SSO GALA
MISSA SOLEMNIS MASAAKI SUZUKI 10 May 2019
Esplanade Concert Hall
Performing Home of the SSO
10 May 19, Fri
SSO Gala
Missa Solemnis Masaaki Suzuki Singapore Symphony Orchestra Masaaki Suzuki, conductor Rachel Nicholls, soprano Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-soprano James Gilchrist, tenor Christian Immler, baritone Singapore Symphony Chorus Eudenice Palaruan, choral director
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123 81’
1. Kyrie 2. Gloria 3. Credo 4. Sanctus 5. Agnus Dei
Post-concert autograph signing with Masaaki Suzuki in the stalls foyer.
Concert duration: 1 hr 35 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 ing a p or e S y mp hon y Or c he s t r a 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. The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade 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. Under the Music Directorship of Lan Shui from 1997 to January 2019, 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, Gustavo Dudamel, 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.
MASAAKI SUZUKI conductor Since founding Bach Collegium Japan in 1990, Masaaki Suzuki has established himself as a leading authority on the works of Bach. He has remained their Music Director ever since, taking them regularly to major venues and festivals in Europe and the USA and building up an outstanding reputation for the expressive refinement and truth of his performances.
Suzuki’s impressive discography on the BIS label, featuring all Bach’s major choral works as well as complete works for harpsichord, has brought him many critical plaudits. 2014 marked the triumphant conclusion of Bach Collegium Japan’s epic recording of the complete Church Cantatas initiated in 1995 and comprising 55 volumes.
In addition to working with renowned period ensembles, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Philharmonia Baroque, he is invited to conduct repertoire as diverse as Brahms, Britten, Fauré, Mahler, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Masaaki Suzuki combines his conducting career with his work as organist and harpsichordist.
In 2012, Suzuki was awarded with the Leipzig Bach Medal and in 2013 the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize. In April 2001, he was decorated with ‘Das Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik’ from Germany.
Rachel Nicholls soprano Recently described by The Observer as “magnificent, full-toned, flexible accurate and powerful” Rachel Nicholls is now widely recognised as one of the most exciting dramatic sopranos of her generation. She was born in Bedford and in 2013 was awarded an Opera Awards Foundation Bursary to study with Dame Anne Evans. Recent and future engagements include Isolde in Tristan und Isolde for the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Rome, Turin, Karlsruhe, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and Grange Park Opera as well as in concert with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, the title role in Elektra for Basel and Karlsruhe, Salome in Hannover, Brünnhilde, Siegfried in concert with the Hallé, Brünnhilde, Götterdämmerung in Taiwan, Fidelio for Lithuanian National Opera, Guinevere in Gawain for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth for Karlsruhe and NI Opera, and Eva in Die Meistersinger for Karlsruhe and ENO.
She is also in demand as a concert artist and has worked with orchestras throughout Europe and the Far East and in recital at venues including Wigmore Hall, London. Recordings include Elgar’s The Spirit of England with the Hallé, a wide repertoire with Bach Collegium Japan and Tippett’s Third Symphony for Chandos.
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Marianne Beate Kielland mezzo-soprano Marianne Beate Kielland has established herself as one of the most respected vocal artists of our time. One of the few Norwegian singers to have received a Grammy nomination, the versatile mezzosoprano has been working frequently with leading orchestras and ensembles and enjoying a vast concert repertoire spanning from early 17th century works through to Classical, Romantic and the Contemporary eras. Recent season highlights include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the 18th Century Orchestra on tour to the Netherlands, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Bergen Philharmonic, Messiah with Malmö Symphony, Bach’s St John Passion with Oslo Philharmonic, St Matthew Passion with BBC Philharmonic, and Haydn’s Seven Last Words with L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève. Her recent symphonic and oratorio appearances include Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Oslo Philharmonic, NDR Radiophilharmonie and Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Mass in B minor with Gothenburg Symphony, Gli Angeli Genève and Norwegian Baroque Orchestra, Christmas Oratorio with
Tonkünstler Orchestra and Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Bach Cantatas with Bachstiftung St. Gallen, Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres with The King’s Consort, Handel’s Messiah with Musica Vitae, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester and Anima Eterna, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Oslo Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and at the Sydney Opera House, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Das Lied von der Erde with Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Songs of a Wayfarer with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and Berio’s Folksongs with Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. Kielland, who started her international career as an ensemble member of Staatsoper Hannover, has made more than 40 CD recordings of oratorios, operas, cantatas. In 2012, she was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Classical Vocal Solo for the album Veslemøy Synsk, which features works by composers Edvard Grieg and Olav Anton Thommesen.
JAMES GILCHRIST tenor James Gilchrist began his working life as a doctor, turning to a full-time career in music in 1996. His musical interest was fired at a young age, singing first as a chorister in the choir of New College, Oxford, and later as a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge. Gilchrist’s extensive concert repertoire has seen him perform in major concert halls throughout the world. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and the St John and St Matthew Passions feature prominently in his schedule and he is celebrated as perhaps the finest Evangelist of his generation; as one review noted, “he hasn’t become a one-man Evangelist industry by chance”. A keen recitalist, Gilchrist’s recent performances with pianist and long-time collaborator Anna Tilbrook include a new project for the Wigmore Hall – Schumann and the English Romantics – pairing Schumann song cycles with new commissions from leading composers Sally Beamish, Julian Philips and Jonathan Dove.
Recent operatic engagements include appearances in the role of Reverend Horace Adams in Britten’s Peter Grimes with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner, for Bergen National Opera, the Bergen International Festival and Edinburgh International Festival. In the 2018-19 season, appearances include Elijah in Gothenburg with Göteborgs Symfoniker and Masaaki Suzuki, Handel’s Messiah with the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston, USA with Bernard Labadie, and at the Wimbledon International Festival with Matthew Best, St Matthew Passion with both Tafelmusik Baroque in Toronto, and Kings College Cambridge, Haydn’s Creation with Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Christmas Oratorio with Le Concert Lorrain. Gilchrist also takes further performances of Eddie Parker’s Debussy Mirrored Ensemble to York, Bristol and London, in a celebration of Debussy’s work in the centenary of the composer’s death.
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
Christian Immler baritone From the Tölzer Knabenchor as a boy alto soloist to singing at major concert halls, festivals and opera houses, German baritone Christian Immler has spent many years making and recording music of the highest quality. He studied with Rudolf Piernay in London and won the International Nadia et Lili Boulanger Competition in Paris, launching his career. In concert, he has immersed himself in the works of Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler and particularly, Bach, appearing all over the world. Immler has worked with such conductors as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Marc Minkowski, Christophe Rousset, Philippe Herreweghe, Ivor Bolton, Daniel Harding, Kent Nagano, James Conlon, Andrew Parrott, Michel Corboz, Masaaki Suzuki, Raphael Pichon, Ottavio Dantone, Giovanni Antonini, Thomas Hengelbrock, Frieder Bernius, Laurence Equilbey, William Christie and Leonardo García Alarcón, performing at places such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Sydney Opera House, Salzburg, Aix-en-Provence and Lucerne Festivals, and the BBC Proms. On stage, he appeared at Opéra Comique Paris, Grand Théâtre Genève, New Israeli Opera,
Boston Early Music Festival and most recently in Seoul for Don Giovanni with René Jacobs. A keen recitalist, Immler has been invited to perform at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Frick Collection in New York, the Paris Philharmonie, the Salzburg Mozarteum and the Tonhalle Zurich, the latter with pianist Helmut Deutsch with whom he released the album entitled Modern Times. His more than 50 recordings have been awarded prizes such as a 2016 Grammy Nomination, the Echo Klassik, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, several Diapason d’Or, Diamant d’Opéra, and France Musiques’ Enregistrement de l’année. Much in demand for worldwide masterclasses, Immler is Professor of Voice at the Kalaidos Fachhochschule in Zurich.
Eudenice Palaruan choral director Eudenice Palaruan studied at the University of the Philippines majoring in composition under Ramon Santos (National Artist for Music) and choral conducting under Joel Navarro. After finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in the Philippines, he took on a four-year study in choral conducting at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule, Germany under Martin Behrmann. As a chorister and vocalist he has performed with leading choirs such as the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, Berlin Spandauer Kantorei, and the World Youth Choir. He was also involved in early music performance practice as a countertenor with the Berlin Monteverdichor and continuo player at the Philippine International Bamboo Organ Festival. On the podium he was the Music Director of the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club, Assistant Choir Master of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Principal Conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale and the Union Church of Manila Chancel Choir. For the past seven years he was the Resident Conductor of the International Bamboo Organ Festival where he directed some of Philippines’ leading choirs in the
performance of early European choral music and the revival of Latin American Baroque choral music. As a composer and arranger Palaruan introduced choral and other vocal works that exhibit the indigenous Filipino sound. His works are performed by Asian and European choirs in international festivals and competitions. With his active involvement in the choralization of Philippine and other Asian indigenous music he premiered a significant volume of new Asian choral works and is often invited to give lectures on non-Western vocal aesthetics and choral arranging in the Asian context. As a music pedagogue he taught composition and cantorship at the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music, choral conducting subjects at the University of the Philippines College of Music and the St. Paul University Manila College of Music and the Performing Arts. Currently he is an Associate Professor at the School of Church Music in Singapore Bible College, training and mentoring young church musicians from different Asian countries.
Singapore Symphony Chorus EUDENICE PALARUAN choral director SHANE THIO rehearsal pianist The Singapore Symphony Chorus (SSC) made its debut in 1980, under the direction of Choo Hoey, then Music Director of the SSO and now SSO Emeritus Conductor. In 1981, Singaporean conductor Lim Yau was appointed its Choral Director. Under his tutelage, the chorus has amassed a wide repertoire, performing such works as Macmillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum, Britten’s War Requiem, and Bach’s St John Passion, amongst many others. The chorus is recognised as one of the finest in the region and one of the few symphony choruses in Southeast Asia. It has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Peter Erdei, Eric Ericsson, John Nelson, Claus Peter Flor, Okko Kamu, and Masaaki Suzuki. Today, presiding Choral Director Eudenice Palaruan leads the choristers, who come from a myriad of nationalities and backgrounds. In 2017, the chorus went on its first tour with the SSO, performing at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur.
Singapore Symphony Chorus GERMAN LANGUAGE COACH Iris Bechtold
SOPRANO Au Zexian Karen Aw Chin Li Han Alexis Chen Grace Goh Andrea Hendrickson Karin Hesse Claudia Käepernick
Imlisenla Imsong* Deborah Lee Ng Beng Choo Jemaima Pagsibigan Sarah-Tabea Sammel Sarah Santhana Vivien Sinapius Sun Yinglun
Tan Li Szu Patricia Teng Sachiko Tomimori Masumi Tsuchiya Agnieszka Veriga Anne Wightman
ALTO Päivi Aalto Chan Mei Yoke Patricia Chong Martha Fernandez Friederike Herrmann Mervi Hiltunen Truly Hutapea Susan Kurniawati
Irene Law Evelyn Lee Dorothy Lee-Teh Wendy Lim Lin Wei Denise Liu Sharon Low Eunice Ng-Chee
Elaine Ser Josephine Sim Natividad Solaguren Ena Su Elsie Tan Tan Ying Jie Helena Whalen-Bridge
TENOR Baek Jongwoo* Jean-Michel Bardin Calvin Chin Chin Han Chng Edwin Orlando Cruz
Benjamin Davis Hawk Liu Norman Lee Jeroven Marquez Ryan Padgett
Yann Perron Alan Smith Ian Tan Ben Wong
BASS Ang Jian Zhong Chan Kai Song* Winsen Citra Arthur Davis Joseph Kennedy
Lee Xianyu* Caleb Liu Blessing Oo* Eudenice Palaruan* Jared V. Robertson
James Shin-Gay Tan Jun Liang* Kester Tay* Raymond Wu
*Guest singers
SSO MU SICIAN S joshua tan Associate Conductor andrew litton Principal Guest Conductor Choo Hoey Conductor Emeritus Lan Shui Conductor Laureate 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 Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe SECOND VIOLIN Lisa Obert^ Principal Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair Nikolai Koval* 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 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 Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er DOUBLE BASS Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Guennadi Mouzyka Wang Xu FLUTE Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan
PICCOLO Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal OBOE Rachel Walker Principal Pan Yun Associate Principal Carolyn Hollier Elaine Yeo COR ANGLAIS Elaine Yeo Associate Principal CLARINET Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping
TRUMPET Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin TROMBONE Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong BASS TROMBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal TIMPANI Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal
BASS CLARINET
PERCUSSION
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Lim Meng Keh Zhu Zheng Yi
BASSOON Wang Xiaoke Principal Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue
HARP Gulnara Mashurova Principal
CONTRABASSOON
ORGAN
Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
Isaac Lee^
HORN Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc
*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
Thank you for attending Missa Solemnis · Masaaki Suzuki
This free vocal and organ recital features three young, rising Singaporean talents tenor Joshua Chang, soprano Evelyn Ang and organist Phoon Yu, in a concert of sacred arias by Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Stanford.
This year, the popular Singapore Symphony Children's Choir is joined by its sister chorus, the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir, in a fascinating programme of contemporary choral gems from around the world.
IF WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS VICTORIA CONCERT HALL 20 MAY 2019
SONG BRIDGES VICTORIA CONCERT HALL 26 MAY 2019
Evelyn Ang, soprano Joshua Chang, tenor Phoon Yu, organ
Singapore Symphony Children’s & Youth Choirs Wong Lai Foon, choirmaster
Vocal enthusiasts take note - this June, legendary mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter will arrive in Singapore with the Brooklyn Rider string quartet in a crossover evening featuring songs by such names as John Adams, Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Bjรถrk. With autograph session.
ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER & BROOKLYN RIDER VICTORIA CONCERT HALL 5 JUN 2019 Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano Brooklyn Rider
This year's National Day Concert includes new works as well as familiar music in new arrangements - all Singaporean. The Singapore Symphony Chorus will lend their voices to three pieces, including Lee Jinjun's Singapore Suite and Dick Lee's Home.
SSO NATIONAL DAY CONCERT ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL 10 AUG 2019 Joshua Tan, conductor Jeremy Monteiro Jazz Trio Tamagoh, drums Christy Smith, bass Samuel Phua, saxophone Nawaz Mirajkar, tabla Akilesh VMS, mridangam Singapore Symphony Chorus Singapore Symphony Youth Choir
A S ta nding Ovat ion to our Donor s a nd Sp on s or s PATRON SPONSOR
Tote Board Group (Tote Board, Singapore Pools & Singapore Turf Club) $500,000 AND ABOVE
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Gilbert Leong Leong Keng Hong Wendy Leong Marnyi Adam & Brittany Levinson Susan Lim Stanley Lim Leong Thian Candice Ling Tony & Serene Liok Stuart Liventals Low Boon Hon Benjamin Ma Andre Maniam Vanessa Martin Gillian & Kurt Metzger Kathleen Moroney Dr Agnes Ng Dr Dang Vu & Ms Oanh Nguyen Jenny Kim-O'Connor Zack Ong Kong Hong Monique Ong Herve Pauze Vihari Poddar Prof Kanti Bajpai Quek Boon Hui Robert Khan & Co Pte Ltd Robin Ian Rawlings Dr Alban Salord Arend Schumacher Winifred Dente Degli Scrovegni Siak & Seah See Tho Kai Yin Caroline Seow Naoyoshi Nick Shimoda Siak Geok Wah Tibor Zoltan Szabady Andrew Tan Tan Kok Siong Serene Tan & Carol Shieh Ivan Tan Meng Cheng Tan Yee Deng Tan Soo Nan Gordon H L Tan Tan Kok Huan Giles Tan Ming Yee Tang Li Ping Eddie Teo Teo Ee Peng Ivan Teo Teo Chun-Wai, Benedict Fatima Terrill Alicia Thian & Brian Bonde Jamie Thomas Kennie Ting Valerie Wu Peichan Guru Vishwanath Eric Wong Andrew & Sybil Wong Wicky Wong
Wong Liang Keen Wu Guowei Satoru Yano Dr Yeo Ning Hong Yip Teem Wing Yong Seow Kin Darren Yong & Connie Chaird Anonymous (16)
S S O 4 0 TH ANNIVER S ARY APPEAL Our story began four decades ago when we played our first concert in January 1979. This journey would not have been possible without patrons who believe in sharing the gift of music. Thank you for your generosity.
$25,000 and above Holywell Foundation Limited Christina Ong Ho Ching Anonymous $10,000 TO $24,999 AONIA Strategic Events BinjaiTree Prof Cham Tao Soon Prof Chan Heng Chee Cara & Tamara Chang Dr Geh Min Dr André Klein Lee Li-Ming
Leong Wai Leng Devika and Sanjiv Misra Kai S. Nargolwala Saga Tree Capital Advisors Pte Ltd Peter C. Y. Wong Yong Ying-I Anonymous (4)
$5,000 TO $9,999 Chang Hwee Nee Lionel Choi Hartley Clay Prof Arnoud De Meyer Warren Fernandez Goh Sze Wei
Heinrich Grafe Jerry Gwee Steven and Liwen Holmes Angela Huang & Geo Chen Lee Kok Keong nTan Corporate Advisory Pte Ltd
Eddy Ooi Jenny Pan Tang See Chim David Harris Zemans
$2,500 TO $4,999 Prof Kanti Bajpai Chng Hak-Peng Peggy Kek Lorinne Kon Aditi Krishnakumar
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$1,000 TO $2,499 Aznan Bin Abu Bakar Aloha Dental Pte Ltd Dr Brenda Ang Dennis Au Jocelyn Aw Bryan Carmichael Cham Gee Len Chan Ah Khim Vivian Chandran Dr Faith Chia Pamela Chong Sally Chy Mark & Jennifer Dembitz Winifred Dente degli Scrovegni Maureen Derooij Elizabeth Fong Gan Chee Yen Michael Goh
Vivien Goh Heart Partners Clinic Dr Guy J P Hentsch Mr & Mrs Simon Ip Khoo Boon Hui Khor Cheng Kian Dr Koh Chee Kang & Ms Chang Ting Lee Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Lau Soo Lui Dr Norman Lee Dr Lee Suan Yew Lek Lee Yong Wendy Leong Marnyi Janet Lim Hong Eng Edith & Sean Lim Candice Ling Low Boon Hon Monique Ong
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This list is accurate as at 23 April 2019. 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.
2019 B e ne f i t dinne r donor s With heartfelt appreciation to our donors
PRESENTING SPONSOR Butterfield Trust $150,000 AND ABOVE
$100,000
Christopher & Rosy Ho
Tote Board
$50,000 Aquilus Pte Ltd G K Goh Holdings
Mr Hsin Yeh & Family
$20,000 to $30,000 Far East Organization Maisy Koh & Dr Beh Swan Gin Kris Foundation Mr & Mrs Eugene Lai Clarinda & Christopher Martin Paige Parker & Jim Rogers
Stephen Riady’s Group of Foundations United Overseas Bank Ltd Dr Thomas Zuellig & Mrs Mary Zuellig
Up to $15,000 Odile & Douglas Benjamin Bunli Holdings Lito and Kim Camacho Chang Wing Chen Peter Chen Kwan Da Choo Chiau Beng Chng Hak-Peng Judy Hunt Latham & Watkins
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Up to $5,000 Celeste Basapa Juliana & Clemente Benelli Pauline Chan & Jean Nasr Chip Eng Seng Group Simon Cheong Rosa Daniel G&L Surgical Pte Ltd Peggy Kek Edmund Koh K C Winston Kwek & Valerie Cheah
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L UDW IG VAN B EETHOVEN (1770 –18 27 ) Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123 81’ There has always been a certain unease with Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. For musicologists, it does not fit stylistically with the other works from his late period; specifically absent is any use of theme and variations. The fact that he was composing a Mass while simultaneously working on the Ninth Symphony is hard for some to square. This hero of the Enlightenment, who although raised as a Roman Catholic was unconventional in his religious beliefs as an adult, nonetheless, considered the Missa Solemnis to be his best work. The composer relied on patronage for his living and one of his chief benefactors was Archduke Rudolf of Austria, who was not only his pupil and friend, but also an important figure in the church. Beethoven had intended the Missa Solemnis to be performed at Rudolf’s consecration as an archbishop in 1819, but missed the deadline by four years. The copy that Beethoven presented to Rudolf is inscribed ‘From the heart – may it return to the heart!’ The first performance of the Missa Solemnis took place in St. Petersburg, Russia on 7 April 1824. As was his custom, Beethoven had sent copies of his new work to royalty throughout Europe with the expectation of receiving payment
in return. One was sent to Prince Nikolai Borisovich Galitzine, who was undoubtedly the catalyst for the concert. He wrote to Beethoven immediately afterwards, congratulating him on the music. Shortly thereafter, Galitzine commissioned three string quartets from Beethoven. Earlier that year In Vienna, friends of Beethoven began to organise a concert in which both the Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis would be performed there for the first time. It was rocky going. Church officials objected to the words of the Mass being sung in a theater, so German texts were substituted. The music was fiendishly difficult, but Beethoven rebuffed all requests to rewrite anything. No one realised the combined length of the two works, so only the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei of the Missa Solemnis were performed. The aging, deaf composer was also at his most irascible. Nonetheless, the concert took place on 7 May 1824. It is hard to imagine what the audience experienced that day. The musicians were told to ignore Beethoven, who stood in their midst conducting. If the sopranos in the chorus could not reach the high notes, they simply did not sing them. In addition, people must have been confounded by what they heard, as both the Ninth Symphony and the Missa Solemnis were difficult to comprehend. Nonetheless, the excitement of the occasion and the Viennese public’s respect for Beethoven prompted an outpouring of applause. He had to be turned to face the audience by one of the soloists to see the ovation, as he could not hear it.
In the Missa Solemnis, Beethoven set the traditional five sections of the Mass with only minor alterations to the text. This is unsurprising, as he was originally composing it for a specific religious occasion and it is unlikely that Archduke Rudolf would have countenanced any departures from the norm. The revolutionary aspect is its grandeur, scale and emotional impact, which is immediately apparent from the majestic chords that open the Kyrie.
Programme notes by Rick Perdian
World Premiere 7 Apr 1824, St. Petersburg First performed by SSO 22 Apr 2006
RECOMMENDED LISTENING Beethoven: Missa Solemnis Bach Collegium Japan/Masaaki Suzuki (BIS-2321 SACD, 2018)
PROGRAMME NOTES
During his later years, Beethoven was practically obsessed with the fugue, a compositional technique that begins with a theme that is then repeated by other voices or instrumental parts with small variations. For the Gloria and Credo, Beethoven composed enormous fugues that are relentless in their intensity and pose technical challenges for the chorus. The quieter passages, however, are where Beethoven was truly inspired. The “Et incarnatus est� of the Credo is stunning for its simplicity and sincerity. It is however the extended violin solo in the Sanctus, of which it has been written that Beethoven accomplished a miracle by the depicting the descent of the divine from heaven to earth, that is truly sublime.
Instrumentation 2 flutes 2 oboes 2 clarinets 2 bassoons contrabassoon 4 horns 2 trumpets 3 trombones timpani organ strings
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SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL 30 MAY - 3 JUNE 2019 Victoria Concert Hall
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SA CHEN RONAN OʼHORA KIRILL GERSTEIN INGRID FLITER
Missa Solemnis Kyrie Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
Gloria Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, God, Father omnipotent. Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ most high. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. You who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. You who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. For you alone are holy, you alone are the Lord, you alone most high, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Credo Credo in unum Deum, patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
PROGRAMME NOTES
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dextram Patris, miserere nobis! Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris, amen.
Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula, Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri, per quem omnia facta sunt, qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die secundum scipturas, et ascendit in coelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris, et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos et mortuos, cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per prophetas, et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum. et vitam venturi saeculi, amen.
the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for all humanity, and for our salvation, came down from heaven. And became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made a man. He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. And on the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together are worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets, and I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the Resurrection of the Dead, and life everlasting. Amen.
Sanctus Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth! Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Osanna in excelsis! Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Osanna in excelsis!
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts! Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccate mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
PROGRAMME NOTES
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Š Michelle Tng Ying
26 May 2019
Sun, 4pm Victoria Concer t Hall Connecting cultures, spanning ages - music for the human voice has bridged and connected people across geographical and cultural borders. Led by choirmaster Wong Lai Foon, the Singapore Symphony Children's and Youth Choirs will present the music of composers and cultures from around the world, including the premieres of several new works by Singaporean composers Zechariah Goh, Darius Lim and Yeo Chow Shern. PAT RON SPONSOR
PRINCIPAL CHAMPION Mr Christopher Ho & Mrs Rosy Ho Wong Lai Foon, conductor Tickets: $20 Concessions: $15
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