Debussy & Dvořák: Serenade and Dance

DE B U S S Y & DVOŘ ÁK:

SERENADE AND DANCE 1 AUGUST 2020 WATCH THE STREAM ONLIN E ON S I S T I C L I V E

SSO NATIONAL DAY C ON CE RT

A Nation in Harmony SAT 15 AUG 2020 8PM

W AT CH THE S TR EA M ONL INE ON S IS TIC L IVE S I N GAPO R E S Y M P H ONY ORCH E STRA DAR R E LL A NG C O N D U C T OR BE N J AM I N K H EN G V OC A L IST K SHI R J A G OV I N D B H A R A T A NAT YAM DANCER K HAI R UDI N S A H A R O M M A ST ER OF CEREM ONIES JAN I S W O N G S I G N LA N G U AGE INT ERP RET ER

A nation’s tunes are the unifying music of its people, and an essential ingredient of national identity. New music by Singapore’s finest young trailblazers in composition take centrestage at this year’s SSO National Day Concert.

Musicians, singer, dancer, sign language interpreter - we unite to celebrate Singapore’s 55th birthday.

Includes the following premieres: S AN D R A L I M NE W B E GI N N INGS T AN YUT I NG M E T R O JO N AT HAN S H I N C I T Y A R I S ING JO HN SHA R P L EY B R A H M A N: KANNAGI'S REALIZAT ION

D E BUS S Y & DV O ŘÁK : SERENADE AND DANCE 1 Aug 2020 Watch the stream online on SISTIC Live at 8pm

Singapore Symphony Orchestra Hans Graf Chief Conductor Gulnara Mashurova harp

D EB USSY

String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (arr. string ensemble)

25 mins

D EB USSY

Danses sacrée et profane for Harp & Strings

10 mins

D VO ŘÁ K

Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments, Cello & Doublebass, Op. 44

25 mins

Concert Duration: 1 hr T Watch our online Pre-Concert Talk hosted by Hans Graf at our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Participate in our survey for a chance to win complimentary tickets to our upcoming online concerts. www.surveymonkey.com/r/5B3YWDC

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, as well as outreach and community performances take place at the 673seat Victoria Concert Hall, the home of the SSO. The orchestra performs over 60 concerts a year, and its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres. Bridging the musical traditions of East and West, Singaporean and Asian musicians and composers are regularly showcased in the concert season. This has been a core of the SSO’s programming philosophy from the very beginning under Choo Hoey, who was Music Director from 1979 to 1996.

Under the Music Directorship of Lan Shui from 1997 to 2019, the SSO has performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. In May 2016 the SSO was invited to perform at the Dresden Music Festival and the Prague Spring International Music Festival. This successful five‑city tour of Germany and Prague also included the SSO’s return to the Berlin Philharmonie after six years.

In 2014 the SSO’s debut at the 120th BBC Proms in London received critical acclaim in the major UK newspapers The Guardian and The Telegraph. The SSO has also performed in China on multiple occasions.

Orchestral playing at the peak of refinement and beauty In the 2020/21 concert season, the SSO welcomes renowned maestro Hans Graf as its Chief Conductor.

Notable SSO releases on the BIS label include a Rachmaninoff series, a “Seascapes” album, three Debussy discs “La Mer”, “Jeux” and “Nocturnes”, and the first-ever cycle of Tcherepnin’s piano concertos and symphonies. The SSO has also collaborated with such great artists as Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Neeme Järvi, Gustavo Dudamel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Diana Damrau, Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham.

The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

The mission of the Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.

Fanfare

© BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

DEBU SSY & DV OŘ ÁK : SER ENADE AND DANC E | 1 AUG 2 0 2 0

HA N S G RAF Chief Conductor

Hans Graf is a frequent guest with major orchestras around the world including with the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Seoul, Hong Kong and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras.

Hans Graf’s discography includes all symphonies of Mozart and Schubert, the complete orchestral works by Henri Dutilleux and the world premiere recording of Zemlinsky’s opera Es war einmal. His recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck with the Houston Symphony won the ECHO Klassik 2017 award and the Grammy 2018 for Best Opera Recording.

The Austrian conductor Hans Graf is the Chief Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from the 2020/21 concert season.

He held the role of Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra 2001–2013, making him the longest-serving Music Director in the orchestra’s 100 year history.

Prior to this, he was Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic and of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. He has also held the post of Music Director at the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and the Basque National Orchestra.

Hans Graf has been made Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Government (2002) and was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour of the Republic of Austria (2007). He is also Professor Emeritus for Orchestral Conducting at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg.

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D EB U S S Y & DV OŘÁK: SER ENADE AND DANC E | 1 A U G 2020

G ULN ARA M ASH U R OVA harp

© BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

Gulnara Mashurova was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She started piano studies at the age of six and by age nine was chosen to study harp at the Pre Moscow Conservatory with Natalia Sibor. From 1991 to 1993, she studied with Vera Dulova at the Moscow Conservatory. Gulnara received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Harp Performance from the Juilliard School as a Jerome Green full scholarship recipient studying under Nancy Allen, Principal Harpist of the New York Philharmonic. She received her second Master’s in Orchestra Performance with a full scholarship from the Manhattan School of Music studying under Deborah Hoffman, former Principal Harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

She has appeared as a soloist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Flagstaff Symphony and the Thailand Philharmonic.

In 2006 and 2007, Gulnara travelled to her native Kazakhstan to promote harp repertoire by performing concertos, recitals and chamber music.

Gulnara was a regular substitute with the New York Philharmonic both in live performances and recordings and has toured extensively with the Orchestra. She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sospeso Contemporary Ensemble, Absolute Ensemble, Stamford Symphony, Empire State Opera and Silkroad, the organization founded by Yo-Yo Ma.

In 2003, Gulnara joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Principal Harpist and is on the faculty of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. She performs on a Lyon and Healy Style 23 harp.

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SEC O N D V IOL IN

T HE ORC HE S T R A

Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair Nikolai Koval* Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Wu Man Yun* Xu Jue Yi* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhao Tian*

HANS GRAF Chief Conductor JOSHUA TAN Associate Conductor ANDREW LITTON Principal Guest Conductor

VIO L A

CHOO HOEY Conductor Emeritus

Zhang Manchin Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Janice Tsai Wang Dandan Yang Shi Li

LAN SHUI Conductor Laureate EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster

C EL L O Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Jamshid Saydikarimov* Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er

FIRS T VI OL I N Kong Zhao Hui# Associate Concertmaster Chan Yoong-Han Fixed Chair Cao Can* Chen Da Wei Duan Yu Ling Foo Say Ming Jin Li Kong Xianlong Cindy Lee Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe Ye Lin* Zhang Si Jing*

D O U B LE BAS S Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Guennadi Mouzyka Wang Xu

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FLUTE

H O RN

Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan

Han Chang Chou Principal Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc

PICCOLO TR U M P ET

Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal

Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin

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

TR O M B O N E

Elaine Yeo Associate Principal

Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong

CLARINET

B A SS T R O MBONE

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

Wang Wei Assistant Principal

BAS S CL AR I NE T

TIM P A N I

Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal

Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal

COR ANGL AI S

TU B A Tomoki Natsume Principal

BAS S OON P ER CU SSIO N

Wang Xiaoke Principal Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue

Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Mario Choo Lim Meng Keh

CONTRAB AS S OON H A RP

Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal

Gulnara Mashurova Principal

* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. # Kong Zhao Hui performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation.

Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.

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flourishing society. We want to inspire positive change and contribute towards building an inclusive, resilient and vibrant community, while fostering a caring and compassionate nation.

As a broad-based grantmaking organisation, Tote Board works closely with stakeholders and partners to support broad and diverse worthy projects in the sectors of Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Health, Social Service and Sports. Through these projects, Tote Board helps to uplift the community by giving hope to vulnerable groups and improving the lives of all in Singapore.

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SSO MUSICIANS PLAY FOR INVICTUS FUND

! se u ca d o o g a r o f s u in o J Our musicians Jamie Hersch, Hoang Van Hoc and Lau Wen Rong perform the Jupiter Hymn by Gustav Holst in support of The Invictus Fund - an initiative by ComChest to channel donations to social service agencies that support those impacted by COVID-19.

We hope their performance would inspire you to support this campaign.

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I II III IV

Animé et très décidé Assez vif et bien rythmé Andantino, doucement expressif Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion

“Debussy’s great service to music was to reawaken among all musicians an awareness of harmony and its possibilities.”

second theme which undergoes a series of miniature variations showcasing Debussy’s adventurous approach to harmony.

Following this, the second movement presents us with a different texture altogether: pizzicato upper strings against insistent repeated patterns in the lower strings. Musicologists have heard an echo of Javanese gamelan music here, a musical style which heavily influenced Debussy’s music after he heard it for the first time at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1889.

A beautiful slow movement is followed by the sunny finale which takes us finally into the sunshine of G major.

So said Hungarian composer Béla Bartók.

Claude Debussy’s thrilling use of harmony and musical sensuality are both on display in this string quartet, the only one he ever wrote. The result is an unmistakeably Debussyian work, which just happens to be written for four string players.

Instrumentation 5 first violins, 4 second violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 2 double basses

It was written in 1893 when Claude Debussy was 31 and Debussy was probably inspired to write it after hearing Cesar Franck’s String Quartet in 1890.

The quartet (heard tonight in an arrangement

by SSO’s Chief Conductor, Hans Graf) opens in G minor with a striking opening theme that recurs throughout the piece. Then comes a 17

D EB U S S Y & DV OŘÁK: SER ENADE AND DANC E | 1 A U G 2020

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918) String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (arr. string ensemble)

DEBU SSY & DV OŘ ÁK : SER ENADE AND DANC E | 1 AUG 2 0 2 0

CLAUDE DEBUSSY Danses sacrée et profane for Harp & Strings I II

Danse sacrée Danse profane

In 1894 the French piano maker Pleyel had just invented a chromatic harp which, because of an extra set of strings, removed the need for pedals. As part of their marketing for the instrument the firm commissioned Debussy to write a piece showing off the instrument’s capabilities.

Of course, Debussy could have created something purely functional, but his Danses sacrée et profane has gone on to become one of his most admired works.

The ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ labels of the title are perhaps better understood as ‘spiritual’ and ‘earthly’. The first of the two dances has an air of ancient religiosity and recalls medieval chants in the string melodies under the harp’s glistening melody. The composer himself once noted the ‘gravity’ of the opening dance in a letter to fellow composer Manuel de Falla.

By contrast, the composer pointed to the ‘grace’ of the second of the two dances. His exploration of the ‘profane’ – the earthly, the secular, the sensual – is a lilting waltz which nods to the lively music of the Mediterranean, particularly Spain.

Above: Cross-strung chromatic harp (Pleyel, Wolff, Lyon & Cie, early 20th century)

It seems that Debussy was sceptical about the potential of Pleyel’s new instrument, and indeed the company ceased production of the chromatic harp by 1930. Happily – as we’ll hear in this concert – the piece can be performed on pedal harp or even piano.

Instrumentation Harp, 5 first violins, 4 second violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, double bass

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I II III IV

Moderato, quasi Marcia Minuetto. Tempo di minuetto Andante con moto Finale. Allegro molto sounds of the wind ensemble. And the work closes with a lively finale guaranteed to get any audience – ancient or modern – tapping their toes.

Antonín Dvořák was born in 1841 near Prague in what was then the Austrian Empire (now the Czech Republic). Dvořák was deeply inspired by the music, culture and traditions of his homeland, specifically the folk music of Moravia and Bohemia. He frequently incorporated folk melodies and rhythms into his music and is now often regarded as a leading voice of Romantic nationalism – a style of composition which looked to folk music for inspiration and which, broadly speaking, includes composers such as Bedřich Smetana (also Czech), Edvard Grieg (from Norway) and Edward Elgar (from England).

Programme notes by Elizabeth Davis

Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 3 horns, cello, double bass

Dvořák wrote his Serenade after hearing a performance of Mozart’s Serenade in B-flat major (also for wind instruments) during a trip to Vienna in 1878. But Dvořák poured the music and traditions of his homeland into the form.

The work recalls the Czech tradition of courtly music-making in the region’s many beautiful castles and palaces. It opens with a stately march, followed by a courtly minuet – based on the traditional Slavic dumka dance – complete with contrasting trio. The third, more substantial movement is a lyrical Andante that celebrates the mellow

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D EB U S S Y & DV OŘÁK: SER ENADE AND DANC E | 1 A U G 2020

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841–1904) Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments, Cello & Doublebass, Op. 44

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The mission of the Singapore Symphony Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music.

Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. You can support us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate.