Singapore Symphony Orchestra Sep 2023

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2 first time Is this your at the SSO?

WELCOME! You’ve begun a richly rewarding musical journey and we want you to feel comfortable at the SSO. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to ask, check out our FAQ!

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

We don’t enforce any dress code. Many come in business attire or smart casual outfits, and that’s great.

WHEN SHOULD I CLAP?

Many pieces of music have multiple sections called movements. E.g. most concertos have three movements while symphonies usually have four. Traditionally, applause is only expected at the end of the entire work, rather than between each movement.

If you’re unsure, check our programme booklet, or wait for the conductor to put down the baton at the end, and acknowledge the orchestra and audience.

CAN I TAKE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS?

Video and photography of any kind are not permitted when musicians are actively performing. However, non-flash photography is allowed during bows and applause. Take home a musical memory and tag us on @singaporesymphony!

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.

Cover photo: Sloth Creatives

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 with its 44-week calendar of events.

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 through its school programmes. 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. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine named the SSO as one of the 21 best orchestras in the world.

In July 2022, the SSO appointed renowned Austrian conductor Hans Graf as its Music Director, the third in the orchestra’s history after Lan Shui (1997–2019) and Choo Hoey (1979–1996). Prior to this, Hans Graf served as Chief Conductor from 2020.

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. The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-theart 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.

Beyond Singapore, 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 fivecity 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 praise in major UK newspapers The Guardian and The Telegraph. The SSO has also performed in China on multiple occasions.

The SSO has released more than 50 recordings, with over 30 on the BIS label. Recent critically acclaimed albums include Scriabin’s Poems of Ecstasy and Fire and Shostakovich’s Jazz & Variety Suites. In 2023, a Four Seasons album on Pentatone and a complete Mozart Violin Concerto cycle with Chloe Chua and Hans Graf will be released. The SSO also leads the revival and recording of significant works such as the Kozłowski Requiem, Ogerman’s Symbiosis (after Bill Evans) and concertos by Paul von Klenau.

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The SSO has collaborated with such great artists as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Joe Hisaishi, Neeme Järvi, Okko Kamu, Hannu Lintu, Andrew Litton, Lorin Maazel, Martha Argerich, Ray Chen, Diana Damrau, Stephen Hough, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Krystian Zimerman.

The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, as well as the VCHpresents chamber music series, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition.

Our Story

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 Symphony Orchestra

MARIO VENZAGO conductor

Mario Venzago was, until summer 2021 and for 11 years, the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Bern Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he has led as Principal Conductor or General Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Basque National Orchestra in San Sebastian, and the Basel Symphony Orchestra. He was also Principal Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Artist in Association of the Finnish Tapiola Sinfonietta and Artistic Director of the Baltimore Summer Fest, as successor to Pinchas

Zukerman and David Zinman. Mario Venzago has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the orchestras in Philadelphia and Boston, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

In the season 2022/23 Mario Venzago conducted Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Museumsorchester Frankfurt, Bochumer Symphoniker, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and many others.

Several of his CDs have won international prizes such as the Grand Prix du Disque, the Diapason d’or and the Edison Award. The project “The other Bruckner” with the recording of all ten symphonies was released on the CPO label. A collaboration with Sony Classical led to the spectacular recording of Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony with the Kammerorchester Basel, completed and conducted by Mario Venzago, and the recording of all serenades and symphonies of Johannes Brahms. Most recently in 2022, Prospero released his recording of Schubert’s reconstructed 7th Symphony with Bern Symphony Orchestra. His recording of the Suite from Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights with Singapore Symphony Orchestra was released on Chandos Records in June 2023.

© ALBERTO VENZAGO

Chloe Chua (b. 2007) shot to international stardom after winning the joint 1st Prize at the 2018 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.

The young star from Singapore has also garnered the top prize at the 24th Andrea Postacchini Violin Competition, 3rd prize at the 2017 Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, as well as accolades at the Thailand International Strings Competition (Junior Category Grand Prize) and the Singapore National Piano & Violin Competition (1st Prize, Junior 2017, 3rd Prize, Junior 2015).

Her stunning musicality despite her young age has captured the hearts of audiences around the world, and her performances have taken her to concert halls and orchestras across the U.S.A., U.K., Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand and Singapore, in festivals such as the Copenhagen Summer Festival, New Virtuosi Queenswood Mastercourse, Atlanta Festival Academy and the Singapore Violin Festival.

For the 2023/24 season, Chloe extends her Artist-In-Residency at the Singapore

Symphony Orchestra for a second season, performing several concerts and recording projects across 2023 and 2024. Her debut album of The Four Seasons and Locatelli’s Harmonic Labyrinth will be followed by a set of complete Mozart Violin Concertos with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Hans Graf.

Chloe has been with Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) School of Young Talents since age 4, and is currently under the tutelage of Yin Ke, leader of their strings programme.

Chloe performs on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Milan, 1753, on generous loan from the Rin Collection.

CHLOE CHUA violin/Artist-In-Residence

© REX TEO

EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director

Eudenice Palaruan studied at the University of the Philippines College of Music, majoring in composition and choral conducting. He took further training in choral conducting at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule, Germany. He graduated doctor of musical arts at St. Paul University Manila.

He was a singer, resident composer/ arranger, and assistant choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. In addition, he performed with the Berlin Spandauer Kantorei, the World Youth Choir, and sang countertenor with the Berlin Monteverdichor.

In addition, he was the principal conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale. For years, he has been the resident conductor of the International Bamboo Organ Festival, where he performed and recorded significant selections of Latin-American baroque music. With his active involvement in the choralization of Philippine and other Asian indigenous music, he premiered a substantial volume of new Asian choral works. In addition, he was often invited to give lectures on non-Western vocal aesthetics.

Eudenice also arranges for the SSO choruses and the SSC community outreach programmes. In addition, the SSO choruses have premiered new choral works written by local composers and arrangers in Singapore under his direction.

He taught composition and choral conducting in institutions such as the University of the Philippines College of Music, the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music, and St. Paul University College of Music and the Performing Arts. In addition, he teaches at the Singapore Bible College School of Church Music and directs the SBC Chorale. Eudenice is often invited to adjudicate in international composition competitions and give masterclasses in choral conducting.

© MICHELLE TNG YING

CHLOE CHUA PLAYS PAGANINI

Wong Lai Foon has been a driving force behind the development and growth of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) since its inception in 2006. Appointed Choirmaster in 2015 and armed with a mission to nurture young voices and inspire choral excellence, she led in the expansion of the SSCC’s training programme to include six preparatory ensembles, as well as the formation of the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir in 2016.

With repertoire ranging from Baroque to opera to contemporary and popular music, she has directed the SSCC and SSYC in a wide array of concerts, often receiving praise for the choirs’ beautiful tone and sensitivity. She has prepared the choirs in collaborations with renowned conductors and performers such as Stephen Layton, The King’s Singers, and Sofi Jeanin and la Maîtrise de Radio France. The SSCC has also had the distinction of being invited to perform at state functions.

Wong has commissioned and premiered treble choir works by local composers and has also arranged for the SSCC and SSYC. Her efforts to educate and inspire singers extend into the community through

workshops, talks, as well as adjudicator, chorus-master and guest-conductor roles. Some ensembles that she has worked with include The Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Singapore Symphony Chorus, Singapore Lyric Opera, Hallelujah Singers, and Methodist Festival Choir. She holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College, USA.

WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster

© MICHELLE TNG YING

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS

Celebrating Choral Excellence

For over four decades, the Singapore Symphony Chorus (SSC) has been bringing together passionate and talented choristers from all walks of life to celebrate the best of symphonic music-making, and to create music that moves, transcending language and culture.

More than just a choir, the SSC is a warm and vibrant community for lifelong social connections beyond the stage. Seasoned performers at the Victoria Concert Hall and the Esplanade, the chorus’s committed group of singers come together week after week to hone their artistry and volunteer their time to deliver some of the most challenging choral classics to the highest standards.

Led by world-class conductors including Okko Kamu, Lan Shui, Lim Yau, Masaaki Suzuki and Sofi Jeannin, the chorus has amassed an impressive repertoire such as Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum, Britten’s War Requiem, and Bach’s St John Passion, amongst others, since its founding in 1980.

With their dedication towards presenting outstanding performances, the SSC is the pinnacle of choral excellence in Singapore and a testament to the power of music and how it connects people across cultures and generations.

Director

Eudenice Palaruan Choral

Shane Thio rehearsal pianist

© MICHELLE TNG YING

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY YOUTH CHOIR

Inspiring Choral Passion

Energetic and full of dynamism, the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir (SSYC)’s choristers embody a zeal for artistic growth that inspires and pushes boundaries.

Comprised of a myriad of vibrant personalities aged between 17 and 28, the cool collective welcomes like-minded singers to share their journey of youthful passion for symphonic choral music-making, alongside the national orchestra! Performing regularly at the Victoria Concert Hall and the Esplanade, the SSYC is a group of dedicated singers who enjoy coming together to explore some of the most challenging and beloved choral works across styles and genres.

Since 2016, SSYC has had the privilege of performing under the baton of renowned conductors such as Lan Shui, Hans Graf, and Stephen Layton. Their repertoire boasts of musical highlights including Scriabin’s Prometheus, Puccini’s La Bohème, Tallis’s Why Fumeth in Fight, Faure’s Requiem and recordings of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.

With the unique opportunity to learn from world renowned musicians and be part of a community that inspires passion, all while creating a professional sound, SSYC is a social journey to reimagine classical music and choral excellence.

Wong Lai Foon Choirmaster Evelyn Handrisanto rehearsal pianist

© MICHELLE TNG YING

The Choruses THE CHORUSES

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS

SOPRANO

Karen Aw

Laurence Biard Tertois

Janice Chee

Alexis Chen

Julie Demange Wodtke

ALTO

Chan Mei Yoke

Chng Xin Bei

Friederike Herrmann

Truly Hutapea

Susan Kurniawati

Dorothy Lee-Teh

TENOR

Jean-Michel Bardin

Chng Chin Han

Chong Wei Sheng

Jeroven Marquez

David Maund

Grace Goh

Kaitlyn Kim

Selina Kwek

Sarah Santhana

Andrea Yenny Sjah

Nelia Soelistia

Stacey Wang Espera

Sarah Tang

Gladys Torrado

Yeo Mui

Wendy Lim

Dorcas Lo

Sharon Low

Daisy Natalia

Ng Beng Choo

Ratna Sutantio

Elsie Tan

Tan Seow Yen

Wang Jiunwen

Shoumin Low

BASS

Ronald Ooi

Samuel Pažický

Rac Roldan

Ian Tan

Ben Wong

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY YOUTH CHOIR

SOPRANO

Serene Cheong

Hana Kasai

Janice Lim

Desiree Seng

Samyukta Sounderamann

Carine Tan

Jasmine Towndrow

Ellissa Sayampanathan*

*Choral Fellow

ALTO

Elizabeth Goh

Erin Ho

Trinetra Kumarasan

Ong Sherlyn

Violet Ong

Tan Yulin

Tan Yuqing

Zhang Jingqi

Ang Jian Zhong

Winsen Citra

Arthur Davis

Paul Kitamura

Wong Hin Yan

TENOR

Cris Bautro

Alfonso Cortez

Gaston Liew

Seifer Ong

BASS

Bryan Carmichael

Chai Chang Kai

Loy Sheng Rui

Dominic Tang

Joshua Tan

Wong Zhen Wei

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUSES

Delivering choral excellence since 1980

A premier body for classical choral singing, the Singapore Symphony Choruses comprise the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Singapore Symphony Youth Choir and Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir.

Drawing membership from diverse ages, nationalities and walks of life, our Choruses embody a comprehensive singing ecosystem that nurtures the brilliance of our brightest young talents, inspires youthful passion for the art and celebrates the best of choral excellence!

Scan the QR code and visit our website for more details on audition and training opportunities.

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RODOLFO BARRÁEZ Associate Conductor

Berlin-based Venezuelan conductor

Rodolfo Barráez made his debut with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin in 2020. A natural communicator with infectious charisma, Rodolfo brings remarkable vivacity, sensitivity, and zeal to his artistry. The 2022/23 season sees him join the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Associate Conductor, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Conducting Fellow. Rodolfo is also Conductor in Residence at the Paris Opera.

In 2023, Barráez was awarded the 1st & Orchestra Prize at the 2nd Hong Kong International Conducting Competition. He also won 1st Prize at the 2018 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México International Conducting Competition (OFUNAM), and 2nd Prize at the 2020 Inaugural SiemensHallé International Conductor Competition in Manchester, leading to immediate invitations with The Hallé.

He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s conducting studies at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, and previously his Bachelor’s at the National Experimental University of the Arts in Venezuela. In 2022, he was selected as Conducting Fellow at the Verbier Festival.

Rodolfo made his debut with Los Angeles Philharmonic in early 2023 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Future highlights include performances with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Simón Bolívar Symphony, among others.

Strongly influenced by his own remarkable education as part of El Sistema under the guidance of José Antonio Abreu and Teresa Hernández, Rodolfo is committed to contributing to music education. In 2019, Rodolfo founded the Falcón Conducting Workshop; an organization that nurtures and supports the development of emerging conductors through masterclasses and workshops in his hometown as well as worldwide at renowned institutions.

© PEDRO SIERRA

“On the strength of his imperious showing, one can scarcely wait for his Rach 3.”

- Chang Tou Liang

Hao Jia is a Singaporean pianist who started his musical studies at the age of 5 when he enrolled in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, School of Young Talents Gifted Young Pianists Course. He was under the tutelage of the Principal, Mdm Fang Yuan and Head of Keyboard studies in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Professor Albert Tiu. He recently graduated from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and is currently studying Master’s in Music Performance at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University Bloomington under Professor Arnaldo Cohen.

Hao Jia is a rising young pianist whose playing has led him to become prize winners in multiple top competitions in Singapore. These include the Young Talents Project 2015 (Amadeus Young Talent Prize), the National Piano & Violin Competition 2015 and 2019 (Intermediate category and Senior category respectively, both 1st prizes), and the 3rd Steinway Youth Piano Competition in 2016 (Grand Prize Winner). He was awarded the Mabel & Soon Siew Kwa Scholarship during his studies in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and is a recipient of one of Jacobs School’s most prestigious awards, assuming the role of Associate Instructor in Piano.

Hao Jia’s musical pursuits have also taken him to diverse arenas. His collaboration with the Singapore Police Force Band during his National Service, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, showcased his ability to transcend genres and captivate audiences across spectrums. His journey has been enriched through masterclasses with luminaries such as An Ning, Erik T. Tawaststjerna, Foo Mei Yi, Jeremy Denk, Jonathan Biss, Ng Chong Lim, Stephen Hough and Yoheved “Veda” Kaplinsky.

HAO JIA piano

HAN-NA CHANG conductor

Han-Na Chang’s prestigious and unique international career spans three decades. 2024 will mark the 30th Anniversary of her extraordinary debut on the international stages, when as an 11-year old, she won the First Prize at the Fifth International Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris.

Han-Na Chang serves as the Artistic Leader and Chief Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera in Norway since 2017, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Symphoniker Hamburg – Laeiszhalle Orchester since 2022. The 2023/24 season

will see her guest conduct the Vienna, Sydney, Melbourne, Bern, RAI Torino, New Zealand and Singapore Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Bruckner Orchester Linz at the closing concert of the International Brucknerfest Linz 2023.

Han-Na Chang was born in Suwon, South Korea in 1982. At the age of 6, she received her first cello lesson. Her family moved to New York in 1993 in order to support her continuing musical studies at the Juilliard School, and she has lived in New York since. At the age of 10, she also started studying with Mischa Maisky who together with Mstislav Rostropovich and Giuseppe Sinopoli she counts as the most influential mentors of her formative years. Following her victory at the Fifth Rostropovich International Cello Competition at the age of 11, her international career took her to all the major concert halls and the top orchestras around the world as an in-demand recitalist and soloist.

Han-Na Chang reads Philosophy at Harvard University. After developing an intense interest in and deep passion for the symphonic repertoire during her late teens and early twenties, she made her formal conducting debut in 2007, at the age of 24, and has since then focused her artistic output exclusively to conducting.

Born in Latvia, educated in Russia and later repatriated to Israel, Mischa Maisky is the only cellist in the world to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. As lauded by Rostropovich, “His (Maisky) playing combines poetry and exquisite delicacy with great temperament and brilliant technique.” Maisky has been enthusiastically received in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York, Tokyo and many other major music centres.

Truly a world-class musician and a regular guest at most major international festivals, he has collaborated with such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Carlo Maria Giulini, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Yuri Temirkanov, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Kirill Petrenko, Paavo Järvi and Gustavo Dudamel.

His musician partnerships have included artists such as Martha Argerich, Radu Lupu, Nelson Freire, Evgeny Kissin, Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Peter Serkin, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov, Joshua Bell, Julian Rachlin and Janine Jansen to name just a few.

As an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist for more than 30 years, he made over 40 recordings with such orchestras as the Vienna, Berlin and Israel Philharmonics, the London Symphony, L’Orchestre de Paris, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and others. Maisky’s recordings have enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and have been awarded the prestigious Record Academy Prize in Tokyo five times and the Echo Deutscher Schallplattenpreis three times, as well as the Grand Prix du Disque in Paris and the Diapason d’Or of the Year, and receiving several coveted Grammy nominations.

Official Mischa Maisky

MISCHA MAISKY cello

© BERNARD ROSENBERG

GALA: MISCHA MAISKY AND HAN-NA CHANG

The Orchestra

HANS GRAF

Music Director

RODOLFO BARRÁEZ

Associate Conductor

CHOO HOEY

Conductor Emeritus

LAN SHUI

Conductor Laureate

EUDENICE PALARUAN

Choral Director

WONG LAI FOON

Choirmaster

FIRST VIOLIN

(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*

SECOND VIOLIN

Tseng Chieh-An Principal

Michael Loh Associate Principal

Nikolai Koval*

Sayuri Kuru

Hai-Won Kwok

Chikako Sasaki*

Margit Saur

Shao Tao Tao

Wu Man Yun*

Xu Jueyi*

Yeo Teow Meng

Yin Shu Zhan*

Zhao Tian

VIOLA

Manchin Zhang Principal

Guan Qi Associate Principal

Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair

Joyce Huang

Marietta Ku

Luo Biao

Julia Park

Shui Bing

Janice Tsai

Dandan Wang

Yang Shi Li

CELLO

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

Wu Dai Dai

Zhao Yu Er

DOUBLE BASS

Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal

Karen Yeo Fixed Chair

Olga Alexandrova

Jacek Mirucki

Guennadi Mouzyka

Wang Xu

FLUTE

Jin Ta Principal, Stephen Riady Chair

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 ANGLAIS

Elaine Yeo Associate Principal

CLARINET

Ma Yue Principal

Li Xin Associate Principal

Liu Yoko

Tang Xiao Ping

BASS CLARINET

Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal

BASSOON

Marcelo Padilla^ Principal

Liu Chang Associate Principal

Christoph Wichert

Zhao Ying Xue

CONTRABASSOON

Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal

HORN

Austin Larson Principal

Gao Jian Associate Principal

Jamie Hersch Associate Principal

Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal

Bryan Chong^

Hoang Van Hoc

TRUMPET

Jon Paul Dante Principal

David Smith Associate Principal

Lau Wen Rong

Nuttakamon Supattranont

TROMBONE

Allen Meek Principal

Damian Patti Associate Principal

Samuel Armstrong

BASS TROMBONE

Wang Wei Assistant Principal

TUBA

Tomoki Natsume Principal

TIMPANI

Christian Schiøler Principal

Mario Choo

PERCUSSION

Jonathan Fox Principal

Mark Suter Associate Principal

Mario Choo

Lim Meng Keh

HARP

Gulnara Mashurova Principal

With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. Musician on temporary contract

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.

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.

Guest Musicians

CHLOE CHUA PLAYS PAGANINI | 2 SEP 2023

FIRST VIOLIN

Yusuke Hayashi Guest Concertmaster

Lim Shue Churn

SECOND VIOLIN

Wilford Goh

Martin Peh

VIOLA

Yasuo Hayashi

Lan Tiantian

Yeo Jan Wea

CELLO

James Ng

DOUBLE BASS

Jeremy Watt Guest Principal

Ma Li Ming

OBOE/COR ANGLAIS

Celia Craig

HARP

Charity Kiew

ORGAN

Joanna Rajamal Paul

PRESIDENT'S YOUNG PERFORMERS CONCERT | 23 SEP 2023

FIRST VIOLIN

Lim Shue Churn

Edward Tan

SSO GALA: MISCHA MAISKY AND HAN-NA CHANG | 29 & 30 SEP 2023

FIRST VIOLIN

Ma Jun Yi Guest Concertmaster

CHLOE CHUA PLAYS PAGANINI SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

Sat, 2 Sep 2023

Esplanade Concert Hall

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Singapore Symphony Chorus1

Singapore Symphony Youth Choir1

Mario Venzago conductor

Eudenice Palaruan Choral Director

Wong Lai Foon Choirmaster

Chloe Chua violin / Artist-In-Residence2

ROSSINI PAGANINI

Overture to Il viaggio a Reims

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 62

Intermission

Autograph session with Chloe Chua at Foyer, Level 1

DEBUSSY VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Nocturnes

Toward the Unknown Region1 SSO Premiere

8 mins

35 mins

20 mins

25 mins

14 mins

Concert Duration: approximately 2 hrs (including 20 mins intermission)

CHECK-IN TO TONIGHT'S CONCERT

Scan this QR code with the Singapore Symphony Mobile App.

GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792–1868)

Overture to Il viaggio a Reims

Lost luggage. Delayed transport that eventually does not turn up. A group of European dignitaries stranded at an inn, unable to continue their journey to a coronation in Reims: this sums up the situation in Il viaggio a Reims, Rossini’s last opera in Italian. Commissioned as part of the celebrations surrounding the coronation of King Charles X of France in 1825, Rossini had pulled out all the stops in trying to showcase his genius to the French public, writing for all the greatest voices of the day – 14 soloists, chorus, and orchestra – with the intention of retiring the work after its run of performances. As such, he even recycled some of the material into the more popular (and far superior) opera Le Comte Ory a number of years later.

After falling into obscurity, Il viaggio a Reims was only rediscovered and painstakingly reconstructed in the 1970s. In 1938, when a work titled “Gran Sinfonia to Il viaggio a Reims” was published in Milan and premiered by no less than Richard Strauss conducting at the Teatro alla Scala, everyone supposed that it was the only surviving piece of the opera. However, when the original manuscript resurfaced in the 1970s, they did not include this overture or any other for that matter. Contemporary reviews from 1825 also mentioned the lack of an overture.

Mislabelled or not, this overture has become a beloved part of orchestral repertoire. With all its quintessential Rossini features such as the grand opening leading to the faster section, as well as the “Rossini crescendo”, there could be no doubt as to its composer.

Instrumentation

flute, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, strings

World Premiere of Opera

19 Jun 1825, Paris

First performed by SSO

7 Aug 1998

King Charles X of France

NICCOLÒ PAGANINI (1782–1840)

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6 (1815)

I II III

Allegro maestoso Adagio

Rondo. Allegro spiritoso

If there were to be a real-life example of TwoSet Violin’s semi-mythical Ling Ling, it would be Niccolò Paganini, the OG superstar virtuoso and the first to make a following out of his stage persona instead of his repertoire. Paganini’s father had recognised his son’s natural talent early, and made him practise all day long, even withholding meals if he thought the results were not good enough.

With such strict guidance and all that practice, Paganini rapidly exhausted all the virtuoso works in the violin repertoire. Finding them insufficiently virtuosic, he decided to start writing his own, incorporating new techniques and tricks he had come up with. Part of Paganini’s success was his own carefully curated image, and the mystery he shrouded himself with. He never let anyone hear him practise, always performed in all black with dishevelled hair and a gaunt appearance. He neither confirmed nor denied claims that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skills, earning him his nickname, the Devil’s Violinist.

For all that he was, he lived up to his own hype, with seemingly nothing he could not do. Where others played harmonics, he played double-stopped harmonics; where others wrote octave double-stops, he wrote tenths. He invented a technique of plucking notes with the left hand, and became known

for the ricochet technique – where the bow would bounce quickly across the strings: all of which can be found in this first concerto that he wrote.

Taking a leaf out of Rossini’s book, Paganini’s concerto is written in a bel canto style and features all the theatricality of an opera. Its outer movements are grand, comical and lively, allowing the violin to display both its singing quality and virtuosic fireworks. The middle movement is an expressive aria, accompanied by pizzicato strings imitating the sound of the guitar, another instrument that Paganini played. The finale brings back all the tricks in Paganini’s book, as though a parade of all the different characters.

Instrumentation

flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, bass trombone, strings

World Premiere 1815 or 1819

First performed by SSO 15 Aug 1980 (Petru Csaba, violin)

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918)

Nocturnes (1899)

I II III

Nuages (Clouds)

Fêtes (Festivals)

Sirènes (Sirens)

In the last years of the 19th century, Debussy considered writing some pieces for solo violin and orchestra, and even communicated with the great Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe about the project, but if Debussy ever composed music in this form, it has been lost. Between 1897 and 1899, he recast the material for orchestra alone. The first two nocturnes received their first performance in Paris on 9 December, 1900; all three were performed together for the first time in October of the following year. Even today it is common to find performances of just the first two nocturnes, estranged from “Sirènes”, since Debussy incorporated into the latter a chorus of female voices that otherwise has nothing to sing in the concert unless another choral work is scheduled. But what a magical, haunting effect this chorus has! Though wordless (hence, treated like another instrumental sonority), it captures to perfection the mysterious, evocative charms of those Greek mythological creatures – half woman, half bird – who lured sailors to their doom with irresistibly beautiful song. The pioneering use of this special effect bore fruit in later works such as Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Holst’s The Planets.

The visual impressions engendered by each of these mood pieces are for each listener to create for him- or herself. Debussy left a brief guide explaining what he intended to convey in sound:

Nuages renders the immutable aspect of the sky and the slow, solemn motion of the clouds, fading into poignant gray softly touched with white. Fêtes gives us the vibrating, dancing rhythm of the atmosphere with sudden flashes of light. There is also the episode of the procession (a dazzling fantastic vision) which passes through the festive scene and becomes merged in it. … Sirènes depicts the sea and its countless rhythms and presently, amongst waves silvered by the moonlight, is heard the mysterious song of the Sirens as they laugh and pass on.

Instrumentation

3 flutes (1 doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, field drum, cymbals, 2 harps, strings, women’s chorus (Sirènes)

World Premiere (complete work)

27 Oct 1901, Paris

First performed by SSO

20 Jan 2006

RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872–1958)

Toward the Unknown Region (1906) SSO Premiere

British music in the late 1890s was liberating itself from heavy German influence. Those at the forefront of this movement were Edward Elgar and Hubert Parry, both of whom wrote choral music in a quintessentially British style; the latter even encouraging Vaughan Williams to write music “as befits an Englishman and democrat”.

Vaughan Williams was an undergraduate at Cambridge when he was introduced to the poetry of American poet Walt Whitman by his contemporary Bertrand Russell. The subjects of Whitman’s poetry – love, freedom, human dignity and even mysticism – intrigued Vaughan Williams, who acquired and studied editions of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

The strength of Whitman’s writing led Vaughan Williams’ contemporary Frederick Delius to write, in 1903, a large-scale musical work Sea Drift, based on Whitman’s poetry of the sea. Himself inspired by this, Vaughan Williams considered writing such a work as well, tentatively titling it “Songs of the Sea”. However, unable to bring this to fruition, Vaughan Williams turned to another poem from Leaves of Grass called Whispers of Heavenly Death, setting a portion of its verses as a “Song for Chorus and Orchestra” titled Toward the Unknown Region in 1906.

The work was an immediate success, due in most part to the masterful setting of the text to music, creating something that was greater than the sum of its parts. The music starts out apprehensive and uncertain, in modal harmonies reminiscent of British

folk song. Energised by the irresistible draw of discovery, the music takes flight at the fourth stanza, no longer having “any bonds bounding us”, towards a confident, striding melody that brings the work to an uplifting close.

Walt Whitman’s humanist vision of daring and endeavour, a heartfelt call to (re)discover our spirit of adventure, is a message as relevant to his time as it is to ours.

Programme notes by Natalie Ng (Rossini, Paganini, Vaughan Williams) and Robert Markow (Debussy)

Instrumentation

3 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 2 harps, organ, strings

World Premiere

10 Oct 1907, Leeds

Darest thou now, O Soul, Walk out with me toward the unknown region, Where neither ground is for the feet nor any path to follow?

No map there, nor guide, Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand, Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.

I know it not, O Soul; Nor dost thou, all is a blank before us; All waits, undreamed of in that region, that inaccessible land.

Till when the ties loosen, All but the ties eternal, time and space, Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds bounding us.

Then we burst forth, we float, In time and space, O Soul, prepared for them, Equal, equipt at last, (O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil, O Soul.

Ships at Sunset (c. 1872) by Edward Moran

PRESIDENT’S YOUNG PERFORMERS CONCERT

Sat, 23 Sep 2023

Victoria Concert Hall

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Rodolfo Barráez Associate Conductor

Hao Jia piano*

RACHMANINOFF MENDELSSOHN

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30*

Intermission

Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 “Scottish”

39 mins

20 mins

40 mins

Concert Duration: approximately 2 hrs (including 20 mins intermission)

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SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873–1943)

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909)

I II III

Allegro ma non tanto

Intermezzo

Finale

In 1909, the 36-year-old Rachmaninoff was at the height of his career as composer and pianist. It was time to conquer America, and for this important visit he composed his Third Piano Concerto, which he wrote during the summer months at his country estate, Ivanovka. In October, he set sail for the New World, but not having had time to learn the piano part, he resorted to practising on a “dumb” (silent) piano he took on board with his baggage. The concerto was greeted warmly, though not rapturously, at its premiere on 28 November, 1909, with Walter Damrosch conducting the Symphony Society of New York. As soloist, Rachmaninoff also performed the concerto with Gustav Mahler conducting the New York Philharmonic, on which occasion Rachmaninoff was enormously impressed with Mahler’s abilities as a conductor.

The Third Concerto proudly carries a reputation for being one of the most difficult, expansive, brilliant and romantic in the repertory of piano concertos. It is also one of Rachmaninoff’s longest and structurally most complex orchestral works. Like the Second Symphony, many of the concerto’s melodic ideas have their seeds in the opening motif. Also like the symphony, there is a strong interrelation between the movements, as material in each movement recurs in varied form in succeeding movements. In mood and style, the music is thoroughly grounded in the 19th-century Russian romantic tradition. Nicolas Slonimsky’s assessment of Rachmaninoff in general

serves to underscore the concerto’s qualities in particular: “… melancholy moods prevail, and minor keys predominate … there is an unmistakable stamp of Rachmaninoff’s own individuality in the broad rhapsodic sweep of the melodic line, and particularly in the fully expanded sonorities and fine resonant harmonies of his piano writing.”

The Concerto opens with a disarmingly simple theme. Rachmaninoff said that it “wrote itself … I wanted to ‘sing’ the melody on the piano, as a singer would sing it.” However, a musicologist-friend of the composer, Joseph Yasser, believed the theme was derived from an ancient monastic chant of the Russian Orthodox Church, a claim Rachmaninoff denied. The second subject consists of a gently playful staccato idea for the orchestra answered by the soloist, from which evolves a broadly lyrical theme in the piano. The development section begins as did the opening, with the soloist becoming increasingly predominant. A cadenza of prodigious difficulty and enormous proportions contains within it the movement’s recapitulation, a most unorthodox procedure. An alternate view holds that the recapitulation consists only

it

“wrote itself … I wanted to ‘sing’ the melody on the piano, as a singer would sing it.”

of the brief epilogue beginning with the restatement of the opening bars of the movement, shared by piano and orchestra.

The slow movement reveals Rachmaninoff at his most melancholic, rhapsodic and nostalgic. The languid principal theme is reworked though a series of variations, a simple enough procedure in view of the structural complexities of the outer movements. This fact, as well as the generally more relaxed mood, may well have been responsible for the movement’s title “Intermezzo.” Near the end is a faster, scherzando passage whose woodwind lines are melodically related to the first theme of the first movement. The darkly melancholic mood of the closing pages is abruptly banished by a brilliant flourish, and the third movement is launched without pause.

Themes as well as rhythmic patterns of this expansive finale are largely derived from or related to material of the first movement. The finale abounds in energetic rhythms, bravura flourishes, scintillating passage work and brilliant effects for soloist and orchestra alike, although Rachmaninoff does not fail to include a characteristically lyric, soaring theme as well. The long coda provides a fitting conclusion to a grandiose concerto, “growing gradually in intensity,” writes Herbert Elwell, “to sonorous heights in a lofty peroration.”

Instrumentation

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, suspended cymbal, snare drum, strings

World Premiere

28 Nov 1909, New York

First performed by SSO

25 Jul 1980 (Eteri Andjaparidze, piano)

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847)

Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 “Scottish” (1842)

I II III IV

Andante con moto – Allegro un poco agitato

Vivace non troppo

Adagio

During July and August of 1829, the 20-year-old Mendelssohn enjoyed himself touring Scotland. As he was an inveterate letter writer, we know in considerable detail his reactions, mostly favourable, to the Highland country, its weather, and its people with their “long, red beards, tartan plaids, bonnets and feathers, naked knees, and their bagpipes in their hands.” One day in Edinburgh he came upon the picturesque ruins of the Palace of Holyrood, in which Mary, Queen of Scots, had once lived. On 30 July, Mendelssohn, the impressionable young tourist, wrote home that:

“In the darkening twilight today, [I] went to the Palace where Queen Mary lived and loved. There is a little room to be seen there with a spiral staircase at its door. That is where they went up and found Rizzio in the room, dragged him out, and three chambers away there is a dark corner where they murdered him. The chapel beside it has lost its roof and is overgrown with grass and ivy, and at that broken altar Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything there is ruined, decayed, and open to the clear sky. I believe that I have found there today the beginning of my Scottish Symphony.”

29

The “beginning of my Scottish Symphony” consisted of a scrap of paper containing a few bars of music. That is all that became of the symphony until twelve years later, by which time Mendelssohn had already been to Italy and had written his Italian Symphony. In 1831, he wrote from Italy that he could “not find his way back into the Scottish fog mood,” a quite understandable condition given Italy’s sunny climes. The Scottish Symphony was eventually completed in January of 1842, making it Mendelssohn’s last major orchestral work. Hence, though called “No. 3,” it is really the fifth of his five important symphonies. (There also exist twelve works belonging to his juvenilia.) The symphony received its premiere in Leipzig on 3 March, 1842, with Mendelssohn on the podium.

Is there anything particularly “Scottish” about the work? Well, yes and no. The degree of “Scottishness” is dependent on the individual listener’s susceptibility to programmatic suggestion and on hindsight. The sombre, melancholic opening is certainly at least suggestive of the brooding, misty Scottish land; the ebullient clarinet theme of the Scherzo may be based on a Scottish folk air, since the scale pattern corresponds to that of the country’s folk music; the leaping, vigorous, dance-like main theme of the finale is thought by some to be a musical representation of the gathering of the clans.

None of this is conclusive, of course. But we do know that Mendelssohn had little sympathy with native folk idioms, and had he not spoken of it as his “Scottish” symphony, probably no one would have guessed as much. Scottish or not though, this work is fully representative of Mendelssohn at his best. Hans von Bülow thought it to be, in 1877, still one of the

finest symphonies since Beethoven. If our estimation today is not quite as high as von Bülow’s, we can still respect this classically chiselled symphony for its gentle charms, melodiousness and imaginative ideas.

Programme notes by Robert Markow

Instrumentation

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings

World Premiere

3 Mar 1842, Leipzig

First performed by SSO

14 Jul 1979

MISCHA MAISKY AND HAN-NA CHANG TRANQUILLITY, BRILLIANCE AND GRANDEUR

Fri & Sat, 29 & 30 Sep 2023

Victoria Concert Hall

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Han-Na Chang conductor

Mischa Maisky cello*

WAGNER SAINT-SAËNS

Siegfried Idyll

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33*

Intermission

MOZART

Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”

18 mins

19 mins

20 mins

31 mins

Concert Duration: approximately 1 hr 45 mins (including 20 mins intermission)

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Autograph session with Mischa Maisky during intermission at the foyer, level 2. A

RICHARD WAGNER (1813–1883)

Siegfried Idyll (1870)

In one of his rare moments of sweetness, Wagner composed the Idyll as a birthday present for his second wife Cosima. His son Siegfried had just been born the previous year, and on Christmas Day 1870, a small ensemble from the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra played in the Wagner residence to wake Cosima. “Music, what music!” she would later write of the event, and called it the “Symphonic Birthday Greeting” in her diary.

and instrumentation. Much of the opening is for strings supported with subtle wind accents; when the music begins to turn another key, the melodic material is given to an oboe solo with string accompaniment instead. Wagner’s note-spinning is beautifully balanced, and shows how he was able to control music over long spans of time in his operas.

The music never gets overly dramatic, even though the uneasy silences that follow after the first big section lead to much more chromatic material as the orchestra begins swelling in waves. It takes a few more minutes before a big climax in the strings gives way to a hunting call on the horns, punctuated by woodwind solos on the clarinet and flute. The increasingly agitated swirling condenses into a confident march in C major before dissipating into the recapitulation, which is curtailed by an extremely tranquil fade-out.

The immediate personal significance aside, Wagner reused most of the music in the later opera Siegfried (naming his son after the legendary hero reveals Wagner’s preoccupations with folklore), and the music is given to the love duet between Brünnhilde and Siegfried. However, while Wagner preferred the smaller orchestration that would fit in his house, accumulating debt forced him to publish the Siegfried Idyll as a standalone piece for orchestra, as an “extract” from the whole opera.

Opening with a plush string texture, the long, unfolding melodies passing through the orchestra reveal Wagner’s skill at polyphony

Instrumentation

flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, strings

World Premiere

25 Dec 1870

First performed by SSO

28 Jun 1979

a small ensemble from the Zürich Tonhalle

Orchestra played in the Wagner residence to wake Cosima. “Music, what music!” she would later write...

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921)

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 (1872)

I II III

Allegro non troppo

Allegretto con moto

Saint-Saëns took many years to become fully part of the French musical establishment, and this work, written when he was 37, was a big step for him, being premiered at the Paris Conservatoire in 1873. He broke new musical ground with this concerto, choosing to avoid the usual three-movement form in favour of a Lisztian single-movement of just under 20 minutes in length.

Right from the outset, the cello solo bursts to the forefront, with hurried triplets demanding the full attention of the audience. The orchestra only gets its turn after the soloist is done with a series of flashy runs and arpeggios, and though the solo returns again soon, both parts calm down into a lovely lyrical moment where Saint-Saëns introduces a singing second theme. But as the music develops, it becomes clear that the expected sonata form is nowhere to be seen: the music segues into an elegant minuet, and the concerto wanders happily into its “second movement”.

The muted tutti strings set the stage for the cello solo, and Saint-Saëns, in a nostalgic mood, recalls the 18th century with a sincere dance, almost like a set piece in a ballet. The orchestra turns back to the very first tune in a headlong rush, but this is further varied with a broad cello expansion of one of the melodic fragments from that theme. After this last moment of respite, Saint-Saëns allows both the orchestra and

soloist off their leashes, and the real finale begins. The composer, showing true mastery of his materials, mixes all the themes together in various combinations and ties it all up with an incredibly fast and virtuosic coda.

Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich adored this concerto, both of them considering it one of the best ever written. Throughout, SaintSaëns gives enough aural space around the soloist, and the accompaniment does not get in the way of the fireworks that the soloist has to produce; every note of the cello cuts through the orchestration clearly. Its effectiveness and lyricism ensured its immediate success, and it has become a firm favourite of great cellists throughout the ages.

Instrumentation

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings

World Premiere

19 Jan 1873, Paris

First performed by SSO

31 Oct 1981 (Emanuel Gruber, cello)

SSO GALA: MISCHA MAISKY AND HAN-NA CHANG

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)

Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter” (1788)

Allegro vivace

Andante cantabile

Allegretto

Mozart’s incredible burst of productivity in the summer of 1788 produced three huge symphonies in the space of two months, in addition to two piano trios, a piano sonata (the famous “teaching” sonata K. 545 in C major) and a violin sonatina. No. 41, as the last of this trio and the culmination of his work in the symphonic form, is without doubt one of the greatest symphonies ever written in the history of orchestral music.

The study of Bach’s music had paid off richly by this time, and Mozart also possessed greater maturity to go with his new skills. The symphony begins simply, in Haydnesque manner. Mozart was familiar with the music of both Haydn brothers — and, over the halfhour span of his longest symphony, builds to a crackling fugue in the finale which continues to astonish listeners over 200 years later.

The symphony opens with the simplest elements: a scooping motion, followed by a melodic answer. From these Mozart calls forth a fanfare and, after a passage where trumpets feature prominently, a much more lyrical section follows. There is some very stormy music here, as Mozart plays with various orchestral combinations, but the second movement puts all that away for a much calmer spirit. The only symphony movement Mozart saw fit to use the “cantabile” description for, it is a sustained outpouring of pure melody.

Clementi's manuscript copy of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony

The minuet that follows has a slight Austrian tinge to it, making it more like a “Ländler”. Mozart’s penchant for chromatic progressions peeks through here, but his true display of skill is reserved for the truly phenomenal fugue that comes near the end of the final movement. All the themes in this movement are presented separately and come together for a glorious moment of wonder. That fugue was to eventually prove a critical and popular success.

A piece with a reputation as outsized as this might seem to fit its nickname well, but in all probability, Mozart never heard the symphony performed, nor knew anything about the moniker (which has been theorised to originate from his impresario friend Salomon or from the Cramer publishing house). Critics and audiences alike were bowled over by it in the beginning of the 19th century, however, and its sheer scale certainly looked forward to the Romantic period.

Credit for the finest bon mot about this work might be due to Brahms, who, despite living in quaking fear of Beethoven’s shadow his whole life, remarked at the end of his life that “Beethoven’s first symphony did impress people colossally. But the last three symphonies by Mozart are much more important.”

Programme notes by Thomas Ang Instrumentation flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings

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Joy Ochiai

Matthew Ong

Monique Ong

Phua Siyu Audrey

Chris Pinnick & Josephine Jung

Lerrath Rewtrakulpaiboon

Robert Khan & Co Pte Ltd

Danai Sae-Han

Gayathri & Steven Santhi-McBain

Thierry Schrimpf

Farhana Sharmeen

Omar Slim

Small Story Singapore

Marcel Smit & Hanneke Verbeek

Soh Leng Wan

Sharon Son Songs

Linda Soo Tan

Serene & Lars Sorensen

Bernard Tan

Tan Cheng Guan

Tan Chin Beng

Edwin Tan

Dr Giles Tan Ming Yee

Gordon HL Tan

Jane Tan

Casey Tan Khai Hee

K.H. Tan

Lincoln Tan

Tan Pei Jie

Prof Tan Ser Kiat

Tan Yee Deng

Zeena Tan

Alex Tesei

Alicia Thian & Brian Bonde

Megan & Paul Vergé

Vidula Verma

Stephan Wang

Retno Whitty

Dr Wong Hin-Yan

World Future Enterprise Pte Ltd

Wu Peihui

Marcel & Melissa Xu

Peter Yap Wan Shern

Ye Xuan

Yong Seow Kin

Lei Zhang

Zhu Yulin

Anonymous (67)

This list reflects donations that were made from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. We would like to express our sincere thanks to donors whose names were inadvertently left out at print time.

The Singapore Symphony Group is a charity and a not-for-profit organisation. Singapore tax-payers may qualify for 250% tax deduction for donations made. You can support us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate or www.giving.sg/sso.

SUPPORT THE SSO

With You, WE CAN BUILD The Future of Music.

How can you help?

DONOR RECOGNITION & PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

While SSO is supported partially by funding from the Singapore government, a significant part can only be unlocked as matching grants when we receive donations from the public. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to support your orchestra – Build the future by giving in the present.

As a valued patron of the SSO, you will receive many benefits.

Donations of $100 and above will entitle you to priority bookings, and discounts^ on SSG Concerts.  For tax residents of Singapore, all donations may be entitled to a tax deduction of 2.5 times the value of your donation.

*Complimentary ticket benefits do not apply to Esplanade & Premier Box seats, or supporters who give through a fundraising event.

^Discounts are not applicable for purchase of Esplanade & Premier Box seats.

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. To find out more, please visit www.sso.org.sg/support-us, or write to Nikki Chuang at nikki@sso.org.sg

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

A Standing Ovation

We recognise major gifts that help sustain the future of the Singapore Symphony Group. The recognition includes naming of a position in the SSO or in our affiliated performance groups such as the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Choruses.

SSO CONCERTMASTER GK GOH CHAIR

In July 2017, the SSO established the GK Goh Chair for the Concertmaster. Mr Goh Geok Khim and his family have been long-time supporters of the national orchestra. We are grateful for the donations from his family and friends towards this Chair, especially Mr and Mrs Goh Yew Lin for their most generous contribution.

Mr Igor Yuzefovich was the inaugural GK Goh Concertmaster Chair from July 2017 to June 2018. The position is currently vacant.

SSO PRINCIPAL CELLO THE HEAD FOUNDATION CHAIR

In recognition of a generous gift from The HEAD Foundation, we announced the naming of our Principal Cello, “The HEAD Foundation Chair” in November 2019. The Chair is currently held by Principal Cellist Ng Pei-Sian.

SSO PRINCIPAL FLUTE STEPHEN RIADY CHAIR

In recognition of a generous gift from Dr Stephen Riady, we announced in May 2022 the naming of our Principal Flute, “Stephen Riady Chair”. The position is currently held by our Principal Flutist Jin Ta.

For more information, please write to director_development@sso.org.sg.

JIN TA PRINCIPAL FLUTE

CORPORATE PATRONAGE

Form a special relationship with Singapore’s national orchestra and increase your brand recognition among an influential and growing audience.

SPONSORSHIP

We provide our Corporate Patrons with impressive entertainment and significant branding opportunities. Through our tailored sponsorship packages, corporates may benefit from:

• Publicity and hospitality opportunities at an SSO concert or your private event,

• Acknowledgement and mentions in SSO’s key publicity channels,

• National Arts Council (NAC) Patron of the Arts nominations

• Tax benefits.

HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE PATRONS

Temasek Foundation

The HEAD Foundation

Stephen Riady Group of Foundations

Yong Hon Kong Foundation

Embassy of France in Singapore

Audemars Piguet

City Developments Limited

Foundation Of Rotary Clubs (Singapore) Ltd

JKhoo Consultancy Pte Ltd

Lee Foundation

The New Eden Charitable Trust

VALIRAM

Far East Organization

United Overseas Bank Ltd

Bloomberg Singapore Pte Ltd

Holywell Foundation

Kris Foundation

IN-KIND SPONSORS

Raffles Hotel Singapore

SMRT Corporation

Singapore Airlines

Conrad Centennial Singapore

Symphony 924

Sponsorship packages start at $10,000 and can be tailored to your company’s branding needs.

PARTNERSHIP

We partner with various corporates through tailored in-kind sponsorship and exchange of services. Current and recent partnerships include Official Hotel, Official Airline, and we offer other exciting titles.

ADVERTISING

Our corporate advertising packages start at $2,500, with platforms such as the corporate e-newsletter Bravissimo, SSO’s website and concert booklets.

For more details, please write to Chelsea Zhao at chelsea.zhao@sso.org.sg.

GAO JIAN ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL HORN

BOARD OF DIRECTORS & COMMITTEES

CHAIR

Goh Yew Lin

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Yong Ying-I (Deputy Chair)

Chang Chee Pey

Chng Kai Fong

Prof Arnoud De Meyer

Warren Fernandez

Kenneth Kwok

Liew Wei Li

Sanjiv Misra

Lynette Pang

Prof Qin Li-Wei

Geoffrey Wong

Yasmin Zahid

Yee Chen Fah

Andrew Yeo Khirn Hin

NOMINATING AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Goh Yew Lin (Chair)

Prof Arnoud De Meyer (Treasurer)

Geoffrey Wong

Yong Ying-I

HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Yong Ying-I (Chair)

Chng Kai Fong

Prof Arnoud De Meyer

Heinrich Grafe

Doris Sohmen-Pao

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Geoffrey Wong (Chair)

Sanjiv Misra

David Goh

Alex Lee

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Yee Chen Fah (Chair)

Warren Fernandez

Lim Mei Jovi Seet

SNYO COMMITTEE

Liew Wei Li (Chair)

Prof Qin Li-Wei

Benjamin Goh

Vivien Goh

Dr Kee Kirk Chin

Clara Lim-Tan

SSO MUSICIANS’ COMMITTEE

Mario Choo

David Smith

Wang Xu

Christoph Wichert

Yang Zheng Yi

Elaine Yeo

Zhao Tian

SSO COUNCIL

Alan Chan (Chair)

Odile Benjamin

Prof Chan Heng Chee

Choo Chiau Beng

Dr Geh Min

Heinrich Grafe

Khoo Boon Hui

Lim Mei

JY Pillay

Dr Stephen Riady

Priscylla Shaw

Prof Gralf Sieghold

Andreas Sohmen-Pao

Prof Bernard Tan

Dr Tan Chin Nam

Tan Choo Leng

Tan Soo Nan

Wee Ee Cheong

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY GROUP ADMINISTRATION

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Kenneth Kwok

CEO OFFICE

Shirin Foo

Musriah Bte Md Salleh

ARTISTIC PLANNING

Hans Sørensen (Head)

Artistic Administration

Jodie Chiang

Jocelyn Cheng

Michelle Yeo

Lynnette Chng

OPERATIONS

Ernest Khoo (Head)

Library

Lim Lip Hua

Avik Chari

Wong Yi Wen

Orchestra Management

Chia Jit Min (Head)

Peck Xin Hui

Kelvin Chua

Production Management

Noraihan Bte Nordin

Nazem Redzuan

Leong Shan Yi

Asyiq Iqmal

Ramayah Elango

Khairi Edzhairee

Khairul Nizam

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Kok Tse Wei (Head)

Community Engagement

Kua Li Leng (Head)

Erin Tan

Whitney Tan

Samantha Lim

Terrence Wong

Choral Programmes

Kua Li Leng (Head)

Regina Lee

Chang Hai Wen

Mimi Syaahira

Singapore National Youth Orchestra

Tang Ya Yun

Tan Sing Yee

Ridha Ridza

ABRSM

Patricia Yee

Lai Li-Yng

Joong Siow Chong

Freddie Loh

May Looi

William Teo

PATRONS

Development

Chelsea Zhao (Head)

Nikki Chuang

Sharmilah Banu

Digital and Marketing Communications

Cindy Lim (Head)

Chia Han-Leon

Calista Lee

Myrtle Lee

Hong Shu Hui

Jana Loh

Sherilyn Lim

Elizabeth Low

Corporate Communications

Anderlin Yeo

Elliot Lim

Customer Experience

Randy Teo

Dacia Cheang

Joy Tagore

CORPORATE SERVICES

Finance, IT & Facilities

Rick Ong (Head)

Alan Ong

Goh Hoey Fen

Loh Chin Huat

Md Zailani Bin Md Said

Human Resources & Administration

Valeria Tan (Head)

Janice Yeo

Fionn Tan

Organisation Development

Lillian Yin

The mission of the Singapore Symphony Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated per forming groups, we spread the love for music, nur ture talent and enrich our diverse communities. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. You can suppor t us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate.

Stephen Riady Group of Foundations