds, and scalic figurations drive the movement upwards to a sudden hush, where a suspenseful repetition of the note “E” is suddenly infused with dance, and the Vivace begins. Beethoven propels this forward with great energy, the movement dominated by a single rhythmic idea.

Beethoven anchors all of this with drones deep in the bass that dominate the coda – which fellow German composer Weber infamously compared to the musings of a madman.

A comparatively more solemn Allegretto follows, with another rhythmic idea (long, short short, long, long) omnipresent here.

This unassuming rhythm underpins two simple melodies, upon which Beethoven spins delicate variations. He transforms the opening rhythm into a fugue near the end of the movement, bringing it to a severe close.

The Scherzo bounds forth full of life, sometimes skipping along and sometimes with a brawnier slant, but always controlled. A short trio recalls a pilgrim’s hymn from southern Austria and provides a short respite from the constant forward drive.

Strong chords launch the finale. While this is also fast-paced, Beethoven throws caution to the wind and conjures a wild maelstrom of rhythmic energy. There is a sense of sheer abandon as the movement hurtles jubilantly through from its first bar to the end. As composer Richard Wagner fittingly describes, its “deathless strain sounds forth and forth; until, in the last whirl of delight, a kiss of triumph seals the last embrace.”

Programme notes by Christopher Cheong

Instrumentation 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons 2 horns 2 trumpets timpani strings World Premiere 8 Dec 1813, Vienna First performed by SSO 11 & 12 Feb 1980

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