LAN SHUI Music Director
subscription concert
RADIANCE AND SPARK 23 March 2018 Esplanade Concert Hall Performing Home of the SSO
Sponsored by
Michal Nesterowicz, conductor Johannes Dengler, horn Marc-Antoine Robillard, horn Gao Jian, horn Jamie Hersch, horn
ME S S AG E F R OM S ING A p ore A ir l ines
Dear Friends, It is with great pleasure that Singapore Airlines partners the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in presenting tonight’s Radiance and Spark – yet another highly anticipated performance. Since its inception in 1979, the SSO has endeavoured to cultivate artistic excellence to develop a mastery over divergent styles of musical traditions. Barely 40 years on, the SSO has achieved its goals, establishing itself as a premier Asian orchestra gaining recognition around the world. Tonight’s concert will feature the works of four great composers – Kilar, Kelly Tang, Schumann and Mozart – as well as conductor Michal Nesterowicz, who is renowned for his eloquent interpretation of symphonic repertoire. With the beautifully written music and the SSO horns, we are sure that tonight’s performance will be a treat. We wish all of you a memorable and enjoyable musical journey this evening. Thank you.
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23 Mar 2018, Fri
RADIANCE AND SPARK Singapore Symphony Orchestra Michal Nesterowicz, conductor WOJCIECH KILAR
Orawa 9’00
ROBERT SCHUMANN Konzertstück for 4 Horns in F major, Op. 86 21’00 1. Lebhaft 2. Romanze 3. Sehr lebhaft
Johannes Dengler, horn Marc-Antoine Robillard, horn Gao Jian, horn Jamie Hersch, horn
Intermission 20’00
Johannes Dengler and SSO Horns will sign autographs in the stalls foyer
KELLY TANG
Two Symphonic Dances: Radiance and Spark 14’00
WOLFGANG AMADEUS Symphony No. 38 in D major, K.504 “Prague” 26’00 MOZART 1. Adagio – Allegro 2. Andante 3. Presto POST-CONCERT SYMPHONY CHAT, Esplanade Concert Hall, stalls level Concert duration: 1 hr 45 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 inga p ore S y mp hon y Or c hes t ra ‘A fine display of orchestral bravado for the SSO and Shui’ The Guardian
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 alltime 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 “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, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham.
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Mic h a l Nes t erow ic z conductor
Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonieorchester Basel, Michalł Nesterowicz is in demand worldwide for his dynamic performances and eloquent interpretations of symphonic repertoire. Michal’s 2017/18 season includes his debuts with the Gewandhausorchester, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Staatsorchester Kassel, Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Following hugely successful visits in the past seasons he will be returning to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symfoniorkester, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, and the Orquestra Filarmônica de Minas Gerais amongst others. In the 2016/17 season he made his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as well as his first appearances in Berlin and Vienna (with the Konzerthausorchester and Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich respectively) and the Auckland Philharmonia and RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. He also consolidated relationships with the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra of Lodz, Residentie Orkest, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada and Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra. Nesterowicz has appeared on multiple occasions with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Münchner Philharmoniker, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; and has worked with the likes of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Buffalo Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Phil, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. Michal Nesterowicz was the winner of the Cadaqués Orchestra European Conducting Competition in 2008 and among the prizewinners of the 6th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice.
Joh annes Deng l er horn
Johannes Dengler was born in 1973, the son of a Chilean mother and a German father. He grew up in Bavaria in the Chiemsee area. He started his horn studies with Josef Crump and completed his studies in Munich with Karl Kolbinger and Johannes Ritzkowsky. Since 1993 he has held the position of Principal Horn with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Since then he has also played regularly as principal in other top European orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He has played under the batons of nearly all the great conductors of our time, including Carlos Kleiber, Zubin Mehta, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abbado, Günter Wand, Georg Solti, Simon Rattle, Mariss Jansons and many others. In 2004 he was awarded the honorary title of “Bayerischer Kammervirtuose”. In 2012 he won the prestigious Echo Klassik award for his recording of Brahms’ Horn Trio on the natural horn. In 2014 he played the horn solo of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony as a guest of the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Daniel Barenboim, a concert broadcasted live on TV worldwide. He has a special artistic relationship with Kent Nagano which is documented in a recording of Robert Schumann’s Konzertstück. Recently he performed Mozart’s Horn Concerto KV 495 in Munich with the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Kirill Petrenko.
M ar c - A n toine R ob il l ard horn
Horn player Marc-Antoine Robillard hails from Montréal, Canada and is a graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and Musikhochschule Winterthur-Zürich. He has held positions in various ensembles such as the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal in North America before moving to Europe in 2001 where he performed with several ensembles such as the Symphonisches Orchester Zürich and the Zürich Opera. He was Principal Horn of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark from 2002 to 2007. His teachers include James Somerville, John Milner and David Johnson. He joined the SSO as Associate Principal Horn in 2007.
G ao Jian horn
Gao Jian joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1988. He has performed with orchestras in Asia, Europe, America and North Africa, in recitals and chamber music concerts in addition to regular performances with orchestras. Gao Jian has also joined as a guest musician with major Asian orchestras, such as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Macau Symphony Orchestra, Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as China NCPA Orchestra. He is presently Associate Principal Horn with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
J amie Hers c h horn
Associate Principal Horn with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Jamie Hersch has been widely lauded for his artistry and virtuosic command of this most unforgiving instrument. Jamie has been playing professionally since his junior year in high school, where he performed regularly and recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav Rostropovich. As an active soloist and chamber artist, Jamie has performed as soloist with the Boston Pops, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the Network for New Music, and in various chamber orchestras and ensembles in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., as well as in Europe and Asia. ln 2009, Jamie, along with cellist Daniel Gaisfotd, premiered the extensive 2-hour work for horn and cello, Last Autumn written by Jamie’s brother, Michael Hersch. The performance was listed as the No. 1 classical event of the year by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The studio recording was released in 2014. In 2010, Jamie performed as soloist in Michael Hersch’s, A Sheltered Corner, with Gerard Schwarz and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. This work is a concerto commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the Eastern Music Festival and Gerard Schwarz. Jamie plays on Patterson Custom horns and is a Patterson artist.
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 MU S IC I A N S Lan Shui Music Director joshua tan Associate Conductor jason lai Associate Conductor andrew litton Principal Guest Conductor Choo Hoey Conductor Emeritus Eudenice Palaruan Choral Director
FIRST VIOLIN Igor Yuzefovich° Concertmaster, The GK Goh Chair 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 Lim Shue Churn^ Sui Jing Jing Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe SECOND VIOLIN Markus Gundermann^ Principal Michael Loh Associate Principal
Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair Nikolai Koval* Lee Shi Mei^ Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Lillian Wang Wu Man Yun* Xu Jue Yi* Ye Lin* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhang Si Jing* VIOLA Zhang Manchin Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Janice Tsai Wang Dandan Yang Shi Li CELLO Ng Pei-Sian Principal Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er DOUBLE BASS Guennadi Mouzyka Principal Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Wang Xu
Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan
Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc^ Kartik Alan Jairamin Lewis Lim^
PICCOLO
TRUMPET
Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal
Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin
FLUTE
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
TROMBONE Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong BASS TROMBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal TUBA Hidehiro Fujita Principal TIMPANI
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal
BASSOON
PERCUSSION
Benjamin Moermond^ Principal Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue
Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Lim Meng Keh Zhu Zheng Yi
CONTRA BASSOON
HARP
Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
Gulnara Mashurova Principal
BASS CLARINET
HORN Han Chang Chou Principal Wu Tian Xia^ Principal Gao Jian Associate 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 ^Musician on temporary contract Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
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music ian c h airs
Igor Yuzefovich Concertmaster The GK Goh Chair The GK Goh Chair is endowed by the Family and Friends of Mr Goh Geok Khim
GUO HAO Fixed Chair Cello The Fixed Chair Cello is supported by
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RUSSIAN AT HEART
1 April 2018 4pm I Victoria Concert Hall Russian-British violinist Alina Ibragimova joins SSO musicians in an all-Russian programme across three Russian greats in their characteristic musical modes. The sweet yearnings of Tchaikovsky’s lyricism give way to the impish energy of Prokofiev and finally to the dark astringency and twilit enigma of Shostakovich’s Third String Quartet, which he considered one of his best. Tickets: $38, $20 Concessions: $15 PATRON SPONSOR
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Alina Ibragimova, violin Ye Lin, violin Gu Bing Jie, viola Zhang Manchin, viola Ng Pei-Sian, cello Guennadi Mouzyka, double bass Pan Yun, oboe Li Xin, clarinet Gulnara Mashurova, harp
OFFICIAL RADIO STATION
SSO.ORG.SG/CHAMBER
WOJ C IECH K IL A R (1932-2013) Orawa
9’00
Together with Górecki and Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar was one of Poland’s leading composers in the 20th century. He started composing in the style of the Second Viennese School, with his composition Riff 62 being the most famous of this period, before he abandoned the more avant-garde compositional techniques in favour of a musical language which drew from medieval chants, liturgical influences and Polish folk music. Kilar started composing for films in 1959, and wrote music for over 130 films in his lifetime. Among his most famous film scores were those for Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden, The Ninth Gate, and Oscar-winning film, The Pianist. Despite widespread critical acclaim and fame resulting from his film scores, Kilar reflected, “In a movie, music is just one of the many elements… Serious music, which I compose, is signed with my name only, and I get real pleasure from that.” Kilar wrote several concert pieces inspired by the Tatra Mountains in Poland, which many Poles consider to be their spiritual homeland. Krzesany, composed in 1974, is one of his most popular works, and he continued on this panoramic journey with Koscielec 1909, Hoary Fog, and Orawa – with this set of four pieces being nicknamed Kilar’s “Tatra Polyptych”, or “Tatra Mountain Works”. Completed in 1986, Orawa references a highland meadow in the mountains at the end of summer, with young shepherds dancing. Written for string orchestra, it has been arranged for string quartet, eight cellos, and even for twelve saxophones and accordion trio! Written in three sections, Orawa opens with a short motif repeated nine times, expanded and developed across the first section. A solo cello develops the opening motif into a searching melody in the next section, before the rhythm and harmonies are transformed in the last section, increasing the kinetic momentum and driving Orawa to a triumphant end with the highlanders’ shout of “Hey!” The composer shared in a 1997 interview, “Orawa is the only piece in which I wouldn’t change a single note, though I have looked at it many times … what is achieved in it is what I strive for – to be the best possible Kilar.”
R OB E R T S CHUM A NN (1810 -18 5 6) Konzertstück for 4 Horns in F major, Op. 86
21’00
Having written his first three Symphonies, his only opera Genoveva, and the celebrated Piano Concerto – which have cemented his place as a worthy successor to Mozart and Beethoven – Robert Schumann was at the height of his compositional powers when he wrote the Konzertstück (“Concert Piece”). The German Baroque composer Telemann had previously written a Suite for Four Horns, and Schumann may have been influenced by this piece to write what is effectively a concerto for four horns. Like Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto performed earlier this season, the Konzertstück was ostensibly written as a showcase for the valve horn – a relatively new innovation at that time. One pair of soloists were to play on natural horns, and the other pair on the valve horn, possibly to highlight the newfound musical possibilities which this technological advancement provided composers with. While all four parts are now usually played on the valve horn, it is still rarely performed despite its obvious musical charm. This is possibly due to the significant demands on its quartet of virtuoso soloists – not least because the instrument is so notoriously temperamental to deal with. It is however a great opportunity to showcase an orchestra’s horn section – standing in front of the orchestra for once – and Schumann considered it to be among his very best compositions. The first movement bursts into life with two quick chords heralding the entry of the horn quartet with a festive fanfare. The orchestra builds this into a strident, heroic theme that dominates the movement. The then-new instrument’s chromatic capabilities are showcased, with modulating fanfares and decorated melodies passed around the soloists. The second movement’s Romanze showcases a more tender side of the horn, with a gently undulating melody. A central section with bubbling string figurations evoke the woods – where the horn was a key instrument in hunting. The Romanze returns, but is abruptly cut off by a trumpet fanfare which leads directly into the effervescent finale. Picking up from the first movement, Schumann writes even more virtuosic figurations here, providing a stunning showcase of the instrument’s capabilities, and presenting a preview of the virtuoso orchestral horn parts of Wagner, Mahler and Strauss in the near future.
K E LLY TA NG (b.1961) Kelly Tang’s compositions have been performed by the Russian National Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble contemporain de Montréal, Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines (UK) and “The President's Own” United States Marine Band. His music has been presented worldwide at Berlin Konzerthaus, Musikverein Golden Hall (Vienna), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Palais de l'Élysée (Paris), St. Paul’s Cathedral (London) and Carnegie Hall (New York). For Singapore’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Tang’s Concerto in Three Movements was premiered by superstar pianist Lang Lang with the Metropolitan Festival Orchestral in 2015. For his contributions in the arts, Tang was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2011 by the President of Singapore.
Two Symphonic Dances: Radiance and Spark
14’00
In life’s sometimes bleak and desolate landscape, the pitch-dark of the night sky is often broken by the glimmer of distant lights; special happenings that serve to illuminate the path ahead and to clarify the truths that reside within; sparking hope and radiating strength to believe in the relevance of all that is good and beautiful. Two Symphonic Dances is a two-movement celebration of such life-affirming events. The opening, Radiance, introduces a theme that soars in a dignified arch, signifying Hope. This Radiance theme recurs with stubborn tenacity throughout the movement, standing fast in its trek across sonic terrain ravaged by jagged dissonances, harsh textures and tumultuous rhythmic shifts, rising victorious at the climax before signing off with a sardonic smirk. The second part, Spark, is a study in expressing positive energy through music. Agile gestures, lively syncopations and vivid orchestral colours drive the joyful momentum, building to an upbeat restatement of the Radiance theme and culminating in a celebratory dance. The energy simmers to a contemplative glow as the work closes. Two Symphonic Dances: Radiance & Spark was commissioned in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay in 2012.
Programme note by Kelly Tang
WOL F G A NG A M A DE U S MOZ A R T (175 6 -1791) Symphony No. 38 in D major, K.504 “Prague” 26’00 While Mozart is universally acclaimed as a genius today, like most other celebrities and artists, his fortunes waxed and waned during his lifetime. In 1786, while he was falling out of favour with the Viennese audiences, his celebrity status in Prague was reaching its peak. His latest opera, The Marriage of Figaro had been received with extreme enthusiasm, and the Prager Oberpostamtszeitung reported that “no piece has ever caused such a sensation as … The Marriage of Figaro”. Mozart was soon invited to visit Prague to conduct and perform in several concerts held in his honour. He did so in January 1787, and he was stunned and overwhelmed by the reception he received, writing that “everyone was … writing about [Figaro], talking about it, humming it, whistling it, and dancing it.” During this visit, he performed his newest piano concerto, the 25th, and on 19 January 1787, premiered his 38th Symphony, naming it the Prague Symphony. Following these performances, he was commissioned to write a new opera – which resulted in Don Giovanni, first performed in Prague in October 1787. Later in 1791, when the city learnt of Mozart’s untimely passing, a memorial concert was quickly organised – during which hundreds stood in the cold winter because they could not get into the overflowing cathedral – and the city’s bells were rung in his honour. Mozart, who typically composed extraordinarily quickly, unusually left more sketches behind for this symphony than any other work. He searched for a way to combine the more expressive language of his operas in a purely orchestral setting, with the structural formalities of a symphony, for the city which hero-worshipped him. Just three of Mozart’s symphonies open with a slow introduction. The Adagio of the first movement foreshadows the harmonic foreboding and dramatic suspense which Mozart would masterfully deploy in Don Giovanni just several months later – and which Beethoven would emulate in his Second Symphony years later. Mozart’s trademark classical elegance and charm permeates the Allegro, and a wealth of musical ideas spills out generously. There are also
subtle references throughout – the first subject is echoed in the accompaniment of the second subject, among others, creating a remarkable level of interconnectivity. These musical ideas are then subjected to an intense and extraordinarily dazzling contrapuntal development, which he later repeated in the finale of his celebrated Jupiter Symphony. The lilting second movement opens with a lyrical melody, providing a calmer oasis from the driving energy of the opening movement. Simpler musical gestures abound, but Mozart imbues each of them with significant emotional weight. A more turbulent section ensues, with several chromatic adventures, before the strings and winds gracefully discuss several enchanting short motifs as the movement finishes with a wistful sigh. Mozart skips the traditional minuet in this Symphony, and a crackling finale follows, opening with a quote from the Prague audience’s beloved Figaro. Like the opening movement, Mozart alternates between major and minor sections quickly, and multiple sections showcase the woodwind section here, with the flute standing out. The sparkling gestures provide an abundant display of the orchestra’s virtuosity, as the movement spins and transforms in unexpected ways. It is evident that by his 38th, Mozart had already attained complete mastery of the symphony – a remark that has become more commonly associated with his last three symphonies.
Programme notes by Christopher Cheong
RECOMMENDED LISTENING 1) Baltic Sea Voyage Orawa Baltic Sea Youth Philharmonic Orchestra & Kristjan Järvi (Naïve Classique, 2015) 2) Schumann: Symphony No. 2, “Manfred” Overture, Konzertstück for 4 Horns Christian Thielemann & Philharmonia Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon, 1997)
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