SSO subscription concert
Messiaen Turangalîla 1 APR 2017 SAT | ESPLANADE concert hall Performing Home of the SSO
LAN SHUI Music Director
1 APR 2017 | SAT
Messiaen Turangalîla Singapore Symphony Orchestra Lan Shui, conductor
OLIVIER MESSIAEN Turangalîla-symphonie 74’00 1. Introduction 2. Chant d’amour I 3. Turangalîla I 4. Chant d’amour II 5. Joie du sange des étoiles 6. Jardin du sommeil d’amour 7. Turangalîla II 8. Développement de l’amour 9. Turangalîla III 10. Finale Andreas Haefliger, piano Cynthia Millar, ondes Martenot
Concert duration: 1 hr 30 mins
Let’s go green! Digital programme booklets are now available on www.sso.org.sg. Scan the QR code in the foyer to view a copy.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra 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. 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 Rachmaninov series, a Debussy disc, Seascapes featuring sea-themed music by Debussy, Frank Bridge, Glazunov and Zhou Long, 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, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham.
“A fine display of orchestral bravado for the SSO and Shui” The Guardian
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.
Empowering lives. Nurturing communities.
We believe in building a sustainable future with the community – wherever we operate. In more than 30 countries, we reach out and give back through lending a hand to the needy and under-privileged, promoting education, caring for the environment as well as cultivating appreciation of the arts. We make it a part of our business to lay the foundation for a brighter future, one upon which successive generations will thrive.
Keppel Corporation Limited 1 HarbourFront Avenue #18-01 Keppel Bay Tower Singapore 098632 I www.kepcorp.com
PALATABLE CULINARY ART AT GOLDEN PEONY Embark on a sumptuous oriental journey at award-winning Golden Peony and indulge in
innovative culinary creations that are sure to please even the most discerning of taste buds. For reservations, visit www.connoisseur.sg or call Golden Peony at 6432 7482/8.
centennial singapore
Two Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038982 | Phone +65 6334 8888 | ConradSingapore.com
Andreas Haefliger
piano
Coming from a rich tradition, the pianist Andreas Haefliger is: “consummately lyrical. Exhibitionism and pretence are antithetical to his musical personality”; he has “a vision of musical architecture second to none and a tender, profoundly cultivated sensibility, from which music flows unimpeded” (International Record Review). Haefliger was born into a distinguished Swiss musical family. He studied at Juilliard and soon thereafter appeared with New York Philharmonic, Cleveland, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh, Chicago and San Francisco Symphony. In his native Europe too, Haefliger has appeared with the great orchestras and festivals – such as the Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Symphony. He is well recognised as a superb recitalist, making his New York debut in 1988, and has ongoing regular relationships with the Lucerne and Edinburgh Festivals and the Vienna Konzerthaus, as well as at major halls across North America and Asia. His latest chamber music project gathers friends Benjamin Schmid and Karen Gomyo (violins), Lise Berthaud (viola) and Christian Poltéra (cello) for concerts every year at the Louisiana Museum in Copenhagen. After the significant success of his first recording of Mozart Sonatas for Sony Classical, Haefliger made three further recordings for Sony and later recorded for Decca with the Takács Quartet and Matthias Goerne, winning the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik for his Schubert disc of Goethe’s songs with Goerne. The major project in recent years has been his Perspectives series on Avie, for which every disc (without exception) has received excellent reviews, with the latest instalment to be released next season.
Cynthia Millar
ondes Martenot
Cynthia Millar was born in London and studied the ondes Martenot first with John Morton and later with Jeanne Loriod. Since her first Turangalîlasymphonie at the BBC Promenade Concerts in London with Sir Mark Elder and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, she has played with many of the world’s leading orchestras under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Andrew Davis, André Previn, Esa Pekka Salonen, Edo de Waart, Leonard Slatkin, Yan Pascal Tortelier, David Roberston, Kent Nagano, Franz Welser-Möst, Mark Wigglesworth, Matthias Bamert, Donald Runnicles, Ilan Volkov, Mariss Jansons, and Gustavo Dudamel. Her many performances, which run into triple figures, include the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Aspen, Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals, regular appearances at the BBC Promenade Concerts, and concerts with orchestras throughout Europe, the USA, Australasia and Japan. She has recorded Turangalîla with the Bergen Symphony Orchestra conducted by Juanjo Mena for Hyperion. Other repertoire includes Honegger’s Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, Varese Equatorial and Messiaen’s Trois petites liturgies, which she has recorded for Virgin Classics and for Globe. In summer 2016 she performed the important solo ondes Martenot part written especially for her by Thomas Adès in his opera The Exterminating Angel at the Salzburg Festival, also to be heard at the Royal Opera House in London, The Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. The current season includes Turangalîla with the Oregon Symphony, BBC Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Trois petites liturgies with the Seattle Symphony.
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
SSO Musicians Lan Shui
Jason Lai
Joshua Tan
Choo Hoey
Okko Kamu
Lim Yau
MUSIC DIRECTOR
ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
CONDUCTOR EMERITUS
PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR
Choral Director
FIRST VIOLIN Igor Yuzefovich° Concertmaster Lynnette Seah 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 Sui Jing Jing Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe
Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Tong Yi Ping Janice Tsai^ 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* Peter Wilson Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er
SECOND VIOLIN Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed chair Nikolai Koval* Long Xiang^ Priscilla Neo 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 Born Lau^ Lim Chun^ Luo Biao
DOUBLE BASS Guennadi Mouzyka Principal Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed chair Olga Alexandrova Raffael Bietenhader^ Ma Li Ming Jacek Mirucki 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
TROMBONE
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal
Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong
CLARINET Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping
BASS CLARINET
BASS TROMBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal
TUBA Hidehiro Fujita Principal
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
BASSOON Zhang Jin Min Principal Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue
CONTRA BASSOON Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
HORN Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Kartik Alan Jairamin Hoang Van Hoc^
TRUMPET Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lertkiat Chongjirajitra^ Teerapol Kiatthaveephong^ Sergey Tyuteykin
TIMPANI Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal
PERCUSSION Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Robert Clarke^ Mark De Souza Derek Koh^ Joachim Lim^ Lim Meng Keh Mizuki Morimoto^ Tim White^ Zhu Zheng Yi
HARP Gulnara Mashurova Principal
CELESTE Shane Thio^
* 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 ^ Musician on temporary contract
Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
U P COM ING CONCERT S
8 APRIL 17 | SAT, 7.30pm esplanade Concert Hall
SSO Pops Concert: Makoto Ozone • Rhapsody in Blue Joshua Tan conductor Makoto Ozone piano Prepare to be thrilled as acclaimed Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone joins Joshua Tan and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at the Esplanade Concert Hall for a one-night-only Pops Concert featuring American composer George Gershwin’s ever-popular Rhapsody In Blue, which draws on lively jazz elements. Makoto Ozone will also perform Ravel’s Concerto in G major. “In a series of dazzling, improvised cadenzas, Ozone showed how much classically grounded technique can expand a jazz pianist’s freedom.” – The New York Times
TCHAIKOVSKY (Arr. ELLINGTON & STRAYHORN, Orch. TYZIK) The Nutcracker Suite RAVEL Concerto in G major TYZIK Symphonic Swing GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
Robert Spano • Titan Robert Spano conductor Gustav Mahler’s daring Symphony No. 1 is an exceptional work that effortlessly transits between tranquility to grandeur within an hour of music. Setting the scene to ”Titan“ is Schubert’s ”Unfinished Symphony“, known as one of the greatest, and the strangest, of the genre. ”Spano has that great skill in a conductor of making every performance radiate joy“ – The New York Times
SCHUBERT Symphony in B minor, D.759 ”Unfinished“ MAHLER Symphony No. 1 in D major ”Titan“
Pre-concert Talk 6.30pm-7pm I library@esplanade
U P COM ING CONCERT S
15 APRIL 17 | SAT, 7.30pm ESPLANADE Concert Hall
Musicians’ Chair The Singapore Symphony Orchestra thanks the following organisations for supporting our Musicians’ Chair Programme. The programme supports artistic excellence initiatives in the orchestra’s annual operations. Principal Cello
Ng Pei-Sian
FIXED CHAIR, Cello
Guo Hao
CORPORATE SEATS The Singapore Symphony Orchestra appreciates the support of companies in our Corporate Seats scheme. The scheme supports the Orchestra through regular attendance of subscription concerts. $20,000 and above Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Singapore $10,000 and above Hong Leong Foundation Stephen Riady Group of Foundations Nomura Asset Management Singapore Ltd Prima Limited
1979 FUND The Singapore Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the following corporations and individuals for their contributions towards the 1979 Fund. The 1979 Fund is a campaign for contribution to the SSO Endowment Fund. Allen & Gledhill LLP Stephen Riady Group of Foundations United Overseas Bank Limited Mrs Odile Benjamin Ms Cham Gee Len Prof Cham Tao Soon Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Chng Kai Jin Mr Goh Yew Lin Mr Khoo Boon Hui Prof Tommy Koh Ms Liew Wei Li Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr S R Nathan Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Dr Tan Chin Nam Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Wong Nang Jang Prof Chan Heng Chee Anonymous For more information or to make a donation, please contact the Development & Sponsorship Team at 6602 4218 or anthony@sso.org.sg.
SSO DONORS
PATRON SPONSOR Tote Board Group (Tote Board, Singapore Pools & Singapore Turf Club) $200,000 and above Temasek Foundation Nurtures CLG Ltd Christopher Ho & Rosy Ho SMRT Corporation Limited Conrad Centennial Singapore Zhendong Foundation $100,000 and above Anonymous $50,000 and above John Swire & Sons (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Singapore Press Holdings Ltd Joseph Grimberg Kingsmen Exhibits Pte Ltd Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin Anonymous GK Goh Holdings Limited NSL Ltd TransTechnology Private Limited Aquilus Pte Ltd
$20,000 and above Stephen Riady Group of Foundations Interchem Pte Ltd Singapore Institute of Management Keppel Corporation Ltd Van Cleef and Arpels Far East Organization Centre Pte Ltd Lee Foundation, Singapore United Overseas Bank Ltd Anonymous Ms Paige Parker & Mr Jim Rogers Mdm Tan Siew Hoon
Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Singapore Holywell Foundation Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore Pte Ltd Prima Limited Saga Tree Capital Advisors Pte Ltd Tan Choo Leng Mrs Dorothy Chan Geoffrey Wong Ee Kay & Wong Ai Ai Kris Foundation Doris & Andreas Sohmen-Pao
$10,000 and above Dr & Mrs Thomas Zuellig S R Nathan Anonymous Rubina Watch Co Pte Ltd Odile & Douglas Benjamin Maisy Koh & Dr Beh Swan Gin Christine Yeh Lim & Tan Securities Pte Ltd Timber Yeh Michael Lien & Tan Kheng Ju At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy Pte Ltd Boardroom Limited BTG Pactual Commodities (Singapore) Pte Ltd Bulgari Fraser And Neave (S) Pte Ltd Hong Leong Foundation Latham and Watkins LLP LGT Bank (Singapore) Ltd Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd Pontiac Land Group Nomura Asset Management Singapore Ltd One North Capital Pte Ltd OSIM International Limited PSA International Pte Ltd
Sunray Woodcraft Construction Pte Ltd Tan Kong Piat (Pte) Limited The Silent Foundation Ltd Total Trading Asia Pte Ltd Wowz Entertainment Pte Ltd Astrie Sunindar-Ratner Mr & Mrs Choo Chiau Beng Eugene Lai Anonymous Anonymous Alfred Wong Hong Kwok Pauline Chan Lito & Kim Camacho Anonymous Andress Goh Lai Yan Ms Lee Li-Ming Olivia Lum Mr & Mrs Yong Pung How Mrs and Mr Laura Hwang & Michael Hwang Prof Cham Tao Soon Leong Wai Leng Liew Wei Li Yong Ying-I Desmond Lim Yu Jin
$5,000 and above Tan Chin Nam Mr Ross & Dr Florence Jennings Ms Manju Vangal and Mr Arudra Vangal ComfortDelgro Corporation Limited CV Shipping Pte Ltd Goethe-Institute Liqui Moly Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Loke Cheng Kim Foundation Devika and Sanjiv Misra Lin Diaan-Yi Anonymous
Ms Cham Gee Len Beppe De Vito Anonymous Mr and Mrs Steven Goh Mr & Dr Peter Sheren Professor and Mrs Lim Seh Chun Mr & Mrs Simon Cheong Tan Sook Yee Goh Sze Wei Mr and Mrs W K Leong
$1,000 and above Anonymous Julian Chang Anonymous Arnoud De Meyer Judy Hunt Edmund Lin & Trina Liang-Lin Li Yuezhi Casio Singapore Pte Ltd Chandra Mohan Rethnam Robert Khan & Co Private Limited Dimple Sameer Aswani Lim Eng Neo Eric Wong Guy J P Hentsch Ng Keng Hooi Tan Khai Hee Kris Taenar Wiluan Lawrence Basapa & Celeste Basapa Tong Moi Eng Mr Robert & Cheryl Huray Ronald P Stride & Janet Stride Thorsten Walther Christopher & Bernice Franck Michelle Loh Robin Ian Rawlings Juliana and Clemente Benelli Chong Mi-Li Pamela Tan Boon Ngee Niyazi Taneri Obgyn Consultants Pte Ltd Wilmar International Limited Abigail Tan Pei Jun Alessandro Raniolo & Christine Pillsbury AndrĂŠ Klein Andreas Ruschkowski Anonymous Toshitaka Aoki Azima Moiz Aznan Abu Bakar Mr Bernard Jean Sabrier Bernhard Steiner Bettina Lieske Cynthia Chee Low Boon Hon Tan Boon Kheng Brian Holt Gambrill Britta Pfister Charles Robertson Raymond Phua Chee Whee Gan Chee Yen Khor Cheng Kian David Neo Chin Wee Goh Chiu Gak Christopher John Fussner Craig McTurk
Michele & Dr Daniel Kahn Daniel Tando David Harris Zemans Derek Quah Diana Browne Doddy Anderson Donald Harding Teo Ee Peng Elaine Zhang Anonymous Eugene Lee Gillian Metzger Gordon H L Tan Helene Fahy-Blanquet Herve Pauze Vincent Lam Ho Ming Lim Hong Eng Janet Pauline Ang Hooi Yeong Hunter Nield Irina Francken James Worth Jerry Gwee Chee Siong Zhang Jian John & Eliza Bittleston John S Davison Jonathan Reiter Joseph Mocanu Joyce Tan See Tho Kai Yin Kanti Bajpai Karen Fawcett Drs Raymond & Tika Tay Kathleen Moroney Leong Keng Hong Kevin Chang Pang-Hua Jennie Chua Kheng Yeng Wong Kim Yin Tan Kok Huan Tan Kok Kiong Teo Kok Leong Anonymous Anonymous Eunice Mah Li Lien Adelina Mah Li Ting Wong Liang Keen Lilian Khoo Luca & Barbara Tonello Marcie Ann Ball Margaret Chew Sing Seng Mark Edward Hansen Maureen Derooij Ivan Tan Meng Cheng Michael Kuschel Michel Blanc Monica Pitrelli Naoyoshi Nick Shimoda
Zhang Naxin Kwee Nee Chia Irene Mr & Mrs Neil Tottman Anonymous Leow Oon Geok Patricia Yih Patrick Lee Wu Peichan Valerie Peter White Loh Pong Tuan Radakrishnan Somalingam Cees & Raife Armstrong Richard Jerram Richard Logan Richard R. Smith Ridzuan Farouk Robert Tan Mr Roberto Cartelli Rolf Gerber Satoru Yano Juliana and Sheng Gao Lee Shu Yen Seah & Siak Jeffrey Loke Sin Hun Siong Ted Lee Mr Ho Soo Foo Steven Bernasek Steven Luk Lee Suan Yew Susanna Ho Choon Mei Takashi Kousaka Anonymous Shang Thong Kai and Tiffany Choong Todd On Anonymous Tony & Serene Liok Vincent Musumeci Chan Wai Leong Warren Fernandez Cheng Wei Mr & Mrs Willem Mark Nabarro William H Hernstadt Xiao Li Tian Xiao Ye Victor Loo Janin Lau Ying Hui Anonymous Ling Yu Fei Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Bao Zhiming Christopher Chen *This list is for donations from 1 Jan 2016 to 31 Dec 2016.
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Turangalîla-symphonie
74’00
When the 20th century has faded from collective memory, and the musical trends which seemed so significant at the time are finally appreciated as mere passing whims, it seems quite likely that Olivier Messiaen will be seen as the most important composer of the age. Possibly, commentators in the future will mention him in the same awed breath as they do Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. In his own lifetime, however, Messiaen was seen as a visionary whose music was so far removed from the realities of contemporary society that it seemed to inhabit a wholly different plane. He had his legions of admirers, taught some of the more significant composers of the next generation (notably Stockhausen, Xenakis, Boulez, Kurtág and Maxwell Davis) and influenced a whole lot more, yet there was always something other-worldly about his music which made people see it as too individualistic to be anything other than a deviation from the general onward evolution of classical music. How much more “realistic and relevant” was the music of, say, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Bartók and Britten? It did not help that Messiaen’s output was both small – numbering well below 100, with several works remaining unpublished in his lifetime – and celebrated concepts which were, at the time, largely alien to society. As the world was becoming increasingly secular, he unashamedly celebrated his deep, and sometimes naïve, Roman Catholic faith. Decades before society recognised the natural world as something to cherish and admire, Messiaen was celebrating it by elevating birdsong to the highest level of artistic achievement. And while his contemporaries were putting all their efforts into minimalising and shrinking their music into ever-smaller packages, Messiaen positively revelled in the large and opulent. Nowhere is that detachment from contemporary Western society more obvious than in his Turangalîla-symphonie, first performed in Boston on 2 December 1949 and conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Messiaen’s decision to accept a commission from Serge Koussevitzky to write a symphony surprised many of his followers. Having generally eschewed
traditional musical genres, it seemed as if the horrors of the Second World War had forced him to re-evaluate the value of musical tradition. Certainly, when he started work on it on 17 July 1946, Messiaen fully intended it to be in a conventional four-movement form. However, by the time he completed the work on 9 December 1948, it had grown beyond all conventional notions of a symphony. It had become enormous. 74 minutes in length, with 10 movements and involving an orchestra of over 100 players, incorporating a virtuoso part for solo piano (of such importance that Messiaen suggested the work could be regarded as a piano concerto) and an equally concertante role for a novel electronic instrument known as the ondes Martenot which was, at the work’s first performance, played by Ginette Martenot, sister of the instrument’s inventor and the only person who could, at that time, actually play it. On top of that, the symphony made extensive use of non-Western elements. These included the gamelan (an effect created by combining piano, celesta, glockenspiel and vibraphone), Chinese percussion effects, and rhythmic figures drawn from the Hindi Śarńgadeva rhythms which Messiaen labelled as “turanga”, interpreting the word as meaning “time that runs, like a galloping horse”. The work’s title includes the Sanskrit word lîla, and the two words combined Messiaen defined as “a love song, a hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life and death”. Although Turangalîla-symphonie appears to be unique in Messiaen’s output, it is actually one of three otherwise unconnected works which together follow the story of the doomed lovers, Tristan and Iseult. The literary inspiration behind the symphony was an almost inevitable consequence of Messiaen’s own background. His mother was a poet (whose verses describing her pregnancy and the early life of the infant Messiaen provide one of the most curious autobiographical reference sources for any composer) while his father was a leading French scholar on English literature who translated the works of Shakespeare into French. (Ironically, Messiaen himself was never able to master the English language.) That Messiaen should have been drawn to this legend of doomed love was also inevitable given the state of his own love life at the time. He had married in 1932, but his wife, Claire (a violinist whose original name was Louis Delbos) began to suffer a debilitating and irreversible mental decline
during the final months of the war (in which Messiaen was himself taken prisoner by the Germans). At the same time, Messiaen had become infatuated with one of his own students, Yvonne Loriod; a relationship which, both morally and spiritually, Messiaen felt was doomed to remain unconsummated. (Claire died in 1959 and Messiaen married Yvonne two years later.) The Turangalîla-symphonie is, therefore, a vast celebration of love. The pure tones of the ondes Martenot are symbolic of the purity of heavenly love, while the piano is indicative of earthly love (the piano part was written for Loriod, who, after much argument with the US authorities, was permitted to play it at the work’s premiere). Beyond that, in the words of Audrey Davidson, the work depicts “the cosmic dimension of love” which, in Messiaen’s vision, was synonymous with the love of God. To this end he introduced musical representation of birdsong, which as he explained to the present writer, “presented the voice of God at its purest level”, and used non-western elements to imply the “universality of God’s love”. The thin dividing line between the deeply religious and the intensely erotic disturbed many of Messiaen’s detractors, including the composer Poulenc who described it as appealing to both “the bidet and the baptismal font”. Messiaen identified four specific themes which appear throughout the Turangalîla-symphonie as: • • • •
The “Statue Theme” – named for the threatening images on ancient Mexican monuments, which features moving thirds often played by fortissimo brass. The “Flower Theme” – a very slow, quiet figure introduced first by clarinets. The “Love Theme” – the longest and most significant theme. The “Final Theme” – a set of opposing chords that produces crossing counterpoints in the orchestra.
He also provided brief, technical descriptions of the 10 movements: Introduction: Here are the first two cyclic themes – the first, in heavy thirds on the trombones; the second, in tender arabesques, on the clarinets.
Chant d'amour I (“Love song”): This movement is a refrain, evoking two violently contrasted aspects of love: passionately carnal love, and tender idealistic love. Turangalîla I: A nostalgic theme on the ondes Martenot, a weightier theme on the trombones, and a slow song-like melody for the oboe. Rhythmic play on three planes for the maracas, wood-block and bass drum. Chant d'amour II: A scherzo with two trios. In the restatement, the scherzo and two trios appear simultaneously, making a musical scaffolding in three tiers. Joie du sang des étoiles (“Joy of the blood of the stars”): This is the climax of sensual passion expressed in a long and frenzied dance of joy. The development contains a reversible rhythmic canon between trumpets and trombones, while the piano adds its vehement brilliance to the movement's wild clamour. Jardin du sommeil d'amour (“Garden of the sleep of love”): Here appears the third cyclic theme of love. It is a long slow melody for ondes Martenot and strings, decorated by the vibraphone, the glockenspiel and the bird-song of the piano. Tender, idealistic and ethereal love. Turangalîla II: Rhythmic pattern for the percussion, together with 'rhythmic chromaticism' of the time-values. Développement de l'amour (“Development of love”): This movement develops the three cyclic themes. Turangalîla III: A rhythmic mode, using a 'rhythmic chromaticism' of 17 notevalues: it uses five percussion instruments, wood-block, cymbal, maracas, tambourin provençal and tam-tam. Finale: Here are two themes: a joyful fanfare of trumpets and horns; the Love Theme.
Programme notes by Marc Rochester
Board Of Directors & Committees
PATRON President Tony Tan Keng Yam
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chairman) Ms Yong Ying-I (Deputy Chairman) Mr Ang Chek Meng Mrs Odile Benjamin Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Lionel Choi Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Heinrich Grafe Mr Kwee Liong Seen Ms Liew Wei Li Ms Lim Mei Prof Lim Seh Chun Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Paul Tan Dr Kelly Tang Mr Yee Chen Fah
NOMINATING AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chairman) Mr Paul Tan Ms Yong Ying-I
AUDIT COMMITTEE Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chairman) Mr Kwee Liong Seen Ms Lim Mei
SSO COUNCIL
SSO LADIES’ LEAGUE
Prof Cham Tao Soon (Chairman) Mr Alan Chan Ms Chew Gek Khim 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
Mrs Odile Benjamin (Chairlady) Mrs Kwan Lui (Deputy Chairlady) Mrs Celeste Basapa Mrs Maisy Beh Mrs Kim Camacho Mrs Rosy Ho Ms Judy Hunt Prof Annie Koh Dr Julie Lo Mrs Clarinda Tjia-DharmadiMartin Ms Paige Parker Ms Kris Tan Ms Manju Vangal Mrs Grace Yeh
MUSICIANS' COMMITTEE Mr Chan Wei Shing Mr Jon Paul Dante Mr Jamie Hersch Mr Jin Ta Mr Ng Pei-Sian Mr Marc-Antoine Robillard Mr Mark Suter Mr Christoph Wichert Mr Yang Zheng Yi Mr Yeo Teow Meng
SNYO COMMITTEE ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE Prof Cham Tao Soon (Chairman) Mr David Goh Mr Paul Supramaniam Mr Anthony Teo
Ms Liew Wei Li (Chairlady) Mr Ang Chek Meng Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Valarie Wilson
Management
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mr Chng Hak-Peng
CEO OFFICE
PROGRAMMES (VCH)
Mr Chris Yong
Ms Michelle Yeo (Head) Ms Erin Tan
ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT Mr Ernest Khoo (Head) Mr Chia Jit Min Ms Tan Wei Tian Stage Management Ms Kimberly Kwa (Stage Manager) Mr Ramayah Elango Mr Abdul Wahab bin Sakir Mr Mohamed Zailani bin Mohd Said Mr Muhammad Fariz bin Samsuri Mr Radin Sulaiman bin Ali
LIBRARY Mr Lim Yeow Siang (Head) Mr Lim Lip Hua Ms Priscilla Neo
PROGRAMMES (SSO) Ms Kua Li Leng (Head) Ms Teo Chew Yen Ms Jolene Yeo Community Outreach Ms Kathleen Tan Ms Vanessa Lee Choral Programmes Ms Regina Lee Ms Whitney Tan
DEVELOPMENT & SPONSORSHIP Ms Peggy Kek (Head) Mr Anthony Chng Ms Nikki Chuang
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Ms Cindy Lim (Head) Mr Chia Han-Leon Ms Myrtle Lee Ms Hong Shu Hui Ms Melissa Tan Ms Cheryl Pek Ms Khairani Basman Ms Dacia Cheang Ms Nur Shafiqah Bte Othman
CORPORATE SERVICES Mr Rick Ong (Head) Mr Alan Ong (Finance) Ms Goh Hoey Fen (Finance) Mr Mohamed Zailani bin Mohd Said
HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION Ms Wee Puay Cheng (Head) Mr Desmen Low Ms Shanti Govindasamy
SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA Ms Pang Siu Yuin (Head) Ms Shirin Foo Mr Tan Yong Qing Ms Tang Ya Yun
ABRSM Ms Hay Su-San (Head) Ms Patricia Yee Ms Lai Li-Yng Mr Joong Siow Chong
Patron Sponsor
A Standing Ovation for Our Corporate Partners Official Hotel
Official training partner
Official Postage Sponsor
Official Radio Station
Official Airline
Partners
LEE FOUNDATION
Supported by various corporate sponsors and individual donors, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and registered under the Charities Order.
Singapore Symphony orchestra
www.sso.org.sg