TEA & SYMPHONY

Friday 1 November 2013

DVORÁK’S NEW WORLD Explorations in Sound

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Dvorák’s New World: Explorations in SoundJessica Cottis CONDUCTOR Wu Man PIPA

Zhao Jiping (born 1945)Pipa Concerto No.2

PREMIERE

Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904)Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op.95, From the New World

Adagio – Allegro moltoLargoScherzo (Molto vivace)Allegro con fuoco

2013 season tea & symphonyFriday 1 November | 11am

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

The music in this program was recorded on Wednesday 30 October for later broadcast by ABC Classic FM.

Estimated durations: 20 minutes, 45 minutesThe concert will conclude at approximately 12.10pm.

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

ZHAO Pipa Concerto No.2

About the composerZhao Jiping is one of the China’s most prominent composers. In Australia he is best known for his soundtracks to fi lms such as Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou) and Farewell My Concubine (Chen Kaige), and his work has won him awards at the Cannes and Berlin fi lm festivals. His music style is characterised by the combination of traditional Chinese melodic and harmonic gestures with Western orchestral colours, and he has composed widely in Western genres, writing symphonies and symphonic poems as well as concertos.

Zhao studied at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music, and he is the Director of the Institute of Dance and Music Drama of Shaanxi Province. He is also closely associated with the Silk Road Project, led by Yo-Yo Ma, and has completed a number of commissioned works for the project, including Moon Over Guan Mountains, Distant Green Valley, Sacred Cloud Music, Summer in the High Grassland and The Battle Remembered.

Wu Man explains the pipaThe pipa is a lute-like instrument with a history of more than two thousand years. During the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC–220 AD), instruments with long, straight necks and round resonators with snake skin or wooden sound boards were played with a forward and backward plucking motion that sounded like ‘pi’ and ‘pa’ to fanciful ears. Hence, all plucked instruments in ancient times were called ‘pipa’. During the Tang dynasty, by way of Central Asia, the introduction of a crooked neck lute with a pear-shaped body contributed to the pipa’s evolution. Today’s instrument consists of 26 frets and six ledges arranged as stops and its four strings are tuned respectively to A D E A. The pipa’s many left and right hand fi ngering techniques, rich tonal qualities and resonant timbre give its music a lasting and endearing expressiveness and beauty.

The composer writes…In 2012 I was approached by Wu Man to write a concerto. Having known and admired Wu Man for many years, I was immediately taken by the prospect and, in fact, had been wanting to write something that could feature her incredible artistry. This is my second concerto for pipa, an instrument that resonates so closely to my heart.

Wu Man has a unique perspective on the interpretation of music, particularly on the integration of eastern sounds

ZHAO JIPINGChinese composer (born 1945)

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with western ensembles. I see this piece not so much as a traditional concerto, but more an exploration of poetic expression of thoughts and emotions, able to stimulate many levels of the audience’s imagination. The orchestra and Wu Man are the canvas and I have the privilege to paint the picture.

A few years ago I was fortunate to hear a concert of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (the lead commissioner for this concerto), and was immediately struck by the virtuosity of the musicians. With that sound in mind my goal is to create a pipa concerto with a strong Chinese fl avor combined with global musical language sense. The movements represent various expressions in diff erent textures and tempos, and inspired by the most elegant Chinese traditional music style, Ping Tang ( ), from Wu Man’s hometown in the Su Hang ( ) area. I am confi dent that this powerful collaboration will touch a new light!

BASED ON NOTES BY WU MAN AND ZHAO JIPING © 2013

Zhao Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No.2 was commissioned for Wu Man and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra by the SSO and a consortium of North American commissioners. It was completed in 2013 in Xi’an, China. This week’s concerts represent the fi rst performances.

( ) )

…an exploration of poetic expression…

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ANTONÍN DVORÁKBohemian composer (1841–1904)

DVORÁK Symphony No.9, From the New World

Dvorák composed his ninth, and last, symphony in New York between January and May 1893. As his American-born secretary, Josef Kovarík, was about to deliver the score to the conductor of the fi rst performance, Anton Seidl, Dvorák suddenly wrote on the title page, in Czech, ‘From the New World’. That expression had been used in a welcome speech following his arrival in New York the previous September, refl ecting the Christopher Columbus quadricentenary: ‘The New World of Columbus and the New World of Music’. Kovarík said the inscription was just ‘the Master’s little joke’; but the ‘joke’ has, ever since, prompted the question: how American is the New World Symphony?

Dvorák could have written his ‘New World’ inscription, as in the welcome speech, in English. By writing it in Czech he was seen to be addressing the work, like a picture postcard, to his compatriots back in Europe. At the same time he challenged listeners to identify depictions of America or elements of American music. Either way, the composer was seen to be meeting the desire of his employer, Mrs Jeannette Thurber, for music which might be identifi ed as American.

Mrs Thurber had persuaded Dvorák to become director of her National Conservatory of Music in New York – the most eminent composer ever to take a teaching position in the USA. Besides teaching students from a wide spectrum of society, including blacks and women, he found he was expected to show Americans how to create a national music. So, controversially and perhaps naively, in a country which had not forgotten the Civil War, the egalitarian Dvorák told Americans they would fi nd their future music in their roots, whether native or immigrant, and in particular the songs of the African-Americans.

From his familiarity with gypsies in Europe, Dvorák had famously composed a set of Gypsy Melodies (including ‘Songs my mother taught me’), and was thus receptive when introduced soon after his arrival to the songs of the African-Americans – the sorrow songs and spiritual songs of the plantation. As a devout man of humble rural origins, he responded to the pathos and religious fervour of the poor.

He told the New York Herald that the two middle movements of his new symphony were inspired by Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, a work he had long ago read in Czech and which Mrs Thurber was now suggesting for an opera. The famous slow movement, he said, was inspired by Hiawatha’s wooing of Minnehaha and the Scherzo by dancing at the wedding feast. Without

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using Native American melodies, he claimed to have given the Scherzo ‘the local colour of Indian music’ – an eff ect probably limited to repetitive rhythms and primitive harmonies.

At the same time, The New York Daily Tribune, reporting an extensive interview with the composer, declared that America’s ‘most characteristic, most beautiful and most vital’ folksong came ‘from the negro slaves of the South’, adding that ‘if there is anything Indian about Dr Dvorák’s symphony it is only in the mood...of Indian legend and romance.’

On superfi cial acquaintance, Dvorák found that ‘the music of the Negroes and of the Indians was practically identical.’ But he took care to speak only in generalities as the debate, with all its good publicity, fl ourished.

As music, the New World Symphony is entirely characteristic of its composer (the ‘simple Czech musician’ he liked to style himself ) and owes nothing to any specifi c ‘borrowings’ from the indigenous or African-American musics Dvorák encountered in the New World. The ersatz-spiritual Goin’ home was actually arranged from Dvorák’s Largo movement by one of his students, not the other way around.

There were strong non-musical impressions of America which doubtless crowded the composer’s mind as he worked on the symphony: the frenetic bustle of New York,

Autograph title page of the New World Symphony.

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SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER — PADDINGTON TOWN HALLBreak out the tux, put on your dancing shoes and join us for a night of revelry and entertainment to help us support Australia’s most talented young musicians at the SSO Roaring 20s Ball!

Tickets are available through the SSO Box Office call 8215 4600.

For more information visit www.sydneysymphony.com/20sball

the seething cauldron of humanity in the metropolis, and the simple folk caught up in the impersonal whirl – the African-Americans, the indigenous Americans, the immigrant poor. The surging fl ow and swiftly changing moods of the outer movements perhaps refl ect these images. The vast, desolate prairies Dvorák found ‘sad unto despair’, and this may be felt to underpin the deep yearning of the Largo (together with the composer’s own homesickness for his native Bohemia). As if to emphasise his personal longing for home, Dvorák uses a Czech dance as the central trio section of the third movement.

Musical ideas recur in the New World Symphony, like familiar faces in a crowd, to link the symphonic structure. The two main themes of the fi rst movement are recalled in festive mood in the Largo, at the brassy climax of the famous melody fi rst stated by the cor anglais. They fi gure again in the coda of the Scherzo, the fi rst theme (somewhat disguised) also making three appearances earlier in the movement. The main themes of both middle movements recur in the development section of the fi nale, and the main themes of all three preceding movements are reviewed in the fi nal coda. There, a brief dialogue between the themes of the fi rst and last movements is cut short by a conventional cadence, spiced by unexpected wind colouring in the last chord of all.

ANTHONY CANE © 1980/2003

The fi rst complete performance of the New World Symphony by an ABC orchestra was given by the SSO in 1938, conducted by George Szell. Our most recent performance in a subscription concert was in 2011, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, and on tour in NSW in 2012, conducted by Benjamin Northey.

Musical ideas recur…ike familiar faces in a crowd…

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

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ASSISTANT CONDUCTORSupported by Premier PartnerCredit Suisse and Symphony Services International

Read more in Bravo! bit.ly/Bravo2012-8

We regret that Joana Carneiro was obliged to cancel her appearances in Sydney for health reasons, but are delighted that Jessica Cottis has been able to step in at short notice.

Jessica Cottis CONDUCTOR

Jessica Cottis was born in Sale, Victoria and studied organ and musicology at the Australian National University. She continued her organ studies with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris and made her European debut at Westminster Cathedral in 2003. A hand injury halted her playing career and she began studying conducting at the Royal Academy of Music with Colin Metters, George Hurst and Colin Davis. In 2009 she was appointed Assistant Conductor to Donald Runnicles at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Conducting Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, as well as Manson Fellow in Composition at the RAM. She made her BBC Proms debut in 2010, conducting music by James Dillon.

As the SSO’s Assistant Conductor, she divides her time between Australia and Britain. This season she makes debuts with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic and will return to the BBC SSO and the Orchestra of Scottish Opera. She regularly conducts the London Sinfonietta, appears in UK festivals, and has conducted opera premieres as well as core operatic repertoire in Britain and Europe. This year she has conducted the SSO in subscription concerts (including Tea & Symphony) and on tour in Canberra and Albury, as well as SSO schools concerts.

Wu Man PIPA

Recognised as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and a leading ambassador of Chinese music, Wu Man has carved out a career as a composer, soloist and educator, giving her lute-like instrument a new role in both traditional and contemporary music. She was born in Hangzhou, China and studied at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, where she became the fi rst recipient of a master’s degree in pipa. She is recognised as an outstanding exponent of traditional pipa repertoire; at the same time she has been responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western world, and is a leading interpreter of music by contemporary composers.

Her fi rst exposure to Western classical music came in 1979 when she saw Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform in Beijing. She visited the United States in 1985 as a member of the China Youth Arts Troupe, and moved there in 1990; she frequently tours the US with the Silk Road Ensemble and separately as a soloist. Wu Man has initiated projects that have resulted in the pipa fi nding a place in new solo and quartet works, concertos, opera, chamber, electronic and jazz music as well as in theatre, fi lm and dance, and collaborations with visual artists.

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www.wumanpipa.org

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MUSICIANS

Vladimir AshkenazyPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor supported by Emirates

Dene OldingConcertmaster

Jessica CottisAssistant Conductor supported by Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Andrew HaveronConcertmaster

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

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

FIRST VIOLINS

Andrew Haveron Concertmaster

Kirsten WilliamsAssociate Concertmaster

Lerida Delbridge Assistant Concertmaster

Fiona ZieglerAssistant Concertmaster

Julie BattyJenny BoothBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeGeorges LentzNicola LewisAlexander NortonRebecca Gill†Claire Herrick*Kelly Tang†

Dene Olding Concertmaster

Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster

Marianne BroadfootAmber DavisJennifer HoyAlexandra MitchellLéone Ziegler

SECOND VIOLINS

Kirsty Hilton Marina Marsden Emma Jezek A/ Associate Principal

Emily Long A/ Assistant Principal

Shuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitMaja VerunicaElizabeth Jones*Maria DurekEmma Hayes

VIOLAS

Roger Benedict Anne-Louise Comerford Justin Williams Assistant Principal

Robyn BrookfieldSandro CostantinoJane HazelwoodGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenAmanda VernerTobias Breider Felicity TsaiLeonid Volovelsky

CELLOS

Catherine Hewgill Leah LynnAssistant Principal

Fenella GillTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisDavid WickhamKristy Conrau

DOUBLE BASSES

Kees Boersma Neil Brawley Principal Emeritus

David CampbellSteven LarsonRichard LynnDavid MurrayBenjamin WardAlex Henery

FLUTES

Janet Webb Carolyn HarrisRosamund Plummer Principal Piccolo

Emma Sholl

OBOES

Diana Doherty David PappAlexandre Oguey Principal Cor Anglais

Shefali Pryor

CLARINETS

Francesco Celata Christopher TingayLawrence Dobell Craig Wernicke Principal Bass Clarinet

BASSOONS

Jack Schiller†ºFiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada Principal Contrabassoon

Matthew Wilkie

HORNS

Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly Principal 3rd

Euan HarveyAbbey Edlin*Brendan Parravicini†

Ben Jacks Marnie SebireRachel Silver

TRUMPETS

David Elton Anthony HeinrichsPaul Goodchild TROMBONES

Scott Kinmont Christopher Harris Principal Bass Trombone

Milo Dodd*Ronald PrussingNick Byrne

TUBA

Steve Rossé

TIMPANI

Richard Miller PERCUSSION

Rebecca Lagos Colin PiperMark Robinson Philip South*

HARP

Louise Johnson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Sydney Symphony Orchestra BoardJohn C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus amEwen Crouch am

Ross GrantJennifer HoyRory Jeffes

Andrew Kaldor amDavid LivingstoneGoetz Richter

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06 Kirsty Hilton Principal Second Violin Corrs Chambers Westgarth Chair

07 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair

08 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

09 Colin Piper Percussion Justice Jane Mathews ao Chair

10 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

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

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRONS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chair Patrons

01 02 03

04 05 06

07 08 09

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

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

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

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

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

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

MembersCentric WealthMatti AlakargasStephen AttfieldDamien BaileyMar BeltranEvonne BennettNicole Billet

Sydney Symphony Orchestra VanguardVanguard Collective

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PLAYING YOUR PART

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

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

Gold Patrons: $10,000–$19,999Doug & Alison BattersbyAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonCopyright Agency Cultural Fund Edward & Diane FedermanNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantMr Ervin KatzJames N Kirby FoundationMs Irene LeeRuth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran MeagherMrs T Merewether oamMr John MorschelMr John SymondAndy & Deirdre Plummer Caroline WilkinsonAnonymous (1)

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

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

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

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

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

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Learn how, with the people who know books

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

T E L L ?

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

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

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

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

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

List correct as of 1 October 2013

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

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EDUCATION PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

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I learnt how to crave a really great orchestral sound.

the Chicago Symphony Orchestra whose string sound is so present, so close to the bridge. All their courage is in the bow.’

Somewhat unusually, Chris’s parents travelled with him on the last SSO tour. ‘It was pretty cool having them there. It wasn’t like “I’m a problem child and I need someone to look after me”. Dad’s a hæmatologist, and plays piano and organ a lot. If ever someone’s had a bad diagnosis, Dad’s two favourite things are gardening and playing piano. Mozart is a salvation. Any frustration you have with people can be dealt with through playing music or gardening.’

‘Music is a vocation, not a job. I’m practising and thinking about music a lot. There’s a great term that Yo Yo Ma uses, of a “citizen musician”, where your role is to share music as a cultural device. Our orchestra is a major part of that. I feel that our schedule allows enough time to do other concerts, to make it a real vocation. There’s so much work to be done, it never really ends.’

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‘Bikram cello.’ That’s what cellist Chris Pidcock suggests he’s engaged in as he practises furiously in a rehearsal room at the Sydney Opera House. It’s warm. It could be the air-conditioning, but equally, when you find out what he’s working on… ‘A bit of Saariaho, some Giacinto Scelsi, a work by Anna Clyne for cello and electronics.’ Um. Perhaps the challenging repertoire better explains his heated condition?

Chris is getting ready for an extracurricular solo concert of contemporary music. ‘The really fun part [of my preparations]

is playing for my colleagues. Suddenly I’ve got a hundred “teachers”. I get really excited when I can play for them because they’re buzzing with ideas.’

‘I always knew I wanted to be part of a great orchestra. I remember walking away from an SSO performance of La Mer, and I couldn’t understand how it was so perfect. I learnt how to crave a really great orchestral sound.’ That craving was fed further by other great orchestras: ‘You go to Vienna and the violins have a flautando [flutelike] sound so perfect that you can’t breathe when you hear it. Then there’s

CITIZEN MUSICIANYoga. Gardening. Music. There’s no limit to cellist Chris Pidcock’s interests.

ORCHESTRA NEWS | SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2013

In July, SSO Chairman John Conde AO welcomed patrons to his home for a special preview of our 2014 concert season. Guests were treated to a lively Q&A session with incoming Chief Conductor and Artistic Director David Robertson and our

Managing Director Rory Jeffes. Diana Doherty, Catherine Hewgill and Kirsty Hilton provided the musical entertainment.For information about the SSO Patrons Program email philanthropy@sydneysymphony.com or call (02) 8215 4674.

I noticed Janet Webb was playing a metal flute when she performed the Liebermann concerto recently. But she used to play on a wooden instrument – it was always a distinctive sight on the concert platform. Why the switch? And what difference does it make? Lapsed Flautist

Well spotted, Lapsed Flautist! Janet has indeed switched from her wooden flute back to a metal one – this time a solid 14-carat gold instrument. As Janet explains, she decided it was time for a change. ‘I’m always looking for different sounds, and different possibilities.’ Her new gold flute sounds more…well…golden. ‘I want to make a mellow, rounded sound. The gold flute allows me to find warmer, darker, deeper, more complex qualities.’ Janet describes the wooden flute as having an earthy sound, ‘just like the material it’s made from.’ A silver flute offers something different again – a brighter, more penetrating sound.

There are some physical differences – Janet’s wooden flute was heavier and fatter than her gold flute. The wooden flute also retained its warmth after being played – ‘I could put it down and then come back to it later and it would still be warm.’ This ensures stability in intonation. The physical properties of the metal mean a gold flute will cool down faster after being played. ‘I just have to pay more attention to the tuning if I come in after a long rest.’ Above all, however, the quality of the sound depends on the flautist. ‘It’s all about how people blow. I still sound like me!’

Have a question about music, instruments or the inner workings of an orchestra? ‘Ask a Musician’ at yoursay@sydneysymphony.com or by writing to Bravo! Reply Paid 4338, Sydney NSW 2001.

Ask a MusicianOrchestra HighlightYour Orchestra’s New Look

Everything old is new again! With the excitement of a new chief conductor and a new season of music on the horizon, we thought it was time to bring back something that in reality never truly went away (although it was effectively sidelined for more than a decade).

In announcing the 2014 season, we officially welcomed back our original name: Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Sometimes you might find it easier to refer to the shortened version of ‘SSO’. Either way, we’re your orchestra.

Perhaps you’ve also noticed our colourful new logo? We think it’s rather joyful – akin to the explosion of colourful sound you can hear from the orchestra.

The graphic is a visual abstraction of both musicians and audience. The new exuberant identity also expresses the wide range of choice we offer audiences and the role we play in our community, with each vibrant square a different shade of a harmonious whole.

We hope you like our new/old name, and that you’ll enjoy our fresh new look as we move into another exciting era of inspirational and first-class music making.

CHINA EXCHANGEInternational Focus

‘These activities, which began last year, will lead to a long-term program of masterclasses, exchanges, orchestral workshops, commissions and tour performances, which will be further enhanced and facilitated through digital technology,’ says Rory. ‘Our relationship with the Conservatory, which is the only higher music education institution in Southern China, is also significant given the sister-city relationship between Sydney and Guangzhou.’

Also in 2012, the SSO signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, also known as ‘The Egg’. This agreement involves our musicians working with the NCPA orchestra, as well as SSO administrative staff passing on their expertise and knowledge about audience development. Our Director of Marketing, Mark Elliott, will soon be visiting the NCPA in this capacity.

Recently, the SSO won the major award at the inaugural Australian Arts in Asia Awards for our work in China. The awards, which attracted 120 entries, celebrate the role of Australian artists and arts organisations working in Asia.

‘It’s impossible to say for certain, but some estimates suggest there are 50 million young people learn-ing the violin in China,’ says our Managing Director Rory Jeffes.

Recently, three of the top young string players visited us from the Xinghai Conservatory in Guangzhou. Violinists Guo Lu and Zhu Siyao and violist Chen Chen, aged between 19 and 23, spent a week with the SSO’s Sinfonia mentoring orchestra. They took part in a busy schedule of schools and family concerts, as well as a read through of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. Violin mentors from the SSO, Shuti Huang and Ben Li, sat with the girls in the orchestra, occasionally translating for the students and generally unravelling the mysteries of professional orchestral etiquette.

‘The pace was faster than they anticipated, but they quickly adjusted,’ said Shuti. ‘By the end of the week, they were all feeling very much a part of the orchestra.’

Before our 2012 China tour, the SSO signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Xinghai Conservatory. On that tour, as a first step in building ties, our musicians gave masterclasses to students at the conservatory and Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted a rehearsal of their orchestra.

War RequiemVladimir Ashkenazy admits to not liking everything Benjamin Britten wrote, but the War Requiem, he says, is ‘one of Britten’s best pieces, maybe the best’. In its music, its text and its effect, it is ‘absolutely compelling’.

The War Requiem was composed in response to the horrors of World War II and was dedicated to the memory of four of Britten’s friends. It was an ambitious and daring musical creation, but also deeply symbolic. Perhaps most significant was Britten’s intended casting, and this is something Ashkenazy has set out to replicate for our performances in November, with Russian soprano Dina Kuznetsova, English tenor Andrew Staples and German baritone Dietrich Henschel.

The three nationalities were chosen by Britten to represent three principal countries in the conflict. (The first recording features the soloists he had in mind: Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.) And the symbolism reaches full weight when tenor and baritone, as two dead soldiers, sing the lines from Wilfred Owen’s World War I poem, Strange Meeting: ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend.’

Britten’s War Requiem uses its multinational cast to issue a call for peace, a call that seems as relevant today as it did in 1961. It’s not merely a protest against war, but music that Britten hoped would make us ‘think a bit’.

War RequiemMaster Series 8 and 9 November | 8pm

The Score

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From left: Zhu Siyao, Guo Lu, Chen Chen

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

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

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BRAVO EDITOR Genevieve Lang Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravo

LET’S MISBEHAVE!Dust off your tux and shake out the feather boa – it’s time for the SSO Roaring 20s Ball. Taking place on Saturday 23 November at Paddington Town Hall, your fun night out will include a 50-piece orchestra, music from the jazz age and dancing! Tickets may be purchased through our box office 02 8215 4600. More information here: sydneysymphony/20sball

REAL JOBSIt’s not uncommon for friends to ask young musicians about their jobs: What do you do all day? And why do you have to practise so much? Perhaps you’ve occasionally wondered the same. SSO Fellow, flautist Laura van Rijn, has written a blog post answering these questions and others. Read it at: blog.ssofellowship.com/2013/08/what-do-you-do

WELCOME PARTNER

We’re pleased to announce that the Hotel Intercontinental Sydney is a new Gold Partner of the SSO. Keep an eye out for exclusive dining and accommodation packages in Stay Tuned, program books and at sydneysymphony.com

EARLY BIRDSThe winners of our 2013 Season Emirates Early Bird prize, Joyce and Ivan Cribb, returned from their prize trip to Barcelona (and a side trip to France) with glowing reports and memories to cherish. A highlight was hearing the local Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra perform Mahler’s First Symphony.

You could win this year! The 2014 Season Emirates Early Bird prize closes soon. This time the prize is two business class Emirates flights

to Dubai plus five nights’ luxury accommodation Enter the draw by booking your 2014 SSO subscription by 10 September 2013. T&Cs apply.

CONQUERORSThe mighty Team Sydney Symphony Sprint put in a valiant – nay, impressive! – effort in the recent City to Surf. Fastest on the day was double bassist David Campbell, with a time of 59:22. Breathing down his neck was Principal Trumpet David Elton, mere hundredths of a second behind. Go team!

EMIRATES RENEWALWe recently announced the renewal for three years of our principal partner relationship with Emirates, making it one of our longest-standing corporate partnerships. Among the benefits: SSO audiences receive an exclusive 10% online discount on all Emirates flights. How? Visit sydneysymphony.com/emirates

CODA