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WAR REQUIEMAshkenazy conducts Britten

MASTER SERIES

Frid!y 8 November 2013 S!"urd!y 9 November 2013

33 S89-905 Master 8A War Req.indd 133 S89-905 Master 8A War Req.indd 1 5/11/13 12:59 PM5/11/13 12:59 PM

master seriesFriday 8 November | 8pmSaturday 9 November | 8pmSydney Opera House Concert Hall

2012 season

Britten’s War RequiemVladimir Ashkenazy CONDUCTOR

Dina Kuznetsova SOPRANO

Andrew Staples TENOR

Dietrich Henschel BARITONE

Sydney Philharmonia ChoirsSydney Children’s Choir

Benjamin Britten (1913–1976)War Requiem, Op.66

Requiem aeternamDies iraeOffertoriumSanctusAgnus DeiLibera me

The sung texts and translations begin on page 14

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

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

The War Requiem will be performed without interval and the concert will conclude at approximately 9.30pm.

COVER IMAGE: Ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral, photo by Andrew Walker (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)


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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Keynotes

BRITTEN

Born Lowestoft, 1913Died Aldeburgh, 1976

Benjamin Britten was born on St Cecilia’s Day (22 November), and whether the connection with the patron saint of music was an omen or not, he showed great promise and talent as a performer and composer. He studied piano and viola, and by the age of 14 had 100 opus numbers to his credit. His first composition teacher was Frank Bridge, from whom Britten said he learnt two cardinal principles: ‘that you should find yourself and be true to what you found. The other...was his scrupulous attention to good technique.’

In the early months of 1939, the political situation in Europe prompted artists such as the poet W.H. Auden to leave England for the United States. Britten and the tenor Peter Pears followed in April, returning in 1942. As a pacifist, Britten was required to appear before a tribunal, which exempted him from military service in view of his conscientious objections but required him to perform in special wartime concerts.

By the time he was commissioned to write the War Requiem in 1961, Britten was firmly established as ‘the greatest English composer since Purcell’ – the composer, among other things, of a violin concerto, Rejoice in the Lamb and A Ceremony of Carols, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, and several operas, including the tremendously successful Peter Grimes.

Benjamin BrittenWar Requiem, Op.66

Dina Kuznetsova sopranoAndrew Staples tenorDietrich Henschel baritoneSydney Philharmonia Choirs and Sydney Children’s Choir

Few, if any, musical works by serious composers of our time have met with so immediate and deep a response as Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. Within 18 months of its fi rst performance in Coventry Cathedral on 30 May 1962, it had achieved worldwide performance, and the recording sold 200,000 copies in only fi ve months. Critics were hailing the work as one of the great pinnacles of 20th-century music. Attempting to explain this huge impact, Desmond Shawe-Taylor wrote:

A widespread hunger has been disclosed, and satisfi ed. Composers have for so long avoided any large-scale, emotional treatment of big subject matter that the public was starved. Not only has Britten chosen a great subject but he has treated it in such a way as to meet, head on, the main preoccupations

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Keynotes

WAR REQUIEM

The War Requiem was commissioned for the Coventry Cathedral Festival, on the occasion of the cathedral’s rededication. It had been destroyed in World War II and subsequently rebuilt. Britten compiled the text from the familiar verses of the Latin Mass for the Dead, interwoven with the powerful and moving poetry of Wilfred Owen, who’d been killed one week before the end of World War I.

Listen for the three planes of sound: 1. The liturgical texts are sung by the full chorus and the soprano soloist (who usually stands with the chorus), accompanied by the full orchestra. This is formal, elaborate music, imbued with a sense of ritual. 2. The two male soloists (representing the soldiers) with a chamber orchestra of about a dozen players. Their words come, almost exclusively, from Owen’s poetry. 3. The distant sound of boys’ (or children’s) chorus, accompanied by the organ, representing innocence and purity.

Only towards the end are these three contrasting planes combined.

The sung texts and translations begin on page 14.

of our lives. He has done what hardly seemed possible: given a beautiful shape to the dull, gnawing fears that surround the whole subject of modern war.The occasion for which the work was commissioned

was loaded with national and historical meaning for England: the consecration of the rebuilt St Michael’s Cathedral, Coventry, bombed out during World War II. Both in content and in means, this Requiem was ambitious, even daring. Britten had chosen to juxtapose the Latin liturgy of the Mass for the Dead with poems by Wilfred Owen, probably the fi nest of the ‘poets of protest’ of World War I, who was killed one week before the Armistice, trying to pass his company of the Second Lancashire Regiment over the Sambre Canal.

My subject is war, and the pity of war

The personal conviction, sincerity and power of Britten’s setting are readily explained by the congruence of his own and Wilfred Owen’s responses to war. At the head of the score the composer puts words with which Owen intended to preface a collection of his poems:

My subject is war, and the pity of war. The poetry is in the pity…All a poet can do today is warn.Wilfred Owen was only 25 when he died but his poems

are profound. They show no illusions about the glory of

Winston Churchill visits the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, bombed by the Germans in 1940.


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A multinational cast

In this performance, Vladimir Ashkenazy has chosen to mirror the symbolism of Britten’s original casting choices. For the premiere, Britten chose a Russian soprano (Galina Vishnevskaya), English tenor (Peter Pears) and German baritone (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau). This casting was thwarted when the Soviet Minister of Culture refused to grant Vishnevskaya a travel permit, although she subsequently performed in the first recording.

The goal was to invoke the three principal nations involved in World War II and the effect is particularly powerful when tenor and baritone represent two dead soldiers, once enemies, and the baritone sings Owen’s line: ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend.’ In his memoirs, Fischer-Dieskau recalled how shattering this moment was at the premiere.

what soldiers do, but outrage and indignation at what they have been made to do to others and to su! er themselves. The main constituents of this poetry are the detailed descriptions of the war’s e! ects, the outrage, and the pity. Owen is a poet of compassion, but also one of anger. He makes us experience the contrast between the uninformed civilian attitude to the First World War and the actual conditions the soldiers endured.

In light of the way Britten has chosen to set the poems, their biblical references and Owen’s view of war as a violation of Christianity take on a special importance. Wilfred Owen had trained for the Anglican priesthood, but his experience led him away from the preaching and witness of a national church. A crucial letter written from a hospital on the Somme in 1917 sums up his new creed:

Already I have comprehended a light which will never fi lter into the dogma of any national church: namely, that one of Christ’s essential commands was: Passivity at any price! Su! er dishonour and disgrace; but never resort to arms. Be bullied, be outraged, be killed, but do not kill. It may be a chimerical and an ignominious principle, but there it is. It can only be ignored: and I think pulpit professionals are ignoring it very skilfully

Wilfred Owen


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and successfully indeed. And am I not myself a conscientious objector with a very seared conscience? …Pure Christianity will not fi t in with pure patriotism.

Owen then, was bitterly anti-clerical, but not anti-Christian – he hated war, but was fi lled with compassion for the serving soldiers and would not desert them.

Britten the pacifi st

Benjamin Britten was a pacifi st. Already at prep school he had upset the school authorities with a passionate protest against hunting and any form of organised cruelty, including war. His music often refl ects his distress at the betrayal of innocence, and a passionate sympathy for the victims of prejudice and violence. It must have been painful for him to sit still during the 1930s and World War II and to look on while other pacifi sts were imprisoned, yet he clung to his belief that it was his job to go on writing music. In this sense the War Requiem grows out of the whole of his experience, and it is dedicated in loving memory of four of his friends killed in World War II.

Writing for the church also conforms with Britten’s own convictions. He was a composer who believed in ‘occasional’ music, liking to study the conditions of performance and to shape his music to them, and he was convinced that churches need artists and artists need churches. Britten’s unashamed belief that the artist should be part of his community and work for it, that modern music should not be abstruse but should communicate as widely as possible, goes a long way towards explaining the impact of the War Requiem, the way in which ordinary listeners have understood his musical idiom, and been moved by its sincerity.

This impact must also be considerably due to the powerful imagination and skill with which Britten has here combined widely di! ering artistic elements: the Latin liturgy, with its timeless and almost objective ritual, the disturbing and concrete war poems, and the elaborate and contrasted musical forces and idioms. There was precedent for this combination in some of his earlier works, particularly perhaps the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings where settings of widely contrasting poems are brought together into a continuous song cycle, but never before had Britten attempted so ambitious a fusion of disparate elements, on such a vast scale.

…the Latin liturgy, with its timeless and almost objective ritual, the disturbing and concrete war poems…


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Three planes of sound

The allocation of the contrasting elements of the War Requiem among the musical forces involved creates a dramatic tension which is at the heart of the conception. There are three planes of sound. The liturgical texts (that is, the Mass for the Dead and the Absolution Libera me and Antiphon In Paradisum) are entrusted only to the large forces of the Mass itself: the full chorus and the soprano soloist, accompanied by the full orchestra, which is very elaborate. They represent the formal expression of mourning, the world of ritual, and the liturgical plea for deliverance. In the foreground are the two male soloists – the soldiers – and a chamber orchestra. They sing the poems of Wilfred Owen: this is the world of the battlefi eld, the immediacy of war. Third, distant and separate stands a chorus of boys’ voices [or children’s as in this performance] accompanied by an organ: innocence and purity conveyed in voices from afar. Only in the last pages of the work are these often confl icting groups combined in a kind of resolution. The transitions from liturgy to poem and back are always crucial passages, which give the work its unity and which deserve careful attention from the listener.

Listening Guide

Requiem aeternam. The opening bars are dark and foreboding, a slow procession accompanied by bells sounding the mourning motive which dominates the work. They are tuned to the interval formed by the notes C and F sharp. The faltering singing rises steadily to Et lux perpetua luceat eis, but no light enters the music until Te decet hymnus breaks in, sung with modal purity by boys’ voices from afar. Violins softly accompany them with the mourning motive of the opening, then the procession returns in an atmosphere of supplication and unease.

At this point the chamber orchestra leads into the fi rst of the Owen poems: Anthem for Doomed Youth. ‘Very quick and agitated’ is Britten’s direction as the focus shifts to the slaughter on the battlefi eld, underlined by obvious word-painting illustrating phrases like ‘demented choirs of wailing shells’. The boys’ Te decet hymnus phrase returns on the oboe with a sharper fl avour, but the music gradually softens to stillness following the mood of the poem as it substitutes consolatory memory for present su! ering.Kyrie eleison is sung by the choir accompanied only by bells, the mourning motive which they intone being


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resolved on to an F major chord of tranquillity. This is the fi rst of three such liturgical summings up, the last at the very conclusion of the work.Dies irae. The three fanfares of the opening are suggestive of military bugles, and the choir begins to sing, not a" rmatively, but with awe and apprehension. The climactic outburst comes at the last trump with Tuba mirum, where the fanfares are built into the texture, as they are, less spectacularly, into the setting of Owen’s poem Bugles sang, saddening the evening air. Here the chamber orchestra creates an aura of almost pastoral calm, but the voices’ increasingly narrow and chromatic intervals faithfully mirror the despondency and apprehension of the morrow. With great dramatic impact, the soprano leads the chorus into Liber scriptus proferetur, recalling the setting of the same words in Verdi’s Requiem. The chorus seems to plead for guidance (Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?) and timpani strokes lead to an outburst in which the soprano appeals for mercy in massive intervals. ‘Out there …’ is a jauntily ironic duet for tenor and baritone showing the soldiers’ familiarity with violent death in which the last two lines of the poem are allowed to ‘tell’ by being given a sparser texture and wider spaced notes.

The Recordare, for women’s chorus in four parts, introduces a warmer tone of supplication, returning to near frenzy. This mood of tribulation is maintained in spite of the startling transition to the cursing of the evil of the day of wrath. The Lacrimosa is a moving lament for solo soprano against broken, sob-like phrases in the choir, and here for the fi rst time Britten combines the liturgy and the poems, breaking into the music of the mass four times with the tenor soloist singing a setting of one of Owen’s most compassionate poems, Futility. This ends in troubled harmony as the soldier sees no point or consolation in his comrade’s death. Man, Owen seems to be saying, is the central victim of war. It is left to the choir, as in the Kyrie, to resolve the mourning motive into F major as it prays for eternal rest.Offertorium. This movement is begun by the boys’ choir, then its centrepiece places side by side the liturgy’s remembrance of God’s promise to Abraham and his seed and Wilfred Owen’s startling version of the story of Abraham and Isaac. Chorus and orchestra approach the customary fugue on Quam olim Abrahae in animated phrases of popular character, derived from Britten’s Canticle Abraham

This ends in troubled harmony as the soldier sees no point or consolation in his comrade’s death.


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and Isaac. The multiplying of Abraham’s seed suggests a massive crescendo, later reversed when it is ironically revealed what man has done to God’s promise. Britten does not miss the reference to the battlefi eld in ‘parapets and trenches’, nor Abraham’s perversity in the face of God’s instruction. The interposition of the Hostias sung by the boys with the soldiers’ reminder of Abraham’s and man’s destructiveness suggests, in John Culshaw’s perceptive view, innocents being led to the slaughter.Sanctus. The mystery of holiness evokes from Britten a ritual sounding of percussion, building to a shimmering crescendo of voices and instruments. Here the great a" rmations of the liturgy are contrasted with the questioning despair of the poem The End. Drums of time roll very explicitly, and the questioning passage is marked, ‘Agitated and pressing forward’. Horn and bassoon underline the extreme despair of the ending.Agnus Dei. As the tenor begins this movement with the fi rst stanza of Owen’s bitterly anti-clerical poem, At a Calvary near the Ancre, the listener only gradually realises the power of Britten’s musical and religious daring – he has combined these words with those from the Mass which bring the worshipper closest to the divine sacrifi ce. The Lamb of God is the crucifi ed Christ. A kind of ground bass in 5/16 time underlies this initially very smooth setting, but a side-drum soon locates the Scribes bawling of allegiance to the state in the war situation. Owen then makes his religious a" rmation:

But they who love the greater love Lay down their life; they do not hate.And Britten, as though to add an expression of Owen’s

and his fellow soldiers’ longing, gives the soldier tenor, for the only time taking the words of the liturgy, a quiet fi nal scale to F sharp voicing the plea for peace.Libera me. In the composer’s mind, and in e! ect, this movement is a kind of recapitulation of the whole Requiem Mass, as well as a tremendous climax. It begins with a ‘crippled march’ for the double basses, a slower version of the music which accompanied the fi rst poems, leading to a renewed vision of the Day of Wrath. This dies away as the soldiers seem to escape out of battle, and there follows the simple setting, in recitative and arioso, of what many regard as the greatest, and certainly the best known, of Wilfred Owen’s poems: Strange Meeting. Once again Britten feels the need to let the words speak, uncluttered, for themselves.


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At the words ‘Strange friend’ the tenor sings the C – F sharp interval of mourning, and in his reply the baritone has the haunting line, sung unaccompanied and summing up the meaning of the poem:

I am the enemy you killed, my friend.The reconciliation of enemies, the brotherhood of all

men, the ultimate conquest of death – these ideas of Wilfred Owen’s have met with Britten’s deepest musical response, but the composer has something further – an a" rmation to make. As the soldiers sing, as if in a trance, the words ‘Let us sleep now’, the boys’ voices intone the In paradisum. Now, for the fi rst time, all the forces of the War Requiem are brought together. The boys, the chorus, and the soprano lead the soldiers towards God’s eternal rest in an ever more complex, but ethereal musical texture. This is the musical resolution long delayed, and not achieved easily, of the tensions begun in the Introit – the bells sound, and the mourning motive is resolved for the last time into an F major tonality of eternal peace.

© DAVID GARRETT

Britten’s War Requiem calls for elaborate orchestral forces. In the main orchestra: three fl utes (one doubling piccolo), three oboes, three clarinets (one doubling E fl at and bass clarinets), two bassoons and contrabassoon; six horns, four trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and percussion; piano, harmonium and organ; and strings. The chamber orchestra comprises: fl ute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling cor anglais), clarinet, bassoon and horn; percussion, harp and a string quintet (two violins, viola, cello and double bass).

At the fi rst performance in Coventry Cathedral on 30 May 1962 the soloists were Heather Harper, Peter Pears and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; the chorus and full orchestra were conducted by Meredith Davies and the chamber orchestra (the Melos Ensemble) by the composer.

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra gave the fi rst Australian performance of the War Requiem at the 1964 Adelaide Festival, conducted by Bernard Heinze, with soloists Heather Harper, David Galliver and Graeme Gorton and the Festival Choir. We gave the fi rst Sydney performance in December that year, also conducted by Heinze. Our most recent performance was in 1994 in concerts conducted by Edo de Waart. The soloists were Yvonne Kenny, Martyn Hill and Jonathan Summers; Sydney Philharmonia Choir was joined by th e Australian Opera Children’s Chorus.


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I. REQUIEM AETERNAM

CHORUS

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine upon them.

BOYS

Te decet hymnus, Deus in Sion; Thou, O God, art praised in Sion;et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem; and unto Thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem;exaudi orationem meam, ad te omnis caro veniet. Thou who hearest the prayer, unto Thee shall all fl esh come.

TENOR SOLO

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns, Only the stuttering rifl es’ rapid rattleCan patter out their hasty orisons.No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires.What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyesShall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;Their fl owers the tenderness of silent minds,And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

CHORUS

Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy upon us.Christe eleison. Christ have mercy upon us.Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy upon us.

II. DIES IRAE

CHORUS

Dies irae, dies illa, Day of wrath and doom impending,Solvet saeclum in favilla, Heaven and earth in ashes ending:Teste David cum Sibylla. David’s words with Sybil’s blending.Quantus tremor est futurus, Oh, what fear man’s bosom rendethQuando Judex est venturus, when from heaven the judge descendethCuncta stricte discussurus! on whose sentence all dependeth!Tuba mirum spargens sonum Wondrous sound the trumpet fl ingethPer sepulcra regionum, through earth’s sepulchres it ringethCoget omnes ante thronum, all before the throne it bringeth.Mors stupebit et natura, Death is struck and nature quaking,Cum resurget creatura, all creation is awaking,Judicanti responsura. to its judge an answer making.


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BARITONE SOLO

Bugles sang, saddening the evening air,And bugles answered, sorrowful to hear.Voices of boys were by the river-side.Sleep mothered them, and left the twilight sad.The shadow of the morrow weighed on men.Voices of old despondency resigned,Bowed by the shadow of the morrow, slept.

SOPRANO SOLO & CHORUS

Liber scriptus proferetur, Lo! the book exactly worded,In quo totum continetur, wherein all hath been recorded;Unde mundus judicetur. thence shall judgment be awarded.Judex ergo cum sedebit, When the judge his seat attaineth,Quidquid latet, apparebit: and each hidden deed arraigneth,Nil inultum remanebit. nothing unavenged remaineth.Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? What shall I, frail man, be pleading?Quem patronum rogaturus, Who for me be interceding,Cum vix justus sit securus? when the just are mercy needing?Rex tremendae majestatis, King of majesty tremendous,Qui salvandos salvas gratis, who dost free salvation send us,Salva me, fons pietatis. Fount of pity, then befriend us!

TENOR & BARITONE SOLOS

Out there, we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death; Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland, –Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand.We’ve sni! ed the green thick odour of his breath, –Our eyes wept, but our courage didn’t writhe.He’s spat at us with bullets and he’s coughed Shrapnel. We chorussed when he sang aloft;We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe.Oh, Death was never enemy of ours! We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.No soldier’s paid to kick against his powers. We laughed, knowing that better men would come,And greater wars; when each proud fi ghter bragsHe wars on Death – for Life; not men – for fl ags.

CHORUS

Recordare Jesu pie, Think, kind Jesus – my salvationQuod sum causa tuae viae: caused Thy wondrous incarnation;Ne me perdas illa die. leave me not to reprobation.Quaerens me, sedisti lassus: Faint and weary Thou has sought me;Redemisti crucem passus: on the cross of su! ering brought me;Tantus labor non sit cassus. shall such grace be vainly brought me?Ingemisco, tamquam reus: Guilty, now I pour my moaningCulpa rubet vultus meus: all my shame with anguish owning;Supplicanti parce Deus. spare, O God, Thy suppliant groaning!


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Qui Mariam absolvisti, Through the sinful Mary shriven,Et latronem exaudisti, through the dying thief forgiven,Mihi quoque spem dedisti. Thou to me a hope hast given.Inter oves locum praesta, With Thy sheep a place provide me,Et ab haedis me sequestra, from the goat afar divide me,Statuens in parte dextra. to Thy right hand do Thou guide me.Confutatis maledictis, When the wicked are confounded,Flammis acribus addictis, doomed to fl ames of woe unbounded,Voca me cum benedictis. call me, with Thy saints surrounded.Oro supplex et acclinis, Low I kneel with heart-submission;Cor contritum quasi cinis: see, like ashes, my contrition!Gere curam mei fi nis. Help me in my last condition!

BARITONE SOLO

Be slowly lifted up, thou long black arm,Great gun towering toward Heaven, about to curse;Reach at that arrogance which needs thy harm,And beat it down before its sins grow worse;But when thy spell be cast complete and whole,May God curse thee, and cut thee from our soul!


Dies irae… Day of wrath…Lacrimosa dies illa, Ah, that day of tears and mourning!Qua resurget ex favilla From the dust of earth returning,Judicandus homo reus, man for judgement must prepare him:Huic ergo parce Deus. Spare, O God, in mercy spare him!

TENOR SOLO

Move him into the sun –Gently its touch awoke him once,At home, whispering of fi elds unsown.Always it woke him, even in France,Until this morning and this snow.If anything might rouse him nowThe kind old sun will know.Think how it wakes the seeds, –Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,Full-nerved – still warm – too hard to stir?Was it for this the clay grew tall? – O what made fatuous sunbeams toilTo break earth’s sleep at all?

CHORUS

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Lord, all-pitying, Jesu blest, grant them rest. Amen. Amen.


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III. OFFERTORIUM

BOYS

Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory,libera animas omnium fi delium deliver the souls of all the faithful defunctorum de poenis inferni, departed from the pains of hellet de profundo lacu: and from the depths of the pit:libera eas de ore leonis, deliver them from the lion’s mouth,ne absorbeat eas tartarus, that hell may devour them not,ne cadant in obscurum. that they fall not into darkness.

CHORUS

Sed signifer sanctus Michael But let the standard-bearer Saint Michaelrepraesentet eas in lucem sanctam: bring them into the holy light:quam olim Abrahae promisisti, which of old Thou didst promiseet semini ejus. unto Abraham and his seed.


So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,And took the fi re with him, and a knife,And as they sojourned both of them together,Isaac the fi rst-born spake and said, My Father,Behold the preparations, fi re and iron,But where the lamb for this burnt-o! ering?Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,And builded parapets and trenches there,And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,Neither do anything to him. Behold,A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;O! er the Ram of Pride instead of him.But the old man would not so, but slew his son, –And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

BOYS

Hostias et preces tibi Domine We o! er unto Thee, O Lord,laudis o! erimus: sacrifi ces of prayer and praise:tu suscipe pro animabus illis, do Thou receive them for the soulsquarum hodie memoriam facimus: of those whose memory we this day recall: fac eas, Domine, make them, O Lord,de morte transire ad vitam. to pass from death to life.


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IV. SANCTUS


Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Holy, Holy, HolyDominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of Sabaoth.Pleni sunt coeli et terra Heaven and earth are full of gloria tua, Thy glory,Hosanna in excelsis. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most High.Sanctus… Holy…Benedictus qui venit in Blessed is he that cometh in the nomine Domini. name of the Lord.Hosanna in excelsis. Glory be to Thee, O Lord most High.Sanctus… Holy…

BARITONE SOLO

After the blast of lightning from the East,The fl ourish of loud clouds, the Chariot Throne;After the drums of Time have rolled and ceased,And by the bronze west long retreat is blown,Shall life renew these bodies? Of a truthAll death will He annul, all tears assuage? –Fill the void veins to Life again with youth,And wash, with an immortal water, Age?When I do ask white Age he saith not so:‘My head hangs weighed with snow.’And when I hearken to the Earth, she saith:‘My fi ery heart shrinks, aching. It is death.Mine ancient scars shall not be glorifi ed,Nor my titanic tears, the sea, be dried.’

V. AGNUS DEI

TENOR SOLO

One ever hangs where shelled roads part. In this war He too lost a limb,But His disciples hide apart; And now the Soldiers bear with Him.Near Golgotha strolls many a priest, And in their faces there is prideThat they were fl esh-marked by the Beast By whom the gentle Christ’s denied.The scribes on all the people shove And bawl allegiance to the state,But they who love the greater love Lay down their life; they do not hate.

CHORUS

Agnus Dei, qui tollis O Lamb of God, who takest awaypeccata mundi, the sins of the world,


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dona eis requiem. grant them rest. Agnus Dei, qui tollis O Lamb of God, who takest awaypeccata mundi, the sins of the world,dona eis requiem. grant them rest.Agnus Dei, qui tollis O Lamb of God, who takest away peccata mundi: the sins of the world, dona eis requiem sempiternam. grant them eternal rest.

TENOR SOLO

Dona nobis pacem. Grant us peace.

VI. LIBERA ME


Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna, Deliver me, O Lord, from deathin die illa tremenda: eternal on that fearful day:Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra, when the heavens and earth shall be shaken,Dum veneris judicare when Thou shalt come to judgesaeculum per ignem. the world by fi re.Tremens factus sum ego, I am in fear and tremblinget timeo, dum discussio venerit, till the sifting be upon us,atque ventura ira. and the wrath to come,Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra. when the heavens and earth shall be shaken,Dies illa, dies irae, O that day, that day of wrath,calamitatis et miseriae, of calamity and misery,dies magna et amara valde. day of great and exceeding bitterness.Libera me, Domine… Deliver me, O Lord…


It seemed that out of battle I escapedDown some profound dull tunnel, long since scoopedThrough granites which titanic wars had groined.Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and staredWith piteous recognition in fi xed eyes,Lifting distressful hands as if to bless.And no guns thumped, or down the fl ues made moan,‘Strange friend,’ I said, ‘here is no cause to mourn.’‘None,’ said the other, ‘save the undone years,The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,Was my life also; I went hunting wildAfter the wildest beauty in the world.For by my glee might many men have laughed,And of my weeping something had been left,Which must die now. I mean the truth untold,The pity of war, the pity war distilled.Now men will go content with what we spoiled.


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Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress,None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.Miss we the march of this retreating worldInto vain citadels that are not walled.Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheelsI would go up and wash them from sweet wells,Even from wells we sunk too deep for war,Even the sweetest wells that ever were.I am the enemy you killed, my friend.I knew you in this dark; for so you frownedYesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.Let us sleep now…’

BOYS, SOPRANO SOLO & CHORUS

In paradisum deducant te Angeli: Into paradise may the Angels lead thee:in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, at thy coming may the Martyrs receive thee, et perducant te in and bring thee into the civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. holy city Jerusalem,Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, May the Choir of Angels receive thee,et cum Lazaro quondam paupere and with Lazarus, once poor,aeternam habeas requiem. mayest thou have eternal rest.

BOYS

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord: et lux perpetua luceat eis. and let perpetual light shine upon them.

CHORUS

Requiescant in pace. Amen. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Text from the Missa pro defunctis and the poems of Wilfred Owen.


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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR

Vladimir Ashkenazy fi rst came to prominence on the world stage in the 1955 Chopin Competition in Warsaw and as winner of the 1956 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since then he has built an extraordinary career, not only as one of the most outstanding pianists of the 20th century, but as a revered and inspiring artist whose creative life encompasses a vast range of activities.

Conducting has formed the largest part of his music-making for the past 20 years, and this is his fi fth season as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Sydney Symphony. He has also been Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic (1998–2003) and Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (2004–2007), and he is Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, with whom he has developed landmark projects such as Prokofi ev and Shostakovich Under Stalin and Rachmanino! Revisited.

He also holds the positions of Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He maintains strong links with a number of other major orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra (where he was formerly Principal Guest Conductor) and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Chief Conductor and Music Director, 1988–96), as well as making guest appearances with major orchestras around the world.

Vladimir Ashkenazy continues to devote himself to the piano, building his comprehensive recording catalogue with releases such as the 1999 Grammy award-winning Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Rautavaara’s Piano Concerto No.3 (which he commissioned), Rachmanino! transcriptions, Bach’s Wohltemperierte Klavier and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. His most recent solo releases feature the music of Rachmanino! .

A regular visitor to Sydney since his Australian debut in 1969, he has conducted subscription concerts and composer festivals for the Sydney Symphony, with highlights including the acclaimed Sibelius festival of 2004 and his Rachmanino! festival of 2007. In 2010–11 he conducted the Mahler Odyssey concerts and live recordings, and his artistic role with the orchestra includes annual international touring.

Russian-born Vladimir Ashkenazy inherited his musical gift from both sides of his family: his father David Ashkenazy was a professional light music pianist and his mother Evstolia (née Plotnova) was daughter of a chorusmaster in the Russian Orthodox church.


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Dina Kuznetsova SOPRANO

Russian-American soprano Dina Kuznetsova has performed in many of the great opera houses, from Covent Garden and the state opera houses of Berlin, Vienna and Munich, to San Francisco, Chicago Lyric Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. A native of Moscow, she is a graduate of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and after successes in roles such as Gilda, Violetta and Juliette, she has embraced the Slavic and Russian repertoire. Her portrayal of Tatiana (Eugene Onegin) has brought her huge success, notably in her role debut opposite Dmitri Hvorostovsky for Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as for Opéra National de Lille and the Russian National Orchestra; this season she sings the role for Opéra de Montpellier.

Highlights have included an acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut as Prilepa in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades and her role debut as Desdemona (Otello). As Rusalka, she made a celebrated return to the Glyndebourne Festival. This season she makes her role debut as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfl y for English National Opera, sings the title role of Katya Kabanová in Hamburg and Santiago, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.14 with Hans Graf and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Dina Kuznetsova made her Australian debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra last year, as Lisa in The Queen of Spades.

www.ajrstaples.com

Andrew Staples TENOR

Andrew Staples was a chorister in St Paul’s Cathedral and won a Choral Scholarship to King’s College Cambridge, where he gained a degree in Music. He was the fi rst recipient of the RCM Peter Pears Scholarship, sponsored by the Britten Pears Foundation, and subsequently joined the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He studies with Ryland Davies.

His repertoire includes Handel, Mozart and Britten, and he has also made his mark in works such as Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Verdi’s Requiem and Mahler’s Song of the Earth. He has sung with Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, appearing with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Highlights include Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings (Swedish Chamber Orchestra), Mozart’s Requiem (Scottish Chamber Orchestra) and Britten’s War Requiem at King’s College Chapel with David Hill.

He performs regularly at Covent Garden (where his roles have included Tamino in The Magic Flute), Prague’s National Theatre, Opera Holland Park and Hamburg State Opera. He also semi-staged and sang Tamino for the Lucerne Festival and in Drottningholm, and this season sings Don Ottavio for the Salzburg Festival. His venture, Opera for Change, aims to tour The Magic Flute through Africa, bringing together international performers and local artists and communities.

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Dietrich Henschel BARITONE

Dietrich Henschel’s repertoire extends from early baroque opera to the avant-garde and he made his debut at the Munich Biennale for Modern Music Theatre with the title role in Reverdy’s Precepteur. He spent his early career at Kiel Opera House, performing repertoire that ranged from early baroque (Monteverdi’s Orfeo) and Classical staples such as Mozart, to Debussy’s Pelléas and Henze’s Prinz von Homburg. His international career began when he sang Busoni’s Doktor Faust in Lyon and reprised the Henze at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Invitations from leading European opera houses followed, with appearances in The Barber of Seville, Tannhäuser (Wolfram), Don Giovanni, The Mastersingers (Beckmesser), Wozzeck, Pelléas et Mélisande (Golaud) and The Rake’s Progress (Nick Shadow). Recent highlights include title roles in Enescu’s Oedipe (for La Monnaie) and Trojahn’s Orest (Nethelands Opera).

His recordings testify to his success as a lied interpreter and oratorio singer (focusing on the music of Bach). He has sung with the world’s leading orchestras, and collaborated with conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Philippe Herreweghe. Exploring the intersection between art music, theatre and visual media, in 2010 he performed a staged version of Schubert’s Schwanengesang, which was featured in major European theatres. As a trained pianist and conductor he has also directed several ensembles, collaborating in particular with Sinfonietta Leipzig.

www.dietrichhenschel.de

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Violin Concerto, with soloist Vilde Frang, thus bringing to a close our celebration of the Britten centenary. 11, 13 and 14 December (Sydney Opera House)www.sydneysymphony.com

Broadcast DiaryNovember–December

abc.net.au/classic

Saturday 9 November, 8pmwar requiemSee this program for details.Thursday 14 November, 1.30pmsibelius & brahmsVladimir Ashkenazy conductorPinchas Zukerman violinAmanda Forsyth celloSaturday 16 November, 8pmmahler & bruchVladimir Ashkenazy conductorPinchas Zukerman violinThursday 28 November, 1.05pmwagner madnessNicholas Carter conductorJanet Webb fl uteHaydn, L Liebermann, Ledger, WagnerSaturday 14 December, 8pmvariations on an english themeJames Ga! gan conductorVilde Frang violinHaydn, Britten, Brahms

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

MORE MUSIC

WAR REQUIEM

For 2013, the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth, Decca has remastered the premiere recording of his War Requiem. This recording from 1963 featured his preferred multinational casting: Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, English tenor Peter Pears and German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The composer conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Bach Choir and the Highgate School Chorus, with Simon Preston at the organ and the Melos Ensemble providing the chamber orchestra. A second CD includes rehearsal takes with the artists’ conversations and commentary.DECCA 478 5433

Among the more recent recordings is the award-winning release conducted by Paul McCreesh (who will visit Sydney to conduct the SSO in 2014). The Gabrieli Consort and Players provide the core forces, augmented by the Wroc#aw Philharmonic Choir, and the soloists are Susan Gritton, tenor John Mark Ainsley and baritone Christopher Maltman.SIGNUM UK 340

Or look for the recording by Mariss Jansons with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir and Tölz Boys’ Choir, organist Max Hanft, and soloists Emily Magee, tenor Mark Padmore, baritone Christian Gerhaher.BR KLASSIK 900120

MORE BRITTEN

Hear the fi rst War Requiem tenor, Peter Pears, in a recording of Britten’s song cycle Les Illuminations, made with Eugene Goossens (former chief conductor of the SSO) conducting the New Symphony Orchestra. The same artists, with British horn virtuoso Dennis Brain, perform Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings, and Britten conducts Pears and the London Symphony Orchestra in the Nocturne, joined by a starry line-up of supporting artists that includes Australian horn player Barry Tuckwell. ELOQUENCE 476 8470

And for an excellent collection of Britten orchestral works, look for Richard Hickox and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Included on the disc: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and the Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, both of which also have appeared in the SSO’s 2013 season.CHANDOS 9221

BRITTEN IN CONCERT

Join us in our fi nal concerts of the season, when James Ga" gan will conduct a program that includes The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and Britten’s

Webcasts

Selected Sydney Symphony Orchestra concerts are webcast live on BigPond and Telstra T-box and made available for later viewing On Demand. Our current webcast:lior & westlakeVisit: bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphonyWe recommend our free mobile app, now optimised for the iPad, if you want to watch SSO live webcasts on your mobile device.


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Lyn Williams OAM artistic director & founderLyn Williams is Australia’s leading director of choirs for young people, having founded the internationally renowned Gondwana Choirs. Since 1989, Gondwana Choirs has grown to include the Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana National Choirs and Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir. Her exceptional skill in working with young people is recognised for its high artistic quality and ground-breaking innovation. She frequently directs and conducts for

major events, tours internationally with her choirs, and has conducted the Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne symphony orchestras, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Australian Youth Orchestra. In 2004 she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her services to the Arts, and in 2006 the NSW State Award (Classical Music Awards) for her contribution to the advancement of Australian music. Lyn Williams is a Churchill Fellow and also a composer.

Sydney Children’s Choir

The Sydney Children’s Choir has built a worldwide reputation for choral excellence, inspiring audiences with a distinctly Australian choral sound. Under the direction of founder Lyn Williams oam, the choir has commissioned over a hundred works from leading Australian composers and has toured extensively, performing this Australian choral repertoire to great acclaim throughout Australia as well as in Indonesia, Singapore, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and China.

Closer to home, the Sydney Children’s Choir has performed at major events including the Papal Welcome at World Youth Day 2008, APEC Leaders’ Week at the Sydney Opera House, the Australia Day Spectacular at Darling Harbour

and the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games. The choir is also frequently invited to perform with some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and with the SSO under Edo de Waart, Charles Dutoit and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The choir’s many performances with the SSO in recent years have included Mahler symphonies (No.8 and No.3), Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Carmina Burana. The choir appears on the soundtracks of Moulin Rouge, Happy Feet and Australia, and on their most recent recording, Voices of Angels.www.sydneychildrenschoir.com.au

Lyn Williams oam Artistic Director & FounderDan Walker Associate Artistic DirectorSally Whitwell Pianist

Karynne Courts General ManagerLucy Berger Artistic Operations ManagerClare Kenny Choir Manager

Staff

Suebin BaeBridie Batterham-MurphyAriel BonnellChrissy BurjanAlison CampbellLeona CohenEmily ColvinStella DavyTimothy DuttonMarianna EbersollLily FowlerOliver Golding

Dominic GrimshawAlison HardyBeth Harper-KingChloe HartRebecca HilliardMiranda IlchefPatsy Islam-ParsonsRebecca JohnsonMaeve KelaherHelena KerteszEmma KorellEloise Loewy

Stephanie MacindoeAnna MarshLachlan MasseyEve McEwenMadeleine PicardFlorence PoonAlexandra RaleighEmma RenaudAriana RicciTimothy SampsonAmelia SmilesJill Termaat

James ThomsonAdam TravisJessica TrevelyanBeatrice TuckerVanilla TupuJesse van ProctorOlivia WeiImogen WilliamsIsabella WilsonNikita Zaika

Choristers

ABOUT THE CHOIRS


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Sydney Philharmonia ChoirsFormed in 1920, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia’s largest choral organisation. The three principal choirs – the Chamber Singers, Symphony Chorus and the young adult choir VOX – perform a diverse repertoire each year, ranging from early a cappella works to challenging contemporary music. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents an annual concert series of choral masterpieces, and has premiered several commissioned works, including Ford’s Waiting for the Barbarians, Rautavaara’s Missa a Cappella, and most recently Chaconne by Lyle Chan. In 2002, Sydney Philharmonia was the fi rst Australian choir to sing at the BBC Proms (Mahler’s Eighth Symphony under Simon Rattle), returning in 2010. Other highlights have included Britten’s War Requiem at the 2007 Perth Festival and Semele Walk at the 2013 Sydney Festival. Appearances with the SSO have included Mahler’s Eighth for the Olympic Arts Festival (2000), Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms, ‘Midsummer Shakespeare’ and 2001: A Space Odyssey (Sydney Festival), Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Mahler Odyssey (2010–11), Sibelius’s Kullervo, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, conducted by Ashkenazy, and Verdi’s Requiem and Wagner’s Flying Dutchman (David Robertson).

Brett Weymark MUSIC DIRECTOR

Brett Weymark studied singing at the University of Sydney and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium. In 2003 he was appointed Musical Director of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. He has conducted the choirs in premieres of works by composers such as Elena Kats-Chernin and Peter Sculthorpe, and has also prepared the choirs for concerts with conductors such as Charles Mackerras, Charles Dutoit and Simon Rattle. In 2012 he conducted Symphony in the Domain for the Sydney Festival, a new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni for OzOpera and the Australian premiere of Goetz’s Taming of the Shrew for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. This year he has conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, performed Handel’s Theodora in Canberra and returned to WAAPA to conduct a concert of French and English music.


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Brett Weymark Music Director Elizabeth Scott Music Director, VOXAnthony Pasquill Assistant Chorus MasterRehearsal pianistsJosephine Allan, Michael Curtain, Estella Roche, Ingrid Sakurovs

To find out about Sydney Philharmonia concerts or joining one of the choirs, visit www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au

SOPRANOS Heather AirdRia AndrianiAmy BentleyGeorgina BitconAnne BlakeOlga BodrovaJodie BoehmeNikki BogardAnita BurkartVictoria CampbellLisa ClewsAnne CookePam CunninghamRouna DaleyCatherine De LucaShamistha De SoysaSarah DockrillVanessa DowningAlya DrobotSoline Epain-MarzacKarina FallandNatalie FisherJoanna ForbesJudith GorryCaroline GudeEllen HopperRebecca HowardCarine JenkinsClaire JohnsonYvette LeonardAthena LillMaria LopesLyanne MacfarlaneGillian MarkhamBernadette MitchellSarah MooreJennifer NicholsonLindsey Paget-CookeDympna PatersonLinda PeachJane ProsserAllison Rowlands

Elna SchonfeldtMeg ShawDeborah SpencerSimone ToldiJessica Veliscek CarolanKaren WalmsleySarah WalmsleySara Watts

ALTOSAmanda BairdKatie BlakeJan BorrieGae BristowAlice ChanceMichelle (Nien-Hung) ChouRuth CollersonJoanna CrispCatriona DebelleClaire Du! yHelen EsmondJessica FarrellJan FawkePhoebe FergusonPenny GayJennifer GillmanEdith GrayEmma HancockSue HarrisJenny HarryKathryn HarwoodVesna HatezicCara HitchinsMargaret HofmanJudy HuangHelen HughsonMelinda Je! ersonPia KostiainenRachel MaidenSarah McGrathDonna McIntoshJanice McKeand

Maggie McKelveyMisha MonstedPenelope MorrisSusie NorthAnne O’ConnorJohanna SegallJan ShawLiz ShoostovianMegan SolomonNatasja StulErica SvampaRobyn TupmanSheli WallachChela WeitzelCatherine WilsonJaimie WolbersNoriko YamanakaPriscilla Yuen

TENORSMatthew AllchurchXander BirdPatrick BlakePaul BoswellSimon CadwalladerRobert ElliottDenys GillespieAndrew GuySteven HankeyJude HoldsworthBen HurleyKeyan KarroobeeMichael KerteszNeil LazoSelwyn LemosVincent LoThomas MacDonaldFrank MaioJarred MattesTim MatthiesDimitry MoraitisLaurence NicolJareth Norman

George PanaretosIan SeppeltMartin StebbingsRobert ThomsonMichael WallachAlex Walter

BASSESGreg AndersonTimothy BennettDominic BlakeSimon BoileauAndrew BrotenPeter CallaghanGordon ChengJulian CoghlanDaryl ColquhounPaul CouvretPhilip CreniganRobert CunninghamTom Forrester-PatonKevin GormleyMatthew GytonEric HansenDerek HodgkinsDavid JacobsTimothy JenkinsAdrian KennyMartin KuskisAlex Li-Kim-MuiSean MoloneyAnthony PasquillIan PettenerPeter PooleMichael RyanRobert SherringtonTim StorerAntony StrongNicholas TongStephen YoungKen Zhang


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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 Orchestra are proudly outfitted by Van Heusen.

FIRST VIOLINS Dene Olding Concertmaster

Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster

Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

Lerida Delbridge Assistant Concertmaster

Fiona ZieglerAssistant Concertmaster

Julie BattyJenny BoothMarianne BroadfootBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeAmber DavisGeorges LentzAlexander NortonLéone ZieglerJennifer HoyNicola LewisAlexandra Mitchell

SECOND VIOLINS Kirsty Hilton Emma Jezek A/ Associate Principal

Emily Long A/ Assistant Principal

Stan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitRebecca Gill†Elizabeth Jones*Kelly Tang†

Emily Qin*Maria DurekEmma HayesShuti Huang Maja Verunica

VIOLASRoger Benedict Anne-Louise Comerford Justin Williams Assistant Principal

Robyn BrookfieldSandro CostantinoJane HazelwoodGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenLeonid VolovelskyFelicity TsaiAmanda Verner

CELLOSLeah Lynn Assistant Principal

Kristy ConrauTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid WickhamJames sang-oh Yoo†

Fenella Gill

DOUBLE BASSESAlex Henery Neil Brawley Principal Emeritus

David CampbellSteven LarsonDavid MurrayBenjamin WardRichard Lynn

FLUTES Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer Principal Piccolo

OBOESDiana Doherty David PappAlexandre Oguey Principal Cor Anglais

CLARINETSFrancesco CelataChristopher TingayCraig WernickePrincipal Bass Clarinet

BASSOONSMatthew Wilkie Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada Principal Contrabassoon

HORNSGeoffrey O’ReillyPrincipal 3rd

Euan HarveyRachel SilverAbbey Edlin*Jenny McLeod-Sneyd*Brendan Parravicini†Ben Jacks Marnie Sebire

TRUMPETSDavid Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony HeinrichsColin Grisdale* TROMBONESScott Kinmont Nick ByrneChristopher Harris Principal Bass Trombone

Ronald Prussing

TUBASteve Rossé

TIMPANIMark Robinson Assistant Principal

PERCUSSIONColin PiperJoshua Hill*Brian Nixon*Philip South*

KEYBOARDSDavid Drury* Principal Organ

Susanne Powell*

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

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Andrew Haveron Concertmaster

Marina Marsden Principal Second Violin

Tobias Breider Principal Viola

Catherine Hewgill Principal Cello Kees Boersma Principal Double Bass

Janet Webb Principal Flute

Shefali Pryor Associate Principal Oboe

Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet

Jack Schiller* Associate Principal Bassoon

Robert Johnson Principal Horn

Richard Miller Principal Timpani

Rebecca Lagos Principal Percussion

Louise Johnson Principal Harp


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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAVladimir Ashkenazy Principal Conductor and Artistic AdvisorPATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra 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 SSO 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 Orchestra’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 Orchestra’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 recordings of works by Brett Dean have been released on both BIS and Sydney Symphony Live.

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 Rachmanino! 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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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

Amy Walsh

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 Spence

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 HodgeGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lucy McCulloughCREATIVE ARTWORKER

Nathanael van der Reyden

Sydney Symphony Orchestra StaffMARKETING 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 Robertson CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Karen Wagg – Senior CSR Michael DowlingKatarzyna OstafijczukTim 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 amDavid LivingstoneGoetz Richter

Sydney Symphony Orchestra Board

Sydney Symphony Orchestra 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

P


sydney symphony 31

06 Kirsty Hilton Principal Second Violin Corrs Chambers Westgarth Chair

07 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

08 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

09 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

10 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

11 Janet Webb Principal Flute Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Chair

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRONS

Maestro’s CirclePeter William Weiss ao – Founding President & Doris WeissJohn C Conde ao – ChairmanGeoff Ainsworth am Tom Breen & Rachael KohnIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonAndrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor aoVicki OlssonRoslyn 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 Orchestra 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 Terrey Arcus am & Anne Arcus 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

Chair Patrons

01 02 03

04 05 06

07 08 09

10 11 For information about the Chair Patrons program, please call (02) 8215 4619.

David BluffKees Boersma Andrew BraggPeter BraithwaiteBlake BriggsAndrea BrownHelen CaldwellHilary CaldwellHahn ChauAlistair ClarkMatthew ClarkBenoît CocheteuxPaul ColganGeorge CondousJuliet CurtinJustin Di Lollo

Alistair FurnivalAlistair GibsonSam GiddingsMarina GoSebastian GoldspinkTony GriersonLouise HaggertyRose HercegPhilip HeuzenroederPaolo HookePeter HowardJennifer HoyScott JacksonJustin JamesonAernout KerbertTristan Landers

Gary LinnanePaul MacdonaldKylie McCaigRebecca MacFarlingDavid McKeanHayden McLeanAmelia Morgan-HunnPhoebe Morgan-HunnTaine MoufarrigeNick NichlesTom O’DonnellKate O’ReillyFiona OslerArchie PaffasJonathan PeaseJingmin Qian

Seamus R QuickLeah RanieMichael ReedePaul ReidyChris RobertsonBenjamin RobinsonEmma RodigariJacqueline RowlandsKatherine ShawRandal TameSandra TangAdam WandJon WilkieJonathan WatkinsonDarren WoolleyMisha Zelinsky

Justin Di Lollo – ChairKees BoersmaMarina GoDavid McKeanAmelia Morgan-HunnJonathan PeaseSeamus R Quick

MembersCentric WealthMatti AlakargasStephen AttfieldDamien BaileyMar BeltranEvonne BennettNicole Billet

Sydney Symphony Orchestra VanguardVanguard Collective


32 sydney symphony

PLAYING YOUR PART

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra 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 AlbertGeo! 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 Giu! reIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonMr Andrew Kaldor am & Mrs Renata Kaldor aoD & I KallinikosHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerVicki 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–$19,999Doug & Alison BattersbyAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonCopyright Agency Cultural Fund Edward & Diane FedermanNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantMr Ervin KatzJames N Kirby FoundationMs Irene LeeRuth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran MeagherMrs T Merewether oamMr John MorschelMr John SymondAndy & Deirdre Plummer Caroline WilkinsonAnonymous (1)

Silver Patrons: $5000–$9,999Stephen J BellMr Alexander & Mrs Vera BoyarskyMr Robert BrakspearMr David & Mrs Halina BrettMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie ClampettEwen Crouch am & Catherine CrouchIan Dickson & Reg Holloway

Dr C GoldschmidtThe Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory Je! esJudges of the Supreme Court of NSW J A McKernanR & S Maple-BrownJustice Jane Mathews aoMora MaxwellMrs Barbara MurphyDrs Keith & Eileen OngTimothy & Eva PascoeWilliam McIlrath Charitable FoundationMr B G O’ConorRodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia RosenblumEstate of the late Greta C RyanManfred & Linda SalamonSimpsons SolicitorsMrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet CookeMichael & Mary Whelan TrustJune & Alan Woods Family BequestAnonymous (2)

Bronze Patrons: Presto $2,500–$4,999Mr Henri W Aram oamThe Berg Family Foundation in memory of Hetty GordonMr B & Mrs M ColesMr Howard ConnorsGreta DavisThe Hon. Ashley Dawson-DamerFirehold Pty LtdStephen Freiberg & Donald CampbellVic & Katie FrenchMrs Jennifer HershonGary LinnaneRobert McDougallRenee MarkovicJames & Elsie MooreMs Jackie O’BrienJ F & A van OgtropIn memory of Sandra Paul PottingerIn memory of H St P ScarlettDavid & Isabel SmithersMarliese & Georges TeitlerMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary WalshMr & Mrs T & D YimAnonymous (1)

Bronze Patrons: Vivace $1,000–$2,499Mrs Antoinette AlbertAndrew Andersons aoMr & Mrs Garry S AshDr Francis J AugustusSibilla BaerRichard and Christine Banks David BarnesMark Bethwaite am & Carolyn Bethwaite

Allan & Julie BlighDr & Mrs Hannes Bosho! Jan BowenLenore P BuckleM BulmerIn memory of RW BurleyIta Buttrose ao obeMr JC Campbell qc & Mrs CampbellDr Rebecca ChinDr Diana Choquette & Mr Robert MillinerMr Peter ClarkeConstable Estate Vineyards Debby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret CunninghamLisa & Miro DavisMatthew DelaseyMr & Mrs Grant DixonColin Draper & Mary Jane BrodribbMalcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillMrs Margaret EppsPaul R EspieProfessor Michael Field AMMr Tom FrancisMr James Graham am & Mrs Helen GrahamWarren GreenAnthony GreggAkiko GregoryTony GriersonEdward & Deborah Gri" nRichard Gri" n amIn memory of Dora & Oscar GrynbergJanette HamiltonMrs & Mr HolmesThe Hon. David Hunt ao qc & Mrs Margaret HuntDr & Mrs Michael HunterIrwin Imhof in memory of Herta ImhofMichael & Anna JoelIn memory of Bernard M H KhawMr Justin LamMr Luigi LampratiMr Peter Lazar amProfessor Winston LiauwDr David LuisPeter Lowry oam & Dr Carolyn Lowry oamDr David LuisDeirdre & Kevin McCannIan & Pam McGawMatthew McInnesMacquarie Group FoundationMrs Toshiko MericHenry & Ursula MooserMilja & David MorrisMrs J MulveneyOrigin FoundationMr & Mrs OrtisDr A J PalmerMr Andrew C Patterson


sydney symphony 33

Learn how, with the people who know books

and writing best.

Faber Academyat ALLEN & UNWIN

T (02) 8425 0171 W allenandunwin.com/faberacademy

D O Y O U H A V E A S T O R Y T O

T E L L ?

To find out more about becominga Sydney Symphony Patron, pleasecontact the Philanthropy Officeon (02) 8215 4625 or [email protected]

Dr Natalie E PelhamAlmut PiattiRobin PotterTA & MT Murray-PriorDr Ra" QasabianMichael QuaileyErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment Pty LtdDr John Roarty oam in memory of Mrs June RoartyRobin RodgersLesley & Andrew RosenbergJulianna Schae! erCaroline SharpenDr Agnes E SinclairMrs Judith SouthamMrs Karen Spiegal-KeighleyCatherine StephenJohn & Alix SullivanThe Hon. Brian Sully qcMildred TeitlerKevin TroyJohn E TuckeyIn memory of Joan & Rupert VallentineDr Alla WaldmanMiss Sherry WangHenry & Ruth WeinbergThe Hon. Justice A G WhealyMs Kathy White in memory of Mr Geo! WhiteA Willmers & R PalMr & Mrs B C WilsonDr Richard WingMr Robert WoodsIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (12)

Bronze Patrons: Allegro $500–$999Mrs Lenore AdamsonDavid & Rae AllenMichael Baume ao & Toni BaumeBeauty Point Retirement ResortRichard & Margaret BellMrs Jan BiberMinnie BiggsMrs Elizabeth BoonMr Colin G BoothDr Margaret BoothMr Peter BraithwaiteMr Harry H BrianR D & L M BroadfootDr Miles Burgess

Pat & Jenny BurnettEric & Rosemary CampbellBarrie CarterMr Jonathan ChissickMrs Sandra ClarkMichael & Natalie CoatesCo! s Airport Security Car ParkJen CornishDom Cottam & Kanako ImamuraDegabriele KitchensPhil Diment am & Bill Zafi ropoulosDr David DixonElizabeth DonatiThe Dowe FamilyMrs Jane DrexlerDr Nita Durham & Dr James DurhamJohn FavaloroMs Julie Flynn & Mr Trevor CookMrs Lesley FinnMr John GadenVivienne GoldschmidtClive & Jenny GoodwinMs Fay GrearIn Memory of Angelica GreenMr Robert GreenMr & Mrs Harold & Althea HallidayMr Robert HavardRoger HenningSue HewittIn memory of Emil HiltonDorothy Hoddinott aoMr Joerg HofmannMr Angus HoldenMr Kevin HollandBill & Pam HughesDr Esther JanssenNiki KallenbergerMrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamChris J KitchingAron KleinlehrerAnna-Lisa KlettenbergMr & Mrs Giles T KrygerThe Laing FamilySonia LalDr Leo & Mrs Shirley LeaderMargaret LedermanMrs Erna Levy Sydney & Airdrie LloydMrs A LohanMrs Panee LowMelvyn MadiganBarbara MaidmentHelen & Phil MeddingsDavid Mills

Kenneth Newton MitchellMs Margaret Moore oam & Dr Paul Hutchins amHelen MorganChris Morgan-HunnMr Darrol NormanMr Graham NorthDr Margaret ParkerDr Kevin PedemontDr John PittMrs Greeba PritchardMr Patrick Quinn-GrahamMiss Julie RadosavljevicRenaissance ToursDr Marilyn RichardsonAnna RoMr Kenneth RyanMrs Pamela SayersGarry Scarf & Morgie BlaxillPeter & Virginia ShawMr & Mrs ShoreMrs Diane Shteinman amVictoria SmythDoug & Judy SotherenRuth StaplesMr & Mrs Ashley StephensonMargaret SuthersThe Taplin FamilyDr & Mrs H K TeyMrs Alma Toohey & Mr Edward SpicerJudge Robyn TupmanMrs M TurkingtonGillian Turner & Rob BishopMr & Mrs Franc VaccherProf Gordon E WallRonald WalledgeIn memory of Denis WallisThe Wilkinson FamilyEvan Williams am & Janet WilliamsAudrey & Michael WilsonDr Richard WingateDr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K WongGeo! Wood & Melissa WaitesMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (24)

List correct as of 1 October 2013


34 sydney symphony

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THE LEADING SCHOOL FOR TODAY’S MUSIC INDUSTRY

PLATINUM PARTNERS

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The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body

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It’s an extension of my body…

already; I can see it, and I can hear it.’

For the first few years in the job, says Leah, there’s no amount of preparation that compares with the experience of repeating a piece, and what that brings to your bank of skills. ‘Although I heard the words many times as a younger professional about “needing experience”, I don’t think I quite understood what that meant, what experience really can bring.

‘Having been in the orchestra for over 15 years, I feel like I’ve reached a different point of reference. It’s not that the music still always feels fresh, but most pieces you just take a different approach to. The only pieces that will ever feel tired to me are ones that I really dislike. For everything else, I just try to change and hopefully improve my perspective each time.’

For more information about donating to the instrument fund, contact Luke Gay at [email protected] or (02) 8215 4625.

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Like many of our musicians, Assistant Principal cellist Leah Lynn has a very close relationship with her instrument. ‘Most of the time, it’s like an extension of my body,’ she says, ‘it’s a comfortable and symbiotic relationship.’ Running around after three kids with her husband Richard, who plays double bass in the orchestra, sometimes leaves less than the ideal amount of time to practise. ‘If life has been busy and I’ve had too little time with my cello, the symbiotic sense is lost. It can feel like I’m holding some kind of strange “thing” – it can feel a bit alien.

A few years ago, the orchestra purchased a 1901 Vincenzo

Sannino cello, an acquisition made possible through our Instrument Fund; Leah was the very happy recipient of this magnificent Italian cello. ‘I’ve now got this new and expressive language of colour and timbre available to me. It has a sonority with which I can express myself so much better [than before].

‘The sound [of the Sannino] is just so close to my ideal sound, to what’s in my head. I think all music starts in the your head. When I was younger, I often thought – quite naively – that if I was to loose a sense, I would least mind losing my hearing, because I’ve got the music in my head

HELLO CELLOAssistant Principal cellist Leah Lynn is at one with her instrument.

ORCHESTRA NEWS | NOVEMBER 2013


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Our Education Partner Tenix recently gave three aspiring young Australian musicians the chance to travel to Sydney for the inaugural Tenix Sydney Symphony Orchestra Experience Day. Seventeen-year-old Grace Halloway (right) made the trip from Kingsley in Perth to take part in a private bassoon

lesson with SSO principal Noriko Shimada (left). With Madeline Baker (clarinet) and Murphy Guo (piano) from Victoria, Grace also enjoyed lunch with the SSO’s Fellows, a personalised Sydney Opera House tour with our Assistant Conductor Jessica Cottis, and a concert by the orchestra.

‘I absolutely loved the sound of the Wagner tubas in the Orchestral Adventure concert,’ writes one concert-goer. ‘They look like a euphonium given the once-over by Salvador Dali!’Wagner tubas are the brainchild of Richard Wagner, who was searching for a bridge in the sound between the horns and trombones at the time of composing his Ring cycle.

SSO horn player Marnie Sebire is often called on to play this notoriously unwieldy instrument: ‘Let’s just say it’s “interesting” to play!’ Despite the name, Wagner tubas are normally assigned to the horn section, rather than tuba players; the shape of the instrument might be very different to the horn, but the mouthpiece used is identical.

‘Wagner tubas have a few inherent flaws; often the notes don’t “centre”. On the horn, we can move our right hand around in the bell to alter the intonation, but we lose that advantage when the bell is pointing straight up.’ Instead the player has to alter the shape of their embouchure. ‘We’re always lipping up or down to get the notes in tune.’

Few composers use the instrument – Richard Strauss in some of his symphonic tone poems, Stravinsky in The Rite of Spring, Wagner of course – but every orchestra will own a set of four. ‘We need the instruments there for us to practise on and keep familiar,’ says Marnie. The SSO is currently investigating the purchase of a new set, at a cost of about $40,000.

Challenges aside, Marnie says the sound of the Wagner tuba is one of the most honest and honourable. ‘They have a rich, warm and resonant sound. When you’ve got a good quartet playing, it’s something very special.’Have a question about music, instruments of the inner workings of an orchestra? ‘Ask a Musician’ at [email protected] or by writing to Bravo! Reply Paid 4338, Sydney NSW 2001

Ask a MusicianEducation HighlightLove music. Will travel.

Kamikaze kookaburras. Cake and cookies from the Country Women’s Association. All in a day’s work for our SSO Fellows when they took to the road to join in the music-making at the Moorambilla Festival in September.

‘The festival’s a celebration of music which brings local communities together, and gives rural kids the opportunity to be involved in a large-scale musical event,’ says clarinet Fellow Som Howie. The heart of the festival was hosted at Coonamble, seven hours’ drive northwest of Sydney. ‘Some of the schools involved have only ten students enrolled, so without Moorambilla, it’s unlikely those kids would have the chance to sing in a large choir or music ensemble.’

Our Fellows, alongside other professional and amateur ensembles from Sydney, worked with local groups, sharing their passion and expertise. Events culminated in an enormous combined gala performance. Horn Fellow Brendan Parravicini found it a moving experience: ‘When we were accompanying the children’s choir, made up of hundreds of kids, I felt humbled to share in such a special occasion.’


Dancing with BrittenOur final set of concerts for the year offers ‘Variations on an English Theme’: music for the English, music by an Englishman, and music celebrating variation technique – sometimes all three at once!

And at the centre of the program is Britten’s Violin Concerto, which will also see the Australian debut of young Norwegian violinist, Vilde Frang.

Those who’ve heard Vilde Frang play know she’s a leading musician of her generation. She was discovered by Mariss Jansons at the age of 13, and last year made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Lucerne Festival, at which she received the 2012 Credit Suisse Young Artists Award.

It’s less well-known that she studied ballet for many years and dreamed of being a choreographer. Maybe it’s appropriate then that her current musical focus is the Britten – a concerto that ends with a Passacaglia, a massive set of dance variations.

The concerto begins with a sense of impending doom (it was composed in 1939) but also has a wonderful intensity to it. And the Passacaglia introduces the variation form that Britten loved so much (think Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra), making for an expansive and virtuosic finale. Ideal music for a violinist with dancing in her bones; ideal music for a violinist with multifaceted sound and a maturity that belies her youth.Variations on an English ThemeMaster Series11, 13, 14, December | 8pm

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JP ON THE VANGUARDPhilanthropy Focus

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‘The main thing is that people don’t know what they don’t know. If you say to someone who’s never seen the SSO, “Do you like this sort of music? Are you into it?” they’ll probably say “No”. But bring them to Vanguard – to a car park in Kings Cross, or a warehouse in Surry Hills – to witness the SSO playing our sort of music, and they walk away saying, “Wow. I really love that.” I haven’t brought anyone to Vanguard who hasn’t loved it and wanted to come back.’

In addition to the car park and the warehouse, Vanguard has hosted events in a basement and a brewery, and has raised over $45,000 to fund three year-long places in the SSO’s Sinfonia mentoring orchestra for talented young musicians.

‘We’re going to continue to push it, do new and creative things. The next one might be in an aircraft carrier,’ laughs JP, ‘or maybe we’ll launch the SSO blimp!’ Watch the skies…

Visit sydneysymphony.com/ vanguard for more information or contact Amelia Morgan-Hunn: [email protected] or (02) 8215 4663.

When Development Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn was interviewed for her job in 2010 she pitched us the idea of ‘SSO Vanguard’. It got us excited, and needless to say, she got the job!

One of the first to join Amelia on this initiative was Jonathan Pease, ‘JP’ to everyone. With a 20-year background in marketing and advertising for the biggest guns in town, JP jumped at the chance to do something for the greater cultural good. ‘I love art. I love music. I think without art and music around you, everything becomes extremely transactional and boring. I don’t want to live in a world without either. When Amelia invited me to be involved, it was a no-brainer.’

The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Vanguard encourages young philanthropists to discover and enjoy classical music by taking it into unexpected spaces. ‘We want a new audience to fall in love with music,’ says JP. ‘And we’re doing that by taking the orchestra out of the Opera House, giving it a twist, and making it more relevant for a Gen X–Y demographic. These are people who don’t have a season pass, and who may never go to the Opera House for a performance.’

JP (Jonathan Pease) was one of the first to join the SSO’s Vanguard Collective.


SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUSTMr John Symond AM [Chair]Mr Wayne Blair, Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Renata Kaldor AO, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Robert Leece AM RFD, Mr Peter Mason AM, Mr Leo Schofi eld AM, Mr Robert Wannan

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENTChief Executive Offi cer Louise Herron AM

Chief Operating Offi cer Claire SpencerDirector, Programming Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre and Events David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development and Maintenance Greg McTaggartDirector, External Affairs Brook TurnerDirector, Commercial David Watson

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSEBennelong Point GPO Box 4274, Sydney NSW 2001Administration (02) 9250 7111 Box Offi ce (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666 Website www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Clocktower Square, Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4644Box Offi ce (02) 8215 4600Facsimile (02) 8215 4646www.sydneysymphony.com

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily refl ect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.

Please address all correspondence to the Publications Editor: Email [email protected]

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By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specifi ed on the title page of this publication 17191 — 1/081113 — 33 S89/90

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Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan Ziegler

Operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin

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BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravo

SSO FAMILYFirst violinist Alexandra Mitchell and husband Charles welcomed daughter Chloe in September. She didn’t give her mum much time to recover from the rigours of Wagner before demanding her entry to the world. Brava Alex!

CONDOLENCESWe were saddened to learn of the death of Douglas Trengove, a horn player with the SSO for 42 years. In a Sydney Morning Herald review from 1962, he was praised for the ‘liquescent cut and curl of the passagework’ in Mozart’s Horn Quintet. Our thoughts are with Douglas’s wife Barbara, children Christopher and Caroline, and extended family and friends.

NEW CHAIR PATRONSWe’re delighted to announce two new Chair Patrons for the orchestra. The Principal Flute Chair (Janet Webb), is now supported by Helen Lynch AM & Helen Bauer. And Corrs

Chambers Westgarth have come on board to support the Principal Second Violin Chair (Kirsty Hilton). Our Chair Patrons program –formerly Directors’ Chairs – builds special relationships between our musicians and members of our community of supporters. For more information, call (02) 8215 4619.

STUDENT RUSHDid you know we offer student rush tickets to many of our concerts? Follow our Facebook page to find out where, when, and how many. Tickets are always strictly limited, but you’ll often spend no more than $15. Bargain!

FELLOWS ON FILMWhy does Brendan Parravicini call the SSO Fellowship program an ‘arranged marriage’? Get to know our 2013 Fellows through a series of short videos, created by Premier Partner Credit Suisse: bit.ly/5MinutesWithTheFellows

3 x 3August and September saw us present three world premieres in three weeks. John Adams’ Saxophone

Concerto, Mary Finsterer’s Double Bass Concerto, and Compassion by Lior and Nigel Westlake, were heard by more than 10,000 people, thanks to ABC Classic FM broadcasts and our webcast of the Lior-Westlake concert.

INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENTFly with Emirates and enjoy the SSO in flight! A selection of webcast performances – including our 2010 performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy – can now be viewed on Emirates’ ice, which recently took out the award for best inflight entertainment system for the ninth year running in the Skytrax Awards.

CATCHING THE WORMOur 2014 Season Emirates Early Bird prize has been won by Mrs Margaret Harlow, an SSO subscriber for more than 17 years. Mrs Harlow (and a lucky travel partner) will fly Emirates’ luxurious business class to Dubai and enjoy five nights in the JW Marriot Marquis Dubai. Congratulations!

CODA


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