CONCERT PROGRAMME APRIL 2022
SSO GALA: RAY CHEN PLAYS SIBELIUS RAY CHEN IN RECITAL KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY
KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY DEDICATED TO
Baethoven We’re on Shopify! Visit us singaporesymphony.myshopify.com
Apr 2022 SSO GALA: RAY CHEN PLAYS SIBELIUS 8 Apr 2022, Fri Esplanade Concert Hall
RAY CHEN IN RECITAL 9 Apr 2022, Sat Esplanade Concert Hall
KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY 14 Apr 2022, Thu Esplanade Concert Hall
18 24 30
For the enjoyment of all patrons during the concert: • Please switch off or silence all electronic devices. • Please minimise noises during performance. If unavoidable, wait for a loud section in the music. • No photography, video or audio recording is allowed when artists are performing. • Non-flash photography is allowed only during bows and applause when no performance is taking place. Go green. Digital programme books are available on www.sso.org.sg. Photographs and videos will be taken at these events, in which you may appear. These may be published on the SSO’s publicity channels and materials. By attending the event, you consent to the use of these photographs and videos for the foregoing purposes.
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. In 2021, the SSO clinched third place in the prestigious Orchestra of the Year Award by Gramophone. 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 673-seat 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 second performance at the Berlin Philharmonie. 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. In 2020, the SSO appointed renowned Austrian conductor Hans Graf as its Chief Conductor. In a time greatly disrupted by COVID-19, the SSO continued to keep music alive and lift spirits up through a multitude of digital concerts and videos, which crossed a million views in six months. The SSO has released more than 50 recordings in its 40-year history, with more than 30 on the BIS label. The most recent critically acclaimed albums include a Rachmaninoff box set (2021), Richard Strauss’ “Rosenkavalier and Other Works” (2020), and three Debussy discs “La Mer”, “Jeux” and “Nocturnes”. The orchestra has also released albums of contemporary works linked to East Asia, including works by Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng, Alexander Tcherepnin, and others. 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.
H ANS G RAF Chief Conductor The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and the VCHpresents chamber music series, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition. 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.
SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA
A leading orchestra dedicated to the training of young orchestral musicians, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) occupies a special place in Singapore’s music community. SNYO alumni have gone on to become full-time musicians in Singapore and with orchestras around the world. Many are also educating the next generation of musicians and playing significant roles in the growth of Singapore’s vibrant cultural scene. The Orchestra’s roots can be traced to the early 20th century before moving within the purview of Ministry of Education in 1980. In 2015, SNYO became part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Recognised by the Ministry of Education as a National Project of Excellence, members in mainstream secondary schools with sustained involvement in the SNYO will have their participation in the orchestra recognised in lieu of a school-based CoCurricular Activity (CCA). Entry into the SNYO is by a comprehensive audition process. The Orchestra currently comprises over 180 talented young musicians aged 10 to 21, representing more than 60 schools across Singapore. Consisting of two orchestras – the main orchestra and a junior training orchestra, the SNYO boasts a distinctive music talent development programme where members receive tutoring from professionals, including those from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Over the years, the SNYO has performed in concert venues and music festivals across Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. The 2018/19 season also included performances at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and a side-by-side concert with the SSO featuring violinist Ray Chen at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore. At the start of the 2018/19 season, Joshua Tan assumed the position of Principal Conductor with the SNYO and Peter Stark was appointed as its first-ever Principal Guest Conductor.
© BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
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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. 6
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R A Y CH E N violin
© JOHN MAC
Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st century. With a media presence that enhances and inspires the classical audience, Ray Chen’s remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world. Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) Competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, he has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia both live and on disc. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the summer of 2017 has seen the recording of the first album of this partnership with the London Philharmonic as a succession to his previous three critically acclaimed albums on SONY. Profiled as “one to watch” by The Strad and Gramophone magazines, his profile has grown to encompass his featuring in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, a multi-year partnership with Giorgio Armani and performing at major media events such as France’s Bastille Day, the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm, and the BBC Proms.
His commitment to music education is paramount, and inspires the younger generation of music students with his series of self-produced videos combining comedy, education and music.
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Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists. He plays the 1735 “Samazeuilh” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This instrument was once owned by the famed American violinist, Mischa Elman (18911967).
© AMANDA WESTCOTT
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J ULI O E L I Z AL D E piano
tours internationally with world-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Ray Chen and has performed alongside conductors Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and Anne Manson. He has collaborated with artists such as violinist Pamela Frank, composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stephen Hough, baritone William Sharp, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets. Julio is a founding member of the New Trio with violinist Andrew Wan, co-concertmaster of the Montréal Symphony and Patrick Jee, cellist of the New York Philharmonic. Julio is also a passionately active educator. In 2013, he served as a visiting professor of piano at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.
Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by The Seattle Times, the gifted American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multi-faceted artist who enjoys a versatile career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, and curator. He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim. Since 2014, he has served as the Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Washington.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Julio received a bachelor of music degree with honours from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Paul Hersh. He holds master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Robert McDonald.
Julio Elizalde has appeared with many of the leading artists of our time. He 8
KH A T I A B U N IATISH V IL I PL AYS TC H AIK OV SK Y | 14 A PR 2022
A N D RE W L I T T O N Principal Guest Conductor
© DOMINIC PHUA
Andrew Litton is Music Director of the New York City Ballet, Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of Britain’s Bournemouth Symphony and Music Director Laureate of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic. Under Litton’s leadership the Bergen Philharmonic gained international recognition through extensive recording and touring. For his efforts, Norway’s King Harald V knighted Litton with the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit. His many honours also include Yale’s Sanford Medal, the Elgar Society Medal, and an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bournemouth.
Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, among others. An avid opera conductor with a keen theatrical sense, Litton has led major opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Opera Australia and Deutsche Oper Berlin. In Norway, he was key to founding the Bergen National Opera, where he led numerous acclaimed performances.
Litton was Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony from 1988–1994. As Music Director of the Dallas Symphony from 1994–2006, he hired over one third of the players, led the orchestra on three major European tours, and appeared four times at Carnegie Hall. His discography boasts over 135 recordings.
An accomplished pianist, Litton often performs as a soloist, conducting from the keyboard. He is also an acknowledged expert on and performer of Gershwin’s music and serves as Advisor to the University of Michigan Gershwin Archives.
This season, Litton returns to the Bournemouth and Singapore Symphony Orchestras. He has recently conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and will be making appearances with NFM Wrocław 9
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© ESTHER HAASE/SONY
Stern auditorium recital in New York U.S., concerts in South Korea, the U.K., tours in Germany and other parts of Europe.
K H A T I A B U N I AT ISHVIL I piano Born in 1987 in Batumi, Georgia, FrenchGeorgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili discovered the piano at the early age of three and gave her first concert with Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra when she was six. Since then, she has established herself as one of today’s most prominent classical music artists, at home on the world’s great stages and universally celebrated for her “authenticity, charisma, and persuasiveness” (NZZ) and “playing straight from the heart” (The Guardian).
Khatia made her U.S. debut at the Carnegie Hall in 2008 and has since performed at the Hollywood Bowl, BBC Proms, Salzburg Festival, Verbier Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, La Roque-d'Anthéron Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, and Progetto Martha Argerich. Among Khatia's musical partners are conductors Zubin Mehta, Placido Domingo, Jaap van Zweden, Gustavo Dudamel, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Gianandrea Noseda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Long Yu, Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, and Philippe Jordan. She has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, China Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Filarmonica della Scala, and Bavarian Radio Symphony. An exclusive SONY classical artist, Khatia’s discography includes Franz Liszt (2011), Chopin (2012), Motherland (2014), Kaleidoscope (2016), Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 (2017), Schubert (2019) and Labyrinth (2020). She also collaborated with rock group Coldplay on their album, A Head Full of Dreams. Khatia studied in Tbilisi with Tengiz Amiredjibi and in Vienna with Oleg Maisenberg.
Khatia’s upcoming performances in the 2022/23 season includes Carnegie Hall 10
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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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T HE ORC HE S T R A HANS GRAF Chief Conductor ANDREW LITTON Principal Guest Conductor CHOO HOEY Conductor Emeritus LAN SHUI Conductor Laureate EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster FIRS T V I OL I N (Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair Markus Tomasi^ Concertmaster (8 Apr) Wang Xiao Ming^ Concertmaster (14 Apr) Kong Zhao Hui1 Associate Concertmaster Chan Yoong-Han2 Fixed Chair Cao Can* Chen Da Wei Duan Yu Ling Foo Say Ming Jin Li Kong Xianlong Cindy Lee Lim Shue Churn^ (14 Apr) Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe Ye Lin* Zhang Si Jing*
SEC O N D V IOL IN Michael Loh Associate Principal Nikolai Koval* Hai-Won Kwok Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Edward Tan^ (14 Apr) Wu Man Yun* Xu Jueyi* Helena Dawn Yah^ (14 Apr) Yeo Teow Meng Yew Shan^ (14 Apr) Yin Shu Zhan* Zhao Tian* VIO L A Manchin Zhang Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Joelle Min Hsu^ (14 Apr) Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Janice Tsai Dandan Wang Yang Shi Li Yeo Jan Wea^ (14 Apr) C EL L O Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Lin Juan^ (14 Apr) Khachatur Khachatryan^ (14 Apr) Jamshid Saydikarimov Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er
D OUBLE BAS S
B A SSO O N
Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Julian Li Yongrui^ (14 Apr) Ma Li Ming^ (14 Apr) Jacek Mirucki Guennadi Mouzyka Wang Xu
Liu Chang Associate Principal Denis Plangger^ (8 Apr) Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue
FLUTE
SA X O P H O N E
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 ANGL AI S
CO N T R A B A S S OON Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
Samuel Phua^ (8 Apr) H O RN Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Bryan Chong^ (8 Apr) Hoang Van Hoc Alexander Oon^ (8 & 14 Apr) TR U M P ET Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal
TR O M B O N E
CLARINET
Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong
Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping
B A SS T R O MBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal
BAS S CL AR I NE T
TU B A
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
Tomoki Natsume Principal
TIMPANI Christian Schiøler Principal PE RCUS SI ON Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Benjamin Boo^ (14 Apr) Mario Choo Derek Koh^ (14 Apr) Lim Meng Keh HARP Gulnara Mashurova Principal CE LE S TA Nicholas Loh^ (8 Apr) PIANO Beatrice Lin^ (14 Apr)
* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. ^ Guest musician 1 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. 2 Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700, courtesy of Mr G K Goh. Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
2022 Auditions 19 MAR, 4 JUN, 3 SEP, 10 DEC
www.snyo.org.sg/audition
The SNYO invites young musicians to join us in music-making & forging meaningful friendships for life. Join in the fun and learning f rom professional musicians through rehearsals, sectionals & masterclasses!
_ Positions are available in all orchestral sections: strings, woodwinds, brass & percussion. Pianists aged 13 and below who are interested in mastering a second orchestral instrument, as well as young violinists who are keen to learn the viola are also welcome to audition. Managed by
_
SNYO.SG
Singapore National Youth Orchestra A National Project of Excellence
Recognised by
SSO G AL A: R AY C H EN PL AYS SIBEL IU S | 8 APR 2 0 2 2
S IN G APO RE N ATIONAL YOUTH OR C HE STRA MU SICIANS VIOLA Elliott Chan Caitlin Chin Skyler Goh Elizabeth Ip Lee Soohyurn Jay Lim Charlotte Morel Elvis Ng Ethan Ong Calista Tan Samuel Tan Mark Yang
FIRST VIOLIN Chloe Chee Ethan Chong Rayson Dai Ashley Foong Fu Xuan Gwee Kang Ting Esther Lam Napin Limcharoen Alexandra Loh Jenny Park Samuel Soekarno Nathanelle Tan Whelan Tan Marea Toh Sarah Wong Yeo See Kang
CELLO Chew Hanlin Eda Chua Gao Kehan Han Chaeyoon Nicole Hee Evan Khoo Zachary Lau Li Ziyi Joel Ong Dayna Ong Narella Widjaja Yan Yutong
SECOND VIOLIN Jacob Cheng Callie Chin Galen Gay Colette Goh Regan Ho Marisa Lee Joshua Lim Aaron Lim Ng Zhi Ning Keith Ong Nikki Poon Marc Sommen Sun Xiaoqing Adele Wee Yeong Jun Kai
DOUBLE BASS Damien Chew Alexsalma Herbert Li Jiaying Clarice Lim Tan Zhi Yi Adrian Tang Kaitlyn Wong
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TIMPANI Kevin Tan
OBOE John Fung
PERCUSSION Chloe Miranda Kevin Tan
CLARINET Claudia Toh
HARP Chloe Liow
BASSOON Ang Jun En HORN Chloe Lau Andrew Lee TRUMPET Koh Mi Yo TROMBONE Reema Chatterjee BASS TROMBONE Martin Ong TUBA Ernest Foo
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FLUTE Natalie Ngai
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SSO GA LA : RAY C H EN PLA Y S S I B E L I US P IC T U R E S A T A N E X H I B I T I O N 8 Apr 2022, Fri Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Singapore National Youth Orchestra Hans Graf Chief Conductor Ray Chen violin*
W EBE R
Overture to Euryanthe
S IB E L I U S
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47*
31 mins
Intermission
20 mins
Pictures at an Exhibition (orch. Ravel)
35 mins
M USSO RG SK Y
8 mins
Concert Duration: approximately 1 hr 50 mins (with 20 mins intermission)
Your feedback helps us improve your concert experience. Win a free SSOLOUNGE pass or SSO merchandise by being the first 10 to take our survey! 18
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CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786–1826) Overture to Euryanthe (1822–1823) Weber’s incredibly energetic and exuberant opening sounds like something straight out of Richard Strauss, while the lyrical contrast that comes afterward draws easy comparison to Mendelssohn. He was the earliest master of German opera, and is today remembered for Der Freischütz, which is unfortunately performed so often enough today that his other operatic works have been overshadowed. Euryanthe, coming immediately after the success of Freischütz, has the slightly dubious distinction of saddling some of the best music in Weber’s entire output with a weak libretto. It is therefore perhaps for the best that Weber departed from the German tradition of having spoken dialogue interspersed in the action, bringing the German opera genre more in line with the dominant Italian strain. The initial run flopped, only lasting 20 performances. Schubert went so far as to dismiss it completely, calling it “not music”, ignoring Weber’s fine orchestration and innovative touches; only the overture has survived on the modern circuit. Weber’s craftsmanship shines throughout, and this overture rivals the best of Beethoven or Wagner. Several moments demonstrate the composer’s intuitive understanding of the expanded Romantic orchestra: the timpani tattoo immediately before the lyrical second subject stands out as being unusual, and the quiet chromatic passage for eight solo violins exactly halfway through the work is pure genius. An extended fugue serves as a dramatic crescendo before the broad sweep of the opening music returns and wraps the movement up.
Instrumentation 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings World Premiere 25 Oct 1823, Vienna First performed by SSO 12 Oct 1979 19
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JEAN SIBELIUS (1865–1957) Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 (1903) I II III
Allegro moderato Adagio di molto Allegro, ma non tanto
Sibelius’s Violin Concerto was the silver lining that came from his decision to give up his violin career. He had picked up the instrument as a teenager, and in a handful of years became good enough to play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in the capital. The glittering success of instrumental fame did not appeal much to him, however, and he turned to compositional studies, absorbing such diverse influences as Busoni, Goldmark, Bruckner, and the seeds of Finnish music which he would go on to revolutionise. Caricature of Jean Sibelius celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2015
The massive scope of this concerto has ensured its place in the core repertoire. From the timid opening melody to the specifically bass-weighted orchestral writing, the concerto seems to attempt to circumscribe the world. Sibelius was already famous as a composer by this point, with two symphonies under his belt, the second of which had met with rapturous praise by critics and audiences alike. The Violin Concerto is a symphony in all but name, with a huge first movement covering unusual rhythmic ground (the opening and recapitulation are “spelled” differently, with tiny differences in performance), and giving the violinist a massive cadenza full of extremely difficult techniques.
one year later being the glorious D minor concerto audiences today know and love. A darkly brooding second movement is shot through with the violinist soaring into the stratosphere, and a pulsing finale challenges the soloist with even more difficulties. Sibelius might have given up his violin career, but he certainly still knew the instrument well! Instrumentation 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings
Predictably enough, the violinist at the premiere was not up to scratch, and the event was practically a disaster. A long process of revisions began, with the result
World Premiere 8 Feb 1904, Helsinki (original version) First performed by SSO 7 Oct 1983 (Stephanie Chase, violin) 20
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
Promenade Gnomus Promenade The Old Castle Promenade Tuileries Bydło Promenade Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle The Market at Limoges Catacombs – Cum mortuis in lingua mortua The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga) The Great Gate of Kiev exhibition in his memory, Mussorgsky saw the paintings that would eventually become immortalised in this set of miniatures.
Mussorgsky’s most well-known work has French composer Maurice Ravel (18751937) to thank for its lasting legacy. Originally conceived as a suite of ten piano pieces plus a common “Promenade” theme that returns in variation, it is quite fair to say that pianists play it mostly because of the incredible fame of Ravel’s orchestration.
Ravel’s use of solo trumpet for the very opening Promenade, echoing into the concert hall, is a very direct depiction of people walking into an exhibition space. His orchestral mastery brings to life Hartmann’s “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” with chattering winds and strings, shivery tremolos plague “Cum mortuis in lingua mortua” (“With the dead in a dead language”), and very seriously illustrate the strangeness of the legendary Baba Yaga’s hut on chicken’s legs. In between all these, the returning Promenade theme is dressed in different colours, reflecting a milling crowd’s various thoughts. The grand ending of “The Bogatyr Gate” (“The Great Gate of Kiev”) is a chest-thumping celebration for which Ravel provides orchestral bombast to match.
The idea for the piece stems from the paintings of Mussorgsky’s friend Viktor Hartmann, who was also an architect and designer and, like Mussorgsky and the rest of the Mighty Handful, fully committed to the search for an intrinsically Russian art, away from Westernising influences (especially German and Italian dominance in Russian music circles). Hartmann gave Mussorgsky two of the paintings that would eventually make their way into Pictures, and was a great lover of Mussorgsky’s music. His early death at 39 rocked the Russian art and music world, and, at a consequent 21
D ES W ITH ANDR ITTON IU AND ANSL IP | 25 & 26 F E B 2022 SSSEREN O G AALA : RAY C H EN PLEW AYSLSIBEL S |C H 8 LAOË PR H2022
MODEST MUSSORGSKY (1839–1881) Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) (orch. Ravel, 1922)
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A little description of each movement follows: Promenade: A grand opening fanfare, with crowds to match. Gmonus: An awkward dwarf, painted with outbursts and irregular rhythms. The Old Castle: A troubadour sings in the grounds with a mournful sound. Tuileries: Children play in the famous Parisian gardens. Bydło: The heavy tread of a Polish oxcart. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks: A representation of a costume for a children’s ballet. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle: Two Jewish men, one rich and one poor. The Market at Limoges: Country folk chatter cheerfully at the market.
Instrumentation 3 flutes (2 doubling on piccolos), 3 oboes (1 doubling on cor anglais), 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon,
Catacombs: Dissonant bell sounds echo through the eerie darkness. Cum mortuis in lingua mortua: The rattle of bones and the whisper of wind…
4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba,
The Hut on Fowl’s Legs: Baba Yaga’s bewitched hut and her cackles while she hunts.
timpani, xylophone, snare drum, tam-tam, triangle, whip, ratchet, cymbals, bass drum, glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, chimes,
The Great Gate of Kiev: The great gate of Kyiv, inspired by Hartmann’s sketch for a proposed city gate.
2 harps, celesta World Premiere 19 Oct 1922 (Ravel’s orchestration)
Programme notes by Thomas Ang
First performed by SSO 11 Mar 1983 22
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RAY CHEN I N R ECI TAL 9 Apr 2022, Sat Esplanade Concert Hall Ray Chen violin Julio Elizalde piano
B EET H O V E N
Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major
20 mins
S T R A V I N SK Y
Divertimento after The Fairy’s Kiss
21 mins
Intermission
20 mins
TA R T I N I
Devil’s Trill Sonata (arr. Kreisler)
15 mins
BRAHMS
Hungarian Dances Nos. 7 and 17
7 mins
S A R A SAT E
Zigeunerweisen
8 mins Concert Duration: approximately 1 hr 50 mins (with 20 mins intermission)
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I II III
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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major (1801–1802) Allegro assai Tempo di minuetto, ma molto moderato e grazioso Allegro vivace
Beethoven's house in Heiligenstadt
Contrary to the usual stern image of Beethoven, the Sonata No. 8 in G major for Piano and Violin shows us a rather different side of him – relaxed and smiling. Written between 1801 and 1802, when Beethoven was 32 and had moved to the rural village of Heiligenstadt outside Vienna in hope that his hearing would recover, it was published as the third in a trio of violin sonatas Op. 30 in 1803, dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
to the gentle age of Haydn, with the piano taking elegant steps while the violin flutters tenderly and nostalgically above it. This is amazing, given that Beethoven had recently written an anguished letter to his brothers in which he spoke of the despair brought on by his deafness. Beethoven continues to channel Haydn in the Allegro vivace finale full of puppy-like abandon and high spirits, but sprinkling his trademark of some roughness and dissonances. Is this the same man who had contemplated suicide weeks earlier? “I would have ended my life – it was only my art that held me back.” When Beethoven said that he lived for music, he meant it.
The first movement shows Beethoven’s creativity at its best – making a feast out of the simplest materials. This Allegro assai is brilliantly festive and unabashedly happy, and goes into a sonata-form movement full of sunshine. The slow movement, a graceful Tempo di menuetto, brings us back 25
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IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882–1971) Divertimento after The Fairy’s Kiss (1928, arr. violin and piano, 1932) I II III IV
Sinfonia Danses suisses Scherzo Pas de deux a. Adagio b. Variation c. Coda
Le Baiser de la fée (“The Fairy’s Kiss”) is a one-act ballet composed in 1928 by the Russian pianist, composer, and conductor Igor Stravinsky. Several revisions and adaptations have happened, including an arrangement of music from the ballet for violin and piano, entitled Divertimento. The ballet was an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Ice Maiden, and in the music Stravinsky absorbed and used fragments from Tchaikovsky as a homage and was said not to be quite sure where he ended and Tchaikovsky began. The opening Sinfonia is from the introduction to the ballet, where a disoriented mother and her child are lost in a snowstorm, and the baby is stolen by the fairy’s sprites, with Stravinsky’s characteristic rhythmic brilliance on display. In Danses suisses (“Swiss dances”), the child is now an adult, dancing at his engagement party. The following Scherzo has the fairy leading the young man to a mill where his fiancée is with her friends. The concluding Pas de deux is elegant and features some of the loveliest music of the entire ballet.
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I II III
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GIUSEPPE TARTINI (1692–1770) Devil’s Trill Sonata (1713 or 1740s) (arr. Kreisler) Larghetto Allegro energico Grave – Allegro assai – Cadenza – Adagio
Tartini's Dream by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1824)
The Violin Sonata in G minor by the Italian violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini has always had a larger-than-life reputation. Nicknamed “Devil’s Trill” on account of both the diabolical difficulty that requires extreme virtuosity (utilising techniques like double and trilling on one string while playing another line cantabile), and the curious story attached to it. Tartini allegedly had a dream in which he struck a deal with the Devil, who showed him the most amazing solo, which he proceeded to write down upon waking up, but in vain, for yet what he wrote down was still so inferior to what he heard in his dream that he would have smashed his violin and quit music, had he any other means of making a living. The
version we hear this evening was arranged by the Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler, who added a fiendish cadenza. The sonata begins with a wistful and dreamy melody, lilting yet with a premonition of darkness, depicting the restless sleep of the composer. An Allegro follows – the nightmare has begun! The third movement is a Grave-Allegro, with the tempo switching reflecting agitated dreaming. The final movement is the part of the dream where the Devil shows Tartini the violin solo, wild and rough in its intensity.
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JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897) Hungarian Dances Nos. 7 and 17 (1879) No. 7 - Allegretto (arr. Joachim) No. 17 - Andantino (arr. Kreisler) In spite of the great globalisation and industrialisation movements of the 19th century, or possibly in reaction to them, the same period saw Western European society increasingly fascinated with music of Central and Eastern Europe. Dances such as the polka from Bohemia, the csárdás from Hungary, and the mazurka from Poland were danced and heard from Dublin to Madrid. Composers such as Tchaikovsky, von Suppé, Delibes, and Strauss included these exotic (at the time) dance forms in their works. Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, a set of 21 dances based on Hungarian melodies and completed in 1879, can be seen as part of this movement. Inspired by the Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi, for whom a 20-yearold Brahms was an accompanying pianist on a tour, these dances are characterised by dramatically varying tempi, lively rhythms, and whirling melodies. They have been arranged countless times for a myriad of instrumentations, and have remained perennial favourites in the concert repertoire.
Ede Reményi and Brahms (1852)
This evening’s arrangement of No. 7 Allegretto is by the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim who worked closely with Brahms, and that of No. 17 Andantino by the Jewish Austrian-American violinist Fritz Kreisler who was a student of Bruckner, Délibes and Massenet, and wrote cadenzas still popularly played today for violin concerti by Beethoven, Paganini, and Brahms.
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PABLO DE SARASATE (1844–1908) Zigeunerweisen (1878) Spain in particular had an association and fascination with gypsy music – the Spanish violinist and composer Sarasate was in Paris around the time of Bizet’s opera Carmen (1875), which features a gypsy femme fatale in Seville, and Sarasate arranged themes from the opera for his Carmen Fantasie (1883). Like Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, the Spanish composer Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen (“Gypsy Airs”) was part of the 19th century Western European fascination with Central and Eastern European music. Unfortunately, like many of his peers, Sarasate mistook Hungarian folk music he heard on a trip to Budapest in 1877 for actual gypsy music from the Romani people, and all the melodies are taken from Hungarian music. Nevertheless, the resulting work has proved popular both for concerts and recordings. The Zigeunerweisen may be considered one movement divided into four distinct sections. The first is a Moderato establishing the key of C minor, featuring virtuosic figuration on the violin, with grand ‘reverberations’ from the accompaniment. This is followed by a mournful Lento which feels almost improvised, with its ricochet bowings and flying spiccati, and then a sighing Un poco più lento with a melody from the Hungarian composer Elemér Szentirmay. The final Allegro molto vivace moves us into A minor and gives us a csárdás featuring a theme from Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13, with long runs, double stops, artificial harmonics, and left-hand pizzicato. Programme notes by Edward C. Yong 29
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K H ATIA BU NI ATI SH V I LI PLA YS TCHAI K OV SK Y 14 Apr 2022, Thu Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Andrew Litton Principal Guest Conductor Khatia Buniatishvili piano*
K A B A L E V SK Y
Overture to Colas Breugnon, Op. 24
TC H AI K O V SK Y
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23*
32 mins
Intermission
20 mins
Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 112
34 mins
PROKOFIEV
5 mins
Concert Duration: approximately 1 hr 45 mins (with 20 mins intermission)
Dedicated to
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DMITRY KABALEVSKY (1904–1987) Overture to Colas Breugnon, Op. 24 (1936–1938) Colas Breugnon, completed in 1938, was Kabalevsky’s first opera. The libretto was based on French writer Romain Rolland’s novel Le martre de Clamecy (“The Master Craftsman of Clamecy”). It’s main character, Breugnon, is a wood-carver. Of his many prized sculptures was one of Selina, a woman the Duke loved. When the Duke requested for it, Breugnon refused. In a fit of fury, the Duke ordered all of Breugnon’s sculptures burned. When the Duke later commissioned a statue from Breugnon, the witty wood-carver crafted his vengeance by unveiling a sculpture portraying the Duke atop a donkey, unceremoniously facing its ass. On the surface, this sounds like a benign folk-tale made for laughter. However, some speculate that the story’s reference to the exploitation of commoners by the ruling class to have been subtle statement by the composer against the Soviet regime of the time. Fortunately for Kabalevsky, though the libretto was criticised by the regime, he escaped censure. The Overture to Colas Breugnon, Op. 24 is a vivid musical portrait of the irrepressible Breugnon. It begins with an extravagant declamation with prominent brass sounds, before launching into a manic and driven theme punctuated with occasional rhythmic displacements. Heralding the middle section is a harmonic shift that exudes sinister undertones. The twist in the plot is characterised by a mocking country dance episode before hurtling in a crescendo towards a brilliant finish.
Instrumentation 3 flutes (1 doubling on piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons (1 doubling on contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, field drum, triangle, xylophone, harp, strings World Premiere 22 Feb 1938, St. Petersburg First performed by SSO 1 Aug 1987 32
I II III
Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso Andantino semplice Allegro con fuoco
“Not a word, not an observation! […] Rubinstein was preparing his thunder.” Thus recollects Tchaikovsky after playing the first movement for pianist Nikolai Rubinstein. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky was undaunted by Rubinstein’s harsh remarks and refused to change “a single note.” Subsequently, a contemporary of Rubinstein, Hans von Bülow, praised the work as “original, noble and powerful”. He became the new dedicatee and premiered the work on the opening concert of his American tour in Boston on in 1875, where it was received enthusiastically. Interestingly, Rubinstein eventually took a detour of opinion. He became an advocate of the work and performed it numerous times in his career.
The main theme of the first movement of the Piano Concerto No. 1 is based on a popular Ukrainian folk song that was traditionally performed by wandering Lirnyk (pictured).
The impassioned first movement is more rhapsodic than usual for a concerto of this era. Luscious strings open the famous introduction with a sweeping melody, alongside resounding chords that traverse the registers of the piano. After wandering into a piano cadenza followed by an orchestral reprise, the introductory theme is not heard again. Instead, we are introduced to three main themes. The first, introduced 33
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PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893) Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874–1875)
K H ATIA BU NIATISH V IL I PL AYS TC H AIKOV SKY | 1 4 APR 2 0 2 2
by the piano, is a skittish Ukrainian folksong that Tchaikovsky heard performed at a local fair. The second is a melancholy tune coaxed in by the clarinets and the third, an uplifting melody brought in by the strings. The latter two themes alternate and intertwine, giving the music a fantasia-like feel that stirs the imagination. A gentle remembrance of the second theme of the first movement ushers in the Andantino. This is first heard in a soaring flute melody before melting into the alluring bell-like sounds of the piano, and finally joined by two soulful cellos. In the middle section of the movement, a scherzando-like theme based on the French song Il faut s’amuser, danser et rire (“One must amuse oneself by dancing and laughing”) breaks the calm and converses with playful running passages that flit by on the piano. Parallel to the first movement, the Allegro quotes another Ukrainian folk song Viydi, viydi Ivanku (“Come, Come Ivanku”). This rondo alternates with a lyrical theme that is first heard in the strings, and an episode abound with dotted rhythms that segue through different keys. A majestic crescendo and a formidable show of piano octaves work the music to a grand climax that erupts in a satisfying, all-consuming reiteration of the lyrical theme. Instrumentation 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings World Premiere 25 Oct 1875, Boston First performed by SSO 11 Sep 1979 (Susan Starr, piano) 34
I II III IV
Andante – Allegro eroico Andante tranquillo Moderato, quasi allegretto Allegro risoluto the Beautiful Maiden. The finale juxtaposes toccata-like elements from the ballet’s first number with lyricism from the ballet’s second number. While meant to express the Prodigal Son’s impulsive urges in wanting to escape his home and family, it is also a selfportrait of Prokofiev who had left Russia in his twenties only to return two decades later.
Prokofiev’s Fourth Symphony shares similar roots to his final ballet for Sergey Diaghilev, The Prodigal Son. It is a colourful parable of temptation, debauchery and repentance. The 1947 revision which is what you will hear tonight sees the addition of a piccolo clarinet, piano and harp and is lengthened through the extended use of both existing and unused material from the ballet.
Programme notes by Khoo Hui Ling
Prokofiev was “tired of being pigeonholed as the enfant terrible who wrote abrasive, dissonant works.” The first movement morphs from fervent lyricism to highly charged music that is meant to describe the Prodigal Son’s depraved friends. The slow movement is based on the final episode of the ballet, in which the Prodigal Son returns home to his forgiving father. It is deeply melodious in nature and word has it that Prokofiev was “tired of being pigeonholed as the enfant terrible who wrote abrasive, dissonant works.” The third movement, a Scherzo and Trio, is an animated one where Prokofiev experiments with orchestral timbres to portray the seduction of the Prodigal Son by
Instrumentation 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tambourine, triangle, wood block, harp, piano, strings World Premiere 11 Mar 1950 (radio broadcast) First performed by SSO 6 Dec 1991 35
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SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891–1953) Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 112 (1947)
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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.