PROGRAM Rory Macdonald Piano Louis Schwizgebel (Australian debut) Prokofiev Classical Symphony Ravel Piano Concerto in G Haydn Symphony No.88* Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1919 version)

PROGRAM April – May

SEASON 2016

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CONTENTSAPRIL & MAY

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Conductor Rory Macdonald Piano Louis Schwizgebel (Australian debut)

Prokofiev Classical Symphony Ravel Piano Concerto in G Haydn Symphony No.88*

Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1919 version)

*Performed on 23 April

2

SAT 23 APR 7.30PM

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PROGRAM April & May 3

Maxim Vengerov Violin

Mahler famously commented to fellow composer Sibelius that ‘a symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything’.

But in his Symphony No.1, Classical, Prokofiev deliberately shuns the deep and meaningful baggage that the symphony accumulated in the 19th century and reverts to the simpler world of the 18th-century symphony – specifically, the symphony of the ‘Classical Period’. The Classical Symphony largely replicates the dimensions of the 18th-century orchestra and the general shape and durations of the 18th-century symphony (the entire work lasts for approximately 15 minutes, which is less than the opening movement alone of Beethoven’s four-movement Eroica).

But this is not to suggest that Prokofiev’s Symphony No.1 is an exercise in stylistic fakery. Prokofiev’s aim was not so much to write faux Haydn as to write the kind of symphony that Haydn might have composed had he lived in the first quarter of the 20th century. The opening movement, Allegro con brio, for example, adheres to the conventions of Classical sonata form but it is spiced up with sudden shifts in tonality and metre. This is unquestionably 20th-century music. The slow movement, Larghetto, is gently understated, and with its delicate violins and graceful lilt evokes the Russian ballet-music tradition (Prokofiev would go on to compose some of the most significant ballets of the 20th century, notably Romeo and Juliet). The brief third movement, Gavotte, offers dance music of a different kind while the spirited Finale brings a return to the breathlessness of the first movement and recalls the rollicking good humour of Haydn’s finales.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Symphony No.1 in D, Op.25 Classical

Allegro con brioLarghettoGavotte (Non troppo allegro)Finale (Molto vivace)

In its early days the symphony was basically a collection of reasonably short contrasting movements; sometimes three, sometimes four. Musicologist Richard Taruskin has described the 18th-century symphony as ‘aristocratic party music’; in other words, diversionary music that wasn’t designed to place huge demands upon the listener. In Haydn’s and Mozart’s hands the symphony became longer and weightier but it remained essentially music for entertainment. But in the hands of Beethoven, beginning with his Symphony No.3, Eroica, in 1805, the symphony became much longer and much more intense. It became not so much a piece of music that was listened to, as a piece of music that was experienced. That is to say, the symphony became invested with ideas (‘universal brotherhood’ in the case of Beethoven’s Ninth), stories (‘an episode in the life of an artist’ in Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique), places (Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony) and highly charged emotions (Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony).

PROGRAM NOTES

4 PROGRAM April & May

Prokofiev was in his mid-20s when he composed the Symphony No.1. It was premiered in Petrograd (i.e. St. Petersburg) in April 1918 under the baton of the composer. Prokofiev left Russia for the United States some months later (thus missing the October Revolution) and introduced the work to American audiences in December that year when he conducted it at Carnegie Hall. Astonishingly, respected critic Henry Krehbiel dismissed it as ‘puerile’. Presumably, for him, the symphony as a genre ought to plumb the depths and scale the heights. In the Classical Symphony Prokofiev simply wished to entertain.

© Robert Gibson 2014

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Piano Concerto in G

Allegramente Adagio assai PrestoLouis Schwizgebel, Piano

It is scarcely surprising that Ravel wrote two of the greatest piano concertos of the 20th century. He was, after all, a concert pianist himself, as well as a composer of the highest calibre for solo piano, and arguably the greatest orchestrator of his generation. What was unexpected, however, was that he took so long to get around to the task, only

writing the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and the Piano Concerto in G simultaneously at the end of his career.

During the 1920s, Ravel began frequenting Paris’ jazz clubs and in 1928, while on a concert tour in America, he encountered Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and met the composer. This influence is most clearly observable in the G major Piano Concerto. His admiration for Rhapsody is obvious in the first movement of his concerto, where the themes have a distinctly Gershwinesque feel. Ravel originally intended to perform the solo part of the concerto himself (which may explain why it is written with much more of a jazz feel than the Left Hand Concerto written for Paul Wittgenstein), but in the end his ailing health prevented him from doing so. Instead, the concerto was premiered by Marguerite Long at the Salle Pleyel in 1932, with Ravel conducting.

For all its hipness, there is no mistaking that this is a ‘classical’ concerto in the strict, Mozartian sense of the term. Ravel believed that ‘the music of a concerto should … be light-hearted and brilliant, and not aim at profundity or dramatic effects’. Indeed so keen was Ravel to keep the concerto from self-indulgent solemnity that he considered calling it a ‘Divertissement’. In any case, it became a true concerto in which fun, self-parody and exquisite beauty all play their part; but there is a ‘brittleness’ in the concerto’s high spirits, not to mention a pervasive and ‘in-spite-of-itself’ sadness to the slow movement.

It begins, appropriately enough, with a crack-of-the-whip and it barely stops racing during the entire first movement. Scored with virtuosic dexterity and lightness, the jazzy rhythm drives on through spiky arpeggios in the piano, a piccolo solo, tremolos and pizzicati in the strings, and a trumpet solo. Even the harp takes the spotlight, while a mixture of broad, lurching, Gershwinesque themes dominates the middle section.

PROGRAM NOTES


PROGRAM NOTES

The sense of purpose never falters, and before breath can be drawn, the movement hurtles to its abrupt conclusion.

The sublime Adagio was modelled on the equivalent movement in Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Writing painstakingly, Ravel agonised over this movement for months, confessing later that it ‘almost killed him’. Its prevailing mood is that of a nocturne, and the piano’s achingly beautiful main theme seems almost hesitant, yet somehow inexorable and assured.

The finale is supposedly a rondo (although at this frenetic pace it’s not easy to tell), and is filled with jazz sounds and dazzling piano effects. It presents percussive flourishes, trombone glissandi and brief snatches of big band imitations from brass and woodwind, before racing on to its sudden but emphatic end.

Abridged from a note by Martin Buzacott © Symphony Australia

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Symphony No.88 in G

Adagio – AllegroLargoMenuetto e Trio (Allegretto)Finale (Allegro con spirito)

Following the success of Haydn’s set of six Paris symphonies (Nos 82-87) in 1787, Paris, still in its pre-Revolutionary heyday, was to take his next five symphonies as well. Johann Tost, a former violinist in Haydn’s orchestra, visited Paris in 1788 carrying with him Nos 88 and 89, which he sold to the publisher Sieber. In 1788, too, Count d’Ogny, who had commissioned the first six Paris symphonies for the Concert de la Loge Olympique, requested a further three (Nos 90-92).

Following a slow introduction, the first-movement Allegro makes a disarmingly modest entrance, soon unbuttoning into a merry scamper. The slow movement is a set of variations on a beatific melody, first heard in the delicate sonority of solo oboe supported by solo cello. Not only is the intrusion of trumpets and kettledrums at bar 41 loud and forceful, but Parisians had never before experienced such instruments in the traditional serenity of a symphonic slow movement. Trumpets and timpani assist vigorously in the stamping rhythms of an earthy peasant dance in the Menuetto, while a bagpipe-like drone underpins the central Trio section.

Like the first movement, the Finale opens in a mood of innocent pleasantry and proceeds in the brilliant, yet musically complex, combination of sonata and rondo form to which Haydn was increasingly attached, until it culminates in a spectacular canon between the upper and lower strings. The display of contrapuntal virtuosity exhausted, it remains only to restate the material in its original innocence, then rein in on an imposing cadence before ending in a jubilant sprint.

Abridged from a note ©Anthony Cane


Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Firebird Suite (1919)

Introduction The Firebird and her Dance Variation of the FirebirdThe Princesses’ Round (Khorovod)Infernal Dance of King KashcheiBerceuseFinale

The Russian fairy-tale world was irresistibly exotic to European audiences in the early 20th century, so for the 1910 Paris season of the Ballets Russes, artistic director Sergei Diaghilev commissioned Anatoly Liadov to compose a score to Mikhail Fokine’s scenario and choreography.

When Liadov failed to deliver, Diaghilev turned to the 28-year-old Stravinsky. The ballet would be the largest single piece composed by Stravinsky to date, and would require what the composer in retrospect derided as ‘descriptive’ music, composed to a scenario not of his choosing, and with a deadline that was frighteningly close. But such things concentrate the mind wonderfully, and in The Firebird, Stravinsky emerges as a major composer of the 20th century, while bringing to a radiant close the Russian Romantic tradition.

Fokine’s original scenario for the ballet brings together characters from three strands of Russian folklore: the Firebird – a phoenix; Kashchei the Deathless, a demon attended by monsters, who abducts maidens and turns knights to stone; and Ivan Tsarevich, who personifies a nationalist, indeed imperial, heroism.

The story begins in the enchanted forest that surrounds Kashchei’s castle. The Introduction begins in the sepulchral depths of the orchestra, rising to fluttering wind figurations and a fragmentary, plaintive oboe solo. The Firebird’s dance, as she enters pursued by Ivan Tsarevich, is a spritely waltz clothed in brilliant orchestral colour that dissolves into scurrying flute textures as Ivan captures her. The Firebird begs for her freedom and promises to come to his aid should he ever require it; as a token of her promise she gives him a plume from her tail. Moving deeper into the forest, Ivan finds himself in the garden of Kashchei’s castle. Thirteen princesses appear and play a game with golden apples; Ivan, enchanted by the thirteenth princess’s beauty, reveals his presence and they all perform a stately round-dance (Khorovod) to a Russian folk-tune.

Kashchei’s monsters appear, capturing Ivan as Kashchei arrives. The monsters attempt to turn Ivan to stone in the face of the princesses’ pleas for mercy. Ivan summons the Firebird, who casts a spell on the monsters. An exhilarating Infernal Dance follows. The Firebird dances a Berceuse, or lullaby, putting Kashchei and the monsters into a magic sleep and telling Ivan that he must destroy the egg in which Kashchei keeps his soul.

PROGRAM NOTES


As Kashchei awakes, Ivan does so, thus destroying the evil demon. In the single-movement finale, a long-breathed melody passed from solo horn through the full orchestra announces the destruction of evil and the reawakening of the knights whom Kashchei had turned to stone. Ivan, naturally, marries the thirteenth princess in music of great ecstasy.

The Firebird was premiered by the Ballets Russes in Paris on 25 June 1910 in a performance conducted by Gabriel Pierné. Mikhail Fokine was the choreographer and danced the role of Ivan Tsarevich; Tamara Karsavina was the Firebird.

In 1919, Stravinsky created the second of three suites, one which he hoped would be attractive to concert promoters in its brevity and smaller orchestration. It is this suite that you hear in this performance.

Adapted from a note by Gordon Kerry © 2009/13

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Conductor Vassilis Christopoulos Piano Nikolai Demidenko, Soloist-in-Residence

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1* Piano Concerto No.3

Coriolan Overture Piano Concerto No.4

*Performed on 21 May

8

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This C major concerto calls for a slightly larger orchestra than its predecessor, employing clarinets, trumpets and timpani, and while they are used quite sparingly, they bring with them a greater expressive range within the orchestra.

Where the opening movement of the B flat work uses up to nine themes, here in the opening to the C major work this is reduced to a rather more manageable four. Again there is a lengthy orchestral ritornello. Indeed we hear the second subject, in the comparatively distant key of E flat, before the soloist enters. When at last we do hear the piano, it’s with an entirely new idea which makes only a fleeting appearance in the concerto as a whole.

This opening movement is laid out on a grand scale and calls for extreme virtuosity from the soloist. It’s in movements like this that we gain some idea of just what a good pianist Beethoven himself must have been. It and the Largo which follows were singled out for particular praise when the work was reviewed in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in 1800.

The Largo moves into the key of A flat with a glorious melody which generates great richness of tone throughout the orchestra. There is an inherently ‘poetic’ feeling in the rapt stillness of this movement and it’s filled with subtle lyrical invention, ending with a coda in which the piano weaves in and out of the clarinets.

Then Beethoven repeats the formula not only of his ‘Second’ Concerto but also of those of Mozart in finishing with a boisterous Rondo. Its ‘scherzando’ nature is characterised by an almost vulgar main theme on piano and then a series of folk-like dance episodes, as if the listener is transported into some local holiday celebration.

© Martin Buzacott

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Piano Concerto No.1 in C, Op.15

Allegro con brioLargoRondo (Allegro)

When Beethoven first performed this concerto in Prague in 1798, it had a demoralising effect on his peers. ‘Beethoven’s magnificent playing and particularly daring flights of his improvisation moved me strangely,’ the Czech pianist and composer Václav Jan Tomášek wrote subsequently. ‘Indeed I felt so humbled that I did not touch my own piano for several days afterwards.’ Given an impact like that, together with the fact that Beethoven himself thought highly enough of the concerto to write out three different cadenzas for it, it’s surprising that he described it to a publisher as ‘not one of my best compositions of that type’. (He’d said a similar thing about his first concerto, now known as No.2. Evidently the young Beethoven had a lot to learn about stimulating a publisher’s interest and negotiating a fee!). In any case, despite having been composed at least two years after the B flat concerto, this C major work was the first to be published and hence bears the title of ‘No.1’.

In fact Beethoven had performed both of his first two concertos on that visit to Prague in 1798, playing this one on the first night and ‘No.2’ on the second.

PROGRAM NOTES


The energy of the first movement is remarkable: it has the confidence, the robustness of Beethoven’s first maturity, the period of the Kreutzer Sonata for piano and violin, and the Eroica Variations for piano solo.

The Largo begins in extraordinary calm, a mysterious effect like unearthly suspended motion, heightened by the choice of a key, E major, very distant from the C minor of the first movement. The theme, spacious, sublime yet emotional in expression, sounds a new voice which Beethoven brought to music. Later it is decorated in a richly florid manner, developing into an imitation of an operatic singer’s cadenza. In the middle part of the movement the sonorities are romantically atmospheric, as flute and bassoon exchange antiphonal phrases over rolling piano arpeggios, the piano below and pizzicato strings playing above.

The Rondo shows Beethoven in his ‘unbuttoned’ mood – a rollicking theme of rustic flavour, with the irregular accents of some peasant dance. The snapping rhythm continues in the second theme, separated from the first by a striking passage of C minor wind chords alternating with piano arpeggios. Some of the episodes of this Rondo are predominantly lyrical, others more forceful, and there is a passage of fugato development. Beethoven must have enjoyed playing this concerto, which reveals the lyrical, assertive and humorous aspects of his musical personality in such equable balance – the piano keeps the lead to the end in a presto C major coda, with off-beat interjections for the woodwinds: a high-spirited ending, like an opera buffa finale, in which the composer again joins hands with Mozart.

Abridged from a note by David Garrett © 2003

Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37

Allegro con brioLargoRondo (Allegro)

‘You and I will never be able to do anything like that!’ exclaimed Beethoven to fellow-pianist and composer Johann Baptist Cramer, as they listened to a rehearsal of the last movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor (K491). Beethoven’s reaction may have seemed incredible to the Beethoven-worshipping generations whose appreciation of Mozart was partial and patronising, but great musicians know how to appraise each other, and Beethoven’s admiration for Mozart is obvious from his music as well as from his words. When in 1803 he composed for the first time a piano concerto in a minor key, Beethoven chose the key of Mozart’s great tragic C minor concerto. No work illustrates better than Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto the similarities and contrasts between his concertos and those of his greatest predecessor in this form of music.

Beethoven’s Third Concerto is altogether more expansive than its part-model by Mozart, but also less concentrated in effect, more varied in mood and less dominated by the minor key. The first movement’s orchestral exposition shifts early into the major, and this alternation becomes a feature of the concerto. It opens with a very long orchestral presentation of the themes, including a flowing, warm and lyrical one: fine music, but like a symphony rather than a concerto – when will the piano play? Its eventual entry is a bold one, rushing furiously up the keyboard in a scale of C minor, but it is no surprise to find that in his subsequent two piano concertos Beethoven brought the piano in at the start.

PROGRAM NOTES


Overture to Coriolan, Op.62

‘After the unsuccessful first production of his only opera, Fidelio, Beethoven channelled his composing for the theatre into incidental music for the plays of others – above all the overtures to Coriolan (1807) and Egmont (1810). Both plays readily captured the imagination of the passionate and committed composer in this middle period of his creative life. Beethoven in his overtures seized on the vital principles of conflict and summed them up in powerful, musically self-sufficient tone poems.

He composed the Coriolan overture for a drama by Heinrich Collin, a contemporary poet doubtless familiar with Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, which was written on very similar lines. The title character of both plays is one Gaius Marcius, a Roman general who was bestowed the honorary name of Coriolanus following his conquest of the Volsci people of Corioli. When he is banished from Rome for tyrannical conduct, he leads the Volsci against Rome and is subsequently executed (in Collin’s version he commits suicide).

Powerful chords in the overture’s introduction reflect the iron determination of the hero in his resolve to reconquer and restore peace to Rome, and his stern rejection of embassies from the city which he now holds under siege. Subsequent vacillating figures reveal the self-doubt that tortures him at the thought of the famine-stricken Roman people and the pleadings of his family. The conflict in his mind is worked out in a powerful development which leads to gradual disintegration and a swift final collapse at the recognition that only the sacrifice of his own life will bring peace without loss of honour.

© Anthony Cane

Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58

Allegro moderatoAndante con moto Rondo (Vivace)

The question of how to begin is a judicious one and, for a composer so attuned to the effect of novelty on audiences as Ludwig van Beethoven, one of some consequence. Accordingly, we see that in his Fourth Piano Concerto he broke with established traditions and allowed the soloist to have the first word. Given this innovation, it seems surprising that after two initial performances the work remained obscure until Mendelssohn’s famous revival in 1836. Its first performance had been before a select audience in March 1807 at the home of Prince Lobkowitz, a leading patron, about a year after its completion (although delays in securing a publisher likely allowed for adjustments to be made until late in the year). Its second outing was at a marathon concert at the Theater an der Wien in December 1808, during which were also heard the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Mass in C, and the Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, the composer appearing as both conductor and soloist.

The pianist’s introduction of the principal theme is subdued, and like many of Beethoven’s works from the time it is built on repeated-note patterns. The orchestra responds quietly and unexpectedly in the distant key of B major, although a return to the home key is swiftly engineered for the customary orchestral tutti. A contemporary account of this passage offers an amusing insight into the idiosyncratic way Beethoven exerted himself in performance: Louis Spohr, a violinist at the 1808 performance, records that at the first sforzando the composer

PROGRAM NOTES


Although it begins quietly, the theme of the final movement is driven by a bold and pervasive rhythm (a repeated-note pattern again at its core), while the overall buoyant character is enhanced by the introduction of trumpets and timpani. Through changes in tempo and mood (and a further cadenza), the coda balances in its novelty, while the orchestra’s insistent restating of the movement’s rhythmic motto over the final bars ensures a triumphant close.

Scott Davie © 2015

‘threw out his arms so wide that he knocked over both the lamps from the music stand of the piano’, leading the audience to erupt into ‘a bacchanalian riot’ as the musicians started anew, resulting in widespread inattention throughout the movement. The composer was highly esteemed for his keyboard skills, and the soloist’s passagework is appropriately detailed and refined, often forming a secondary line to principal themes. While cadenzas were later penned by a rollcall of greats (Brahms, Anton Rubinstein, Busoni and Godowsky among them), the concerto is now typically heard with the longer of two written by the composer.

The second movement is notable for its innovative structure and stands in contrast to the expansive opening movement through its relative brevity. It takes the form of a dialogue between piano and orchestra, in which the latter’s forceful insistency is slowly tempered by the former’s muted entreaties, a setting which drew comparisons to Gluck’s portrayal of Orfeo calming the Furies in his opera Orfeo ed Euridice. However, in this wordless scenario the narrative gains in substance, and in fine performances the music is capable of attaining near-philosophical significance.

PROGRAM NOTES

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Rory MacdonaldConductor

One of the brightest stars of the younger generation of conductors, Rory Macdonald's career was launched following assisting roles with Ivan Fischer at the Budapest Festival Orchestra (2001-2003), and Sir Mark Elder and the Halle Orchestra (2006-2008). Macdonald draws out distinctive interpretations of classical and romantic repertoire, and brings passion and intellectual insight to contemporary scores.

Rory Macdonald studied music at Cambridge University, and plays violin and piano. While at university he studied under David Zinman and Jorma Panula at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen.

In December 2013, Macdonald stood in for Mariss Jansons for two concerts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Beijing and at the Sydney Opera House.

Recent guest conducting engagements have included the London, Bergen, Nagoya, and Copenhagen Philharmonics, Royal Philharmonic, BBC, BBC Scottish, Bournemouth, Adelaide, Queensland, and West Australian Symphonies, Royal Scottish National, Wiener KammerOrchester, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Louis SchwizgebelPiano

Born in Geneva in 1987, Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel has been described as an “insightful musician” by the New York Times (May 2013) and “already one of the great masters of the piano” by Res Musica (July 2014).

Schwizgebel has performed with the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre National de Lyon, Nagoya, Macao and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's (NYC) amongst others. He has worked with conductors such as Edward Gardner, Thierry Fischer, Joshua Weilerstein, Fabio Luisi, Leonard Slatkin, Louis Langrée, Alondra de la Parra, James Gaffigan, and Fabian Gabel.

In the 2015/16 season Schwizgebel returns to the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Lucerne Symphony and makes his debut with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich/Bringuier and Munich Symphony/Altstaedt. Further afield he makes his debut with the Utah Symphony, NAC Ottawa, Winnipeg and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.

Schwizgebel studied with Brigitte Meyer in Lausanne and Pascal Devoyon in Berlin, and then later at the Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald, and at London’s Royal Academy of Music with Pascal Nemirovski.

Schwizgebel is grateful for the support he has received from the Migros Culture Percentage, Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund and Animato Foundation.

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Vassilis Christopoulos Conductor

Vassilis Christopoulos is one of Greece’s most renowned conductors. He has conducted prestigious orchestras such as London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Salzburg’s Mozarteumorchester, the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Hessisches Staatsorchester Wiesbaden, the Bremer Philharmoniker, the Qatar Philharmonic, and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. Engagements in 2016-2017 include débuts with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and the Flanders Symphony Orchestra as well as reinvitations from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire in France, and the Mozarteumorchester.

His wide opera repertoire ranges from Baroque to the 21st century. Earlier this year he conducted a much acclaimed Elektra by Richard Strauss at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden. He has been Artistic Director of the Athens State Orchestra from 2011 to 2014, and Chief Conductor of the Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra of Constance from 2005 to 2015. He has been conferred Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Republic.

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Nikolai DemidenkoPiano (Soloist-in-Residence)

Authoritative and virtuosic interpretations of over fifty concerti specifically those of Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky have brought Nikolai worldwide recognition and critical acclaim.

Nikolai has worked with many renowned conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Sir Roger Norrington, Vladimir Fedoseyev and orchestras: St Petersburg Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra. Devoted recitalist, Nikolai gave solo performances on major venues around the world including most recently at the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory.

Nikolai’s extensive discography consists of nearly 40 CDs. For Hyperion Records he recorded over 20 albums including Gramophone Editor’s Choice award winning album of Medtner and Music for two Pianos (with Dmitri Alexeev). Demidenko won prizes at the Montreal International Music Competition and at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 2014 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey.


(NOT) THE LAST NIGHT

OF THE PROMS

Join Queensland Symphony Orchestra for a riotous night of popular classics,

patriotism and Pomp and Circumstance.

PRESENTED BY QSO AND NAB

7.30PM THUR 23 JUNBrisbane City Hall

BOOK NOW !qso.com.au

Supported by


BRISBANE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRESAT 30 JULY, 7.30PMPresented by SkyHigh & Queensland Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with BCEC

BOOK NOW AT QTIXALAGNA.COM.AU

SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST

SIOBHAN STAGGCONDUCTOR

STEFANO MICELI

ORCHESTRA

QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA

“ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST TENORS” - NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW

BOOK NOW !

qso.com.au

FRI 19 AUG 7.30PMConcert Hall, QPAC

Conductor Yu Long Piano Javier Perianes

Qigang Chen Enchantements oubliésSaint-Saëns Piano Concerto No.5 The Egyptian

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5

QSO PLAYS TCHAIK 5

20 PROGRAM April & May lexusofbrisbane.com.au

CONCERTMASTERWarwick AdeneyProf. Ian Frazer AC & Mrs Caroline FrazerBarbara Jean Hebden BequestCathryn Mittelheuser AMJohn Story AO & Georgina Story

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTERAlan SmithArthur Waring

FIRST VIOLINStephen Phillips Dr Graham & Mrs Kate Row

Rebecca Seymour Ashley Harris

Brenda Sullivan Heidi and Hans Rademacher Anonymous

Stephen Tooke Tony & Patricia Keane

SECTION PRINCIPAL SECOND VIOLINWayne BrennanArthur Waring

SECOND VIOLINDelia Kinmont Jordan & Pat Pearl

Natalie Low Dr Ralph & Mrs Susan Cobcroft

Helen TraversElinor & Tony Travers

VIOLACharlotte Burbrook de Vere Di Jameson

Graham Simpson Alan Galwey

SECTION PRINCIPAL CELLODavid LaleArthur Waring

CELLOKathryn Close Dr Graham & Mrs Kate Row

Andre Duthoit Anne Shipton

Matthew Kinmont Dr Julie Beeby

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL DOUBLE BASSDushan WalkowiczSophie Galaise

DOUBLE BASSJustin BullockMichael Kenny & David Gibson

Paul O'BrienRoslyn Carter

SECTION PRINCIPAL FLUTEDr Damien Thomson & Dr Glenise Berry

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL FLUTEHayley RadkeDesmond B Misso Esq

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL OBOESarah MeagherSarah and Mark Combe

OBOEAlexa MurrayDr Les & Ms Pam Masel

SECTION PRINCIPAL CLARINETIrit SilverArthur Waring

CLARINETKate TraversDr Julie Beeby

SECTION PRINCIPAL BASSOONNicole TaitIn memory of Margaret Mittelheuser AM

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL BASSOONDavid MitchellJohn & Helen Keep

SECTION PRINCIPAL FRENCH HORNMalcolm StewartArthur Waring

FRENCH HORNPeter LuffShirley Leuthner

Lauren ManuelGaelle Lindrea

SECTION PRINCIPAL TRUMPETSarah ButlerMrs Andrea Kriewaldt

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPETRichard MaddenElinor & Tony Travers

TRUMPETPaul RawsonBarry, Brenda, Thomas & Harry Moore

SECTION PRINCIPAL TROMBONEJason RedmanFrances & Stephen Maitland OAM RFD

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONEDale TruscottPeggy Allen Hayes

PRINCIPAL TUBAThomas AllelyArthur Waring

PRINCIPAL HARPJill AtkinsonNoel & Geraldine Whittaker

PRINCIPAL TIMPANITim CorkeronDr Philip Aitken & Dr Susan UrquhartPeggy Allen Hayes

SECTION PRINCIPAL PERCUSSIONDavid MontgomeryDr Graham & Mrs Kate Row

PERCUSSIONJosh DeMarchiDr Graham & Mrs Kate Row

Thank you

Chair Donors support an individual musician’s role within the orchestra and gain fulfilment through personal interactions with their chosen musician.

CHAIR DONORS


PLATINUM PATRON ($500,000+)Timothy Fairfax ACTim Fairfax Family FoundationHarold Mitchell AC

DIAMOND PATRON ($250,000 - $499,000)The Pidgeon FamilyT & J St Baker Charitable TrustArthur Waring

PATRON ($100,000 - $249,000)Philip Bacon GalleriesProf. Ian Frazer AC and Mrs Caroline FrazerBarbara Jean Hebden BequestJellinbah GroupCathryn Mittelheuser AMJohn B Reid AO and Lynn Rainbow ReidDr Peter SherwoodJohn Story AO and Georgina StoryGreg and Jan WanchapNoel and Geraldine Whittaker

MAESTRO ($50,000 - $99,999)Bank of QueenslandPage and Marichu MaxsonMrs Beverley June Smith

SYMPHONY ($20,000 - $49,999)Dr Philip Aitken and Dr Susan UrquhartDr Julie BeebyEnglish Family PrizePeggy Allen HayesDi Jameson Mrs Andrea KriewaldtFrances and Stephen Maitland OAM RFDDesmond B Misso Esq.In memory of Margaret Mittelheuser AMJustice Anthe Philippides

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Dr Graham and Mrs Kate RowDr Damien Thomson and Dr Glenise BerryRodney WylieAnonymous

CONCERTO ($10,000 - $19,999)David and Judith Beal Mrs Roslyn CarterDr John H. Casey Dr Ralph and Mrs Susan CobcroftMrs I.L. DeanTony Denholder and Scott Gibson Sophie GalaiseAlan GalweyDr Edward C. Gray Dr and Mrs W.R. Heaslop Gwenda HeginbothomMs Marie IsacksonJohn and Helen KeepM. Lejeune Dr Les and Ms Pam MaselIn memory of Mr and Mrs J.C. Overell Ian PatersonMr Jordan and Mrs Pat PearlHeidi and Hans RademacherAnne ShiptonElinor and Tony TraversAnonymous

SCHERZO ($5,000 - $9,999)Prof. Margaret BarrettTrudy BennettMrs Valma BirdDr John and Mrs Jan BlackfordKay BryanDr Betty Byrne Henderson AMMrs Elva EmmersonDr Edgar Gold AM, QC and Dr Judith Gold CM Prof. Ian Gough AM and Dr Ruth Gough

Fred and Maria HansenAshley Harris Dr Alison HollowayTony and Patricia KeaneMichael Kenny and David Gibson Shirley LeuthnerGaelle LindreaBarry, Brenda, Thomas and Harry MooreKathleen Y. NowikJohn and Jennifer Stoll Mrs Gwen WarhurstProf. Hans and Mrs Frederika WestermanMargaret and Robert WilliamsHelen Zappala Anonymous

RONDO ($1,000 - $4,999)Julieanne AlroeJill AtkinsonEmeritus Professor Cora V. Baldock Dr Geoffrey Barnes and in memory of Mrs Elizabeth BarnesProfessors Catherin Bull AM and Dennis Gibson AOM. Burke Peter and Tricia CallaghanMrs J. A. Cassidy Drew and Christine CastleyGreg and Jacinta ChalmersCherrill and David CharltonIan and Penny CharltonRobert ClelandSarah and Mark Combe Roger Cragg Julie Crozier and Peter HopsonMs D.K. CunninghamDr Beverley Czerwonka-LedezJustice Martin DaubneyLaurie James DeaneRalph DohertyIn memory of Mrs Marjorie Douglas

Queensland Symphony Orchestra is proud to acknowledge the generosity and support of our valued donors.

DONORS


Garth and Floranne Everson Dr Bertram and Mrs Judith Frost C.M. and I.G. Furnival In memory of Lorraine GardinerGraeme and Jan George Hans Gottlieb Lea and John GreenawayYvonne HansenMadeleine Harasty David HardidgeHarp Society of Queensland Inc Lisa Harris Chip Hedges Pty LtdTed and Frances HenzellPatrick and Enid Hill Prof. Ken Ho and Dr Tessa HoSylvia HodgsonLynette Hunter Sandra Jeffries and Brian CookJohn and Wendy Jewell Anna Jones Ainslie JustDr Colin and Mrs Noela KratzingSabina LangenhanDr Frank LeschhornRachel LeungLynne and Franciose LipProf. Andrew and Mrs Kate ListerJim and Maxine MacMillan Belinda McKay and Cynthia Parrill Annalisa and Tony MeikleIn memory of Jolanta Metter G.D. MoffettB and D MooreMartin Moynihan AO QC

and Marg O’Donnell AOHoward and Katherine MunroJohn and Robyn MurrayRon and Marise NilssonCharles and Brenda Pywell Dr Phelim ReillyMr Dennis Rhind In memory of Pat RichesJoan Ross Chris and Judith SchullBernard and Margaret SpilsburyM.A. StevensonBarb and Dan StylesKatherine Trent and Paul ReedWilliam TurnbullH.R. Venton Tanya Viano I.S and H. WilkeyJeanette WoodyattAnonymous (46)

VARIATIONS ($500 - $999)Don BarrettWilliam and Erica Batt Manus BoyceMrs Verna CafferkyAlison G. CameronConstantine CaridesElene Carides W.R. and H. CastlesDr Alice CavanaghFrancis N. ClarkTerry and Jane Daubney Dr C. DavisonR.R & B.A Garnett Donald Grant and David HillShirley HeeneyRichard Hodgson

Jacobitz Family Miss Dulcie LittleThe Honourable Justice J.A. Logan, RFDIn memory of Mr David Morwood T. and M.M. ParkesMartin and Margot QuinnMr Rolf and Mrs Christel SchaferSmith FamilyJudith Smith and FamilyDr B. Srinivasan Pat StevensAnonymous (35)

JOHN FARNSWORTH HALL CIRCLENamed in honour of the first Chief Conductor of QSO (1947-1954)

Roberta Bourne Henry

All enquiries, please call Gaelle Lindrea on (07) 3833 5050

Instruments on loan

QSO thanks the National Instrument Bank and The NFA Anthony Camden Fund for their generous loan of fine instruments to the recitalists of our English Family Prize for Young Instrumentalists.

Please contact Gaelle Lindrea on 07 3833 5050, or you can donate online at qso.com.au/donatenow All donations over $2 are tax deductible ABN 97 094 916 444

For a list of Building for the Future donors go to qso.com.au/giving/ourdonors

Thank you



Sunday, 29 May 2016, 2–4pm | Tickets $18 concession, $30 adult

The UQ Symphony Orchestra, the UQ Chorale, with guest choirs, commemorate 400 years of Shakespeare.

Conducted by Warwick Potter, with choirs directed by Graeme Morton, the program includes Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, Shostakovich’s Hamlet Suite, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, as well as a world premiere composition from UQ student John Rotar.

Come and enjoy the food of love with The University of Queensland.

Visit www.qpac.com.au/event/uq_school_music_may_16

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SUN 5 JUN 11.30AM Concert Hall, QPAC

Celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare with music from his finest works

LONG LIVE THE BARD

COMING SOON Carnival in Venice 10 JUL

Around the World & Back 14 AUG Passion & Romance 13 NOV

BOOK NOW!

qso.com.au

MUSIC ON SUNDAYSBeautiful Sunday morning classics to surprise and delight


THE WAGNER GALAFROM THE SEMPEROPER DRESDENPrincipal Conductor Christian Thielemann, joined by superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann. SUNDAY 22ND MAY AT 9PM AEDT

foxtelarts.com.au


QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PATRON His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland

MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE Alondra de la Parra

SOLOIST-IN-RESIDENCE Nikolai Demidenko

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Natalia Raspopova

CONDUCTOR LAUREATE Johannes Fritzsch

CONDUCTOR EMERITUS Werner Andreas Albert

CONCERTMASTER Warwick Adeney

ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Alan Smith

CELLO David Lale~ Kathryn Close Andre Duthoit Matthew Jones Matthew Kinmont Kaja Skorka Craig Allister Young

DOUBLE BASS Dushan Walkowicz= Anne Buchanan Justin Bullock Paul O’Brien Ken Poggioli

FLUTE Hayley Radke>>

PICCOLO Kate Lawson*

OBOE Huw Jones~ Sarah Meagher>> Alexa Murray

COR ANGLAIS Vivienne Brooke*

CLARINET Irit Silver~ Brian Catchlove+ Kate Travers

BASS CLARINET Nicholas Harmsen*

VIOLIN 1 Linda Carello Lynn Cole Priscilla Hocking Ann Holtzapffel Stephen Phillips Rebecca Seymour Joan Shih Brenda Sullivan Stephen Tooke Brynley White

VIOLIN 2 Gail Aitken~ Wayne Brennan~ Jane Burroughs Faina Dobrenko Simon Dobrenko Delia Kinmont Natalie Low Tim Marchmont Helen Travers Harold Wilson

VIOLA Yoko Okayasu~ Charlotte Burbrook de Vere Bernard Hoey Kirsten Hulin-Bobart Jann Keir-Haantera Helen Poggioli Graham Simpson Nicholas Tomkin

QSO's Music Director designate is proudly supported by Timothy Fairfax AC. The Soloist-in-Residence program is supported by the T & J St Baker Charitable Trust. The Assistant Conductor program is supported through the Johannes Fritzsch Fund and Symphony Services International.

~ Section Principal= Acting Section Principal>> Associate Principal + Acting Associate Principal

* Principal

^ Acting Principal

BASSOON Nicole Tait~ David Mitchell>> Evan Lewis

CONTRABASSOON Claire Ramuscak*

FRENCH HORN Malcolm Stewart~ Peter Luff>> Ian O’Brien* Vivienne Collier-Vickers Lauren Manuel

TRUMPET Sarah Butler~ Richard Madden>> Paul Rawson

TROMBONE Jason Redman~ Dale Truscott>>

BASS TROMBONE Tom Coyle*

TUBA Thomas Allely*

HARP Jill Atkinson*

TIMPANI Tim Corkeron*

PERCUSSION David Montgomery~ Josh DeMarchi>>


BOARD OF DIRECTORSGreg Wanchap Chairman Margaret Barrett Tony Denholder Tony Keane John Keep Page Maxson James Morrison AM Rod Pilbeam

MANAGEMENTRodney Phillips Interim Chief ExecutiveRos Atkinson Executive Assistant to CEO Richard Wenn Director – Artistic PlanningMichael Sterzinger Artistic Administration

ManagerNadia Myers Assistant Artistic

Administrator/ Library and Operations Assistant

Fiona Lale Artist Liaison Matthew Farrell Director – Community

Engagement and Commercial Projects

Nina Logan Orchestra ManagerHelen Davies Operations AssistantJudy Wood Orchestra Librarian/

WHS CoordinatorPeter Laughton Operations and Projects

ManagerVince Scuderi Production Coordinator John Nolan Community Engagement

OfficerPam Lowry Education Liaison Officer Karen Soennichsen Director – Marketing Sarah Perrott Marketing Manager Zoe White Digital Marketing SpecialistMiranda Cass Marketing Coordinator David Martin Director – Corporate

Development & Sales Katya Melendez Corporate Relationships

ManagerEmma Rule Ticketing Services ManagerEric Yates Ticketing Services Officer Gaelle Lindrea Director – Philanthropy Phil Petch Philanthropy Services OfficerRobert Miller Director – Human ResourcesDebbie Draper Chief Financial OfficerSue Schiappadori AccountantAmy Herbohn Finance Officer

QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE PO Box 3567, South Bank, Queensland 4101 T (07) 3840 7444 W qpac.com.au

CHAIR

Chris Freeman AM

DEPUTY CHAIR

Rhonda White AO

TRUST MEMBERS

Kylie Blucher Simon Gallaher Sophie Mitchell Mick Power AM

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Chief Executive: John Kotzas Executive Director – Programming: Ross Cunningham Executive Director – Marketing and Communications: Roxanne Hopkins Executive Director – Development: Megan Kair Executive Director – Corporate Services: Kieron Roost Executive Director – Patron Services: Jackie Branch

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Queensland Performing Arts Trust is a statutory body of the State of Queensland and is partially funded by the Queensland Government

The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Premier and Minister for the Arts

Director-General, Department of the Premier and Cabinet: David Stewart

Patrons are advised that the Performing Arts Centre has EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES, a FIRE ALARM system and EXIT passageways. In case of an alert, patrons should remain calm, look for the closest EXIT sign in GREEN, listen to and comply with directions given by the inhouse trained attendants and move in an orderly fashion to the open spaces outside the Centre.


PARTNERS

Government partners

Major partners

Gold partners

Principal partner Premier partners

Industry collaborators

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

CONCERT HALL ETIQUETTETo ensure an enjoyable concert experience for all, please remember to turn off your mobile phone and other electronic devices. Please muffle coughs or excuse yourself from the auditorium. Thank you.

PROGRAMS ONLINEA free copy of the program is available for download at qso.com.au at the beginning of each performance month. There is also extensive information on planning your journey and what to expect at QSO events under Your Visit at qso.com.au.

HAVE YOUR SAYWe value your feedback about this concert and your experience. Email [email protected] or visit the Contact Us section of qso.com.au.

QSO ON THE RADIOSelected QSO performances are recorded for future broadcast. For further details visit abc.net.au/classic and 4mbs.com.au.

qso.com.auKeep visiting for in-depth info about repertoire and guest artists, audio, video links and upcoming news. Sign up for our Tune-in eNews.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

@QSOrchestra

@QSOrchestra

Queensland Symphony Orchestra GPO Box 9994 BRISBANE QLD 4001 Cnr Grey and Russell Street, South Brisbane 07 3833 5000 [email protected]

QSO Box Office (07) 3833 5044

Documents

PROGRAM Rory Macdonald Piano Louis Schwizgebel (Australian debut) Prokofiev Classical Symphony Ravel Piano Concerto in G Haydn Symphony No.88* Stravinsky Firebird Suite (1919 version)