MASTER SERIES

Wed 5 Jun 8pmFri 7 Jun 8pmSat 8 Jun 8pm

ORGAN SYMPHONYDutoit and the Orchestra

* Selected performances. Booking fees of $7.50 – $8.95 may apply. #Additional fees may apply.

2 012 S E A S O NJUNE – JULY WITH THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY

DISCOVER CHOPIN’S SECOND CONCERTOCHOPIN Les Sylphides: Grande valse brillante Piano Concerto No.2

Richard Gill conductor Raymond Yong piano

TENIX DISCOVERY

Tue 18 Jun 6.30pmCity Recital Hall Angel Place

DAME EDNA WITH THE SYDNEY SYMPHONYFOR GROWN-UPS ONLYDUKAS The Sorcerer’s Apprentice† SAINT-SAËNS Carnival of the Animals FALLA Two Dances from The Three-Cornered Hat PROKOFIEV Peter and the Wolf† HASLAM Juanita, the Spanish Lobster†

Benjamin Northey conductor Dame Edna Everage

† A special family matinee Peter and the Wolf with Dame Edna

GROWN-UPS ONLY

Fri 21 Jun 8pmSat 22 Jun 8pmFAMILIES

Sun 23 Jun 2pm†

Pre-concert talk by Scott Davie (21, 22 June only)

IDINA MENZELWITH THE SYDNEY SYMPHONYThe Tony Award winning star of the Broadway and West End seasons of Wicked (Elphaba).

Wed 26 Jun 8pmThu 27 Jun 8pm

DISNEY’S FANTASIAWITH THE SYDNEY SYMPHONYDisney’s groundbreaking animations projected on the big screen to music performed by the Sydney Symphony.

Sat 29 Jun 2pmSat 29 Jun 7pm

Presentation licensed by Disney Concert Library © Disney

VERDI’S REQUIEMROBERTSON CONDUCTSVERDI Requiem

David Robertson conductor Erin Wall soprano Olesya Petrova mezzo-soprano John Daszak tenor Ain Anger bass Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus

MASTER SERIES

Wed 10 Jul 8pmFri 12 Jul 8pmSat 13 Jul 8pm

Pre-concert talk by Martin Buzacott

Book Now! Tickets from $35*sydneysymphony.com or call 8215 4600 | Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Tickets also available at

sydneyoperahouse.com 9250 7777 | Mon-Sat 9am-8.30pm | Sun 10am-6pm

cityrecitalhall.com# 8256 2222 | Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

A Symphony of Eastern Europe

with Mairi Nicolson

1–16 September 2013 (16 days)

Enjoy the opening week of Romania’s acclaimed George Enescu Festival, followed by the scenic and cultural highlights of Transylvania and

concerts and opera in Budapest.

For detailed information visit www.renaissancetours.com.au call 1300 727 095 or contact your travel agent

Orchestre de Paris © Jean Baptiste Pellerin

Saturday night’s performance will be broadcast live across Australia on ABC Classic FM.

Pre-concert talk by David Garrett at 7.15pm in the Northern Foyer. Visit bit.ly/SSOspeakerbios for speaker biographies.

Estimated durations: 29 minutes, 20 minutes, 20-minute interval, 36 minutesThe concert will conclude at approximately 10pm.

Organ Symphony:Dutoit and the OrchestraCharles Dutoit CONDUCTOR

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)Symphony No.29 in A, K201Allegro moderatoAndanteMenuetto and TrioAllegro con spirito

Frank Martin (1890–1974)Concerto for seven wind instruments, timpani, percussion and stringsAllegro AdagiettoAllegro vivaceFeaturing Emma Sholl fl ute, Shefali Pryor oboe, Francesco Celata clarinet, Roger Brooke bassoon, Robert Johnson horn, David Elton trumpet, Scott Kinmont trombone and Mark Robinson timpani

INTERVAL

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)Symphony No.3 in C minor, Op.78 (Organ Symphony)Adagio – Allegro moderato – Poco adagioAllegro moderato – Presto – Maestoso – Allegro

2013 season master seriesWednesday 5 June | 8pmFriday 7 June | 8pmSaturday 8 June | 8pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

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Castle and Sun, 1928 (No.201), painting by Swiss artist Paul Klee (1879–1940)

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INTRODUCTION

Dutoit and the Orchestra, and a Swiss Connection

On the facing page is reproduced a painting by Paul Klee, Castle and Sun. We chose it not just because its colours and lines refl ected the vibrancy and precision of style in tonight’s music – and perhaps the towering presence of a pipe organ – but also because of its Swiss connection.

More through chance than design, Switzerland looms large in this concert. Our conductor, Charles Dutoit, was born in Lausanne and trained in Geneva. Early in his career he conducted orchestras in Lausanne and Zurich, and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. For just over a decade he was chief conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, which had, in 1949, commissioned Frank Martin’s Concerto for seven winds.

Frank Martin is the Swiss composer on the program. Mozart and Saint-Saëns were simply visitors. When Mozart’s father toured him all over Europe as a ten-year-old prodigy, the itinerary included several Swiss cities. And in 1896, a decade after he composed his Organ Symphony, Saint-Saëns made an organ tour of Switzerland, performing (mostly) his own music.

Delve a little further and you’ll even fi nd Swiss connections among the Sydney Symphony soloists featured tonight. Flautist Emma Sholl studied in Geneva with Jacques Zoon, who subsequently visited Sydney to perform Martin’s Ballade with us. For a time, Roger Brooke was Principal Bassoon at the opera house in St Gallen.

But these connections, as fascinating as they might be, have little to do with the music we’ll hear – a program of two symphonies and a ‘super-concerto’ with eight soloists. We’re delighted to welcome Charles Dutoit back to the orchestra in an association that goes back more than 30 years, and we’re delighted that – once again – he brings the kind of program that allows an orchestra to shine. In this concert we have a chance to demonstrate our versatility, from the buoyant, classical language of Mozart and witty, virtuoso dialogues of Martin to the sumptuous yet elegant eff ects of Saint-Saëns at his most ambitious.

Turn to page 27 to read Bravo! – musician profi les, articles and news from the orchestra. There are nine issues through the year, also available at sydneysymphony.com/bravo

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Keynotes

MOZART

Born Salzburg, 1756Died Vienna, 1791

As a child, Mozart was taken all over Europe – including Switzerland! – entertaining and astonishing the aristocratic courts with his musical gifts. He died, too young, at the age of 35, but not before he’d demonstrated mature genius. He composed symphonies throughout his career, from the tiny, ten-minute works he wrote as a boy to the great symphonies of 1788. His Symphony No.29 was composed in 1774 when he was 18 and still chafing under his uncongenial employment in Salzburg.

SYMPHONY NO.29

This symphony is regarded by many as the first true masterpiece among Mozart’s symphonies. (Although a case could be made for the tempestuous Symphony in G minor, K183.) Even when the raw materials are simple and formulaic, he combines them with such refinement and brilliance that musical interest is never lost.

The symphony contains a confident first movement, an intimate, muted slow movement, a pair of dance movements (minuet and trio) with lively contrasts, and an energetic finale. This four-movement structure may be conventionally ‘classical’ to modern ears, but it would have seemed new to Mozart’s contemporaries, revealing the weightier and more argumentative style of symphony emerging from Vienna in the 1770s. The music itself has a transparency that derives from the modest scoring: just oboes, horns and strings.

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartSymphony No.29 in A, K.201Allegro moderatoAndanteMenuetto and TrioAllegro con spirito

Once, at a festival’s closing concert, this symphony of Mozart’s was followed by a suitably festive and droll encore: the same composer’s A Musical Joke. This unintentionally revealed that Mozart himself was ‘guilty’, in the rushing scales of the symphony’s last movement, of the same mechanical and inept writing at which he was poking fun. Or was he? Context and handling are everything.

Eighteenth-century composers used simple musical materials, sometimes little more than tags which could be found in works by any composer of the time. It could be said of some of Mozart’s early symphonies that they are conventional in just this way. It should be remembered that the symphony then was not the dominant genre that Haydn and Beethoven were to make it – many symphonies of the 1770s were there not to be listened to very carefully, but to make a good festive noise. This is worth saying, because this Symphony in A major – completed in Salzburg on 6 April 1774 – is the fi rst of Mozart’s symphonies that is, by common consent, not only worth listening to closely but a masterpiece from start to fi nish.

Right from the start something arresting is happening: the violins have a theme proceeding in upward sequences and marked at each step with a falling octave. The music has a strong rhythmic pulse. But simultaneously and equally the lower parts are proceeding gently, glidingly, in long notes – a rising bass. Instead of a loud attention-getter, Mozart begins with expanded chamber music, or more exactly what Jens-Peter Larsen calls a fusion of symphonic and chamber-musical styles, the fusion explored by Haydn in his symphonies of the same period. (The previous year Mozart had stayed in Vienna for months, and no doubt heard there symphonies by Haydn and his Viennese contemporaries, in the weightier and more argumentative four-movement form they were developing.)

The profusion of material and the imitative discussion between the parts in the fi rst movement poses a dilemma for interpreters: how broad a gait is required by the time signature in four beats, and the Allegro moderato (moderately

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fast) tempo indication? A feature which gives this movement a memorable charm is the character of the graceful second subject, which to the Mozart-lover recalls the same place in later works in the same key, such as the piano concertos K414 and K488. The clearly defi ned coda is another feature of the Viennese style, and continues the development of the themes.

The intimate slow movement (Andante) makes telling though economical use of the wind instruments against a texture of muted strings – a trait recognisable from Haydn. The music is stately and processional; the pace increases with the triplet fi gures which dominate the development. At the end, the winds on their own intone a fanfare while the strings remove their mutes, joining in the fanfare’s conclusion and repeating it to impose a conclusion.

Memorable in the Menuetto is the humour of the loud restarts on unexpected notes, and of the comic tailpiece for the winds, having the last word. The central Trio section in E major is mostly in sustained notes, in contrast to the angular rhythms of the minuet

The spirited fi nale, it has already been said, is made up entirely of formulaic scraps, including those rushing scales – but how brilliantly organised they are to combine noise, excitement and musical interest! The horns, which are allowed to go so wrong in the Musical Joke, have to be on their mettle here: their parts reach dizzying heights by the end.

DAVID GARRETT © 2003

In this symphony Mozart calls for a small orchestra of two oboes, two horns and strings.

The Sydney Symphony was the first ABC orchestra to perform Mozart’s Symphony No.29, in 1949 with Joseph Post. The orchestra’s most recent performance of the symphony was in 2005, conducted by Hubert Soudant.

Mozart: a posthumous portrait by Barbara Krafft

All Stops OutDavid Drury at the OrganFri 14 June 11am – Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall

Sydney’s favourite organist returns for a recital beginning with Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue.

David Drury organ / Rebecca Gill violin Female voices of VOX (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs) Elizabeth Scott chorus director

sydneysymphony.com 8215 4600 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

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Keynotes

MARTIN

Born Geneva, 1890Died Naarden, The Netherlands, 1974

Swiss composer Frank Martin (pronounced mar-tan) came to prominence in mid-career with an opera-oratorio inspired by the legend of Tristan and Iseult (1942). In this work he found his mature style, which blends French and German tendencies and is distinctive for its elegance and precision. Two orchestral works followed – his Petite symphonie concertante and tonight’s concerto – both of which have proved enduringly attractive to musicians and audiences, and which happen to feature multiple soloists in a symphonic setting. Like Mozart, the final great work of his career was a Requiem.

CONCERTO FOR 7 WINDS

The Concerto for seven winds was composed in 1949 on commission from the Bern Symphony Orchestra and was conceived with specific soloists in mind. It provides an opportunity for the principal players of an orchestra to demonstrate their virtuosity and Martin chose the instrumental layout to display their various musical qualities.

The concerto is in three movements (fast – slow – fast). In the first, each soloist is given a distinct musical idea and these are combined in playful conversation. The second movement rests entirely on a steady tick-tocking from the strings; the surrounding melodies range from serene to violent. The third movement presents the soloists in groups, sometimes dancing, sometimes marching, before the music comes to a brilliant finish.

Frank MartinConcerto for seven wind instruments, timpani, percussion and stringsAllegro AdagiettoAllegro vivaceFeaturing Emma Sholl fl ute, Shefali Pryor oboe, Francesco Celata clarinet, Roger Brooke bassoon, Robert Johnson horn, David Elton trumpet, Scott Kinmont trombone and Mark Robinson timpani

Frank Martin’s idea in this concerto was ‘to display the musical qualities of the various soloists in the wind and brass groups’. Presenting each soloist as an individual rather than as one of a pair is an implied compliment: ‘I made the music brilliant and technically diffi cult.’ This was Frank Martin’s response to a commission, in 1949, from the symphony orchestra of the Swiss capital, Bern. Other 20th-century composers often took as their model for featuring a group of instrumental soloists the Baroque concerto grosso (for example, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos), or the 18th-century sinfonia concertante. Frank Martin’s starting point is the symphony orchestra.

This concerto has proved attractive to orchestral players, presenters and public alike. It was the second of Frank Martin’s orchestral works to gain international exposure, following his Petite symphonie concertante of 1945. That work resembles Bartók’s Music for strings, percussion and celesta in setting its soloists (piano, harpsichord and harp) against a double string orchestra. The Concerto for seven winds, on the other hand, should be seen as an expression of Frank Martin’s interest, in the years following World War II, in concerto composition. It was followed by concertos for violin (1951) and harpsichord (1952).

All these works are composed in the very individual musical style of Frank Martin’s maturity. He did not ‘fi nd’ this style completely until he was in his fi fties. Born in Geneva and the son of a minister of the Reformed Church, he received a solid musical grounding, fi rst in his native city, then working in Paris in the 1920s. The infl uence of Bach and of the Romantics was modifi ed by his attraction to the fastidious clarity of Ravel, and in the background was the chromaticism of César Franck, which helps explain why Frank Martin was both attracted and repelled by aspects of Schoenberg’s music and theories (the legacy in some of Martin’s later music is themes featuring all twelve tones). Until the late 1930s, Frank Martin’s works, though craftsman-like and often beautiful, are eclectic and

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suggest an unresolved search for a personal style. But with Le Vin herbé (The Drugged Wine, 1938–41), an opera-oratorio on a version of the Tristan legend, Frank Martin found himself.

His mature style, blending French and German tendencies, is marked by chromatic oscillating themes (exploring musical colours by circling around notes separated by small intervals), in diatonic harmony but avoiding strong cadences. Frank Martin eschews anything fl ashy and grandiloquent; his imagination is at once spiritual and poetic, largely free of specifi c pictorial images.

The presentation of the soloists in the fi rst movement illustrates Frank Martin’s concern to ‘make the most of the characters and sonority and expression of the seven instruments, which diff er so greatly in their manner of producing sound and in their mechanism’. The general feeling is playful. ‘Each musical element is connected with one soloist, and they make up a conversation in which each speaks his own language’.

The second movement is based entirely on a tick-tocking fi gure in thirds for the accompanying strings, reminiscent of the corresponding movement in Haydn’s ‘Clock’ Symphony. The dirge-like eff ect is tempered by Martin’s request that the music should sound ‘misterioso ed elegante’, in an ‘imperturbably even’ tempo until a slowing down for the fi nal trombone solo. Some of the melodies, writes the composer, are ‘elegant and serene, others sombre and violent’.

The timpanist fi nally takes the limelight by interrupting the dance-like measures of the last movement. The percussion join in, then the rhythm changes to a march, at the climax of which a theme from the second movement returns. Then ‘after a chase of the fl ute and clarinet and then of the other high instruments, the piece ends with a new theme of popular character in a brilliant accelerando’. Shortly after the fi rst performance Frank Martin wrote to his friend and supporter, the conductor Ernest Ansermet, about performing this concerto: ‘what it needs, I think, is people with a taste for diffi culties and who get excited like the soloists in a jazz band.’

DAVID GARRETT © 2013

This concerto calls for seven wind soloists (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet and trombone) with timpani, cymbals, snare drum, bass drum and strings.

Frank Martin, 1942

The Concerto for seven winds, timpani, percussion and strings was first performed by the Bern Symphony Orchestra in 1949. (Charles Dutoit was Chief Conductor of the BSO for 11 years from 1967.)

The Sydney Symphony gave the Australian premiere in a Town Hall Proms Concert conducted by John Hopkins in 1968, and performed it most recently in Meet the Music in 1989 with Stuart Challender conducting. Our most recent performance of music by Martin was in 2004 when Jacques Zoon played the Ballade for flute and orchestra with Christopher Franklin conducting.

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Keynotes

SAINT-SAËNS

Born Paris, 1835Died Algiers, 1921

Camille Saint-Saëns began his career as a prodigy – precocious both as a pianist (he performed two concertos from memory at the age of ten) and as a composer. He was a classicist among the French Romantics and emerges best in traditional forms such as concertos and symphonies, but he also wrote the exotic and colourful salon pieces that were popular in his day. Claude Debussy called him ‘the musician of tradition’.

ORGAN SYMPHONY

Saint-Saëns’ third and final symphony – the ‘symphony with organ’ – is also his most popular. It was composed for the Royal Philharmonic Society in London (1886) and shows Saint-Saëns at his most ambitious. The music is organised in two movements rather than the usual four, but each movement contains several changes of tempo and the end result can be ‘mapped’ to the traditional structure: a slow (Adagio) introduction to a fast movement (Allegro moderato); a slow movement; and a movement in the character of a playful scherzo (Allegro moderato), which leads, via much faster music (Presto) to a majestic finale (Maestoso – Allegro) in which Saint-Saëns pulls out all the stops.

Camille Saint-SaënsSymphony No.3 in C minor, Op.78 (Organ Symphony)Adagio – Allegro moderato – Poco adagioAllegro moderato – Presto – Maestoso – Allegro

Saint-Saëns was an inveterate traveller, and, like Handel and Mendelssohn before him, he found a ready welcome for both himself and his music in England. He returned the compliment, being noted as something of an Anglophile and in particular a great admirer of British royalty. So it was a happy coincidence that when he was making plans for another symphony, he was invited by the Royal Philharmonic Society to perform as both conductor and pianist at one of its concerts in London. As the non-profi t Society could not aff ord the requested fee of £40, they suggested a fi gure of £30, plus a formal commission to write the Third Symphony under the Society’s auspices.

Saint-Saëns agreed and immediately began work on the symphony, with the promise (or rather, threat) to the Society: ‘It will be terrifying, I warn you.’ And he wasn’t wrong. Considering that the Royal Philharmonic Society was in a poor fi nancial state at the time, the prospect of an outsize orchestra complete with organ and multiple pianists must have struck fear into the heart of at least the Treasurer, especially when the composer himself noted happily, ‘It will be a treat for me to conduct it. Will it be a treat, though, for the people who hear it? That is the question! It’s you who asked for it. I wash my hands of the whole thing!’

And as the blood pressure of Society members rose, so too did the key of the symphony. ‘This imp of a symphony has gone up a half-tone; it didn’t want to stay in B minor and is now in C minor,’ Saint-Saëns advised the long-suff ering Royal Philharmonic Society as he worked on the ever-expanding piece.

In the end, he came up with a symphony in two parts, but still more or less using the traditional four movements. The fi rst part consists of an Allegro and Adagio, corresponding to conventional fi rst and second movements, and the second part is a scherzo and fi nale merged into one, in a variation on Classical third and fourth movement precedents. The use of the organ was inspired by Liszt’s employment of it in his symphonic poem Hunnenschlacht (Battle of the Huns) and the published version of the Organ Symphony is dedicated

sydney symphony 13

What’s in a name?

Here in Australia, as in other English-speaking countries, Saint-Saëns’ most popular symphony goes by the nickname ‘Organ Symphony’. Reading that, you could be misled into thinking it was some kind of organ concerto. It’s ironic then that, until it enters with ‘the big tune’ in the fi nale, the organ has relatively little to do – or rather, it doesn’t take a soloistic, concertante part, despite its importance in the overall orchestral sound.

As far as Saint-Saëns was concerned, this work was simply his Third Symphony. In his native France, however, it became known as the Symphonie avec orgue, or ‘Symphony with organ’. The French nickname was a way of distinguishing it from Saint-Saëns’ other symphonies by drawing attention to a distinctive aspect of its orchestration, the inclusion of organ. There’s a parallel in the way German speakers refer to Mozart’s Symphony No.41. We’d call it the Jupiter; they call it the ‘Symphony with the fugal fi nale’ – similarly drawing attention to a musical feature that sets it apart.

Transferred to English, Symphonie avec orgue has become the Organ Symphony, and we’ve lost subtlety of meaning and intent along the way. What we haven’t lost, however, is one of the great highlights of the orchestral repertoire with organ. If Saint-Saëns wisely keeps his orchestral organist in reserve for much of the music, it’s so he can better make an impact when the organ’s grandly powerful sound is added to the mix.

‘to the memory of Franz Liszt’, who had died shortly after the premiere.

That premiere occurred on 19 May 1886 in St James’ Hall, London, with the composer conducting, as well as appearing as soloist in his own Fourth Piano Concerto. On the whole, the reception was excellent, despite the best eff orts of a few Wagnerians in the audience who set out to disrupt the performance in retribution for some uncharitable comments that Saint-Saëns had once made about their idol. At the end of the performance, Saint-Saëns was introduced to the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) who was a patron of the Society – an encounter which contemporary reports indicate left Saint-Saëns a fawning and awestruck mess.

In any case, favourable reports of the symphony’s English reception fi ltered back to France, and a Parisian premiere – again with the composer conducting – was

‘It will be terrifying, I warn you.’SAINT-SAËNS TO THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY

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YOU CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCEConsider a gift to the Sydney Symphony’s Orchestra Fund or Allegro Education Fund before 30 June 2013.

Any amount over $2 is tax deductible. Gifts over $500 are acknowledged in programs.

Thank you!FIONA ZIEGLER, ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER AND PATRON AMBASSADOR

www.sydneysymphony.com/appeal Call (02) 8215 4600 – Select Option 2

‘There goes the French Beethoven.’CHARLES GOUNOD, AFTER HEARING THE ORGAN SYMPHONY

scheduled for the following year. It too was a success and prompted Charles Gounod to proclaim, ‘There goes the French Beethoven.’ Vincent d’Indy, who was also there, was more moderately enthusiastic, noting that the symphony was:

full of indisputable talent and seems to constitute a wager against the traditional laws of tonal construction – a wager that the composer sustains with adroitness and elegance. But in spite of this work’s undeniable interest…the fi nal impression remains one of doubt and sadness.

For his own part, Saint-Saëns summarised the symphony by saying, ‘I have given all that I had to give…What I have done I shall never do again.’ And he was as good as his word. The Organ Symphony – his last work in the symphonic form – was to remain his supreme achievement in music and it is still one of his most frequently performed works. (Other contenders for that title include Carnival of the Animals and the fi rst cello concerto.) Indeed, the Organ Symphony has indirectly achieved a certain amount of Top 40 success, fi rst in the 1970s, and again in the 1990s when one of its themes appeared in the soundtracks for the hit movies Babe and Babe: Pig in the City.

Notwithstanding its modern association with pigs, the Organ Symphony has established itself as an orchestral showpiece. Both as a pianist and as a composer, Saint-Saëns was a virtuoso by nature. Indeed, the ongoing criticism of his music has been that his prodigious technical facility and ability to dazzle sometimes distract from the greater impact of the music itself. Certainly in the Organ Symphony Saint-Saëns gives literal meaning to the cliché ‘pulling out all stops’. While much of the organ writing is subtle, even understated, climaxes are marked by thunderous passages for the organ, and deliberately grandiose scoring.

If I had words…

If you’ve seen the movie Babe, then you’ll recognise the grand theme that dominates the fi nale of the Organ Symphony. But Nigel Westlake’s soundtrack doesn’t directly quote Saint-Saëns. The melody comes to us courtesy of Farmer Hoggett, when he sings to the distraught pig a pop song from 1977, ‘If I had words’. The farmer would have known it well, this melding of Saint-Saëns with a reggae beat reached No.3 in the charts in the UK (No.24 here in Australia). Westlake’s genius is to turn the whole thing into a dance, with a trio of squeaky mice playing the role of chorus.

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Saint-Saëns gives literal meaning to the cliché ‘pulling out all stops’.

The ‘fi rst movement’ develops through a kind of Lisztian transformation of themes, whereby the thematic material appears in a series of varying guises rather than being developed in a strictly Classical sense. After the ‘fi rst movement’ has led without pause into the ‘second movement’, the organ enters, surprisingly discreetly, as an accompaniment to the mystical main theme, marked Poco adagio. In the central part of the Adagio there is a contrapuntal semiquaver passage for the strings, subsequently joined by the organ, before the principal melody is reprised.

The scherzo (‘third movement’) begins the second half of the piece, and much of its thematic material derives – albeit vastly transformed – from the preceding Adagio. From here Saint-Saëns introduces all the fi reworks he can. The tempo increases to Presto, the orchestration becomes more vibrant and new themes are superimposed over the existing ones, before the organ almost lunges into the fi nale.

This concluding section is a good example of the diff ering value-judgements which Saint-Saëns’ music invites. Depending on one’s viewpoint, Saint-Saëns either demonstrates his unrivalled compositional virtuosity, or simply goes over the top. The climax builds through fanfares, four-hand piano fi gures, loud organ chords and extensive fugal writing, carrying the work through to its triumphant conclusion. For all the debate which it has aroused, however, no one can doubt that the Organ Symphony has demonstrated its enduring appeal.

MARTIN BUZACOTTSYMPHONY AUSTRALIA © 1998

Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony calls for three flutes (third doubling piccolo), two oboes and cor anglais, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon; four horns, three trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and percussion (cymbal, triangle, bass drum); organ; piano four hands; and strings. In this performance David Drury plays the organ part.

The Sydney Symphony first performed the symphony in 1948 with conductor Eugene Goossens, and most recently in 2009 under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

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MORE MUSIC

MOZART 29

Together with Symphony No.25 in G minor, Mozart’s Symphony No.29 is one of his earliest symphonic masterpieces. You can hear both symphonies in a recording by the Vienna Philharmonic and István Kertész. The third symphony on the disc is the Haff ner, No.35 in D, K385.ELOQUENCE 476 7401

Or you can look for Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a 2CD set of fi ve Mozart symphonies: 29, 31 (Paris), 32, 35 (Haff ner) and 36 (Linz).LINN RECORDS 350

FRANK MARTIN

A London/Double Decca 2CD all-Martin release from the 1990s brought together the Concerto for 7 winds, the Petite symphonie concertante, works for strings, the Violin Concerto and the choral work In terra pax. Ernest Ansermet conducts the Suisse Romande Orchestra (Müchinger and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra perform the Passacaglia for strings). Out of print but available as an ArkivCD from arkivmusic.comDECCA 448 264

The same performance of the Concerto for 7 winds is included in the 6CD collection of Ansermet’s Decca Recordings 1953–1967.DECCA 475 8140

Alternatively, look for Thierry Fischer and musicians of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in a recording that also includes Polyptyque with violinist Marieke Blankestijn and the Etudes for string orchestra.DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 435 3832

In Australia, Hungarian-born pianist Julie Adam has recorded Frank Martin: The Complete Piano Music ( joined by Christine Logan for the duets and duos).ABC CLASSICS 476 2601

ORGAN SYMPHONY

Charles Dutoit’s recording of Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is available on several releases in the Decca catalogue, most recently in the Virtuoso series. The disc is fi lled out with a performance by Pascal Rogé of the Piano Concerto No.2 (Dutoit conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).DECCA 4783363

But if you can fi nd it, go for the older release that couples the symphony with Saint-Saëns’ masterpiece of miniatures, The Carnival of the Animals (Rogé and Cristina Ortiz play the piano parts, the ensemble is the London Sinfonietta).DECCA 430 7202

CHARLES DUTOIT

The Dutoit discography is enormous – an impressive legacy of recordings. Fans of organ music should look for the recently released Poulenc disc with the Gloria, the Stabat Mater, and Peter Hurford as soloist in the Organ Concerto, accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra.DECCA 478 5158

Broadcast DiaryJune

abc.net.au/classic

Saturday 8 June, 8pmorgan symphonySee this program for details.

Tuesday 11 June, 1.05pmhandel’s water musicReinhard Goebel conductorMirijam Contzen violinBach, Telemann, Handel, Berton

Saturday 22 June, 8pmdame edna with the sydney symphonyBenjamin Northey conductorDame Edna EverageDukas, Saint-Saëns, Falla, Prokofi ev, Haslam

Thursday 27 June, 1.05pmbeethoven’s pastoralVladimir Ashkenazy conductorKirsty Hilton violinCatherine Hewgill celloClemens Leske pianoGrosse Fuge, Triple Concerto, Pastoral Symphony

Fine Music 102.5sydney symphony 2013Tuesday 11 June, 6pmMusicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store in our forthcoming concerts.

Webcasts

Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are webcast live on BigPond and Telstra T-box and made available for later viewing On Demand. Our next webcast:dame edna with the sydney symphonyFrom Saturday 22 June 8pm and on demand for a limited period following.Visit: bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphonyLive webcasts can also be viewed on our free mobile app, now optimised for the iPad.

sydney symphony 17

ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR

Charles Dutoit CONDUCTOR

Charles Dutoit is one of today’s most sought-after conductors, having performed with all the major orchestras of the fi ve continents. He has been a visitor to Sydney since 1979, and his most recent appearance with the Sydney Symphony was in 2008, when he conducted Mozart, Strauss and Berlioz.

He is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recently celebrated his 30-year artistic collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra, receiving the title of Conductor Laureate. He collaborates each season with the orchestras of Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.

For 25 years, he was Artistic Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, a dynamic musical team recognised the world over, in part for its extensive array of acclaimed recordings. Other titled posts have included Music Director of the Orchestre National de France (1991–2001) and Principal Conductor then Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo (1996–2003).

Supporting the development of a younger generation of musicians, Charles Dutoit has been Music Director of the Sapporo Pacifi c Music Festival and Miyazaki International Music Festival in Japan as well as the Canton International Summer Music Academy in Guangzhou. In 2009 he became Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra.

When still in his early 20s, he was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct the Vienna State Opera. He has since conducted at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Rome Opera and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

His honours and accolades include Grand Offi cier de l’Ordre national du Québec, Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), Honorary Offi cer of the Order of Canada, and honorary doctorates from the universities of McGill, Montreal and Laval and the Curtis School of Music. In 2007 he received the Gold Medal of the city of Lausanne, his birthplace.

Charles Dutoit’s musical training included violin, viola, piano, percussion, history of music and composition at the conservatoires and music academies of Geneva, Siena, Venice and Boston.

A globetrotter motivated by his passion for history and archaeology, political science, art and architecture, he has travelled in all 196 nations of the world.

18 sydney symphony

ABOUT THE SOLOISTS

Emma Sholl FLUTE

Emma Sholl began working with the orchestra at the age of 19, was appointed Second Flute the following year and Associate Principal in 2003. She has performed as a soloist with the Adelaide, Tasmanian and Sydney symphony orchestras, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and as guest principal with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

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Shefali Pryor OBOE

A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium, Shefali Pryor joined the orchestra as Second Oboe. After a period of study in Salzburg she returned to the post of Associate Principal and in 2006 was a grand fi nalist in the Young Performers Awards. Her solo appearances with the Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmanian orchestras include performances with Nigel Kennedy.

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Roger Brooke BASSOON

English-born Roger Brooke studied in Sydney with John Cran and was a member of the ABC National Training Orchestra. After playing in the Elizabethan Trust Orchestra (Principal Bassoon) he was appointed Associate Principal with the SSO, a post he has held continuously with the exception of a period working in Germany and Switzerland (1984–1991).

Francesco Celata CLARINET

Frank Celata studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and then in Amsterdam and Siena. In 1991 he was appointed Principal Clarinet with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra; two years later he joined the SSO as Associate Principal. His solo appearances with the orchestra include the Mozart concerto and a concerto written for him by Gordon Kerry.

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Saturday night’s performance marks Roger Brooke’s retirement from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. We wish him well!

sydney symphony 19

Robert Johnson HORN

Robert Johnson studied at the NSW Conservatorium and played in the ABC National Training Orchestra before joining the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. He fi rst joined the SSO as Associate Principal, leaving in 1979 to study overseas. Returning to Sydney in 1981 he played Principal with the Elizabethan Trust Orchestra and in 1986 rejoined the SSO as Principal.

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David Elton TRUMPET

David Elton joined the SSO as Principal Trumpet in 2012, having previously played Principal in the West Australian and Adelaide symphony orchestras. Raised in Sydney, he studied with Paul Goodchild and holds degrees from the Queensland Conservatorium and Northwestern University. He is also a founding member of the Australian Brass Quintet.

Scott Kinmont TROMBONE

Scott Kinmont studied at the Queensland Conservatorium and Australian National University before joining the SSO aged 20. Since then he has won two international solo competitions (trombone and euphonium) and in 2002 received a Fulbright Award for postgraduate study in the United States. In 2008 he gave the premiere of Lee Bracegirdle’s Euphonium Concerto.

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Mark Robinson TIMPANI

Mark Robinson studied at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Royal Academy of Music (he was appointed an Associate of the RAM in 2012). While in London he performed with Britain’s fi nest orchestras and toured with the London Symphony Orchestra. After playing in the Ulster Orchestra, he returned to Sydney in 2010, joining the SSO as Associate Principal Timpani.

For full biographies of tonight’s soloists, visit our website: sydneysymphony.com/SSO_musicians

20 sydney symphony

MUSICIANS

Vladimir AshkenazyPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor supported by Emirates

Dene OldingConcertmaster

Jessica CottisAssistant Conductor supported by Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Andrew HaveronConcertmaster

To see photographs of the full roster of permanent musicians and find out more about the orchestra, visit our website: www.sydneysymphony.com/SSO_musiciansIf you don’t have access to the internet, ask one of our customer service representatives for a copy of our Musicians flyer.

The men of the Sydney Symphony are proudly outfitted by Van Heusen.

FIRST VIOLINS

Wilma Smith* Concertmaster

Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster

Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

Julie BattyJennifer BoothMarianne BroadfootBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeAmber DavisGeorges LentzNicola LewisAlexandra MitchellLéone ZieglerRebecca Gill†Claire Herrick°Kelly Tang†Dene OldingConcertmaster

Andrew Haveron Concertmaster

Fiona Ziegler Assistant Concertmaster

Jennifer HoyAlexander Norton

SECOND VIOLINS

Marina Marsden Emma Jezek A/ Associate Principal

Emily Long A/ Assistant Principal

Susan Dobbie Principal Emeritus

Maria DurekShuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitMaja VerunicaAlexandra D’Elia*Emily Qin°Kirsty Hilton Emma Hayes

VIOLAS

Roger Benedict Tobias Breider Anne-Louise Comerford Justin Williams Assistant Principal

Robyn BrookfieldSandro CostantinoJane HazelwoodStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenFelicity TsaiLeonid VolovelskyAmanda Verner

CELLOS

Catherine Hewgill Leah Lynn Assistant Principal

Kristy ConrauFenella GillTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid WickhamTeije Hylkema*

DOUBLE BASSES

Kees Boersma Alex Henery Steven LarsonDavid CampbellRichard LynnDavid MurrayHugh Kluger*Kirsty McCahon*Neil Brawley Principal Emeritus

Benjamin Ward

FLUTES

Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer Principal Piccolo

Janet Webb

OBOES

Shefali Pryor David PappAlexandre Oguey Principal Cor Anglais

Diana Doherty

CLARINETS

Francesco Celata Christopher TingayCraig Wernicke Principal Bass Clarinet

Lawrence Dobell

BASSOONS

Roger Brooke Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada Principal Contrabassoon

Matthew Wilkie

HORNS

Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly Principal 3rd

Euan HarveyMarnie SebireRachel SilverBen Jacks

TRUMPETS

David Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony HeinrichsPaul Terracini*

TROMBONES

Ronald Prussing Scott Kinmont Nick ByrneChristopher Harris Principal Bass Trombone

TUBA

Steve Rossé

TIMPANI

Mark Robinson Assistant Principal

Richard Miller

PERCUSSION

Rebecca Lagos Colin PiperBrian Nixon*

HARP

Louise Johnson

ORGAN

David Drury*

PIANO

Catherine Davis*Susanne Powell*

Wilma Smith appears courtesy of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Bold = PrincipalItalics = Associate Principal° = Contract Musician* = Guest Musician† = Sydney Symphony FellowGrey = Permanent member of the Sydney Symphony not appearing in this concert

sydney symphony 21

SYDNEY SYMPHONYVladimir Ashkenazy, Principal Conductor and Artistic AdvisorPATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony has evolved into one of the world’s fi nest orchestras as Sydney has become one of the world’s great cities.

Resident at the iconic Sydney Opera House, where it gives more than 100 performances each year, the Sydney Symphony also performs in venues throughout Sydney and regional New South Wales. International tours to Europe, Asia and the USA have earned the orchestra worldwide recognition for artistic excellence, most recently in the 2012 tour to China.

The Sydney Symphony’s fi rst Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in 1947; he was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdenek Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti. David Robertson will take up the post of Chief Conductor in 2014. The orchestra’s history also boasts collaborations with legendary fi gures such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

The Sydney Symphony’s award-winning education program is central to its commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developing audiences and engaging the participation of young people. The orchestra promotes the work of Australian composers through performances, recordings and its commissioning program. Recent premieres have included major works by Ross Edwards, Liza Lim, Lee Bracegirdle, Gordon Kerry and Georges Lentz, and the orchestra’s recording of works by Brett Dean was released on both the BIS and Sydney Symphony Live labels.

Other releases on the Sydney Symphony Live label, established in 2006, include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2010–11 the orchestra made concert recordings of the complete Mahler symphonies with Ashkenazy, and has also released recordings of Rachmaninoff and Elgar orchestral works on the Exton/Triton labels, as well as numerous recordings on the ABC Classics label.

This is the fi fth year of Ashkenazy’s tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

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22 sydney symphony

BEHIND THE SCENES

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Rory JeffesEXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT

Lisa Davies-Galli

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

Peter Czornyj

Artistic AdministrationARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Eleasha MahARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Ilmar LeetbergRECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

Philip Powers

Education ProgramsHEAD OF EDUCATION

Kim WaldockEMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Mark LawrensonEDUCATION COORDINATOR

Rachel McLarinCUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

Derek Reed

LibraryAnna CernikVictoria GrantMary-Ann Mead

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

Aernout KerbertORCHESTRA MANAGER

Chris Lewis ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR

Georgia StamatopoulosOPERATIONS MANAGER

Kerry-Anne CookPRODUCTION MANAGER

Laura DanielPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tim DaymanPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Ian SpenceSTAGE MANAGER

Elise Beggs

SALES AND MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Mark J ElliottSENIOR SALES & MARKETING MANAGER

Penny EvansMARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES

Simon Crossley-MeatesMARKETING MANAGER, CLASSICAL SALES

Matthew RiveMARKETING MANAGER, WEB & DIGITAL MEDIA

Eve Le GallMARKETING MANAGER, DATABASE & CRM

Matthew HodgeDATA ANALYST

Varsha Karnik

Sydney Symphony StaffGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lucy McCulloughCREATIVE ARTWORKER

Nathanael van der ReydenMARKETING COORDINATOR

Jonathon Symonds ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jenny Sargant

Box OfficeMANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS

Lynn McLaughlinBOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

Jacqueline TooleyBOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

John RobertsonCUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Steve Clarke – Senior CSRMichael DowlingSarah MorrisbyAmy Walsh

COMMUNICATIONS

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS & SPONSOR RELATIONS

Yvonne ZammitPUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Katherine StevensonCOMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Janine Harris DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Kai RaisbeckFELLOWSHIP SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER

Caitlin Benetatos

PublicationsPUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Yvonne Frindle

DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Caroline SharpenHEAD OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

Jeremy GoffHEAD OF MAJOR GIFTS

Luke Andrew GayDEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Amelia Morgan-HunnDEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Sarah Morrisby

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

John HornFINANCE MANAGER

Ruth TolentinoACCOUNTANT

Minerva PrescottACCOUNTS ASSISTANT

Emma FerrerPAYROLL OFFICER

Laura Soutter

HUMAN RESOURCES

HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Michel Maree Hryce

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John C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus amEwen Crouch amRoss GrantJennifer HoyRory JeffesAndrew Kaldor amIrene LeeDavid LivingstoneGoetz Richter

Sydney Symphony Board

Sydney Symphony Council

Geoff Ainsworth amAndrew Andersons aoMichael Baume aoChristine BishopIta Buttrose ao obePeter CudlippJohn Curtis amGreg Daniel amJohn Della BoscaAlan FangErin FlahertyDr Stephen FreibergDonald Hazelwood ao obeDr Michael Joel amSimon JohnsonYvonne Kenny amGary LinnaneAmanda LoveHelen Lynch amDavid MaloneyDavid Malouf aoJulie Manfredi-HughesDeborah MarrThe Hon. Justice Jane Mathews aoDanny MayWendy McCarthy aoJane MorschelGreg ParamorDr Timothy Pascoe amProf. Ron Penny aoJerome RowleyPaul SalteriSandra SalteriJuliana SchaefferLeo Schofield amFred Stein oamGabrielle TrainorIvan UngarJohn van OgtropPeter Weiss ao HonDLittMary WhelanRosemary White

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sydney symphony 23

SYDNEY SYMPHONY PATRONS

Maestro’s CirclePeter William Weiss ao – Founding President & Doris WeissJohn C Conde ao – ChairmanGeoff Ainsworth am & Vicki Ainsworth Tom Breen & Rachael KohnIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonAndrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor aoRoslyn Packer ao

Penelope Seidler amMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetWestfield GroupBrian & Rosemary WhiteRay Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam

Sydney Symphony Corporate AllianceTony Grierson, Braithwaite Steiner PrettyInsurance Australia Grou pJohn Morschel, Chairman, ANZ

01 Roger Benedict Principal Viola Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Chair

02 Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Anne Arcus & Terrey Arcus am Chair

03 Diana Doherty Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Chair

04 Richard Gill oam Artistic Director Education Sandra & Paul Salteri Chair

05 Catherine Hewgill Principal Cello The Hon. Justice AJ & Mrs Fran Meagher Chair

06 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

07 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

08 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

09 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

For information about the Directors’ Chairs program, please call (02) 8215 4619.

Directors’ Chairs

01 02 03 04 05

06 07 08 09

Sydney Symphony VanguardVanguard CollectiveJustin Di Lollo – ChairKees BoersmaMarina GoDavid McKeanAmelia Morgan-HunnJonathan PeaseSeamus R Quick

Benoît CocheteuxGeorge CondousMichael CookPaul CousinsJustin Di LolloRose GalloAlistair GibsonSam GiddingsMarina GoSebastian GoldspinkRose HercegPaolo HookePeter HowardJennifer HoyScott JacksonDamian Kassagbi

MembersCentric WealthMatti AlakargasJames ArmstrongStephen AttfieldDamien BaileyAndrew BaxterMar BeltranKees Boersma Andrew BraggPeter BraithwaiteAndrea BrownIan BurtonJennifer BurtonHahn ChauAlistair ClarkMatthew Clark

Jingmin QianSeamus R QuickLeah RanieMichael ReedeChris RobertsonEmma RodigariJacqueline RowlandsBernard RyanKatherine ShawRandal TameAdam WandJon WilkieJonathan WatkinsonDarren WoolleyMisha Zelinsky

Aernout KerbertAntony Lighten Gary LinnanePaul MacdonaldDavid McKeanHayden McLeanAmelia Morgan-HunnPhoebe Morgan-HunnTom O’DonnellTaine MoufarrigeHugh MunroFiona OslerJulia OwensArchie PaffasJonathan Pease

24 sydney symphony

PLAYING YOUR PART

The Sydney Symphony gratefully acknowledges the music lovers who donate to the orchestra each year. Each gift plays an important part in ensuring our continued artistic excellence and helping to sustain important education and regional touring programs. Donations of $50 and above are acknowledged on our website at www.sydneysymphony.com/patrons

Platinum Patrons $20,000+Brian AbelRobert Albert ao & Elizabeth AlbertGeoff AinsworthTerrey Arcus am & Anne ArcusTom Breen & Rachael KohnSandra & Neil BurnsMr John C Conde aoRobert & Janet ConstableMichael Crouch ao & Shanny CrouchJames & Leonie FurberDr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuff reIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonMr Andrew Kaldor am & Mrs Renata Kaldor aoD & I KallinikosJames N Kirby FoundationThe late Joan MacKenzieVicki OlssonMrs Roslyn Packer aoPaul & Sandra SalteriMrs Penelope Seidler amG & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzieMrs W SteningMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetPeter William Weiss ao & Doris WeissWestfi eld GroupMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteKim Williams am & Catherine DoveyRay Wilson oam in memory of James Agapitos oam

Gold Patrons$10,000–$19,999Stephen J BellAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonHoward ConnorsCopyright Agency Cutlural Fund Edward FedermanNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantThe Estate of the late Ida GuggerHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerRuth & Bob MagidJustice Jane Mathews aoThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran MeagherMrs T Merewether oamMr B G O’ConorHenry & Ruth WeinbergCaroline WilkinsonJune & Alan Woods Family Bequest

Silver Patrons $5000–$9,999Doug & Alison BattersbyMr Robert BrakspearMr David & Mrs Halina BrettMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie ClampettIan Dickson & Reg HollowayDr C GoldschmidtThe Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory Jeff esJudges of the Supreme Court of NSW Mr Ervin KatzThe Estate of the late Patricia LanceTimothy & Eva PascoeWilliam McIlrath Charitable FoundationRodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia RosenblumManfred & Linda SalamonMrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet CookeMichael & Mary Whelan TrustAnonymous (1)

Bronze Patrons $2,500–$4,999Ewen Crouch am & Catherine CrouchThe Hon. Ashley Dawson-DamerFirehold Pty LtdStephen Freiberg & Donald CampbellVic & Katie FrenchMrs Jennifer HershonMichael & Anna JoelGary LinnaneMatthew McInnesJ A McKernanR & S Maple-BrownRenee MarkovicMora MaxwellJames & Elsie MooreDrs Keith & Eileen OngIn memory of Sandra Paul PottingerDr John Roarty oam in memory of Mrs June RoartyIn memory of H St P ScarlettJulianna Schaeff erDavid & Isabel SmithersMarliese & Georges TeitlerMr & Mrs T & D YimAnonymous (2)

Bronze Patrons $1,000–$2,499Mrs Antoinette AlbertAndrew Andersons aoMr Henri W Aram oamDr Francis J AugustusRichard and Christine Banks David BarnesNicole BergerAllan & Julie BlighDr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff Jan BowenLenore P BuckleM BulmerIn memory of RW BurleyIta Buttrose ao obeJoan Connery oam & Maxwell Connery oamConstable Estate Vineyards Debby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret CunninghamGreta DavisLisa & Miro DavisMatthew DelaseyMr & Mrs Grant DixonColin Draper & Mary Jane BrodribbMrs Margaret EppsMr Ian Fenwicke & Prof. Neville WillsMr James Graham am & Mrs Helen GrahamWarren GreenAnthony Gregg & Deanne WhittlestonAkiko GregoryTony GriersonEdward & Deborah Griffi nRichard Griffi n amIn memory of Dora & Oscar GrynbergJanette HamiltonMichelle HiltonThe Hon. David Hunt ao qc & Mrs Margaret HuntDr & Mrs Michael HunterIn memory of Bernard M H KhawMr Justin LamMr Peter Lazar amIrene LeeAssociate Professor Winston LiauwDr David LuisCarolyn & Peter Lowry oamDeirdre & Kevin McCannIan & Pam McGawMacquarie Group Foundation

sydney symphony 25

To find out more about becominga Sydney Symphony Patron, pleasecontact the Philanthropy Officeon (02) 8215 4625 or emailphilanthropy@sydneysymphony.com

Ms Jackie O’BrienJF & A van OgtropMr & Mrs OrtisMr Andrew C PattersonPiatti Holdings Pty LtdAndy & Deirdre Plummer Robin PotterErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment Pty LtdCaroline SharpenDr Agnes E SinclairCatherine StephenJohn & Alix SullivanThe Hon. Brian Sully qcMildred TeitlerJohn E TuckeyMrs M TurkingtonIn memory of Joan & Rupert VallentineDr Alla WaldmanMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary WalshAnn & Brooks Wilson amDr Richard WingMr R R WoodwardIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (9)

Bronze Patrons $500–$999Mrs Lenore AdamsonMr & Mrs Garry S AshBarlow Cleaning Pty LtdBeauty Point Retirement ResortMrs Margaret BellMinnie BiggsMrs Jan BiberDr Anthony BookallilR D & L M BroadfootArnaldo BuchAnn & Miles BurgessPat & Jenny BurnettThe Hon. Justice JC & Mrs CampbellDr Rebecca ChinMrs Sarah ChissickMrs Catherine J ClarkR A & M J ClarkeMr & Mrs Coates

Coff s Airport Security Car ParkMr B & Mrs M ColesMrs Joan Connery oamJen CornishMr David CrossPhil Diment am & Bill Zafi ropoulosElizabeth DonatiThe Dowe FamilyJohn FavaloroMalcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillIn memory of Peter EverettMr Tom FrancisMr John GadenVivienne GoldschmidtClive & Jenny GoodwinRoger HenningHarry & Meg HerbertSue HewittDorothy Hoddinott aoMr Joerg HofmannMrs Kimberley HoldenMr Gregory HoskingNiki KallenbergerMrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamChris J KitchingAnna-Lisa KlettenbergSonia LalMr Luigi LampratiDr & Mrs Leo LeaderMargaret LedermanErna & Gerry Levy amSydney & Airdrie LloydMrs A LohanMrs Panee LowDr David LuisPhilip & Catherine McClellandMelvyn MadiganAlan & Joy MartinMrs Toshiko MericMs Irene Miller & Ms Kim HardingP J MillerDavid MillsKenneth N MitchellMs Margaret Moore oam & Dr Paul Hutchins amChris Morgan-HunnMrs Milja Morris

A NhanMr Graham NorthDr Mike O’Connor amMr R A OppenOrigin FoundationDr A J PalmerDr Kevin PedemontDr Natalie E PelhamMichael QuaileyRenaissance ToursAnna RoLesley & Andrew RosenbergMrs Pamela SayersGarry Scarf & Morgie BlaxillPeter & Virginia ShawMrs Diane Shteinman amMs Stephanie SmeeMs Tatiana SokolovaDoug & Judy SotherenMrs Judith SouthamMrs Karen Spiegal-KeighleyMargaret SuthersNorman & Lydia TaylorDr Heng Tey & Mrs Cilla TeyMrs Alma Toohey & Mr Edward SpicerKevin TroyGillian Turner & Rob BishopProf Gordon E WallMrs Margaret WallisRonald WalledgeMs Elizabeth WilkinsonAudrey & Michael WilsonA Willmers & R PalDr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K WongGeoff Wood & Melissa WaitesGlen & Everly WyssMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (22)

List correct as of 1 May 2013

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26 sydney symphony

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I think of the piccolo as the icing on the cake in the orchestra.

from decades of experience of playing with an orchestra that plays in tune. I know I can’t make them tune to me.’ Rose explains that on the piccolo, some notes are more ‘flexible’ than others. For instance, at the end of the Elegia movement in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, the piccolo, harp and violins (playing harmonics) play a unison D flat. ‘I remember when I went to Chicago on a Friends [of the SSO] scholarship, I was working through all the orchestral excerpts with Walfrid Kujala, who was the Principal Piccolo of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the time. When we got to that very note in the Bartók, he turned to me and asked quite sincerely, “Do you have any luck with that note?”’ It seems piccolo players the world over are facing the same musical challenges. Though perhaps not all of them are doing it in between marathons…

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‘It’s all about the food,’ jokes Rosamund Plummer, Principal Piccolo. ‘I do it so I can eat more.’ This is the first explanation she gives for her relatively newfound love of long-distance running. Actually, running was something that she’d tried on and off for decades, but it never stuck. ‘I used to think I wasn’t built for it, couldn’t do it. That I’d only end up hurting my knees. When I turned 50, I thought I’m either going to go down the drain, or choose not to. I did a course in learning to run at a community college and learnt so much. In nearly four years, I’ve never been injured, and I’ve run two marathons!’

‘The experience of getting older,’ reflects Rose, ‘is kind of the opposite of what most people think. You actually get tougher. You get over all your earlier hang-ups.’

So how does Rose’s newly acquired habit affect her performance in the orchestra? ‘I’ve found that it makes me fearless. If I can run a marathon, I know I can do anything. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth five times in a row? Sure. Shostakovich Ten in every concert in China? Doesn’t faze me. As a piccolo player, it’s quite handy to be fearless.’

‘I think of the piccolo as the icing on the cake in the orchestra. I love it. I’ve learnt

RUNNING ROSEPrincipal Piccolo Rosamund Plummer knows no fear

ORCHESTRA NEWS | JUNE 2013

Photo: Brendan Read

You can enjoy six selected live performances of the Sydney Symphony during its 2013 season in the comfort of your own home, only at BigPond® Music online or on T-Box®.

Visit bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphony

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CONDUCT A SYMPHONYAT YOUR PLACE

Sponsorship Highlight

Ara Vartoukian reveals the innards of a Steinway concert grand.

Deconstructing the SteinwayEver wondered about the mechanism behind the sound of a glorious grand piano? At a recent event at Theme & Variations Piano Services showroom, an audience of patrons, guests and Sydney Symphony friends witnessed the ‘deconstruction’ of a Steinway grand before their very eyes!

Theme & Variations director Ara Vartoukian has years of experience here and in Europe – tuning, voicing and regulating these instruments and in the course of the evening he shared his vast knowledge, shining a light on the evolution of the iconic sound of the Steinway, explaining the intricacies of the

mechanism and how technology has changed the instrument.

Theme & Variations is the presenting partner of our International Pianists in Recital series. Jonathan Biss performs Beethoven sonatas on 29 July at City Recital Hall Angel Place.

In May we visited Canberra and Albury for concerts and workshops. During the tour the Fellowship Quartet performed in the Great Hall of Parliament House.

Ask a MusicianWhat’s the difference between a concertmaster, an associate concertmaster and an assistant concertmaster?

Traditionally, the concertmaster’s role was to take over from the conductor if he fell ill, though that’s less likely these days because we’re lucky enough to have assistant conductors who train to do that. The concert-master is expected to liaise with the conductor, determine the

bowings, demonstrate phrasing and monitor ensemble in the first violins, and in the orchestra more broadly. In a tricky acoustic environment, lots of people will keep an eye on the leader’s bow, to know exactly when to play.

The associate and assistant concertmasters are also required

to lead the orchestra from time to time, if the concertmaster falls ill or is away. More often, though, we’re there to support the concertmaster. I often have to pass information back to the rest of the section, or resolve any seating issues. We also play the front-desk solos when required.

My job requires a different kind of leading to sitting in the concertmaster’s seat, where you’re the one who’s initiating any translation of the conductor’s beat. I see my role as transmitting a lot of what else is going on in the orchestra, particularly from the second violins because I sit so close to them. Sometimes too, people in our section can’t actually see the concertmaster, and so they watch me instead. It’s vital that I don’t move in a direction contrary to what the concertmaster is showing.

Kirsten Williams, Associate Concertmaster

THANK YOU CONCERTOutreach Focus

Handel’s Water Music together with a brass fanfare by French composer Paul Dukas.

‘I’m delighted this tradition continues today. Our musicians asked for an opportunity to thank the John Holland employees who are working to improve the conditions of our home,’ continued Rory.

Due to be completed late next year, the new underground loading dock and tunnel will give all Opera House users vastly improved access to the Concert Hall and allow us to move large instruments and other equipment in and out of the venue more efficiently. Wholly funded by the NSW Government, the work is being completed by John Holland, a subsidiary of Leighton Holdings.

Hamish Tyrwhitt, Chief Executive Officer of Leighton Holdings, said: ‘Leighton Holdings is extremely proud of its ten-year partnership with the Sydney Symphony. It’s based on supporting young and emerging talent, a theme very much in line with our philosophy of fostering the development of our employees.’

It’s not every day that SSO musicians are required to don hard hats and high visibility vests to go to work. In May, however, it was entirely appropriate concert clobber as our musicians performed for construction workers at the Sydney Opera House. This special concert was our way of saying thank you to the crews for all their work in improving the orchestra’s home behind the scenes.

This wasn’t the first time such a concert had been arranged. ‘The Sydney Symphony gave the very first performance in the Concert Hall in December 1972,’ said Managing Director Rory Jeffes. ‘This was almost one year before the official opening of the Opera House, for an audience of construction workers and their families, in a concert designed to test the acoustics of the Concert Hall.’

This time it was the acoustics of the excavated site deep beneath the Opera House forecourt that was given a work out. Five of our brass musicians performed some of the music that was played at that 1972 concert: an Allegro from

Recently our musicians took their (hard) hats off to the men and women working on improvements to the Sydney Opera House.

How I learn a pieceJonathan Biss: The most im portant thing, which does not vary, is that I learn in phases. I first start looking seriously at a new piece more than a year in advance of the performance and with the knowledge that I’ll go away from it at least twice before then. I find the time I spend away from a piece of music is almost more important than the practice schedule and initial practising – there’s a strange osmosis that happens. I’ll spend ten months really getting some-thing into my fingers – dealing with the essential problems and looking for solutions to things that are tricky for my fingers. Then I’ll come back to it three months later not having thought about it so much and find the problems have magically resolved themselves. It usually then it reveals a whole new set of problems! I try to go through that process at least twice. I find my whole relationship with a piece is so much deeper than it would be otherwise. Let’s say I spend three months working on a piece before going on stage – I’m much happier knowing that those three months of work took place over 12 months.

Jonathan Biss plays BeethovenInternational Pianists in Recital 29 July | 7pm

Jonathan Biss plays MozartThursday Afternoon Symphony 25 July | 1.30pmEmirates Metro Series 26 July | 8pmGreat Classics 27 July | 2pm

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SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUSTMr Kim Williams AM [Chair]Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Mr Wesley Enoch,Ms Renata Kaldor AO, Mr Robert Leece AM RFD, Mr Peter Mason AM,Dr Thomas Parry AM, Mr Leo Schofi eld AM, Mr John Symond AM

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VALE HAZEL HAWKEWe were saddened to learn recently of the death of Hazel Hawke. Her tremendous legacy includes her role as a patron of the arts, and specifically of the ABC Young Performers Awards. Many of us in the orchestra remember the time she performed with us as a piano soloist! It was in a pair of Meet the Music concerts in 1990, conducted by John Hopkins, in which Hazel Hawke was joined by two former YPA winners, Rebecca Chambers and Duncan Gifford, in Mozart’s Concerto in F for three pianos, K242.

EMERGING ARTISTS 2014: APPLICATIONS OPENSydney Sinfonia and Fellowship applications are closing on Friday 19 July. More information, including online applications, is available through our website

at bit.ly/EmergingArtists Application2014 Any questions? Call Mark Lawrenson on (02) 8215 4652.

ASHKENAZY’S FAVOURITE THINGSRecently Vladimir Ashkenazy joined us for a fortnight of concerts, including a program we dubbed ‘Ashkenazy’s Favourites’. While he was in town he shared a few of his favourite things in a series of videos. Enjoy the full playlist for Ashkenazy’s favourite joke, favourite clothing, favourite food and a top restaurant recommendation should you ever find yourself in Iceland! bit.ly/AshkenazyFavesPlaylist

YOUR SAYA concertgoer response we simply had to share…

Stuck in a rainstorm traffic snarl on the M4, I sometimes wonder in this age of high-fidelity recordings why we concert-goers haul

ourselves up to 160 kilometres round trip to attend a live concert. The performance of Carmina Burana on 22 March provided the answer, especially when directed with the rhythmic subtlety and excitement of Long Yu. Sitting 10 metres away from massed choirs, gongs, drums and brass during ‘O Fortuna’ is an experience you cannot re-create with a CD or a DVD.

Now I must admit that Carmina Burana is a guilty pleasure, because it is about as profound as an Iced Vo-Vo, and when listening to it, I feel like a scholar skipping a visit to the British Museum to go pole dancing. On the other hand, which other orchestral piece features as much sex, booze and gambling, along with cameo appearances by the Pope and the Queen? No wonder the percussionists had such broad smiles on their faces at the end. They probably felt the earth move, too. David Potter

CODA

BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang sydneysymphony.com/bravo