Litton • Bavouzet

Page 1

LAN SHUI Music Director

subscription concert

Litton•Bavouzet 8 September 2017 Esplanade Concert Hall Performing Home of the SSO

Andrew Litton, conductor Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano



8 Sep 2017, Fri

Litton•Bavouzet Singapore Symphony Orchestra Andrew Litton, conductor

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

October, Op. 131 (Singapore Premiere) 13’00

BÉLA BARTÓK

Piano Concerto No. 1 25’00

1. Allegro moderato - Allegro 2. Andante - attacca 3. Allegro molto Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano Intermission 20’00

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet will autograph CDs in the stalls foyer.

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 44’00

1. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima 2. Andantino in modo di canzona 3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato 4. Finale. Allegro con fuoco

Concert duration: 2 hrs Go green. Digital programme booklets are available on www.sso.org.sg. Scan the QR code in the foyer to view a copy.


S ing a p or e S y mp hon y Or c he s t r a ‘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 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 ndr e w L i t ton conductor

Recently named Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Litton is also Music Director of the New York City Ballet, Artistic Director of Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest, Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony, Conductor Laureate of Britain’s Bournemouth Symphony and Music Director Laureate of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic. Litton led the Dallas Symphony as Music Director from 1994 to 2006, leaving a legacy of touring including Carnegie Hall, the BBC Proms, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Vienna’s Musicverein. His Dallas Symphony series of young people’s “Amazing Music” video recordings is in use throughout schools in the United States and abroad. He regularly guest conducts leading orchestras and opera companies around the globe and adds to his discography of almost 130 recordings, which have garnered America’s Grammy Award, France’s Diapason d’Or and other honors. This season, besides conducting over 30 ballets at the New York City Ballet, Litton appears with the Minnesota Orchestra, National Taiwan Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia. Litton’s work with New York City Ballet has earned praise from critics, dancers, and audiences, bringing new prominence to the Ballet’s Orchestra. Litton’s first work in ballet began while he was still a Juilliard student, performing as on-stage pianist for Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Cynthia Gregory.


Born in New York City, Litton is a graduate of New York’s Fieldston School. Litton earned degrees from the Juilliard School in piano and conducting. He served as Assistant Conductor at La Scala and at the National Symphony under Rostropovich. Among his numerous awards are Yale’s Sanford Medal, the Elgar Society Medal, and an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bournemouth. For his work with the Bergen Philharmonic, Norway’s King Harald V knighted Litton with the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit.



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Je a n - E f f l a m b avouze t piano

Award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet enjoys a prolific recording and international concert career and regularly works with orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and NHK Symphony orchestras, and collaborates with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Jurowski, Gianandrea Noseda, François-Xavier Roth, Charles Dutoit, Gábor Takács-Nagy and Sir Andrew Davis amongst others. Highlights during the 2017/18 season include returns to San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, NHK Symphony and BBC Symphony orchestras, and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Bavouzet also performs with Philharmonie de Paris, Detroit and Melbourne symphony orchestras, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Royal Scottish National and the City of Birmingham Symphony orchestras. Recent performances include his appearance at the BBC Proms performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Nicholas Collon as well as concerts with Opernhaus Zürich under Gianandrea Noseda, hr-Sinfonieorchester under Juraj Valcuha, a tour with Les Siécles and François-Xavier Roth including a concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Bavouzet records exclusively for Chandos and his recordings have garnered three Gramophone Awards, two BBC Music Magazine Awards and a Diapason d’Or and Choc de l’année. Bavouzet has worked closely with Pierre Boulez, Maurice Ohana and Bruno Mantovani and is also a champion of lesser-known French music, notably that of Gabriel Pierné and Albéric Magnard. He is the International Chair in Piano at the Royal Northern College of Music. For more information, please visit www.bavouzet.com.



SSO MU S ICIAN 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 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 SECOND VIOLIN 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 Lim Chun^ Liu Hang^ Luo Biao Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Janice Tsai^ Yang Shi Li Yeo Jan Wea^ CELLO Ng Pei-Sian Principal Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Ding Xiao Feng^ Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Peter Wilson Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er DOUBLE BASS Guennadi Mouzyka Principal Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Andreas Dehner^ Ma Li Ming^


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

HORN Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc^ Kartik Alan Jairamin TRUMPET

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

Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin TROMBONE Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong

COR ANGLAIS Elaine Yeo Associate Principal

BASS TROMBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal

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

TUBA Hidehiro Fujita Principal TIMPANI Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal

Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal PERCUSSION BASSOON 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

*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.




mu s ic i a n c h a ir s

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

CORPORATE SEAT S 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

Up to $10,000 Hong Leong Foundation Nomura Asset Management Singapore Ltd Prima Limited Santa Lucia Asset Management Stephen Riady Group of Foundations

This list is for donations from 1 Jun 2016 to 25 Aug 2017. For more information or to make a donation, please contact the Development & Sponsorship Team at 6602 4238 / 6602 4237 or peggykek@sso.org.sg.


he a r t f e lt t h a nk s to t he f r ie nds a nd fa mily of mr g oh g eok k him In appreciation of a major gift from the Family and Friends of Mr Goh Geok Khim on the occasion of his 85th birthday on 17 July 2017, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce the naming of the SSO Concertmaster position, the GK Goh Chair.

Igor Yuzefovich Concertmaster The GK Goh Chair Endowed by the Family and Friends of Mr Goh Geok Khim


u p comi n g con c ert s

22 September 2017 Fri | 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall Subscription Concert

MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO • BRAHMS SYMPHONIES HUMMEL Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major, S. 49 MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 Lan Shui, conductor Daishin Kashimoto, violin Jon Paul Dante, trumpet Pre-concert Talk 6.30pm | library@esplanade Sponsored by


5 October 2017

Thu | 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall Subscription Concert

STEVEN ISSERLIS • ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO SUK Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 25 ELGAR Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 GLAZUNOV Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 55 Darrell Ang, conductor Steven Isserlis, cello “I do not bow to anyone, except to my own conscience and to our noble Lady Music.” – Josef Suk Pre-concert Talk 6.30pm | Esplanade Concert Hall Foyer


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) $700,000 and above

Temasek Foundation Nurtures CLG Ltd $100,000 and above

Christopher Ho & Rosy Ho Interchem Pte Ltd Anonymous $50,000 and above

John Swire & Sons (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Joseph Grimberg Lee Foundation, Singapore Kingsmen Exhibits Pte Ltd Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin GK Goh Holdings Limited NSL Ltd TransTechnology Private Limited Aquilus Pte Ltd


$20,000 and above Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore Pte Ltd Singapore Institute of Management Keppel Care Foundation Stephen Riady Group of Foundations Far East Organization Mr and Mrs Goh Geok Khim United Overseas Bank Limited UPP Holdings Limited Eugene Lai Chin Look Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi Martin Dorothy Chan Ms Paige Parker and Mr Jim Rogers

Mr and Mrs Wong Ngit Liong Kris Foundation JCCI Singapore Foundation Limited Holywell Foundation Limited Pontiac Land Group One North Capital Pte Ltd Saga Tree Capital Advisors Pte Ltd Anonymous Christina Ong Doris and Andreas Sohmen-Pao Geoffrey Wong & Ai Ai Wong

$10,000 and above Dr and Mrs Thomas Zuellig Foundation Prince Albert II of Monaco S R Nathan Lim and Tan Securities Pte Ltd At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy Pte Ltd BinjaiTree Boardroom Limited DBS Bank Limited Hi-P International Limited Hong Leong Foundation LGT Bank (Singapore) Ltd Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd Nomura Asset Management Singapore Ltd OSIM International Limited Prima Limited PSA International Private Limited Resorts World at Sentosa Pte Ltd Van Cleef and Arpels Tan Kong Piat (Pte) Limited Choo Chiau Beng

Tan Choo Leng Christine Yeh David Ong Eng Hui Anonymous Prof Chan Heng Chee Lito and Kim Camacho Amy and Kevin Gould Anonymous Andress Goh Lai Yan Lee Li-Ming Anonymous Olivia Lum Kim Teo Poh Jin Pauline Chan and Jean Nasr Yong Pung How Maisy Koh and Dr Beh Swan Gin Prof Cham Tao Soon Leong Wai Leng Liew Wei Li Desmond Lim Yu Jin

$5,000 and above Juliana and Clemente Benelli Prof Arnoud De Meyer Ross & Florence Jennings Mr and Mrs Tan Vern Han AIA Singapore Private Limited ComfortDelgro Corporation Limited CV Shipping Pte Ltd F & N Foods Pte Ltd Fullerton Fund Management Company Ltd Loke Cheng Kim Foundation Devika and Sanjiv Misra Sharon Chandran

Lin Diaan-Yi Anonymous Electrolux S.E.A. Pte Ltd Cham Gee Len Grace Fu Hai Yien Chng Hak-Peng Anonymous Manju Vangal Prof and Mrs Lim Seh Chun Goh Sze Wei Mr and Mrs W K Leong Ms Tan Sook Yee


$1,000 and above Anonymous Thorsten Walther Christian Rothenbuehler Johanes Oeni Schroder Investment Management (Singapore) Ltd Dr Tan Chin Nam Anonymous Jullie Kan Ronald and Janet Stride Robin Ian Rawlings Chartered Asset Management Private Limited Prive Clinic Pte Ltd Xeitgeist Entertainment Group Pte Ltd Bernhard Steiner Daniel Bijaoui Eric Wong Guy J P Hentsch Ivy Teh Julian and Sandra Chang Ng Keng Hooi Tan Khai Hee Kris Wiluan Lawrence Basapa Anonymous Marie Elaine Teo Tong Moi Eng Leow Oon Geok Patrick Chong Chong Siak Ching Ho Soo Foo Leong Yoke Chun Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd Kim Woon Soo Shih Chih-Lung Coutte Didier Chong Mi-Li Pamela Gael Bomblian Cambridge Therapeutics Pte Ltd Jean Yip Salon Pte Ltd JW Central Pte Ltd Robert Khan & Co Private Limited Sara Taseer Fine Jewellery Pte Ltd Dr Ho Ching Lin (SNEC) Wilmar International Limited Cynthia Chee Bin Eng Gan Chee Yen Connie Chaird Fong Ei Lie Lim Eng Neo Gajardo Eugenia Carmichael Heather Lin John Hsu Lai Kenneth Mark Wong Kevin Ong Lee Fong Lau Leok Yee Lau Kheng Tiong This list is for donations from 1 Jul 2016 to 30 Jun 2017.

Yeo Ning Hong Somalingam Radakrishnan Frances Low Richard Smith Sheila Patel Gao Sheng Ho Soh Choon Lee Suan Yew Lim Swee Lin Wong Yik Mun Ng Yong Ngee Aznan Abu Bakar Pauline Ang Hooi Yeong Cees & Raife Armstrong Kanti Bajpai Marcie Ann Ball Bao Zhiming Steven L Bernasek John & Eliza Bittleston Michel Blanc Chai Huei Chuen Chan Wai Leong Christopher Chen Cheng Wei Margaret Chew Sing Seng Shang Thong Kai and Tiffany Choong Jennie Chua Kheng Yeng Maureen Derooij Ridzuan Farouk Warren Fernandez Christopher John Fussner Brian Holt Gambrill Rolf Gerber Goh Chiu Gak Jerry Gwee Mark Edward Hansen Donald Harding William H Hernstadt Susanna Ho Choon Mei Liwen Holmes Richard Jerram Matthew G Johnson Patrick Johnson Lilian Khoo Khor Cheng Kian AndrĂŠ Klein Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Takashi Kousaka Michael Kuschel Kwee Nee Chia Irene Lai Kim Peng Mitchell Vincent Lam Ho Ming Matthew Latham Janin Lau Ying Hui Eugene Lee Lee Shu Yen Siong Ted Lee Leong Keng Hong Xiao Li

Bettina Lieske Alvin Liew Lim Hong Eng Janet Richard Logan Michelle Loh Loh Pong Tuan Loke Sin Hun Jeffrey Victor Loo Low Boon Hon Donny Low Low Fatt Kin Low Nguok Kwong Mah Li Lien Eunice Adelina Mah Li Ting Andre Maniam Craig McTurk Gillian Metzger Joseph Mocanu Azima Moiz Mr & Mrs Willem Mark Nabarro David Neo Chin Wee Hunter Nield Todd On Monica Pitrelli Anonymous Derek Quah Jonathan Reiter Charles Robertson Andreas Ruschkowski Bernard Jean Sabrier See Tho Kai Yin Naoyoshi Nick Shimoda Jeremy Snoad Bo Sun Tan Boon Ngee Joyce Tan Tan Kok Kiong Anonymous Ivan Tan Meng Cheng Giles Tan Ming Yee Ms Tan Poh Lian Phyllis Robert Tan Daniel Tando Teo Ee Peng Tian Xiaoye Mr & Mrs Neil Tottman Arudra Vangal Peter White Wong Liang Keen Wu Peichan Valerie Satoru Yano Vanessa Yeo David Harris Zemans



Dmi t r i Sho s ta kov ic h (19 0 6 -1975) October, Op. 131 (Singapore Premiere)

13’00

As a high-ranking member of the Communist Party, Shostakovich had no choice but to compose a work to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution, the Bolshevik insurrection that marked the beginning of the Russian Civil War, which ended in 1922 with the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Official accounts of the uprising vary, but the historical significance was indisputable and the propaganda purposes obvious. Shostakovich had proposed an opera, but this suggestion was ignored; the official denunciation of his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in 1936 still cast a long shadow over the man and his music. For over 30 years, Shostakovich had struck the delicate, precarious balance of toeing the line with the Soviet authorities and artistic expression. In his youth, he was hailed as a hero of Russian music, but after 1936 he had lived in constant fear. The death of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1953 marked the end of the reign of terror, but there was still enormous pressure on all Soviet artists, musicians and writers to conform to official dictates. In 1957, he had become the secretary of the USSR Composer’s Union and under duress joined the Communist Party in 1960, a move for which he was derided by many. Two years later he became a member of the Supreme Soviet, but none of this spared him the threat or actual humiliation of public censure. By 1967, Shostakovich was a broken man, both physically and mentally. Given his ill health, conflicted emotions, and complicated relations with the Soviet authorities, it is no wonder that inspiration was in short supply when he began to write the commemorative work. A viewing of the film, Volochayev Days, for which he had composed the music 30 years earlier sparked his imagination. The subject matter was appropriate, as the film portrayed Soviet patriots defending the Motherland against a Japanese invasion in the wake of the 1917 revolution. Artistically, Shostakovich played it safe composing just the sort of music that the Soviet authorities expected from a prominent member of the Communist Party.


The 13-minute overture is a mix of heroic musical themes, brilliant orchestral colours, and stirring climaxes. Shostakovich frequently quoted his own works in his compositions and October is no exception. It begins with a slow introduction that uses the theme of his Tenth Symphony, written in response to Stalin’s death. The Allegro, which follows, brings to mind the scherzos of his Fifth and Seventh Symphonies. The former was written when he was still numb from having been denounced on the front page of the official Soviet newspaper Pravda, while the latter was purportedly a condemnation of Stalin’s purges. The main theme of the Allegro is based on a song that he composed for Volochayev Days entitled “To the Partisan”. Musicologists have long speculated that in October Shostakovich revealed his true thoughts about the regime that had vexed him so and destroyed the lives of many close to him. If he did indeed encode secret messages in the overture, he never revealed them and Soviet censors took the stirring, at times bombastic music at face value. They found nothing to fault, especially in the work’s final moments, with the sudden switch in key from minor to major and a paean to the valor and heroism of Soviet soldiers ringing out in the brass.


B é l a B a r tók (18 81-194 5) Piano Concerto No. 1

25’00

“I consider it a successful work, although its style is up to a point difficult, perhaps even very difficult for the orchestra and the public.” Few would take issue with Bartók’s own assessment of his Piano Concerto No. 1. German audiences greeted it warmly at its premiere at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Frankfurt on 1 July 1927, with Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting and the composer as soloist. When he toured America with it however, the critics there hurled abuse at it. “Unmitigated ugliness” and “one of the most dreadful deluges of piffle, bombast, and nonsense ever to be perpetrated on an audience” were two of the pithier descriptions of the concerto. Bartók was unperturbed by the bad press. By 1926, Bartók had achieved some renown as a composer, but was in more demand as a pianist. He wrote the concerto as a vehicle to display his formidable keyboard skills in his solo performances with orchestras, which in turn would also earned him badly needed royalties. Stylistically, the concerto demonstrates his fascination with the music of the Italian Baroque. In addition to his use of counterpoint, he was particularly intrigued by how the earlier composers had created themes from a single motif or melody, a device that he employed in all three movements of the concerto. The piece also displays Bartók's distinctive style of treating the piano as a percussion instrument, underscored by his request that it be grouped with the percussion towards the front of the stage. The first movement begins with a rhythmic motif that persists throughout, even when the piano explores new thematic material. The striking dissonances serve to underscore the rhythmic points of interest, in the same manner as other composers and orchestrators employ percussion instruments. It gathers intensity and speed, coming to an abrupt end with the sounding of a single chord.


The contiguous second and third movements differ in character from one another. In the more lyrical middle movement, the piano alternates roles, first as a solo instrument above percussion accompaniment and then as the rhythmic foundation for the solo woodwinds in an intense, driving contrapuntal passage. The calm returns, but is shattered by a series of trombone smears that lead directly to the fast-paced final movement, which opens with the strings providing rhythmic support for the piano. An almost brutal fugal passage is followed by a dance-like solo for the piano, before an abrupt, almost startling ending to this ferocious work. Bartók was a man of uncompromising principles and increasingly ill at ease in his native Hungary due to the government’s sympathies towards Nazi Germany. Even though most of his income came from Germany, he insisted that he be treated as Jewish under the harsh, anti-semitic laws that were passed in both countries; to defy either regime could mean not only the inability to perform or have his music published, but imprisonment or death. He immigrated to the US in 1940, where he would compose what was to become his most popular work, the Concerto for Orchestra. Bartók did not live to enjoy either his status as one of the 20th Century’s greatest composers or reap any financial rewards from his works, dying in New York City on 26 September 1945. His Piano Concerto No. 1 was long the least performed of the three that he composed, due in equal parts to its harshness and dissonance, as well as its technical challenges. That changed with time and it has gained a secure footing in the repertoire.


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.

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S IN G A P OR E SY MP H O N Y ORC HE S T R A

DISCOVERING MUSIC!

GO FOURTH WITH BRAHMS! 24 September 2017 Victoria Concert Hall Go Fourth with Brahms and support his life’s mission to write a symphony as good as his senpai, Beethoven! Let Brahms know how beautifully grand and lyrically majestic his music can be! Follow our Associate Conductor Jason Lai to learn how Brahms melds powerful Romantic feels and genteel classical patterns into his Fourth Symphony. Bravo!

Tickets: $20 Concessions: $15 Family of 4 Package: $60

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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOV SKY (18 4 0 -18 93) Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

44’00

There is no need to speculate as to hidden meanings in Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony composed in the years 1877 and 1878, as he set it all out in letters written to Nadehzda von Meck, to whom the work is dedicated. The letters were written with the dual aim of cultivating his relationship with the wealthy widow and passionate music lover, as well as flattering her ego. Von Meck provided financial support to the composer pursuant to a stipulation that they would never meet, an arrangement that lasted until 1890 when she ran into financial difficulties. His lack of empathy for her plight and outrage over the injustices heaped upon him then, were in marked contrast to the early days of their relationship, when she was flush with cash and eager to lend a sympathetic ear as he rebounded from a disastrous marriage. In 1877, Tchaikovsky had abruptly married Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova, a former student at the Moscow Conservatory where he had taught. The marriage lasted only a matter of weeks. Milyukova was long vilified for ensnaring the hapless composer into marriage, but present-day writers tend to view the whole affair more objectively. The couple never divorced and Tchaikovsky provided her financial support for the rest of his life. It is indisputable however, that for Tchaikovsky the short-lived marriage was a deeply traumatic experience, in the wake of which he suffered severe bouts of depression. Any wonder that he describe the opening bars of the symphony composed during this tumultuous period of his life as symbolizing Fate, or in his words: "the fatal power which prevents one from attaining the goal of happiness". Tchaikovsky acknowledged his debt to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in the structure of his Fourth Symphony. The opening measures of both works symbolize Fate; Beethoven rails against it, while Tchaikovsky yields to the inevitable in agonised self-expression. Announced by the horns and woodwinds, the theme is the seed of Tchaikovsky’s entire symphony. The main melody is introduced tentatively by the woodwinds after two short fortissimo chords, each followed by a long silence, before the strings take it up and develop it further. It is repeatedly interrupted by interjections of the Fate motif, for as Tchaikovsky wrote to von Meck, “the sweeping melodies are merely daydreams from which Fate awakens us”.


“Canzona” in the title of the second movement refers to two joyful melodies that Tchaikovsky then embellished in a series of variations. The happiness melts away, however, and is displaced by gloomy, pangs of regret. For as the composer put it: “How sad to think that so much has been, so much is gone! We regret the past, yet we have neither the courage nor the desire to begin life afresh. We are weary of existence.” “Suddenly arises the memory of a drunken peasant and a ribald song, and military music in the distance. Such disconnected images flit through the brain as one sinks into a tipsy slumber. They have nothing to do with reality; they are incomprehensible, bizarre and fragmentary.” These fanciful images sparked Tchaikovsky’s imagination to compose light, playful music that display his gifts as an orchestrator. He used pizzicato strings throughout, for as he wrote to von Meck, “When I was writing the Scherzo of our symphony, I imagined it exactly as you heard it. It is unthinkable played any other way than pizzicato.” The finale is Russian through and through, for as Tchaikovsky explained, only among the common folk can one understand how to be happy. The frolicking is fast and furious, but interrupted by the “lightning bolt” of Fate, with cymbals added for extra oomph. The vagaries of Fate, however, are soon eclipsed by a triumphal coda that has been described as cathartic, leaving few to doubt the composer’s words that the emotions expressed “have all been felt and lived by me, and have come straight from my heart.” Programme notes by Rick Perdian



b oa r d of dir ec tor s & COMMITTE e S 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

Endowment Fund Committee Mr Goh Yew Lin (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

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 TjiaDharmadi-Martin Ms Paige Parker Ms Kris Tan Ms Manju Vangal Mrs Grace Yeh

Audit Committee Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chairman) Mr Kwee Liong Seen Ms Lim Mei

SNYO Committee

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


MANAGEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mr Chng Hak-Peng

CEO OFFICE

PROGRAMMES (VCH)

Mr Edward Loh Mr Chris Yong

Ms Michelle Yeo (Head) Ms Erin Tan

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT & SPONSORSHIP

Mr Ernest Khoo (Head) Mr Chia Jit Min Ms Tan Wei Tian Stage Management Ms Kimberly Kwa (Stage Manager) Ms Chin Rosherna 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

Ms Peggy Kek (Head) Ms Leong Wenshan Mr Anthony Chng Ms Nikki Chuang Ms Zhang Jingchao 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 Mr Desmen Low Ms Shanti Govindasamy Ms Melissa Lee

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


10 September 2017 4pm I Victoria Concert Hall

The mercurial and expressive flavour of the French colour this varied programme, featuring the sublime combination of flute, viola and harp via Debussyian Impressionism; the lilting rhythms and sultry Andalusian tones of Spanish composer Joaquín Turina’s piano trio and the unduly neglected music of George Onslow, a 19th century French composer of English descent. Musicians of the SSO Tickets: $20 Concessions: $15 www.sistic.com.sg PATRON SPONSOR

SSO.ORG.SG/CHAMBER


PATRON SPONSOR

Tote Board Group

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

OFFICIAL HOTEL

OFFICIAL TRAINING PARTNER

OFFICIAL RADIO STATION

OFFICIAL OUTDOOR MEDIA PARTNER

OFFICIAL POSTAGE SPONSOR

SPONSORS

LEE FOUNDATION

SUPPORTED BY

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and registered under the Charities Order.

SSO.ORG.SG


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