violin
B R ET T YAN G
RODOLFO BARRÁEZ CO N DUCTO R
SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
B R E T T YA N G V I O L I N
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E D DY CH E N VI O LI N
NOVEMBER 16, 2022 MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO violin
E D DY CH E N
Tarisio has kindly loaned TwoSet Violin two Stradivarius violins. Brett is playing the 1708 ‘Empress Caterina’, and Eddy is playing the 1708 ‘Regent, Superb’. with their funny and sometimes painfully accurate videos depicting life as a classical musician. With over 7,000,000 followers across social media and over one billion views, TwoSet inspires musicians worldwide with humour and a relatable ‘imperfectness’. They have been dubbed by many as one of the most inspiring duos to make classical music more relevant to the next generation. The London Symphony Orchestra has quoted them to be “the greatest string content creators of our time” and they have been featured as cover stars of the Strad magazine. Their collaborations also do not fall short; universities such as Yale and Harvard have invited them to give talks. They have previously collaborated with conservatories and institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music and the Menuhin Violin Competition.
TwoSet Violin – founded in 2014 by Brett Yang and Eddy Chen – first went viral
PROG R AM M E N OTE S FO R T WOS ET VI O LI N & S SO WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)
solo violin’s famous main theme. Brilliance, passion, lyric beauty and a virtuoso cadenza take their turns on stage before the recapitulation swirls its way to its stormy ending.... save a lonely bassoon weaving a bridge to the Andante, a gorgeous “song without words” that nonetheless has its moments of angsty contemplation. A 14-bar bridge passage precedes the announcement of the finale by a trumpet fanfare. Sparkle and delight abound as fairy mischief and wit take over this spirited conclusion.
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro According to legend, Mozart only wrote this overture a few hours before the premiere of the titular opera. With no fewer than nine musical themes, the frenetic pace sets the scene for this popular opera buffa, or comic opera. A buzzing and almost gossipy opening is interrupted by a loud entry of trumpets and drums, giving way to scampering violins, swirling flutes and oboes, reflecting the domestic intrigue of the plot. Witty and occasionally cynical, there is no contrasting slow section to give the listener a break, and it is over in a matter of four breathless minutes.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750)
S I N GAPO R E SYM PH O NY O RCH ESTR A 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. The SSO is led by Music Director Hans Graf. 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, culminating in its 3rd place win in the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2021. The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade Concert Hall. More intimate works and outreach and community performances take place at the 673-seat Victoria Concert Hall, the home of the SSO. The orchestra performs over 60 concerts a year, and its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres. Through the beauty of classical music, we aim to touch the hearts and lives of everyone, regardless of age, culture or background.
Concerto in D minor for Two Violins and Orchestra, BWV 1043 I. Vivace II. Largo, ma non tanto III. Allegro
FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847) Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 I. Allegro molto appassionato II. Andante III. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace
Johann Sebastian Bach is now regarded as one of the greatest composers – if not the greatest – who ever lived. And yet, soon after his death in 1750 - six years before Mozart’s birth - his music, and Baroque music in general, fell out of favour. It was none other than Mendelssohn who sparked off the revival of his music in the early 19th century.
“The Germans have four violin concertos … the most inward, the heart’s jewel, is Mendelssohn’s.” – Joseph Joachim. He was right, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is one of the most beloved works of its genre today. Its genesis began in 1838, when Mendelssohn proposed the idea to his close friend, the violinist Ferdinand David. It was completed in 1844, just three years before the composer’s premature death, aged only 38. It is his last concerto.
The Double Violin Concerto is the only concerto Bach wrote for two violins – and it’s one of very few written for a pair of violin soloists. (Vivaldi will tell you the same). The outer two movements show Vivaldi’s influence, with high-spirited fugal writing, while the unusual addition of a second soloist dials up the excitement. The lively first movement gives way to a more delicate counterpoint between the two soloists in the beautiful central Largo.
The urgent, sombre opening, marked Allegro molto appassionato, gives way soon to the
Berlin-based Venezuelan conductor Rodolfo Barráez is a natural communicator with infectious charisma, who brings remarkable vivacity, sensitivity and zeal to his artistry. In 2020, Barráez took the Second Prize at the Inaugural Siemens-Hallé International Conductor Competition in Manchester, leading to immediate invitations with The Hallé. He was also awarded First Prize at the 2018 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México International Conducting Competition (OFUNAM).
RO DO LFO BAR R ÁE Z Conductor
Having completed a Bachelor degree in conducting at the Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes de Venezuela, Barráez also studied a Bachelor and Master degree in conducting at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. In summer 2022, he was selected to take part in the Conducting Fellowship of the Verbier Festival, where he was assistant conductor to Charles Dutoit and Gianandrea Noseda, among others. The 2022/23 season sees him join the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Associate Conductor, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a Dudamel Conducting Fellow.
T WOS ET VI O LI N FO U R M I LLI O N SU B SC R I B E RS #TWOSET4 M I L