CONCERT PROGRAMME MAY 2021
MOZART IN MINOR MOZART IN MAJOR
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May 2021 MOZART IN MINOR 7 May 2021, Fri Esplanade Concert Hall
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MOZART IN MAJOR 14 & 15 May 2021, Fri & Sat Esplanade Concert Hall
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T Pre-concert Talk on our Facebook page and YouTube channel COVER ART: HARVEST FIELDS IN WESTERHAM, KENT BY HELEN ALLINGHAM. BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS TRUST.
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.
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.
H ANS G RAF Chief Conductor
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© LUDWIG OLAH
Capitole de Toulouse in France and the Polish National Radio Symphony.
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GÁ B OR K ÁL I conductor
In the coming seasons, Gábor Káli will debut with the Bayerische and Hamburg Staatsopers. He will also be working with major orchestras such as French Orchestre de Paris and Orchestre National de Lille, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Staatsorchester Stuttgart, among many others. He will also make a return to the RSO Vienna to conduct the Musikverein in Summer 2021. Gábor Káli regularly conducts new music and premieres various works across the globe. He is greatly appreciated for his deep knowledge of Bartók’s works which led him to conduct the Budapest Festival Orchestra on their tour.
After replacing Iván Fischer upon the maestro’s request in April 2019 with the prestigious Budapest Festival Orchestra, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in major cities and venues, Hungarian Gábor Káli positioned himself as one of the most promising young conductors.
Gábor Káli was awarded the prestigious Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award in 2018. That year, he also won the First Prize at the inaugural Hong Kong International Conducting Competition. He studied piano and conducting at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, and joined the Dirigentenforum of the Deutsche Musikrat, where he attended masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Colin Metters and Sian Edwards.
In 2019/20, he was invited to conduct Mozart’s The Magic Flute at Dresden’s Semperoper upon Christian Thielemann’s invitation. In summer 2019, he conducted the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna at the Salzburg Festival. In the same year, he accepted invitations by Orchestre du 4
MO Z A RT I N M AJOR | 14 & 15 MA Y 2021
D ÉN ES V ÁRJ O N piano
© LISZT ACADEMY-MIHÁLY KONDELLA
Dénes Várjon’s sensational technique and deep musicality have made him one of the most exciting and highly regarded participants of international musical life. He is a universal musician: excellent soloist, first-class chamber musician, artistic leader of festivals and a highly sought–after piano pedagogue. As a chamber musician, he works regularly with pre-eminent partners such as Steven Isserlis, Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann, Leonidas Kavakos, András Schiff, Heinz Holliger, Miklós Perényi and Joshua Bell. As a soloist, he has performed in venues from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Konzerthaus and London’s Wigmore Hall. Among the conductors he has worked with are Sir Georg Solti, Sándor Végh, Iván Fischer, Ádám Fischer, Heinz Holliger, Horst Stein, Leopold Hager and Zoltán Kocsis. He appears regularly at leading international festivals from Marlboro to Salzburg and Edinburgh.
In 2015 he recorded the Schumann Piano Concerto with the WDR Symphonieorchester and Heinz Holliger, and all five Beethoven Piano Concertos with Concerto Budapest and András Keller.
He has recorded for the Naxos, Capriccio and Hungaroton labels to critical acclaim. His solo CD with pieces of Berg, Janáček and Liszt was released in 2012 by ECM. 5
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Dénes Várjon graduated from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in 1991, where his professors included Sándor Falvai, György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados. Dénes Várjon won First Prize at the Piano Competition of Hungarian Radio, at the Leó Weiner Chamber Music Competition in Budapest and at the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich. In 2020, he was awarded Hungary’s most prestigious cultural accolade, the Kossuth Prize.
SEC O N D V IOL IN
T HE ORC HE S T R A HANS GRAF Chief Conductor JOSHUA TAN Associate Conductor ANDREW LITTON Principal Guest Conductor CHOO HOEY Conductor Emeritus LAN SHUI Conductor Laureate EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster
Michael Loh Associate Principal Nikolai Koval* Hai-Won Kwok Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Wu Man Yun* Xu Jueyi* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhao Tian* VIO L A Manchin Zhang Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Janice Tsai Dandan Wang Yang Shi Li C EL L O
FIRS T VI OL I N (Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair 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 Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe Ye Lin* Zhang Si Jing*
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 D O U B LE BAS S Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Guennadi Mouzyka Wang Xu
FLUTE
TR U M P ET
Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan
Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin
PICCOLO
TR O M B O N E
Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal
Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong
OBOE Rachel Walker Principal Pan Yun Associate Principal Carolyn Hollier Elaine Yeo
B A SS T R O MBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal TU B A
COR ANGL AI S
Tomoki Natsume Principal
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal TIM P A N I CLARINET Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping
Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal P ER CU SSIO N
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Mario Choo Lim Meng Keh
BAS S OON
H A RP
Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue
Gulnara Mashurova Principal
BAS S CL AR I NE T
CONTRAB AS S OON Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal HORN Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc
* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. 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 donated by Mr Goh Yew Lin. Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
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Musicians MOZA RT IN MIN O R |7 M A Y 2 0 2 1
FIRST VIOLIN Chan Yoong-Han Acting Concertmaster/Fixed Chair Duan Yu Ling Foo Say Ming Jin Li SECOND VIOLIN Xu Jueyi Chikako Sasaki Hai-Won Kwok Yeo Teow Meng VIOLA Manchin Zhang Shui Bing Yang Shi Li
CELLO Ng Pei-Sian Wu Dai Dai Chan Wei Shing DOUBLE BASS Karen Yeo Jacek Mirucki FLUTE Evgueni Brokmiller OBOE Pan Yun Elaine Yeo
BASSOON Liu Chang Christoph Wichert HORN Gao Jian Jamie Hersch Marc-Antoine Robillard Hoang Van Hoc TRUMPET David Smith Lau Wen Rong TIMPANI Jonathan Fox
CLARINET Li Xin Liu Yoko
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FIRST VIOLIN Kong Zhao Hui Acting Concertmaster /Associate Concertmaster Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe SECOND VIOLIN Zhao Tian Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Yin Shu Zhan VIOLA Guan Qi Gu Bing Jie Marietta Ku
CELLO Yu Jing Jamshid Saydikarimov Zhao Yu Er
HORN Gao Jian Jamie Hersch Marc-Antoine Robillard
DOUBLE BASS Yang Zheng Yi Wang Xu
TRUMPET Jon Paul Dante Lau Wen Rong
OBOE Rachel Walker Carolyn Hollier
TIMPANI Christian Schiøler
BASSOON Liu Chang Christoph Wichert
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M OZ AR T IN M INOR |7 MAY 2 0 2 1
MOZA RT IN M I NOR 7 May 2021 Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Gábor Káli conductor Dénes Várjon piano
A t t r . M O Z ART
Symphony in A minor, K.16a “Odense” SSO PREMIERE
12 mins
MO ZART
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491
31 mins
MO ZART
Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K.183 SSO PREMIERE
24 mins
Concert Duration: 1 hr 20 mins (with no intermission) T Watch our online Pre-Concert Talk on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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I II III
Allegro moderato Andantino Rondo. Allegro moderato
K.16a, also K.220, is a work with an interesting back story. Nicknamed “Odense” from the discovery of a manuscript in the Municipal Symphony Orchestra in Odense, Denmark, in 1982, it is thought to be among the works sold to the Danish Collegium Musicum by the Hamburg music dealer Johann Christoph Westphal in the 1780s, who had some authentic Mozart symphonies and then some other works of ‘dubious’ provenance. Since then, while generally accepted as authentic, some scholars consider this unlikely to be a work of Mozart’s on account of tradition and style but have been unable to suggest an alternative composer. If authentic, it is one of only three Mozart symphonies in a minor key, and would likely have been written around 1770, when Mozart was in his midteens.
Chief Conductor Hans Graf’s 2010 recording of the “Odense” Symphony with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
A Rondo marked Allegro moderato ends the work. While technically in A minor, it is one of those scampering works that seem almost to be in mock seriousness, with a pretend stern face trying to hide a belly of giggles.
The Allegro moderato, first of three movements, starts us in an unsettled mood, with its sturm und drang opening – note the rather active bassoon parts which, instead of doubling the bass line, rumble away to prevent smooth landings. The Andantino which follows takes us through a pleasant brisk walk, never quite relaxing as much as Mozart’s more common slow movements. The strings play almost throughout, while the winds alternate between doubling the strings and providing emphasis like punctuation marks.
Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, strings World Premiere Unknown 11
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Symphony in A minor, K.16a “Odense” (c. 1770, attr. Mozart) SSO PREMIERE
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491 (1786) I II III
Allegro Larghetto Allegretto
Premiered on 7 April 1786, a mere two weeks after completion, this piano concerto marked Mozart’s last major public appearance as soloist. Mozart may be best known for his sweet major-key melodies, but anyone who has scratched beyond the surface will have noticed that Mozart has not only streaks of chromatic mania, but that it is often his minor-key works that express the full depth of what seems to be a depressive intensity in the deepest recesses of the composer’s heart.
when sandwiched between the brooding outer movements. Unusually, the final Allegretto is in a dancelike theme and variations form, where in most of the variations, the winds state the melody before the piano. In two variations, we get major-key excursions – will happiness win? Unfortunately no – trouble follows us to the end with an unrelenting minor-key finish, dashing our hopes as the orchestra torments the piano to the end in a premonition of the Commendatore dragging Don Giovanni down to hell at the end of Don Giovanni. Upon hearing this concerto, Beethoven exclaimed: “Ah, we shall never be able to do anything like that!”.
The opening Allegro movement begins its punches early, exploring pathos with a harmonically advanced palette that goes through all twelve notes of the chromatic scale. Dark and numinous, haunting in its beauty like a black South Sea pearl, its tumultuous waves give way to the solitary piano rising like a rocky feature during low tide. Stormy high tide returns and the piano motifs are revealed between crashing waves that threaten to drag everything down. Despair and hopelessness mark the movement, with the piano passage-work all in a whirl.
Instrumentation flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings
The Larghetto in rondo form gives us a period of respite, with an opening reminiscent of Chopin’s nocturnes. The piano introduces a theme echoed by the orchestra in an almost hypnotic trance. Pure and transcendently simple, this would have been hopeful sunshine in another context, but appears more quiet poignant moonlight
World Premiere 7 Apr 1786, Vienna First performed by SSO 16 Sep 1988 (Alexander Korsantiya, piano) 12
I II III IV
Allegro con brio Andante Menuetto & Trio Allegro
Homework by teenagers, especially when writing exercises after a model, tends to be rather uninspired and academic. Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K.183, written in 1773 when he was 17 and a keen student of Haydn’s symphonies, was modelled after Haydn’s G minor symphony – both employ four horns rather than the usual two. Using pairs of horns in B-flat and G meant a wider range of chromatic notes otherwise unavailable, and four horns give a thicker texture to the dark key. However, K.183 is anything but a dry and composeby-rote composition. The first movement is marked Allegro con brio, and what vigour it is – a splendid fiery falling diminished seventh sets a scene of jagged dramatic tension, a sturm und drang earworm at its best. Listeners may recognise its use in the opening scene of the Miloš Forman film Amadeus. Violins provide a syncopated rain of fire, while the driving bassline takes on a melodic function like tidal waves pushing things forward rather than just harmonic accompaniment.
c. 1766, Mozart at the age of 10. Engraving after a painting by Dominikus van der Smisseen at the Mozart Museum, Salzburg. Source: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The E-flat major Andante is like a melancholic aria that follows the theatrical overture of the first movement. Muted violins and bassoons set a scene of tender and bittersweet sadness, elegant and gracious. The third movement is a Menuetto, but this is not the manicured, courtly dance of the Viennese nobility in mirrored gold halls. Bare 13
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K.183 (1773) SSO PREMIERE
M OZ AR T IN M INOR |7 MAY 2 0 2 1
octaves announce the stern beginning, like a Slavic dance from the eastern territories. The wind trio adds a gentle respite, not unlike one from his wind serenades. The final Allegro is compressed in comparison with the first movement, with the same urgent relentless drive, but with greater sudden contrasts of dynamics that intensify the pressure. As in the opening movement, brief detours to B-flat major happen, but the short development returns the minor-key tension followed by the recapitulation and closing with a short coda. While the entire movement is marked by swings of emotion, Mozart never loses his composure or poise, and the work ends with his signature restraint on two firm, final chords. Programme notes by Edward C. Yong
Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, strings World Premiere Unknown 14
MO Z A RT I N M AJOR | 14 & 15 MA Y 2021
MO ZA RT IN M AJ O R 14 & 15 May 2021 Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Gábor Káli conductor Dénes Várjon piano
MO ZART
Cassation in B-flat major, K.99 SSO PREMIERE
20 mins
MO ZART
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K.414
25 mins
MO ZART
Symphony No. 34 in C major, K.338
21 mins
Concert Duration: 1 hr 20 mins (with no intermission) T Watch our online Pre-Concert Talk on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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M OZ AR T IN M AJOR | 14 & 1 5 MAY 2 0 2 1
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Cassation in B-flat major, K.99 (1769) SSO PREMIERE I II III IV V VI VII
Marcia Allegro molto Andante Menuetto & Trio Andante Menuetto & Trio Allegro
What is a cassation? Scholars are hardpressed to give it an actual definition – as a musical genre, it falls in that murky space co-occupied by the divertimento, the notturno, the dance suite, and the serenade. A suite of short movements, intended for outdoor performance by strings and winds, the cassation probably functioned as background music for events – essentially muzak or elevator music, intended to set a mood and not meant for attentive listening.
strings and oboes, another Menuetto but in B-flat major where the horns rejoin, before an Allegro where the opening march is repeated.
K.99 was probably written in the summer of 1769 in Salzburg for outdoor performances at events marking the end of the academic year at the University of Salzburg, where it was a custom to play newly-composed finalmusik (graduation music) before the castle residence of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg and in front of the quarters of the college professors. It is scored for pairs of oboes and horns and strings. The 13-yearold Mozart likely treated this as a routine order for a routine occasion, as the music shows less invention than some other music he wrote during this period. Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings
A march opens the work, followed by an Allegro in sonata form. An Andante in C major for strings alone is the longest movement, then a E-flat major Menuetto bringing back horns and oboes with an F major string trio, a G minor Andante with
World Premiere c. Aug 1769 16
I II III
Allegro Andante Allegretto
The keyboard concerto K.414 was one of three written in late 1782 for Vienna’s winter concert season. He tried publishing them by subscription to the public, saying they could be performed with just a string quartet, neither too heavy nor too light, and containing material that could be appreciated both by connoisseurs as well as by amateur players. Unfortunately, sales were dismal and it was the first and last time Mozart would try to publish his piano concerti.
adapting it for the main theme. The slight melancholy mood marks the movement as a musical memento mori. Ending the work is a Rondeau (Allegretto) which is catchy and playful, with only the briefest moments of drama popping its head through the clouds of sheer happiness. The piano largely ignores the orchestral themes until finally giving in and engaging in dialogue with the ensemble.
Mozart used the key of A major for serene and lyrical works, and the work itself is poised, largely untroubled by excursions into minor keys, and represents the lighthearted joy of Mozart at his happiest and most carefree – this was a time when he was living in relative luxury, making money slightly faster than he could spend it. The first Allegro movement is rich in melodies, with four different themes in the orchestral ritornelli and two more in the piano solo part. There are few dramatic contrasts of volume, no jagged figures or troubled syncopation, and the lyrical melodies flow in a relaxed manner. The piano is treated as an operatic diva, with runs and trills all over, very much contrasted with the orchestra.
Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings World Premiere Unknown
The Andante marks a homage to his idol Johann Christian Bach, who had reposed only the previous year, by taking the first four bars of an overture by Bach and
First performed by SSO 29 Nov 1996 (Mari Kodama, piano) 17
MO Z A RT I N M AJOR | 14 & 15 MA Y 2021
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K.414 (1782)
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No. 34 in C major, K.338 (1780) I II III
Allegro vivace Andante di molto Finale. Allegro vivace
With the dramatic Olympian opening, K.338 looks forward to Beethoven, but is surprisingly an early work from 1780, a period Mozart dubbed his “Salzburg Captivity”. At the time, Mozart was reaching the tail end of his employment as part of the court orchestra of Prince-Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg, fuming at having to dine with the valets, cooks, and other liveried servants for a decade. After the dramatic overture-like opening, with trumpets and timpani, developments with new material follow, with recapitulations richly elaborated. Somewhere between the Italian-style opera overture and the newer German-style symphonic sonatas, Mozart seems to be breaking convention and experimenting with new forms in the latest Mannheim style – one can almost see him plotting to get noticed by the emperor in Vienna.
Mozart’s rollicking drive and momentum return in the Allegro vivace, and he makes up for neglecting the oboes in the slow movement by giving them some cheerful duets. Mozart loathed the Salzburg audiences as staid and wooden (he called them “tables and chairs”), and too provincial (Salzburg lacked an opera house). Perhaps in this dance-like compact movement we may imagine them tapping their toes and nodding their heads in unison to the rhythm, while the frustrated 24-year-old Mozart whispers in their ears – get up and dance!
The delicate and flowing Andante slow movement places aside all these tensions, relaxing in untroubled elegance. Utilising only bassoon and strings, while giving the other winds a break, the resulting gentle mousse-like texture is light and ethereal. The symphony lacks a minuet, an increasingly popular feature to be common in later symphonies, but too modern for his conservative Salzburg audiences, so Mozart kept to the earlier three-movement form.
Programme notes by Edward C. Yong 18
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A panorama of Salzburg c.1712, by J. B. Homann
Instrumentation 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings World Premiere Unknown First performed by SSO 11 Oct 2008 19
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The SSO is an arts charity and depends on donations. If you love the SSO, please consider making a donation to support your orchestra –
Every gift makes a difference.
As a valued donor patron of the SSO, you will receive many benefits. PATRON CATEGORIES
PAT R O N BENEFITS
Prelude
Rhapsody
Concert0
Serenade
Overture
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6 tickets
10 tickets
12 tickets
16 tickets
20 tickets
2. Gala /Christmas/Pops
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2 tickets
4 tickets
6 tickets
3. SSO Special Gala Concerts
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2 tickets
$1,000 - $2,499
$2,500 - $4,999
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$5,000 - $9,999 $10,000 - $24,999 $25,000 & ABOVE
Tax Benefits Priority Booking Discounts for all SSG concerts Invitation to special events Donor listing: 1. Concert booklets and website 2. Donors’ Wall at VCH
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To find out more, please visit www.sso.org.sg/support-us, or write to Nikki Chuang at nikki@sso.org.sg.
Corporate Patronage Form a special relationship with Singapore’s national orchestra and increase your name recognition among an influential and growing audience. Our concerts provide impressive entertainment and significant branding opportunities. SSO Corporate Patrons enjoy attractive tax benefits, Patron of the Arts nominations, acknowledgements in key publicity channels, complimentary tickets, and invitations to exclusive SSO events. Temasek Foundation The HEAD Foundation Yong Hon Kong Foundation John Swire & Sons (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Lee Foundation Tantallon Capital Advisors Pte Ltd The New Eden Charitable Trust SPONSORS SMRT Corporation Symphony 924 Singapore Airlines Conrad Centennial Singapore
For more details, please write to Chelsea Zhao at chelsea.zhao@sso.org.sg.
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ONLY THE FINEST MUSIC
BOA R D OF D IRE C T ORS & C OMMI T T E E S CHAIR Mr Goh Yew Lin SSO COUNCIL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ms Yong Ying-I (Deputy Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Mr Chang Chee Pey Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Chng Kai Fong Mr Warren Fernandez Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Liew Wei Li Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Paul Tan Dr Kelly Tang Mr Geoffrey Wong Mr Yee Chen Fah NOMINATING AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer (Treasurer) Mr Paul Tan Ms Yong Ying-I
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE Ms Yong Ying-I (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Yee Chen Fah Dr Kelly Tang INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Mr Geoffrey Wong (Chair) Mr David Goh Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Alex Lee AUDIT COMMITTEE Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chair) Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Lim Mei SNYO COMMITTEE Ms Liew Wei Li (Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Valarie Wilson
S S O M U S I C I A N S’ C O M M I T T E E Mr Jamie Hersch Mr Ng Pei-Sian Mr Mark Suter Mr Christoph Wichert Ms Elaine Yeo
Prof Cham Tao Soon (Honorary Chair) Mr Alan Chan (Chair) Mrs Odile Benjamin Prof Chan Heng Chee Mr Choo Chiau Beng Dr Geh Min Mr Goh Geok Khim Mr Khoo Boon Hui Prof Tommy Koh Ms Lim Mei Mr JY Pillay Dr Stephen Riady Ms Priscylla Shaw Prof Gralf Sieghold Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Prof Bernard Tan Dr Tan Chin Nam Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Tan Soo Nan Mr Wee Ee Cheong S S O L A D I E S’ L E A G U E Mrs Odile Benjamin (Chair) Mrs Kwan Lui (Deputy Chair) Mrs Celeste Basapa 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
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CHIEF E XECUTIVE OFFICER Mr Chng Hak-Peng
ARTISTIC PL ANNING
CEO OFFICE
C O R P O R AT E S E R V I C E S
Mr Hans Sørensen (Head)
Ms Shirin Foo
Ms Lillian Yin (Head)
Programmes (SSO) Ms Kua Li Leng Ms Teo Chew Yen Ms Jodie Chiang
Customer Experience Mr Randy Teo Ms Dacia Cheang Ms Nur Shafiqah bte Othman
Finance, IT & Facilities Mr Rick Ong Mr Alan Ong Ms Goh Hoey Fen Mr Md Zailani bin Md Said
Community Outreach Ms Vanessa Lee Ms Samantha Lim
DE VELOPMENT & PA R T N E R S H I P S
Choral Programmes Ms Regina Lee Ms Whitney Tan
Corporate Communications Ms Haslina Hassan
Programmes (VCH) Ms Erin Tan Ms Lynnette Chng
Development Ms Chelsea Zhao Ms Nikki Chuang Ms Charmaine Fong Ms Fang Xiao Min
ORCHESTR A MANAGEMENT Mr Ernest Khoo (Head) Orchestra Mr Chia Jit Min Ms Karis Ong Concert Operations Ms Siti Raudha Tehan Ms Chin Rosherna Ms Fenella Ng Mr Ramayah Elango Mr Mazlan bin Ali Library Mr Lim Lip Hua Ms Wong Yi Wen Mr Avik Chari
MARKE TING C O M M U N I C AT I O N S Ms Cindy Lim (Head) Mr Chia Han-Leon Ms Myrtle Lee Ms Jana Loh Ms Hong Shu Hui Ms Sherilyn Lim Ms Melissa Tan D I G I TA L S S O Ms Cindy Lim (Lead) Mr Chia Jit Min (Asst Lead) Mr Jason Siriwardene (Digital Producer) Mr Chia Han-Leon Mr Hans Sørensen
Human Resources & Administration Mr Desmen Low Ms Melissa Lee Ms Evelyn Siew Legal Mr Edward Loh S I N G A P O R E N AT I O N A L YOUTH ORCHES TR A Ms Pang Siu Yuin (Head) Ms Yani Saaban Ms Tang Ya Yun Ms Tan Sing Yee ABRSM Ms Hay Su-San (Head) Ms Patricia Yee Ms Lai Li-Yng Mr Joong Siow Chong C O V I D -1 9 R E S P O N S E C O O R D I N AT I O N Ms Lillian Yin (Lead) Mr Rick Ong (Asst Lead)
A GIFT TO THE UNIVERSE CELEBRATING BACH III FRI 21 MAY 2021 8PM
WATCH THE STREAM ONLINE ON SISTIC LIVE
CHLOE CHUA VIOLIN YE LIN VIOLIN DARRELL ANG CONDUCTOR SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Some 22 billion kilometres away in space, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 lies among other earthly sounds and music on the Golden Record, carried by the Voyager space probes since they left Earth in 1977. Bach’s legacy is humanity’s future. Likewise, Singapore’s young shining star of the violin, Chloe Chua. See her on stage with SSO violinist Ye Lin in the universally loved Double Violin Concerto. A present from a small, distant world, a token of our music, thoughts and feelings – a gift of music to the universe. This concert was recorded at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 4 Feb 2021. J.S. BACH BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO. 2 IN F MAJOR, BWV 1047 CONCERTO IN D MINOR FOR TWO VIOLINS AND ORCHESTRA, BWV 1043 BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO. 4 IN G MAJOR, BWV 1049
TICKETS FROM $8
This concert is dedicated to the late Dr. Goh Keng Swee, founding patron of the SSO
S UPPOR T E D BY
PATRO N S P ON S OR
MATCHE D BY
M A JO R D ON OR S
Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin
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S EA S O N PATRO NS
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.