2 012 S E A S O N

Russian MastersRachmaninoff & TchaikovskyAUSGRID MASTER SERIES Wed 21 November 8pmFri 23 November 8pmSat 24 November 8pm

VLADIMIRASHKENAZY

T h e G r e a t D e c c a R e c o r d i n g s

TCHAIKOVSKYManfred Symphony;

Elegie for Strings

RACHMANINOVÉtudes-Tableaux,

Op. 33 & 39

PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet; Cinderella

Eloquence

Decca 480 3605

RUSSIAN PIANOENCORES

Decca 480 3607

Decca 480 3606Decca 476 7415

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

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

Estimated durations: 31 minutes, 20-minute interval, 57 minutesThe concert will conclude at approximately 9.55pm.

Russian MastersVladimir Ashkenazy CONDUCTOR

Scott Davie PIANO

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)Piano Concerto No.4 in G minor, Op.40

Allegro vivaceLargoAllegro vivace

Australian premiere of the original version

INTERVAL

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)Manfred – Symphony after Byron, Op.58

Lento lugubre – Moderato con moto – Andante (Manfred Wandering in the Alps)Vivace con spirito (The Fairy of the Alps)Andante con moto (Pastorale)Allegro con fuoco (The Subterranean Palace of Arimanes)

2012 season ausgrid master seriesWednesday 21 November, 8pmFriday 23 November, 8pmSaturday 24 November, 8pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

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Manfred on the Jungfrau [detail] (1837) – a watercolour by 19th-century English painter John Martin.

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INTRODUCTION

Russian MastersIn 1948 the Sydney Symphony gave the fi rst Australian performance of Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. The work was nearly 70 years old. By contrast, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony , which we’ll play next month, was performed in Australia as early as the 1920s, even before the ABC established the state symphony orchestras, and has been a constant presence in programming here ever since.

Yet, says Vladimir Ashkenazy, Manfred is one of Tchaikovsky’s best pieces, up there with the Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture. ‘I don’t know why it isn’t played more often,’ he says. And so we’re playing our part in keeping it before audiences: Ashkenazy and the orchestra took Manfred on tour to Europe in 2010 and now it returns to the Master Series.

In this concert we perform Manfred with Tchaikovsky’s original ending, which departs from Byron’s poem in favour of a peaceful resolution. It refl ects Ashkenazy’s belief that a composer’s original conception is often the strongest and most compelling version of a piece. For the same reason, he’s become a supporter of the original version of Rachmaninoff ’s Fourth Piano Concerto, which re-entered the repertoire just 12 years ago and has never been performed in Australia before.

Rachmaninoff ’s revisions to his fourth concerto were inspired partly by self-doubt – a reaction to some very negative reviews and complaints about the concerto’s length. In the fi rst two movements, explains Ashkenazy, Rachmaninoff made small cuts here and there, but his cuts to the fi nale radically changed the shape of the structure. The result, he says, is disjointed, while the original seems more organic.

Tonight we make a case for these lesser-known works by two Russian masters. And just as Goossens introduced Sydney audiences to the Manfred Symphony, so Ashkenazy and our soloist Scott Davie will introduce us to the original Fourth Concerto of Rachmaninoff .

For profi les of Sydney Symphony musicians and news from behind the scenes, turn to bravo!, a regular feature at the back of the program books. Individual issues of bravo! can also be found at sydneysymphony.com/bravo

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.4 in G minor, Op.40Allegro vivaceLargoAllegro vivace

Australian premiere of the original version

Scott Davie piano

Rachmaninoff ’s Fourth Piano Concerto has led an awkward existence, which is perhaps surprising as his Second and Third Concertos have become indispensable fi xtures on the concert stage. Unlike the earlier works, which were written quickly, the period between the composer’s earliest sketches for the Fourth Concerto and its fi nal version cover almost half of his life. Commencing work soon after composing the Third (perhaps as early as 1911, but defi nitely by 1914), he may have expected to bring it to completion quickly. However, the Soviet Revolution altered his destiny, and, fl eeing Russia for the West, he was compelled to fi nd a more eff ective (and immediate) method of earning money than composition.

Choosing a career as a pianist, he felt suffi ciently settled and fi nancially secure by the summer of 1925 to take a break from performing. His return to composition produced two new works the following year: Three Russian Songs for chorus and orchestra, and the Fourth Piano Concerto. Unknown at the time, however, was the extent to which entire sections of the concerto had been completed in short score years earlier and carried with him across the border. These included the development and recapitulation of the fi nal movement, and most of the fi rst movement. Both works were premiered on 18 March 1927 by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. The reviews, however, were unkind, especially for the concerto, initiating a dire trajectory that Rachmaninoff was still hoping to resolve two years before his death in 1943.

As with many of his later compositions, the orchestral writing of the fourth concerto can be particularly challenging, and the demands of ensemble with the soloist are at times complex. Accordingly, it may be worthwhile to question whether the concerto was performed well at its premiere. Given that the standard of professional orchestral playing has increased greatly over subsequent years, it’s feasible that many of the later cuts and alterations – some of which appear to be compromises – were made to facilitate a simpler reading. Even so, when

Keynotes

RACHMANINOFFBorn Oneg (Novgorod region), 1873Died Beverly Hills CA, 1943

In 1892 Rachmaninoff graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with the Great Gold Medal. His prospects as a performer and a composer promised to be equally golden, but following his arrival in the West he made a practical decision to focus on a career as a concert pianist. The two activities came together in his works for piano and orchestra, from the first concerto composed while he was still a student, to the fourth, which he revised several times over a period of 15 years.

PIANO CONCERTO NO.4

This is Rachmaninoff’s final piano concerto, and the longest to reach completion. There was an announcement that he was working on a fourth concerto in 1914, before he left Russia, but most of the work took place in 1926, in New York and Dresden. The first premiere was in 1927, but the concerto went through several revisions before the 1941 version that is most often heard in concerts.

The Fourth Piano Concerto has not been as popular in the concert hall as the Second and Third or the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and yet the music – especially in its original form – represents a pivotal link in the evolution of Rachmaninoff’s mature style.

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Rachmaninoff presented the revised second version in 1929, audiences were still critical, and the concerto – which this time had been published – soon fell into obscurity. There were further cuts in the third version from 1941, by this time totalling 192 bars, or around one fi fth of its original length. Until recently, it has been this comparatively disfi gured version that pianists have played and recorded. While it has some ardent fans, it has not been viewed as a match to his earlier concertos, critics often decrying the absence of an organic quality, especially in the fi nal movement.

With the soloist playing the soaring opening theme in double-octave chords, the fi rst movement (Allegro vivace) sets off from where the Third Piano Concerto had ended. The musical mood soon changes, however, as a pensive chromatic motto is introduced. Much of this section – which leads to the intensely lyrical second subject in the relative major key – was eventually removed, as too was a counterbalancing section at the end of the movement. A substantial build-up ensues, with melodic material derived from the opening theme sustaining a gradual accelerando. Almost uniquely for Rachmaninoff , the recapitulation states the two principal themes in reverse order: glimpses of the second can be heard in the woodwinds, and the fi rst theme, erstwhile triumphal and exultant, is scored sweetly for violins over an arpeggiated accompaniment.

The second movement, Largo, begins with a short, abstract observation from the soloist, before the theme, marked misterioso, is introduced in the strings. Perhaps as a conscious

…the soaring opening theme in double-octave chords…

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Rachmaninoff’s hands

nod to the times, Rachmaninoff ’s use of melody here is tightly controlled: a repeated two-bar phrase is sustained throughout by richly varied harmonisations. A sudden fortissimo heralds what seems to be a new idea but is, in fact, a chromatic transformation of the main material, the pianist responding with violent cascades of semiquavers (these, too, were ultimately removed). A sense of calm is restored by a more expansive melody (borrowed from one of the Études-tableaux), which also acts as an apotheosis for the movement.

Unlike the fi nal version of the third movement, which begins suddenly, the original version witnesses a progression of moods. The main theme is presented twice by the pianist before a whimsical passage leads to the second subject. This exuberant melody, so typical of Rachmaninoff ’s style, was – for reasons perhaps knowable only to the composer – successively reduced to a mere 16 bars through the revisions. A complete state of rest is not reached until a series of descending thirds leads to a quiet solo cadenza. For listeners familiar with the fi nal version, much of the material will be new from this point. A substantial development section leads to a brief reappearance of the main theme, before a recapitulation of the lyrical second subject is playfully introduced, this time accompanied by fi ligree passagework. A further development of this material leads to an eff ervescent coda, the syncopated beats perhaps conjuring the ‘jazz’ style of music emerging in New York at the time.

In later works such as the Symphonic Dances and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, it is clear that Rachmaninoff consciously sought to renew his style. In its original version, the Fourth Piano Concerto is the pivotal link in this evolution. While it is ultimately futile to speculate whether it might have had a diff erent reception if brought to audiences before the events of 1917 changed the course of his life, posterity may one day be grateful that he preserved its original setting.

SCOTT DAVIE © 2012

The orchestra for the Fourth Piano Concerto comprises piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets and two bassoons; four horns, two trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and percussion (triangle, tambourine, snare drum, cymbal, bass drum); and strings.

In 1963 the Sydney Symphony gave the first complete performance of the concerto in Australia in concerts in Newcastle and Sydney, with Henry Krips conducting and soloist Igor Hmelnitsky. The most recent performance, of the 1941 version, was in the 2007 Rachmaninoff festival with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting and Kazune Shimizu as soloist.

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For reasons unknown, I wasn’t drawn to learning the music of Rachmaninoff as a young pianist. Despite being a keen admirer – the fi rst recording I owned was of the Second Piano Concerto – there was always the music of other composers to pursue. Given that sometimes the hardest things to fi x are the works learned poorly in early years, these days I’m grateful for coming late to his music.

I fi rst heard about the existence of an original version of the Fourth Piano Concerto through my piano teacher in London in the early 1990s. A decade later – having at last discovered the wonderful challenges Rachmaninoff ’s music brings to pianists – I had commenced postgraduate study and was in need of a specialist topic. I was extremely lucky to be able to arrange access to a copy of the composer’s full-score

The View from the Keyboard

manuscript of the then unpublished original version, and so set off with my research.

While the topic satisfi ed my academic requirements, it unexpectedly opened my eyes to other areas. For example, given that only a few years before Rachmaninoff ’s birth the notion of a ‘Russian piano concerto’ was almost unknown (the growth of art music in his homeland was unusually late), a more comprehensive interest in the country’s music history was fostered by my attempts to see him through his own perspective.

Unlike researchers who begin to loathe the topic of their work, the more I learned of Rachmaninoff the more I was happy to know. It seems he was a man of vast integrity and uncommon humility. The story of his struggle for prosperity in Russia, only to lose it all in 1917, is well known. That through hard work and unstinting dedication he managed to not only regain his footing but also establish a career as one of the fi nest pianists of the century… this I fi nd remarkable. Despite his eventual wealth, he appears never to have lost his sense of humanity.

Recently I returned to the thesis I wrote on the concerto and I found in my conclusion a desire to see the original version published, and, with this, a hope of identifying whether the composer had erred in revising it. I could not have imagined then that another émigré Russian would arrive to conduct our orchestra here in Sydney. I’m extremely grateful to Mr Ashkenazy for his desire to bring the original version of this concerto to Australian audiences.

SCOTT DAVIE © 2012

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MORE MUSIC

RACHMANINOFF’S FOURTH CONCERTO

Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts the Helsinki Philharmonic on the fi rst recording (2001) of the original version of Rachmaninoff ’s Fourth Piano Concerto. The soloist in this and the First Concerto is Alexander Ghindin.ONDINE 977

As a pianist, Ashkenazy performed the more familiar 1941 version of the concerto, recorded for Decca with André Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. It’s available in a generous 3-CD set with the other concertos, the Paganini Rhapsody, the Corelli Variations and the 1931 version of the Second Sonata.DECCA 4732512

Ashkenazy mentions with admiration the ‘mesmerisingly beautiful’ recording by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, made in 1957 when the only other recording in existence was Rachmaninoff ’s own. It was recently reissued with the Ravel Piano Concerto in G and Haydn’s D major concerto (Hob.XVIII:11).EMI CLASSICS 85280

MANFRED

Ashkenazy has recorded the Manfred Symphony with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the result is available in an Eloquence release, paired with the Elegy for strings. ELOQUENCE 476 7415

If you heard us perform Tchaikovsky’s Manfred with Oleg Caetani conducting in 2008, you may be interested in his recording of the symphony with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, released that same year. It’s part of a 6-CD set of the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies.ABC CLASSICS 476 6442

Schumann’s interpretation of Byron’s poem took the form of an 80-minute melodrama (music integrated with acting), of which usually only the overture is heard in the concert hall. There is a video recording from Düsseldorf of the complete work with spectacular visualisations that seek to place the audience in Manfred’s shoes – experiencing through his ‘eyes’ the ‘visually alienated world’ of the Swiss alpine setting. Andrey Boreyko conducts the local symphony orchestra and chorus; Johann von Bülow is Manfred. (DVD region 0)ARTHAUS MUSIK 101575

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY

Ashkenazy returns to the piano in the Sydney Symphony Live release Rare Rachmaninoff . He’s joined by concertmaster Dene Olding (solo and with the Goldner String Quartet) and soprano Joan Rodgers in a program of songs and chamber music.SSO 200901

SCOTT DAVIEGraeme Murphy’s Grand, created for the Sydney Dance Company and featuring a concert pianist, assembled a spectacular program of piano music, ranging from Bach to Fats Waller. Worth hearing even if you never saw the ballet.MELBA 301088

Or to hear Scott Davie in more music by Rachmaninoff , look for one of his recordings for ABC Classics. Lilacs was the fi rst and includes the Corelli Variations. Pictures from an Exhibition supplements the Mussorgsky with Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Sonata No.1.ABC CLASSICS 472 6712 (Lilacs)ABC CLASSICS 476 3166 (Pictures)

Broadcast Diary

November–December

abc.net.au/classic

Sunday 25 November, 3pm brilliant beginningsRoger Benedict directorWith Sydney Symphony Fellows and alumniMendelssohn, Schoenberg, Skipworth, Britten

Monday 3 December, 7pmthe queen of spadesVladimir Ashkenazy conductorWith Stuart Skelton tenor (Hermann)Sydney Philharmonia ChoirsSydney Children’s ChoirTchaikovsky – opera in concert

Saturday 8 December, 2pmtotally tchaikovskyVladimir Ashkenazy conductorGarrick Ohlsson piano

Fine Music 102.5sydney symphony 2012Tuesday 11 December, 6pmMusicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store in our forthcoming concerts.

Webcasts

Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are webcast live on BigPond and Telstra T-box and made available for later viewing On Demand. Our latest webcast:dancing with the saxophoneVisit: bigpondmusic.com/sydneysymphony

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Keynotes

TCHAIKOVSKYBorn Kamsko-Votkinsk, 1840Died St Petersburg, 1893

Tchaikovsky represented a new direction for Russian music in the late 19th century: fully professional and cosmopolitan in outlook. He embraced the genres and forms of Western European tradition – symphonies, concertos and overtures – bringing to them an unrivalled gift for melody. But many music lovers would argue that his ballets count among his masterpieces, and certainly it’s Tchaikovsky’s extraordinary dramatic instinct that comes to the fore in all his music.

MANFRED

Many of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral works were inspired by literature – Shakespeare in the case of Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest, Byron in the case of the Manfred – a dramatic symphony.

The four movements of Manfred follow a classical symphonic structure but, as their titles suggest, they are also closely tied to a scenario drawn from Byron’s poem. The Manfred who wanders the Alps is torn by despair; the Alpine fairy’s music provides emotional release; and the pastoral movement offers idyllic contrast to Manfred’s anguish. The finale departs from Byron’s text, allowing Manfred to find redemption.

Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyManfred – Symphony after Byron, Op.58

Lento lugubre – Moderato con moto – Andante (Manfred Wandering in the Alps)Vivace con spirito (The Fairy of the Alps)Andante con moto (Pastorale)Allegro con fuoco (The Subterranean Palace of Arimanes)

Kenneth Clark once remarked that, although Byron wrote good poetry, it was his bad poetry that created his fame. We believe in the greatness of Wordsworth, Shelley or Keats, but not so easily in the fact that Byron was thought by many to be the fi nest poet of his age.

Although he did not have the manifold resonances of Shakespeare for 19th-century composers, music has to an extent rescued Byron’s reputation. His original texts are known today largely by their titles alone, yet Schumann’s overture to his Manfred melodrama is one of his most involving (and frequently played) pieces. According to literary critic Andrew Riemer, Berlioz’s unique four-movement work for viola and orchestra, Harold in Italy, is ‘more refi ned, shaped with greater fl air, and infi nitely more subtle than Byron’s over-the-top, essentially hit-or-miss poetic practices in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’.

It was Berlioz’s piece which led, over a long period, to the composition of Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony. In 1867 Berlioz made his second and fi nal visit to Russia, and Harold in Italy was one of the works he conducted. The passions this music aroused in Russian composers were intense: here was real symphonic thinking freed from German formal traditions, depicting the attitudes and adventures of a supreme outsider in Romantic literature. This musical enthusiasm was fanned by a love of Byron that, long spent in Europe, had come to Russia late, as did so many things in the 19th century. The critic Vladimir Stasov immediately suggested to that most infuriating of Russian composers, Mily Balakirev, that Byron’s Manfred would make a superb subject for a symphony, and supplied a detailed scenario for him to follow. In turn Balakirev, always excited by the possibility of organising the creative life of anyone but himself, sent Stasov’s scenario – as his own! – to Berlioz, with the suggestion that he write a symphony based upon it. But Berlioz was a dying man and did not respond to Balakirev’s entreaties.

The idea waited another 14 years, at which time Balakirev suggested it to Tchaikovsky, using Stasov’s uncredited

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scenario once again, and now off ering relentlessly detailed advice on how to compose the work. ‘Your symphony – like Berlioz’s Second Symphony [Harold in Italy] must have an idée fi xe (the Manfred theme), which must be carried through all the movements,’ he wrote. He suggested the keys in which themes were to be written, off ered advice about instrumentation, and fi nished by re-iterating his enthusiasm for the project: ‘The subject is not only profound but contemporary, for the sickness of modern man lies in the fact that he cannot preserve his ideals. They are shattered, nothing is left for the satisfaction of the soul except bitterness.’

For the most part, Stasov’s scenario is a fair distillation of the main themes in Byron’s verse drama, in which the hero, a Faustian fi gure living as an outcast in a ruined Alpine castle, seeks forgetfulness for ‘some half-maddening sin,’ which turns out to be an incestuous love for his sister Astarte (an unsubtle reference to Byron’s feelings for his half-sister Augusta Leigh). His mastery of occult powers cannot off er him peace; overcoming his fear of death, he tries to kill himself, but is rescued by a hunter. After invoking the Witch of the Alps he descends to the underworld and sees a vision of Astarte, who promises that he will die the next day. The poem ends with his refusal to capitulate to the demons’ blandishments or to the pleas of the church to repent, and he dies a maker of his own destiny. ‘I have been…my own destroyer, and will be my own hereafter.’

After much hesitation, a re-reading of Byron’s text, and a clearing of the scenario’s undergrowth, Tchaikovsky agreed to write the symphony Balakirev urged upon him. He was not at fi rst excited about the subject’s musical possibilities and protested that he had become distrustful of heavily programmatic music, but once begun, he completed the work at great speed. In the end, Byron’s great archetype of the proud, faithless outsider, tortured by life itself, rang resonantly in Tchaikovsky’s own existence. Even Stasov’s major invention – Manfred’s redemption – would have appealed to Tchaikovsky’s wish for an end to his suff erings, and at one point in his composition of the symphony he noted that he had ‘turned for a time into a sort of Manfred’.

The Manfred Symphony is one of Tchaikovsky’s most distinctive and ambitious orchestral works. ‘It has turned out vast, serious and diffi cult’, he wrote to a colleague and indeed Manfred is longer and inhabits a sound world more lavish than any of his other symphonies; it calls for an unusually large orchestra and playing of exceptional

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virtuosity. It was infrequently heard for many decades, and when Eugene Goossens conducted it in Cincinnati in 1932 it was still a novelty in the United States, his program annotator believing it appropriate to describe the music as ‘grand, gloomy and peculiar,’ not the kind of adjectives that guarantee frequent performance. It was the long-playing record that restored the Manfred Symphony to reasonable circulation.

Although he found it a chore to work to so detailed a program, Tchaikovsky was able to make the work fall into his favourite symphonic pattern – a substantial expository movement, two lighter interlude-like movements, and a fi nale of suffi cient weight to balance the whole. Yet the debt to Berlioz is great, and lies principally in the depiction of Manfred as an outsider; where Berlioz had made the idée fi xe of the Symphonie fantastique a hovering presence over the work’s action and the solo viola an observer of the events that took place in Harold in Italy, Tchaikovsky is careful to leave the Manfred theme in distinct profi le throughout the work, making explicit the hero’s moments of action, repose and refl ection.

Each movement is prefaced by a description, that to the fi rst movement being the most elaborate:

Manfred wanders in the alps. Weary of the fatal question of existence, tormented by hopeless longings and the memory of past crimes, he suff ers cruel spiritual pangs. He has plunged into the occult sciences and commands the mighty powers of darkness, but neither they nor anything in this world can give him the forgetfulness to which alone he vainly aspires. The memory of the lost Astarte, once passionately loved by him, gnaws his heart and there is neither limit nor end to Manfred’s despair.

Manfred’s darkly descending theme is announced immediately by three bassoons and bass clarinet, after which the strings announce an equally intense, rising theme, sometimes described as ‘Manfred’s longing for forgetfulness’. These ideas are developed considerably before the movement’s second section begins with the lyrical theme depicting Astarte, appearing softly on the fi rst violins. Tchaikovsky then represents with great vividness Manfred’s feelings of tenderness, passion and bitterness at his memory of her. This fi nely structured movement ends with a powerful new statement of the Manfred theme, replete with gong-strokes and great shuddering brass exclamations; it is a masterful depiction of hysterical despair.

A portrait of Lord Byron in Albanian costume (1813–14) by Thomas Phillips.

Composers inspired by the poet include Verdi, Donizetti, Liszt (Tasso), Berlioz (Corsaire and Harold in Italy), Schoenberg (Ode to Napoleon), and Mussorgsky. Manfred was given musical life by Schumann and Tchaikovsky, as well as by Friedrich Nietzsche, who in his guise as amateur composer wrote a ‘Manfred Meditation’ for piano duet.

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In contrast to the fi rst movement’s fi ery torment, the scherzo second movement (Vivace con spirito) is primarily one of lightness and lyricism, as Byron’s Witch of the Alps becomes ‘the Alpine fairy’ who ‘appears before Manfred in the rainbow from the spray of a waterfall’. The outer sections, depicting the waterfall and the rainbow that appears in the spray, inspire sonorities of gossamer delicacy. These are set in relief, in the trio, by the appearance of the Fairy, who is given a warmly romantic melody fi rst heard on the violins. As her music becomes increasingly passionate we are made aware of Manfred’s agonised presence, as he confesses to her his numerous sins and indiscretions. At the movement’s conclusion, when the Fairy disappears in the watery mist, the sound drifts upwards to a faint shimmer, in a passage that is a great test of orchestral virtuosity.

The Andante concerns ‘the simple, free and peaceful life of the mountain people’, with a quintet of cor anglais, clarinets and bassoon evoking Byron’s ‘natural music of the mountain reed’. Although it is ostensibly the second of the ‘interludes’ intended to provide a buff er between the storms and torments of the two outer movements, it is also an ironic portrayal, as, towards its conclusion, the idyllic rusticisms are shattered by a reminder of Manfred’s burning anguish.

Manfred and the Alpine Witch – another John Martin watercolour inspired by Byron’s poem.

…the debt to Berlioz is great…

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In these central movements Tchaikovsky seems to have drawn on two models; one is the third movement of Harold in Italy, in which Harold’s restlessness is heard amidst the serenade of an Abruzzi mountaineer; the other is Liszt’s Faust scene The Ride by Night, in which Faust, observing a religious procession (represented by the chorale ‘Pange lingua’), realises what he has lost by his bargain with Mephistopheles and is suddenly overcome with grief.

The fi nale (Allegro con fuoco) fi nds us in ‘the subterranean palace of Arimanes. Manfred appears in the middle of the Bacchanale. Evocation of the shade of Astarte. She foretells the end of his earthly suff erings. Death of Manfred.’

We are plunged straight away into the bacchanal’s dubious delights, in the midst of which Manfred is glimpsed once more. He seems to be overwhelmed by the proceedings until his theme is transformed into a fugue, which leads to a dramatic, exclamatory passage suggesting Manfred’s revulsion at his surroundings. Astarte’s theme is now recalled by the strings, at fi rst tenderly, then almost desperately, until it is gradually combined with Manfred’s main theme, which is then given out in the grand, theatrical manner that closed the fi rst movement. This leads suddenly to the apotheosis of Manfred (a Stasov invention – Byron’s Manfred dies both unrepentant and unbedevilled), scored for orchestra and organ, after which the work ends peacefully and quietly.

PHILLIP SAMETZ © 1996/2008

Tchaikovsky’s Manfred calls for three flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet and three bassoons; four horns, two trumpets, two cornets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and percussion (triangle, tambourine, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, chime); two harps, organ and strings.

According to ABC records, the Sydney Symphony gave the first Australian performance of Tchaikovsky’s Manfred in 1948 in a Benevolent Fund concert conducted by Eugene Goossens. The orchestra’s most recent performance of the symphony in the Master Series was in 2008 with Oleg Caetani. Since then the orchestra has performed it on tour in Europe and in a Sydney farewell concert with Vladimir Ashkenazy (2010).

Could it be that a battle begun in 1861 over a newspaper article is still being waged in program notes today? Because of it, the nationalist kuchka group of composers from Russia’s north staged war against its author, Anton Rubinstein, and his ‘foreign-educated’ students.

Balakirev, the self-appointed teacher of the kuchka (which also included Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov), was later lionised by their arch propagandist, Vladimir Stasov. Stasov’s other obsession was the denigration of Tchaikovsky, one of Rubinstein’s first students, and his twisted recounting of events became history.

So, is it a coincidence that in commentaries on Manfred (and the Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture) Balakirev’s name keeps cropping up as Tchaikovsky’s helper? History may well be written by the victors, yet, judging by its popularity with audiences, Tchaikovsky’s music may be the real winner in the end.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISOR

In the years since Vladimir Ashkenazy fi rst came to prominence on the world stage in the 1955 Chopin Competition in Warsaw he has built an extraordinary career, not only as one of the most renowned and revered pianists of our times, but as an 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. He has been Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic (1998–2003), and Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (2004–2007). This is his fourth season as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Sydney Symphony.

Alongside these roles, Vladimir Ashkenazy is also Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, with whom he has developed landmark projects such as Prokofi ev and Shostakovich Under Stalin (a project which he toured and later developed into a TV documentary) and Rachmaninoff Revisited at the Lincoln Center, New York.

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), San Francisco Symphony, and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin (Chief Conductor and Music Director, 1988 –96), as well as making guest appearances with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic.

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), Rachmaninoff transcriptions, Bach’s Wohltemperierte Klavier and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. In 2009 he released a disc of French piano duo works with Vovka Ashkenazy.

A regular visitor to Sydney over many years, he has conducted subscription concerts and composer festivals for the Sydney Symphony, with his fi ve-program Rachmaninoff festival forming a highlight of the 75th Anniversary Season in 2007. In 2010–11 he conducted the Mahler Odyssey concerts and live recordings, and his artistic role with the orchestra also includes annual international touring.

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Scott Davie PIANO

Scott Davie is known to audiences both as a soloist and chamber musician. He has given concerts throughout Australia, and his performances and recordings have been broadcast on radio and television. The recipient of numerous awards and prizes in Australia, he furthered his studies in London, where his teachers included Geoff rey Parsons and Leslie Howard.

His study of the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff has resulted in performances of the composer’s works in Europe, where he has also given lectures and interviews. Rachmaninoff ’s Fourth Piano Concerto was the topic of postgraduate study in 2001, and more recently he has undertaken an exhaustive exploration of the composer’s melodic style.

In 2005, he collaborated with Graeme Murphy and the Sydney Dance Company in their highly acclaimed Grand. The production toured throughout Australia and in 2006 featured at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. It later toured the United States with performances in Seattle, Palm Springs, Kansas, Penn State College, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

Scott Davie’s fi rst solo recording was Lilacs (2002), a program of piano works and transcriptions by Rachmaninoff . Since then he has recorded the music from Grand (2005) and Pictures from an Exhibition, which also included Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Sonata No.1 and a short piano piece he had discovered in the archives of the Library of Congress.

For over a decade he developed a focus on Russian music, and he has visited that country for research on various occasions. For a number of years he lectured in Russian music history at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he currently teaches piano.

This is Scott Davie’s subscription concert debut with the Sydney Symphony.

20 sydney symphony

MUSICIANS

FIRST VIOLINS

Dene Olding Concertmaster

Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster

Sun YiAssociate Concertmaster

Fiona Ziegler Assistant Concertmaster

Julie BattyJennifer BoothMarianne BroadfootBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeAmber DavisJennifer HoyNicola LewisAlexander NortonLéone ZieglerClaire Herrick°Lucy Warren†Georges LentzAlexandra Mitchell

SECOND VIOLINS

Kirsty Hilton Marina Marsden Alexander Read Emily Long A/Assistant Principal

Susan Dobbie Principal Emeritus

Maria DurekShuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitMaja VerunicaEmily Qin°Emma West Assistant Principal

Emma Hayes

VIOLAS

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

Robyn BrookfieldSandro CostantinoJane HazelwoodGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenFelicity TsaiLeonid Volovelsky

CELLOS

Catherine Hewgill Umberto Clerici*Leah Lynn Assistant Principal

Kristy ConrauFenella GillTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid Wickham

DOUBLE BASSES

Kees Boersma Alex Henery Neil BrawleyPrincipal Emeritus

David CampbellSteven LarsonRichard LynnDavid MurrayBenjamin Ward

FLUTES

Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer Principal Piccolo

Janet Webb

OBOES

Shefali Pryor David PappAlexandre OgueyPrincipal Cor Anglais

Diana Doherty

CLARINETS

Francesco Celata Christopher TingayCraig Wernicke Principal Bass Clarinet

Lawrence Dobell

BASSOONS

Nicole Tait°Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada Principal Contrabassoon

Matthew Wilkie

HORNS

Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly Principal 3rd

Marnie SebireEuan HarveyRachel Shaw°Ben Jacks

TRUMPETS

Paul Goodchild Anthony HeinrichsJustin Lingard*Brendon Tasker*David Elton John Foster

TROMBONES

Ronald Prussing Scott Kinmont Christopher Harris Principal Bass Trombone

Nick Byrne

TUBA

Steve Rossé

TIMPANI

Richard Miller

PERCUSSION

Rebecca Lagos Colin PiperMark Robinson Brian Nixon*Philip South*

HARP

Louise Johnson Genevieve Lang*

ORGAN

David Drury*

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

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

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

Vladimir AshkenazyPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor supported by Emirates

Dene OldingConcertmaster

Jessica CottisAssistant Conductor supported by Premier Partner Credit Suisse

sydney symphony 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the fourth 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

Elaine ArmstrongARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Ilmar LeetbergRECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

Philip Powers

Education ProgramsHEAD OF EDUCATION

Kim WaldockEMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Mark LawrensonEDUCATION COORDINATOR

Rachel McLarinCUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

Derek Reed

LibraryLIBRARIAN

Anna CernikLIBRARY ASSISTANT

Victoria GrantLIBRARY ASSISTANT

Mary-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 ElliottMARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES

Simon Crossley-MeatesA/SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER, SALES

Matthew RiveMARKETING MANAGER, BUSINESS RESOURCES

Katrina RiddleONLINE MARKETING MANAGER

Eve Le GallMARKETING & ONLINE COORDINATOR

Kaisa Heino

John C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus amEwen CrouchRoss GrantJennifer HoyRory JeffesAndrew KaldorIrene LeeDavid LivingstoneGoetz Richter

Sydney Symphony Board

Sydney Symphony Council

Sydney Symphony StaffGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lucy McCulloughCREATIVE ARTWORKER

Nathanael van der ReydenDATA ANALYST

Varsha KarnikMARKETING ASSISTANT

Jonathon Symonds

Box OfficeMANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS

Lynn McLaughlinBOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

Jacqueline TooleyCUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Steve Clarke – Senior CSRMichael DowlingJohn RobertsonBec SheedyAmy Walsh

COMMUNICATIONS

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS & SPONSOR RELATIONS

Yvonne ZammitPUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Katherine StevensonCOMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Janine Harris DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Ben Draisma

PublicationsPUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Yvonne Frindle

DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Caroline SharpenEXTERNAL RELATIONS MANAGER

Stephen AttfieldPHILANTHROPY, PATRONS PROGRAM

Ivana JirasekDEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Amelia Morgan-Hunn

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

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 am HonDLittMary WhelanRosemary White

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sydney symphony 23

SYDNEY SYMPHONY PATRONS

Sydney Symphony Leadership EnsembleDavid Livingstone, CEO, Credit Suisse, AustraliaAlan Fang, Chairman, Tianda GroupTony Grierson, Braithwaite Steiner PrettyInsurance Australia Grou pMacquarie Group FoundationJohn Morschel, Chairman, ANZ

Andrew Kaldor, Chairman, Pelikan ArtlineLynn Kraus, Sydney Office Managing Partner, Ernst & YoungShell Australia Pty LtdJames Stevens, CEO, Roses OnlyStephen Johns, Chairman, Leighton Holdings,

and Michele Johns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

06 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

07 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

08 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

09 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

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

Directors’ Chairs

01 02 03 04 05

06 07 08 09

Sydney Symphony VanguardVanguard CollectiveJustin Di Lollo – ChairKees BoersmaRose HercegDavid McKeanAmelia Morgan-HunnJonathan Pease

Ron ChristiansonMatthew ClarkBenoît CocheteuxGeorge CondousMichael CookPaul CousinsJustin Di LolloRose GalloSam GiddingsDerek HandRose HercegJennifer Hoy

Damian Kassagbi Chris KeherElizabeth LeeAntony Lighten Gary LinnaneDavid McKeanHayden McLeanAmelia Morgan-HunnHugh MunroFiona OslerPeter Outridge

MembersMatti AlakargasNikki AndrewsJames ArmstrongStephen AttfieldAndrew BaxterMar BeltranKees Boersma Peter BraithwaiteAndrea BrownIan BurtonJennifer BurtonHahn Chau

Archie PaffasJonathan Pease Seamus R QuickMichael ReedeJacqueline RowlandsBernard RyanAdam WandJon WilkieJonathan WatkinsonDarren WoolleyMisha Zelinsky

24 sydney symphony

PLAYING YOUR PART

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

Platinum Patrons $20,000+Brian AbelGeoff Ainsworth am & Vicki AinsworthRobert Albert ao & Elizabeth AlbertTerrey Arcus am & Anne ArcusTom Breen & Rachael KohnSandra & Neil BurnsMr John C Conde aoRobert & Janet ConstableMichael Crouch ao & Shanny CrouchJames & Leonie FurberDr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuff reIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonMs Rose HercegMr Andrew Kaldor & Mrs Renata Kaldor aoD & I KallinikosJames N Kirby FoundationJoan MacKenzie Violin Scholarship, SinfoniaJustice Jane Mathews aoMrs Roslyn Packer aoPaul & Sandra SalteriMrs Penelope Seidler amG & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzieMrs W SteningMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetMr Peter Weiss am HonDLitt & Mrs Doris WeissWestfi eld GroupMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteRay Wilson oam in memory of James Agapitos oamKim Williams am & Catherine DoveyJune & Alan Woods Family Bequest

Gold Patrons$10,000–$19,999Mr C R AdamsonStephen J BellAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonCopyright Agency Limited The Hon. Ashley Dawson-DamerEdward FedermanFerris Family FoundationNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantThe Estate of the late Ida GuggerHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerRuth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran MeagherMrs T Merewether oamMr B G O’ConorMrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet Cooke

Henry & Ruth WeinbergAnonymous (2)

Silver Patrons $5000–$9,999Doug & Alison BattersbyMr Alexander & Mrs Vera BoyarskyMr Robert BrakspearMr David & Mrs Halina BrettMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie ClampettHoward ConnorsEwen & Catherine CrouchIan Dickson & Reg HollowayColin Draper & Mary Jane BrodribbPenny EdwardsThe Greatorex Foundation Mrs Jennifer HershonThe Sherry Hogan FoundationMr Rory Jeff esStephen Johns & Michele BenderJudges of the Supreme Court of NSW Mr Ervin KatzThe Estate of the late Patricia LanceMr David LivingstoneTimothy & Eva PascoeWilliam McIlrath Charitable FoundationDavid Maloney & Erin FlahertyDr John Roarty oam in memory of Mrs June RoartyRodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia RosenblumManfred & Linda SalamonJF & A van OgtropMichael & Mary Whelan TrustMs Caroline WilkinsonJill WranAnonymous (2)

Bronze Patrons $2,500–$4,999Mr Marc Besen ao & Mrs Eva Besen aoJan BowenM BulmerFirehold Pty LtdStephen Freiberg & Donald CampbellAnthony Gregg & Deanne WhittlestonVic & Katie FrenchWarren GreenMrs Jennifer HershonAnn HobanIn memory of Bernard M H KhawGary LinnaneMatthew McInnesJ A McKernanR & S Maple-BrownGreg & Susan MarieAlan & Joy MartinMora Maxwell

James & Elsie MooreDrs Keith & Eileen OngIn memory of H St P ScarlettDavid & Isabel SmithersMrs Hedy SwitzerMarliese & Georges TeitlerDr Richard WingateMr & Mrs T & D YimAnonymous (2)

Bronze Patrons $1,000–$2,499Charles & Renee AbramsMrs Antoinette AlbertAndrew Andersons aoMr Henri W Aram oamDr Francis J AugustusRichard and Christine Banks David BarnesMichael Baume ao & Toni BaumeNicole BergerMrs Jan BiberAllan & Julie BlighDr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff Lenore P BuckleIn memory of RW BurleyEric & Rosemary CampbellThe Hon. Justice JC & Mrs CampbellDr John H CaseyJoan Connery oam & Maxwell Connery oamConstable Estate Vineyards Debby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret CunninghamGreta DavisLisa & Miro DavisMatthew DelaseyMr & Mrs Grant DixonMrs Margaret EppsJohn FavaloroMr Ian Fenwicke & Prof. Neville WillsMichael & Gabrielle FieldDr & Mrs C GoldschmidtMr James Graham am & Mrs Helen GrahamAkiko GregoryEdward & Deborah Griffi thIn memory of Dora & Oscar GrynbergJanette HamiltonDorothy Hoddinott aoThe Hon. David Hunt ao qc & Mrs Margaret HuntDr & Mrs Michael HunterMr Peter HutchisonMichael & Anna JoelAnna-Lisa KlettenbergMr Justin LamMr Peter Lazar am

sydney symphony 25

Associate Professor Winston LiauwSydney & Airdrie LloydCarolyn & Peter Lowry oamDeirdre & Kevin McCannRobert McDougallIan & Pam McGawMacquarie Group FoundationRenee MarkovicA NhanMs Jackie O’BrienMr R A OppenMr Robert OrrellMr & Mrs OrtisMr Andrew C PattersonIn memory of Sandra PaulPiatti Holdings Pty LtdAndy & Deirdre Plummer Robin PotterPottingerErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment Pty LtdCaroline SharpenDr Agnes E SinclairCatherine StephenJohn & Alix SullivanThe Hon. Brian Sully qcMildred TeitlerJohn E TuckeyMrs M TurkingtonIn memory of Joan & Rupert VallentineDr Alla WaldmanIn memory of Dr Reg WalkerThe Hon. Justice A G WhealyAnn & Brooks Wilson amGeoff Wood & Melissa WaitesMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary WalshMr R R WoodwardIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (14)

Bronze Patrons $500–$999Mr Peter J ArmstrongMr & Mrs Garry S AshBarlow Cleaning Pty LtdMrs Margaret BellMinnie BiggsPat & Jenny BurnettMr & Mrs CoatesArnaldo BuchIta Buttrose ao obeThe Hon. Justice JC & Mrs Campbell

Dr Rebecca ChinMrs Sarah ChissickMrs Catherine J ClarkR A & M J ClarkeCoff s Airport Security Car ParkMrs Joan Connery oamJen CornishMr David CrossPhil Diment am & Bill Zafi ropoulosElizabeth DonatiThe Dowe FamilyDr Nita & Dr James DurhamMalcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillIn memory of Peter EverettMr & Mrs FarrellMr Tom FrancisTony Grierson Vivienne GoldschmidtClive & Jenny GoodwinMr Richard Griffi n amIan R L HarperKen HawkingsMrs A HaywardMr Roger HenningHarry & Meg HerbertSue HewittMr Joerg HofmannMrs Kimberley HoldenMr Gregory HoskingAlex HoughtonBill & Pam HughesBeauty Point Retirement ResortNiki KallenbergerMrs W G KeighleyMrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamChris J KitchingMr Aron & Mrs Helen KleinlehrerMr & Mrs Gilles T KrygerSonia LalMr Luigi LampratiDr & Mrs Leo LeaderMargaret LedermanIrene LeeAnita & Chris LevyErna & Gerry Levy amMrs A LohanMrs Panee LowDr David LuisDr Jean MalcolmPhilip & Catherine McClellandMrs Flora MacDonaldMrs Helen MeddingsMrs Toshiko Meric

P J MillerDavid & Andree MilmanKenneth N MitchellMs Margaret Moore oam & Dr Paul Hutchins amChris Morgan-HunnMrs Milja MorrisDr Mike O’Connor amMr Graham NorthDr A J PalmerJustice George Palmer amDr Kevin PedemontDr Natalie E PelhamMichael QuaileyLois & Ken RaeRenaissance ToursAnna RoPamela RogersLesley & Andrew RosenbergAgnes RossMrs Pamela SayersGarry Scarf & Morgie BlaxillWilliam SewellMrs Diane Shteinman amMs Stephanie SmeeMs Tatiana SokolovaDoug & Judy SotherenMrs Judith SouthamMargaret SuthersMr Lindsay & Mrs Suzanne StoneNorman & Lydia TaylorDr Heng Tey & Mrs Cilla TeyMrs Alma Toohey & Mr Edward SpicerKevin TroyJudge Robyn TupmanGillian Turner & Rob BishopProf Gordon E WallMrs Margaret WallisRonald WalledgeMr Palmer WangMs Elizabeth WilkinsonAudrey & Michael WilsonA Willmers & R PalDr Richard WingDr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K WongMr Robert WoodsMrs Everly WyssMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (15)

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

26 sydney symphony

SALUTE

PRINCIPAL PARTNER GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

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

The Sydney Symphony is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW

PREMIER PARTNER

Fine Music 102.5

MARKETING PARTNER

GOLD PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

executive search

EDUCATION PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNER PLATINUM PARTNERS

Some people have a feel for metal. Some people have a feel for skin.

sionists, rhythmic ensemble is relatively easy. We tended to feel things the same way.’ Playing in an orchestra calls on some differ-ent skills. ‘Together as Synergy we’d become so used to how we played, it made for a great section. But then in the orches-tra, you’re negotiating with 90 other people, and working out how to place things rhythmically is a different skill.’

As principal, Rebecca says her job requires her to play with ‘nerves of steel and confidence’, putting herself on the line like the other principal players – think of the snare drum part in Ravel’s Bolero, for instance. Sometimes, however, the role of principal in her section isn’t clear-cut – the percussion section often functions with greater democracy than other sections of the orchestra. ‘Percussion is a little bit weird,’ says Rebecca. ‘Works like Bernstein’s West Side Story, or Messiaen’s Chronochro-mie, have two or three equally weighted parts that are similarly soloistic or contain comparable technical challenges.’

‘I try really hard to put people on parts that play to their strengths.’ That’s the best way, Rebecca says, to build a really good section. ‘Some people have a feel for metal. Some people have a feel for skin.’

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If ever there were a section in an orchestra that needed a strong ‘sixth sense’ to play precisely together, it would have to be the percussion section. Timing unison entries, says principal percussionist Rebecca Lagos, calls for ‘a mystery radar thing. I can’t describe it any other way. We’ll all take a big breath in, and play, and it all comes together. As Colin [Piper, fellow percussionist] says, “you can’t teach that sort of thing.” You really can’t learn it anywhere except on the job.’

Rebecca acknowledges that there can be many hurdles for an aspiring young percussionist. ‘You have to accumulate masses

of gear, find somewhere to store it, possibly find somewhere else to practice. All this could be a real stumbling block to success.’ Her own path to becoming a professional musician was rela-tively straightforward. ‘I’ve been quite blessed in terms of falling into jobs early.’ Twenty-five years ago, when she first joined the Sydney Symphony, Rebecca also joined the percussion ensemble Synergy. ‘It was the perfect foil for all the orchestral stuff.’ Two of her Synergy colleagues, Colin Piper and Ian Cleworth, were also fellow Sydney Symphony musicians. ‘When you’re only playing with three other percus-

NERVES OF STEELPrincipal Percussion Rebecca Lagos talks hurdles, radars and democracy.

ORCHESTRA NEWS | NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2012

Our recent tour to China offered ample opportunity for reflection on the year. And what a year it’s been. In the orchestra’s 80th year, some of our anniversary programs have highlighted historical visits by Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland. We’ve also recognised important musical events in the orchestra’s history, including our re-creation of the official opening concert of the Sydney Opera House. It’s been a significant year also with the appointment of our next Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, David Robertson, who takes over from Vladimir Ashkenazy in 2014.

As 2012 draws to a close, we have one celebration left up our sleeve. Ashkenazy will conduct a three- week mini festival of Russian masters. The centrepiece is a concert performance of Tchaikovsky’s opera The Queen of Spades. And we present the Australian premiere of Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Concerto No.4 in its original version. I hope you’ll agree it’s been an amazing year of music-making. Thank you for your support in coming to our concerts. After all, as Confucius says, ‘If an orchestra plays, and no one’s there to hear it, did it ever really happen?’

RORY JEFFES

From the Managing Director

Proud sponsor of theSydney Symphonyin their 80th yearof timeless entertainment

The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing – known as ‘The Egg’ – dwarfs our musicians in this group shot. Beijing was the second stop on the orchestra’s tour of China, which also took in Tianjin, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai and Qingdao. Our thanks to tour partner Tianda for their support of this cultural exchange.

Ask a Musician

The short answer is yes, Tobias’s viola is bigger than most. But why? Of all the orchestral instruments, the viola poses the greatest design challenges. In order to match the acoustic properties of its cousin the violin, the lower-pitched viola would have to be about 51cm long, making it almost impossible to play. A compromise must be reached. Over the centuries, viola makers have experimented with sizes and shapes of the instrument, adjusting proportional relationships between the length of the neck and position of the bridge, and the dimensions of the body, all the while seeking to maintain that signature sound of the viola. Naturally, violists come in all shapes and sizes too. Tobias, standing at 6-foot-and-quite-a-bit, has a longer reach than many of his colleagues, and can thus play on an instrument closer to the theoretical ideal. ‘I guess I’m just one of the lucky ones!’ he says.

Our Development Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn has her own Ask a Musician question: Is Tobias Breider’s viola bigger than everyone else’s?

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Ashkenazy’s SibeliusAt the end of the our Sibelius festival in 2004, conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy turned to the audience and declared that he had ‘never heard Sibelius played better!’ Now, celebrating five years at the orchestra’s helm, Ashkenazy still feels a ‘great affinity with Sibelius’s Nordic nature’. He will begin 2013 with two of the composer’s earliest orchestral works: Kullervo and the Lemminkäinen Suite. These tone poems mark the beginning of the Sibelius’s uniquely Finnish style of composition, drawing on his country’s rich folklore to create music of great individuality and beauty.

Both works are shaped by a narrative, each focusing on the story of a hero from the Finnish epic poem, the Kalevala. The tale of Kullervo, a wandering magician, is told through the human voice, calling for a bass-baritone (Kullervo), a soprano (his sister) and chorus in two of its five movements. The sound world of Lemminkäinen is purely instrumental, and the popular third movement, The Swan of Tuonela, features an expansive, song-like solo for the cor anglais. This is the creation of a young composer still working to master the orchestral form, but elements of the snow-covered Finnish landscape are already audible. Ashkenazy, who nominates Sibelius as one of his favourites, says this is some of the composer’s best music. NJ

Legends by the Sea (Lemminkäinen)Wed 6 Feb | 8pm Fri 8 Feb | 8pm Sat 9 Feb | 8pm

A Finnish Epic (Kullervo)Fri 15 Feb | 8pm Sat 16 Feb | 2pm

The Score

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laMUSIC 4 HEALTH MUSIC 4 EVERYONE

Community Focus

Ziegler, cellist Rowena Crouch and double bassist Richard Lynn accompanying the students, from kindergarten to Year 12, as they played on percussion instruments. Other students were invited to the stage to take turns at conducting, or to sing along.

The Sydney Symphony’s Music4Health program of community engagement aims to provide a transformative experience for those with health, disability and aged care needs, and their carers. Members of the orchestra have performed for children aided by the Autism Advisory and Support Service several times in recent years.

If you’d like to find out more about our Music4Health programs, email philanthropy@sydneysymphony.com or call (02) 8215 4625.

The hills and valleys of Western Sydney were alive with the sound of music recently when Mount Pritchard & District Community Club hosted over 400 students with autism and their carers in a day of musical expression. ‘It really is the best hour of the year for us,’ said Grace Fava, president and founder of the Liverpool-based Autism Advisory and Support Service. ‘The look on the kids’ faces, in their eyes, said it all for me. Given the complex needs these kids have, to see how music brings them all together is wonderful.’

Cabramatta Labor MP Nick Lalich was also in attendance, and was so moved that he spoke about it at the next sitting of state parliament: ‘There was a wonderful atmosphere in the auditorium that day. The space was filled with the fun and enthusiasm felt by…the children and their carers and teachers. Each child in the auditorium was given a percussion instrument to play. Some had triangles and others had castanets. The conductor then got each side of the room to play to a different beating rhythm while the Sydney Symphony…provided the melody. It was something to behold. The continual and audible cheering of the children showed how music can cut through their condition.’

The performance was led by violinist Stan Kornel, with violinists Sophie Cole and Léone

Your SayWhat an inspired piece of programming! [Symphony for the Common Man, September] L’après-midi d’un faune, so sensitively played, was a perfect prelude to the Takemitsu, which seemed to take us into a new sort of orchestral idiom in the same way Debussy did in 1894. As for the Copland symphony, it won in the decibel stakes, but the phrase came to mind: ‘full of sound and fury, signifying…’ Frank Langley

It was one of the most pleasurable evenings I am sure to experience [Ravel’s Bolero, October]. Amy Dickson was fabulous and the orchestra were, as always, brilliant. The percussion section put in a lot of work and they deserved the appreciation that was displayed. The SSO Night Lounge seemed like a big hit. The chamber music was awesome. The mingling felt a bit awkward but I’d do it again if the orchestra was planning another! Timothy Borge

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

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HONOURS

Philanthropist Peter Weiss was recently honoured by the University of Sydney with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (HonDLitt). The conferring ceremony was an intimate affair in the Vice Chancellor’s office conducted by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO. We’ve been fortunate to have a long relationship with Peter, and are delighted that he has been recognised in this way.

BRAVO BEN

Congratulations to double bassist Benjamin Ward who has been selected as a 2012 Churchill Fellow. His project is a comparison of the diverse approaches to the double bass in the major orchestras of Europe and Britain. Ben says: ‘It’s a chance for me to inform my own playing, and bring that learning home to then help students through the Sydney Symphony education programs and in private teaching.’ Bravo Ben!

RICHARD GILL – ANNIVERSARIES

2012 is Richard Gill’s 20th year as Artistic Director of our Education program. To celebrate, we commissioned a new work by Barry Conyngham – Symphony – which Richard is conducting in the Meet the Music series in November. It’s also 50 years since Richard began teaching and to mark this auspicious event he recently published a memoir, Give Me Excess of It.

DID YOU KNOW?

Our Education program has built up an impressive reach. Here are just a few of its vital statistics:

approximately 50 schools concerts, for an audience of 30,000 school-aged students.

accredited professional learning workshops annually to approximately 400 teachers and 100 student teachers.

producing six books of lesson resources which are then purchased by teachers all over Australia, and even as far away as Egypt!

workshops in five states.

And advice from the coalface: You gotta be quick! This year’s series of schools concerts at the ABC sold out in 2011, before the season had even begun.

CODA

BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang sydneysymphony.com/bravoBRAVO EDITOR: Genevieve Lang sydneysymphony.com/bravoCONTRIBUTOR: Naomi Johnson