elijah the last note of elijah was drowned in a long-continued unanimous volley of plaudits,...
TRANSCRIPT
ELIJAH
APT MASTER SERIES
Wednesday 14 May 2014 Friday 16 May 2014 Saturday 17 May 2014
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WELCOME
We at APT are delighted to welcome you to the latest instalment in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Master Series: what promises to be a thrilling performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah.
Tonight’s guest conductor is Paul McCreesh, renowned in the world of historically informed performance for interpretations that are both stylish and exciting. And in this program he gives us a chance to experience Mendelssohn’s Elijah as its first listeners at the Birmingham Festival in 1846 might have heard it.
The 1846 premiere was huge, with hundreds of instrumentalists and singers on the stage. Tonight the SSO is fielding more than 400 musicians, including the combined forces of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and the Conservatorium High School Choir. Bigger than Ben Hur, you could say.
Mendelssohn took his story of a ‘grand and mighty prophet’ from the Old Testament and created a magnificent choral work that takes the English oratorio tradition of Handel and gives it a 19th-century spirit.
The SSO and its guest artists have gone to great lengths to bring this glorious musical production to life, and for us, this is something that resonates enormously with our philosophy at APT. Just as the SSO ensures it consistently delivers outstanding performances, we at APT pride ourselves on going that extra mile to deliver truly unforgettable journeys.
Thank you for joining us, we hope you enjoy the evening and that you’ll return to the Sydney Opera House for future APT Master Series performances.
Geoff McGeary oam APT Company Owner
2014 concert season
APT MASTER SERIESWEDNESDAY 14 MAY, 8PM
FRIDAY 16 MAY, 8PM
SATURDAY 17 MAY, 8PM
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL
Saturday night’s performance will be broadcast live across Australia by ABC Classic FM.
Pre-concert talk by David Garrett at 7.15pm in the Northern Foyer
Estimated durations: 69 minutes, 20-minute interval, 68 minutes The concert will conclude at approximately 10.45pm.
ELIJAHPaul McCreesh conductor Gillian Webster soprano Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano Thomas Walker tenor Andrew Foster-Williams bass-baritone (Elijah)
Lachlan Massey treble Lindy Montgomery, Nicole Thomson, Jo Burton, Carly-Anne Evans, Paul Sutton, Dan Walker, Phil Barton, Simon Lobelson consort soloists
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Conservatorium High School Choir
FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847) Elijah – an oratorio in two parts after words from the Old Testament
Sung in English, in a recreation of the 1846 premiere in Birmingham
PRESENTING PARTNER
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Felix Mendessohn, portrait by Eduard Magnus made in 1846, the year of the premiere of Elijah
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The last note of Elijah was drowned in a long-continued unanimous volley of plaudits, vociferous and deafening.… Never was there a more complete triumph – a never a more thorough and speedy recognition of a great work of art. The Times, 27 August 1846
At the Birmingham Triennial Festival of 1846, Elijah was an immediate triumph; it also became a lasting triumph. Mendelssohn’s Elijah – and the earlier St Paul – followed in the English oratorio tradition of Handel and came to English shores ‘not as strangers, but as the younger brothers of Messiah and Judas Maccabaeus’. The extraordinary popularity of Elijah was not surprising.
And yet, as Paul McCreesh points out, the most popular oratorio of the 19th century fell from grace during the 20th – not altogether neglected, but making more occasional appearances. (The SSO last performed Elijah in the 1994 Sydney Festival with Christopher Hogwood.) The qualities that made it such a success – including Mendelssohn’s astute understanding of the English choral society tradition and the religious climate of the time – may have contributed to the feeling that this music is now dated, a product of the Victorian age. And yet it remains without question one of Mendelssohn’s masterpieces, and one worth hearing.
Paul McCreesh’s aim in recreating the 1846 premiere is not, he says, ‘to indulge in historical fantasy but to try and rediscover the power of this extraordinary work and why it inspired a whole generation’, and to ‘go back and discover what it is about this piece that so enthralled 19th-century audiences’.
McCreesh is renowned for his historically informed approach to music. Part of that approach involves adopting the performing forces that the composer would have expected. (McCreesh was the first person to record Bach’s Matthew Passion with just solo voices.)
For Elijah he has been able to establish not only how many instrumentalists and singers (about 400 in total) would have taken part in 1846 but also the balance of those parts. So you’ll hear what we call ‘double woodwinds’ and the trumpet and timpani parts are also doubled (but not the horns or the trombones). Tonight we perform on modern instruments, with the exception of Nick Byrne’s ophicleide underpinning the brass section, and for modern ears, but nonetheless we strive for the astonishing musical effect that Mendelssohn himself might have heard as he conducted that first, triumphant performance.
Turn to page 35 to read Bravo! – musician profiles, articles and news from the orchestra. There are nine issues through the year, also available at sydneysymphony.com/bravo
Mendelssohn’s Elijah
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INTRODUCTION
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ABOUT THE MUSIC
Felix Mendelssohn Elijah – An Oratorio, Op.70Text derived from the Lutheran Bible by Julius Schubring English version by William Bartholomew
Elijah: The Masterpiece of German Romantic OratorioMendelssohn should be regarded neither as a follower of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, failing by their standards, or as a musical Victorian, accommodating the tastes of English audiences of his day. His masterpieces avoid these strictures. They include orchestral music, the Violin Concerto and the Scottish and Italian symphonies, and chamber music, notably the marvellous String Octet.
Yet, if asked which were his most important works, Mendelssohn probably would have named the oratorios, St Paul (1836) and Elijah (1847). Since his death, the composer’s judgment of their value has been undermined, the result of a complete change in the institutional and intellectual context of music-making, beginning almost as soon as Elijah was composed.
Cantatas, odes and Oratorios, whether on secular or sacred subjects, were staples of early 19th-century concert life, and the institutions which existed to perform them were able to field orchestras and choirs as required. Carl Dahlhaus, in Nineteenth-Century Music (1980) emphasises that oratorio, for that era, was concert music, whether the subject was sacred or secular. The middle- and upper-class audiences supporting oratorio performances tended to regard the concert hall as a church, and art as embodying the substance of religion. Mendelssohn’s cultivated banker father, an ideal representative of these classes, considered religious music the ultimate. He was the Mendelssohn who converted from Judaism to Christianity.
A Thrilling PictureElijah’s librettist Julius Schubring, a Protestant pastor from Dessau, sent Mendelssohn his plan for Part I of Elijah on 31 October 1838, with the comment: ‘I have sought throughout – although it is not always possible – to introduce pieces, not merely suitable to the particular situation in question, but such as might awaken an echo in the hearts of the hearers.’ The next day he wrote: ‘…the thing is becoming too objective – an interesting, even a thrilling picture, but far from edifying the heart of the listener…’
Mendelssohn clearly wanted the ‘thrilling picture’, and replied: I figured to myself Elijah as a thorough prophet, such as we might again require in our own day – energetic and zealous, but
KeynotesMENDELSSOHNBorn Hamburg, 1809 Died Leipzig, 1847
Felix Mendelssohn is often called the 19th-century Mozart: he was a child prodigy, composing masterpieces such the Octet and the Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture when he was 16 and 17; his music has a classical sensibility; and he died in his 30s, his tremendous activity as composer, pianist, conductor and administrator having taken its toll on a fragile constitution. Others associate Mendelssohn with the Victorian age – he was popular in England and on friendly terms with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Viewed from a third angle, there is his interest in music of the past. As a young man he masterminded a revival of Bach’s Matthew Passion.
ELIJAH
Elijah is an oratorio in the tradition of Handel, its story taken from the books of Kings in the Old Testament. Mendelssohn began preliminary work on it in 1837, eventually completing it on commission from the Birmingham Festival, where it was premiered in 1846 with about 400 performers. It was composed simultaneously in German and English (it’s known as Elias when performed in German), much as Haydn composed his Creation oratorio. Mendelssohn’s Elijah is in two parts, each part lasting more than an hour and comprising a mix of choruses, solo arias, duets and recitatives (or sung speech).
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also stern, wrathful, and gloomy…I would fain see the dramatic element more prominent, as well as more exuberant and defined – appeal and rejoinder, question and answer, sudden interruptions, etc. etc…The personages should act and speak as if they were living beings – for heaven’s sake let them not be a musical picture, but a real world such as you find in every chapter of the Old Testament’. The failure of composer and librettist to agree on a mode for the libretto is one reason nothing more was done on Elijah for another six years.
A Bilingual OratorioLong before the commission for the Birmingham Festival of 1846, then, Mendelssohn was planning an Elijah oratorio. Mendelssohn was thinking of audiences in Germany, where he was also very highly regarded. The choice of an Old Testament subject, sometimes related to English oratorio societies’ near-worship of Handel, can be explained much more readily by noting that such subjects predominated among German oratorios of Mendelssohn’s day.
Mendelssohn’s mission was to bring England the best of which the German musical world was capable. With typically thorough care he composed Elijah to what was, in effect, a bilingual libretto. Mendelssohn corresponded intensively, in English, with William Bartholomew, who made the English singing translation of Schubring’s text. Mendelssohn took a detailed interest in the English words, and made many revisions after the first performance. The English version is therefore definitive for performances in English-speaking countries.
Felix Mendelssohn – lithograph by Friedrich Jentzen after a painting by Theodor Hildebrandt. First published in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in 1837, the year Mendelssohn began work on Elijah.
Elijah – painting by José de Ribera (1638)
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‘Would that not be splendid…?’It was apparently Bartholomew who, after discussion with Mendelssohn’s friend Karl Klingemann, suggested placing the overture, descriptive of the misery of famine, between Elijah’s announcement of the curse, which begins the oratorio, and the chorus describing the people’s misery. (Elijah’s recitative prophesying the drought has a sinister descending interval reappearing later as a kind of ‘curse motive’.) The choruses in Elijah carry the burden of description. The original idea seems to have come to Mendelssohn from a passage in the First Book of Kings, beginning with the words ‘and behold, the Lord passed by’ (see the chorus which is No.34 of the oratorio). ‘Would not that be splendid for an oratorio?’ he exclaimed.
Elijah contains choral material summing up the religious meaning of the drama, but Mendelssohn’s way of integrating this material into the unfolding of the piece represents a real discovery. The confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, for example, has a sustained and imaginative series of choruses. moving from vivid dramatic representation to prayerful contemplation and back. The variety and continuity of choral and orchestral textures was novel, original. It influenced Wagner’s Parsifal, and also the greatest oratorio by an Englishman, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. (Elgar once took George Bernard Shaw to task for his dismissive attitude towards Elijah, guiding him through the score to demonstrate Mendelssohn’s mastery.)
Narrative and DramaGaps in the story-telling have often been criticised in Elijah. In Schubring’s libretto it is sometimes hard to tell who the chorus and soloists are supposed to represent at that moment. This throws the audience back on their word-books, but they would have expected to be asked to participate in this way (and knew their Bible). Narrative recitative was characteristic of the Bach Passions, and to a lesser extent of Handel’s oratorios. Nineteenth-century aesthetic theory, on the other hand, saw no problem with mixing lyric, epic and dramatic forms. Narrative could be achieved by depiction, plot by dialogue, reflection by solos for observers, preaching by the chorus – all in the same work, in the concert hall.
The widow’s scene in Elijah sticks out – its operatic presentation seems foreign to the genre as Mendelssohn conceived it. The ‘scenes’ in Elijah are of a different kind: epic tableaux, fused into a cohesive whole. The first part of the work is on the whole the more compelling. Schubring delivered text for the second part very close to the deadline. In spring 1846 Mendelssohn wrote to his sister Fanny: ‘I am more driven than ever, as an immense part of Elijah is not yet copied, whilst the first part is already in rehearsal in England.’
Elijah in the wilderness – painting by Frederic Leighton, 1878
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The second part bears more of the imprint of Schubring’s ideas. In contrast to the dramatic narrative of the first half it tends toward to the lyrical, static rather than dramatic, with uplifting texts and very little plot. Schubring insisted: ‘the oratorio can have not other than a New Testament ending. Elijah must help to transform the old into the new covenant – that gives him great historical importance.’ It is unlikely that Mendelssohn disagreed. Yet Mendelssohn’s focus on the Old Testament story helped to maintain the popularity of Elijah in England, where Handel’s oratorios were venerated. In fact, Elijah is closer to Messiah, linking the Old and New Testaments, and arranged in cumulative episodes, than to the story-telling of an oratorio like Handel’s Saul.
After Elijah…Elijah’s mixture of religious edification, entertainment, and massed musical forces of soloists, choir and orchestra arose out of the uneasy partnership of the bourgeoisie with the upper classes which preceded the 1848 revolutions in Germany. The concert-giving institutions jointly supported by these classes gave way, after 1848, to purely middle-class subscription-based concerts, with symphonies and concertos as the focus rather than oratorios.
The popularity of Mendelssohn’s oratorios in German waned. In England, the social classes were not forced apart (thus Prince Charles sang in the Bach Choir, founded 100 years before under royal patronage). Elijah has come to be seen as typical of Victorian era in England, but should be seen as the masterpiece of the German romantic oratorio of the first half of the 19th century, and as Mendelssohn’s most ambitious work, an attempt to fulfil the highest aspirations he shared with the musical elite of his place and time.
DAVID GARRETT © 2003/2014
Mendelssohn’s Elijah calls for four principal vocal soloists, treble soloist, eight consort soloists and a large chorus. The orchestra comprises flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons (two parts for each instrument with two players per part); four horns, two trumpet parts (two players per part), three trombones and an ophicleide; two sets of timpani; organ and strings.
Elijah was commissioned by the Birmingham Festival, where Mendelssohn had previously conducted his St Paul in 1837 and Hymn of Praise in 1840. The first performance took place in Birmingham Town Hall on 26 August 1846, conducted by the composer, with an orchestra of 125, including 93 strings and doubled woodwind; 79 sopranos, 60 altos (all male), 60 tenors and 72 basses. The SSO first performed the oratorio in 1977 with Moshe Atzmon conducting, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and soloists Pearl Berridge, Sandra Browne, Raymond McDonald and Phillip Langshaw; and most recently in 1994 with Christopher Hogwood conducting, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and soloists Marilyn Richardson, Irene Waugh, David Hobson and Robert Dawe, with Alison Morgan, Jenny Duck-Chong, Antony Walker, William Moxey and Joel Harvey.
Elijah ascends to heaven in a chariot of fire – engraving by Gustave Doré
These concerts use a performing edition by Paul McCreesh, based on an edition by R Larry Todd (Carus) and original 19th-century sources.
MUST-HAVERECORDINGS!
MENDELSSOHN: ElijahBoyce • Delman • Procter
London Philharmonic Orchestra & ChoirJosef Krips
The classic Decca recording – sung in Englishreleased for the first time on Decca CD
“Bruce Boyce sings the part with studied beauty,as indeed do all the other soloists, and the
chorus is in excellent form. Josef Krips sets themsome rapid tempi here and there, but the result
is lively and interesting … plenty of orchestraldetail even in the loud choruses … Norma
Procter’s singing is always beautiful” Gramophone
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTERThe Silver Album
Anne-Sophie MutterLambert Orkis
Anne-Sophie Mutter follows up her hugelysuccessful Sydney appearances with her
latest album – ‘The Silver Album’
Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lambert Orkis performthe world-premiere of Penderecki’s La follia, as
well as Violin Sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms,Mozart and Fauré, and violin encores by
Massenet, Kreisler, Ravel and Debussy.
2-CD set Decca Eloquence 480 4334
2CD set DG 479 2949
MustHaves_FP_SydneySymphony_Layout 1 5/05/2014 12:14 pm Page 1
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PART ONE
Introduction (Recitative)
ELIJAH
As God the Lord of Israel liveth, before whom I
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years,
but according to my word.
(1 Kings 17: 1)
Overture
1. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Help, Lord! wilt thou quite destroy us? The harvest
now is over, the summer days are gone, and yet no
power cometh to help us! Will then the Lord be no
more God in Zion?
(Jeremiah 8: 19, 20)
The deeps afford no water, and the rivers are
exhausted! The suckling’s tongue now cleaveth for
thirst to his mouth: the infant children ask for
bread, and there is no one breaketh it to feed
them!
(1 Kings 17: 7; Lamentations 4: 4)
2. Duet with Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Lord, bow Thine ear to our prayer!
TWO WOMEN
Zion spreadeth her hands for aid; and there is
neither help nor comfort.
(Psalm 86: 1; Lamentations 1: 17)
3. Recitative
OBADIAH
Ye people, rend your hearts, and not your
garments, for your transgressions the prophet
Elijah hath sealed the heavens through the word
of God. I therefore say to ye, forsake your idols,
return to God; for he is slow to anger, and merciful,
and kind and gracious, and repenteth Him of
the evil.
(Joel 2: 12, 13)
4. Aria
OBADIAH
‘If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever
surely find me.’ Thus saith our God. Oh! that I knew
where I might find Him, that I might even come
before His presence.
(Deuteronomy 4: 29; Job 23: 3)
5. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Yet doth the Lord see it not: He mocketh at us!
His curse hath fallen down upon us; His wrath will
pursue us, till He destroy us! For He, the Lord our
God, He is a jealous God; and He visiteth all the
fathers’ sins on the children to the third and fourth
generation of them that hate Him. His mercies on
thousands fall – fall on them that love Him, and
keep His commandments.
(Deuteronomy 28: 22; Exodus 20: 5, 6)
6. Recitative
AN ANGEL
Elijah! get thee hence; depart, and turn thee
eastward: thither hide thee by Cherith’s brook.
There shalt thou drink its waters; and the Lord thy
God hath commanded the ravens to feed thee
there: so do according unto His word.
(1 Kings 27: 3, 4)
7. Double Quartet
ANGELS
For He shall give His angels charge over thee; that
they shall protect thee in all the ways thou goest;
that their hands shall uphold and guide thee, lest
thou dash thy foot against a stone.
(Psalm 91: 11, 12)
TEXT
ElijahText derived from the Lutheran Bible by Julius Schubring English version by William Bartholomew Revisions by Paul McCreesh (italicised text)
14
Recitative
AN ANGEL
Now Cherith’s brook is dried up, Elijah arise and
depart, and get thee to Zarephath; thither abide:
for the Lord hath commanded a widow woman
there to sustain thee. And the barrel of meal shall
not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until
the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
(1 Kings 17: 7, 9, 14)
8. Duet
THE WIDOW
What have I to do with thee, O man of God? art thou
come to me, to call my sin unto remembrance? – to
slay my son art thou come hither? Help me, man of
God! My son is sick! and his sickness is so sore, that
there is no breath left in him! I mourn all the day and
languish, I lie down and weep at night. See mine
affliction. Be thou the orphan’s helper!
ELIJAH
Give me thy son. Turn unto her, O Lord my God; in
mercy help this widow’s son! For thou art gracious,
and full of compassion, and plenteous in mercy and
truth. Lord, my God, O let the spirit of this child
return, that he again may live!
THE WIDOW
Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? There is no
breath in him.
ELIJAH
Lord, my God, O let the spirit of this child return,
that he again may live!
THE WIDOW
Shall the dead arise and praise thee?
ELIJAH
Lord, my God, let the spirit of this child return that
he again may live!
THE WIDOW
The Lord hath heard thy prayer, the soul of my son
reviveth! My son reviveth!
ELIJAH
Now behold, thy son liveth!
THE WIDOW
Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and
that His word in thy mouth is the truth. What shall
I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?
DUET
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
O blessed are they who fear Him!
(1 Kings 17: 17, 18, 21–24; Job 10: 15; Psalms 38: 6,
6: 7, 10: 14, 86: 15–16; 88: 10, 128: 1; 112: 1, 4)
9. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Blessed are the men who fear Him: they ever walk
in the ways of peace. Through darkness riseth light
to the upright. He is gracious, compassionate;
He is righteous.
(Psalms 127: 1, 112: 1, 4)
10. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
As God the Lord of Sabaoth liveth, before whom I
stand, three years this day fulfilled, I will show
myself unto Ahab; and the Lord will then send rain
again upon the earth.
AHAB
Art thou Elijah, art thou he that troubleth Israel?
CHORUS
Thou art Elijah, he that troubleth Israel!
ELIJAH
I never troubled Israel’s peace: it is thou, Ahab,
and all thy father’s house. Ye have forsaken God’s
commandments, and bowed before the idol Baal.
Now send and gather to me the whole of Israel unto
Mount Carmel: there summon the prophets of
Baal, and also the prophets of the groves, who are
feasted at Jezebel’s table. Then we shall see whose
God is the Lord.
CHORUS
And then we shall see whose God is the Lord.
ELIJAH
Rise then, ye priests of Baal: select and slay a
bullock, and put no fire under it: uplift your voices,
and call the god ye worship; and I then will call on
the Lord Jehovah: and the God who by fire shall
answer, let him be God.
CHORUS
Yea: and the God who by fire shall answer, let him
be God.
15
ELIJAH
Call first upon your god: your numbers are many:
I, even I alone remain, one prophet of the Lord!
Invoke your forest-gods and mountain-deities.
(1 Kings 18: 1, 15, 18, 19, 23–25)
11. Double Chorus
PRIESTS OF BAAL
Baal we cry to thee! hear and answer us! Heed the
sacrifice we offer! hear us! O hear us, Baal! Hear,
mighty god! Baal, O answer us! Let thy flames fall
and extirpate the foe! O hear us, Baal!
12. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
Call him louder, for he is a god! He talketh; or he is
pursuing; or he is in a journey; or, peradventure,
he sleepeth; so awaken him: call him louder.
PRIESTS OF BAAL
Hear our cry, O Baal! now arise! wherefore slumber?
13. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
Call him louder! he heareth not. With knives and
lancets cut yourselves after your manner: leap upon
the altar ye have made: call him, and prophesy!
Not a voice will answer you; none will listen, none
heed you.
PRIESTS OF BAAL
Hear and answer Baal! Mark! how the scorner
derideth us! Hear and answer!
(1 Kings 18: 1, 15, 17–19, 23–29)
14. Recitative and Aria
ELIJAH
Draw near, all ye people: come to me!
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel! this day let
it be known that thou art God; and I am Thy servant!
O show to all this people that I have done these
things according to Thy word! O hear me, Lord, and
answer me; and show this people that Thou art Lord
God; and let their heart again be turned!
(1 Kings 18: 30, 36, 37)
15. Quartet
ANGELS
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain
thee. He never will suffer the righteous to fall:
He is at Thy right hand. Thy mercy, Lord, is great;
and far above the heavens. Let none be made
ashamed that wait upon Thee!
(Psalms 55: 22, 16: 8, 108: 5, 25: 3)
16. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
O Thou, who makest Thine angels spirits; – Thou,
whose ministers are flaming fires, let them now
descend!
(Psalm 104: 4)
THE PEOPLE
The fire descends from heaven; the flames
consume his offering! Before Him upon your faces
fall! The Lord is God: O Israel, hear! Our God is
one Lord: and we will have no other gods before
the Lord!
(1 Kings 18: 38, 39)
ELIJAH
Take all the prophets of Baal; and let not one of
them escape you: bring them down to Kishon’s
brook, and there let them be slain.
THE PEOPLE
Take all the prophets of Baal; and let not one of
them escape us: bring all, and slay them!
(1 Kings 18: 40)
17. Aria
ELIJAH
Is not his word like a fire: and like a hammer
that breaketh the rock into pieces?
For God is angry with the wicked every day:
and if the wicked turn not, the Lord will whet his
sword; and He hath bent His bow, and made it
ready.
(Jeremiah 23: 29; Psalms 7: 11, 12)
18. Arioso
(MEZZO-SOPRANO)
Woe unto them that forsake Him! destruction shall
fall upon them, for they have transgressed against
Him. Though they are by Him redeemed, yet they
have spoken falsely against Him.
(Hosea 7: 13)
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19. Recitative, Aria and Chorus
OBADIAH
O man of god, help thy people! Among the idols of
the Gentiles, are there any that can command the
rain, or cause the heavens to give their showers?
The Lord our God alone can do these things.
ELIJAH
O Lord, thou hast overthrown thine enemies and
destroyed them. Look down on us from heaven,
O Lord; regard the distress of Thy people: open
the heavens and send us relief: help, help Thy
servant now, O God!
THE PEOPLE
Open the heavens and send us relief. Help, help
Thy servant now, O God!
ELIJAH
Go up now, child, and look toward the sea. Hath my
prayer been heard by the Lord?
THE YOUTH
There is nothing. The heavens are as brass, they are
as brass above me.
ELIJAH
When the heavens are closed up because they
have sinned against Thee, yet if they pray and
confess Thy Name, and turn from their sin when
Thou dost afflict them: then hear from heaven, and
forgive the sin! Help! send Thy servant help, O God!
THE PEOPLE
Then hear from heaven, and forgive the sin! Help!
send Thy servant help, O God!
ELIJAH
Go up again, and still look toward the sea.
THE YOUTH
There is nothing. The earth is as iron under me!
ELIJAH
Hearest thou no sign of rain? – seest thou nothing
arise from the deep?
THE YOUTH
No; there is nothing.
ELIJAH
Have respect to the prayer of Thy servant, O Lord,
my God! Unto Thee will I cry, Lord, my rock; be not
silent to me; and Thy great mercies remember,
Lord!
THE YOUTH
Behold, a little cloud ariseth now from the waters;
it is like a man’s hand! The heavens are black with
clouds and with wind: the storm rusheth louder and
louder!
THE PEOPLE
Thanks be to God, for all His mercies!
ELIJAH
Thanks be to God, for He is gracious, and His mercy
endureth for evermore!
(Jeremiah 14: 22; Chronicles 6: 19, 26, 27;
Deuteronomy 28: 23; Psalm 28: 1, 106: 1;
1 Kings 18: 43, 45)
20. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Thanks be to God! He laveth the thirsty land!
The waters gather; they rush along; they are lifting
their voices! The stormy billows are high; their fury
is mighty. But the Lord is above them, and Almighty!
(Psalm 93: 3, 4)
INTERVAL
PART TWO
21. Aria
(SOPRANO)
Hear ye, Israel; hear what the Lord speaketh:
‘Oh, hadst thou heeded my commandments!’
Who hath believed our report; to whom is the arm
of the Lord revealed! Thus saith the Lord, the
Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him
oppressed by tyrants: thus saith the Lord: –
I am He that comforteth; be not afraid, for I am
thy God, I will strengthen thee. Say, who art thou,
that thou art afraid of a man that shall die; and
forgettest the Lord thy Maker, who hath stretched
forth the heavens, and laid the earth’s foundations?
Be not afraid, for thy God will strengthen thee.
(Isaiah 48: 1, 18; 53: 1; 49: 7; 41: 10; 51: 12,13)
22. Chorus
Be not afraid, saith God the Lord. Be not afraid!
Thy help is near. God, the Lord thy God, saith unto
thee, ‘Be not afraid!’
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Though thousands languish and fall beside thee,
and tens of thousands around thee perish, yet still
it shall not come nigh thee.
(Isaiah 41: 10; Psalm 91: 7)
23. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
The Lord hath exalted thee from among the
people: and o’er His people Israel hath made thee
king. But thou, Ahab, hast done evil to provoke
Him to anger above all that were before thee:
as if it had been a light thing to thee to walk in the
sins of Jeroboam. Thou hast made an altar to Baal,
and served him and worshipped him. Thou hast
killed the righteous, and also taken possession.
And the Lord shall smight all Israel, as a reed is
shaken in the water; and He shall give Israel up,
and thou shalt know He is the Lord.
(1 Kings 14: 7, 9, 15; 41: 30-33)
THE QUEEN
Have ye not heard he hath prophesied against all
Israel?
CHORUS
We heard it with our ears
THE QUEEN
Hath he not prophesied against the king of Israel?
CHORUS
We heard it with our ears.
THE QUEEN
And why hath he spoken in the name of the Lord?
Doth Ahab govern the kingdom of Israel while
Elijah’s power is greater than the king’s? The gods
do so to me, and more; if, by tomorrow about this
time, I make not his life as the life of them whom
he hath sacrificed at the brook of Kishon!
CHORUS
He shall perish!
THE QUEEN
Hath he not destroyed Baal’s prophets?
CHORUS
He shall perish!
THE QUEEN
Yea, by the sword he destroyed them all!
CHORUS
He destroyed them all!
THE QUEEN
Also he closed the heavens!
CHORUS
Also he closed the heavens!
THE QUEEN
And called down a famine upon the land.
CHORUS
And called down a famine upon the land.
THE QUEEN
So go ye forth and seize Elijah, for he is worthy to die;
slaughter him! Do unto him as he hath done!
24. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Woe to him, he shall perish; he closed the heavens!
And why hath he spoken in the Name of the Lord?
Let the guilty prophet perish! He hath spoken falsely
against our land and us, as we have heard with our
ears. So go ye forth; seize on him! He shall die!
(Jeremiah 26: 9, 11; 1 Kings 17: 10, 19: 2, 21: 7;
Ecclesiastes 48: 2, 3)
25. Recitative
OBADIAH
Man of God, now let my words be precious in thy
sight. Thus saith Jezebel; ‘Elijah is worthy to die.’
So the mighty gather against thee, and they have
prepared a net for thy steps; that they may seize
thee, that they may slay thee. Arise, then, and
hasten for thy life; to the wilderness journey.
The Lord thy God doth go with thee. He will not fail
thee, He will not forsake thee. Now begone, and
bless me also.
ELIJAH
Though stricken, they have not grieved! Tarry here,
my servant: the Lord be with thee. I journey hence
to the wilderness.
(2 Kings 1: 13; Jeremiah 5: 3, 26: 11; Psalm 59: 3;
1 Kings 19: 4; Deuteronomy 31: 6; Exodus 12: 32;
1 Samuel 17: 37)
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26. Aria
ELIJAH
It is enough; O Lord, now take away my life, for
I am not better than my fathers! I desire to live
no longer: now let me die, for my days are but
vanity! I have been very jealous for the Lord God
of Hosts! for the children of Israel have broken
Thy covenant, and thrown down Thine altars, and
slain all Thy prophets – slain them with the sword:
and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to
take it away.
(Job 7: 16; 1 Kings 19: 10)
27. Recitative
ELIJAH
See, now he sleepeth beneath a juniper tree in
the wilderness: and there the angels of the Lord
encamp round about all them that fear Him.
(1 Kings 19: 5; Psalm 34: 7)
28. Trio
ANGELS
Lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh
help. Thy help cometh from the Lord, The Maker of
heaven and earth. He hath said, thy foot shall not be
moved: thy Keeper will never slumber.
(Psalm 121: 1, 3)
29. Chorus
ANGELS
He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps.
Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish, He will
quicken thee.
(Psalms 121: 4; 138: 7)
30. Recitative
AN ANGEL
Arise, Elijah, for thou hast a long journey before
thee. Forty days and forty nights shalt thou go to
Horeb, the mount of God.
(1 Kings 19: 7, 8)
ELIJAH
O Lord, I have laboured in vain; yea, I have spent my
strength for naught! O that Thou wouldst rend the
heavens, that thou wouldst come down; that the
mountains would flow down at Thy presence, to
make Thy name known to Thine adversaries,
through the wonders of Thy works! O Lord, why
hast Thou made them to err from thy ways, and
hardened their hearts that they do not fear Thee?
O that I now might die!
(Isaiah 49: 4; 24: 2; 63: 17; 1 Kings 19: 4)
31. Aria
(MEZZO-SOPRANO)
O rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him, and He
shall give thee thy heart’s desires. Commit thy way
unto Him, and trust in Him, and fret not thyself
because of evil doers.
(Psalm 37: 1, 7)
32. Chorus
He that shall endure to the end, shall be saved.
(Matthew 24: 13)
33. Recitative
ELIJAH
Night falleth round me, O Lord! Be Thou not far from
me! Hide not Thy face from me, O Lord; my soul is
thirsting for Thee, as a thirsty land.
AN ANGEL
Arise, now! get thee without, stand on the mount
before the Lord; for there His glory will appear and
shine on thee; Thy face must be veiled, for He
draweth near.
(Psalm 143: 6, 7; 1 Kings 19: 11)
34. Chorus
Behold! God the Lord passed by! And a mighty
wind rent the mountains around, brake in pieces
the rocks, brake them before the Lord; but yet
the Lord was not in the tempest. Behold! God
the Lord passed by! And the sea was upheaved,
and the earth was shaken: but yet the Lord was
not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake
there came a fire: but yet the Lord was not in the
fire. And after the fire there came a still small
voice; and in that still voice, onward came
the Lord.
(1 Kings 19: 11, 12)
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35. Recitative, Quartet and Chorus
Above Him stood the Seraphim, and one cried
to another: Holy, holy, holy is God the Lord –
Lord Sabaoth! Now His glory hath filled all the
earth.
(Isaiah 6: 15, 18)
36. Chorus
Go, return upon thy way! For the Lord yet hath left
Him seven thousand in Israel, knees which have not
bowed to Baal: go, return upon thy way; thus the
Lord commandeth.
(1 Kings 19: 15, 18)
Recitative
ELIJAH
I go on my way in the strength of the Lord.
For Thou art my Lord; and I will suffer for Thy sake.
My heart is therefore glad, my glory rejoiceth, and
my flesh shall also rest in hope.
(Psalms 71: 16; 16: 9)
37. Arioso
ELIJAH
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be
removed; but Thy kindness shall not depart from
me, neither shall the covenant of Thy peace be
removed.
(Isaiah 54: 10)
38. Chorus
Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire;
his words appeared like burning torches. Mighty
kings by him were overthrown. He stood on the
mount of Sinai, and heard the judgements of the
future; and in Horeb, its vengeance. And when the
Lord would take him away to heaven, lo! there came
a fiery chariot, with fiery horses; and he went by a
whirlwind to heaven.
(Ecclesiastes 48: 1, 6, 7; 2 Kings 2: 1, 11)
39. Aria
(TENOR)
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
their heavenly Father’s realm. Wonder and joy shall
crown their heads for ever, and all sorrow and
mourning shall flee away.
(Matthew 13: 43; Isaiah 51: 11)
40. Recitative
(SOPRANO)
Behold, God hath sent Elijah the prophet, before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children unto their
fathers; lest the mighty Lord shall come with a
curse to smite the earth.
(Malachi 4: 5, 6)
41. Chorus
But the Lord, from the north has raised one, who
from the rising on His name shall call. He shall
forever call upon His name; he shall overthrow
and trample on the mighty. Behold, my servant
and mine elected, in whom my soul delighteth!
On him the spirit of God shall rest: the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of might and
of counsel, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear
of the Lord.
(Isaiah 41: 25; 42: 1; 11: 2)
Quartet
O come everyone that thirsteth, O come to the
waters: O come unto Him. O hear, and your souls
shall live for ever.
(Isaiah 55: 1, 3)
42. Chorus
And then shall your light shine forth as the light
of the morning breaketh; and your health shall
speedily be restored; and the glory of the Lord
ever shall reward you. Lord, our Creator, how
excellent Thy name is in all the nations! Thou
fillest heaven with Thy glory. Amen.
(Isaiah 58: 8; Psalm 8: 1)
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MORE MUSIC
THE 1846 ELIJAH
Paul McCreesh’s recreation of the 1846 premiere of Elijah was first heard at the BBC Proms in 2011. The Gabrieli Consort & Players were joined by the Wrocław Philharmonic Choir and member choirs of the Gabrieli Young Singers Scheme with the principal solo parts sung by Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, Robert Murray and Simon Keenlyside. Shortly after, the same musicians reassembled to record the oratorio over several sessions at the Watford Colosseum and the Birmingham Town Hall, where the 1846 premiere had taken place. This recording is available in a handsomely presented and thoroughly documented book-and-CD set on Paul McCreesh’s own label Winged Lion/Signum Classics.SIGCD 300
PAUL McCREESHAlso on the Winged Lion label is another monumental work calling for hundreds of musicians: Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts (1837).SIGCD 280
Or look for A New Venetian Coronation 1595, a fresh recording of the Gabrieli Consort & Players’ first, award-winning release, featuring the sounds of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli in a sumptuous reconstruction of a late 16th-century coronation mass at St Mark’s Venice.SIGCD 287
Last year, the fifth release on Winged Lion brought the label into the 20th century with a recording of Britten’s War Requiem of 1962, featuring soloists Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley and Christopher Maltman.SIGCD 340
More information: www.wingedlion.com
Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players also have an extensive, and impressive, discography on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Among the most thrilling of these recordings is the Praetorius Christmas Mass, which recreates a Lutheran Mass as it might have been celebrated around 1620. ARCHIV PRODUKTION 479 1757
The Gabrieli Consort recordings of Handel’s Messiah and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 have also been re-released in recent years.ARCHIV PRODUKTION 477 9574 (Messiah); 477 9773 (Vespers)
Also worth seeking out is Paul McCreesh’s recording of that other ‘bilingual’ oratorio, Haydn’s Creation. ARCHIV PRODUKTION 477 7361
And a search in the Deutsche Grammophon catalogue will reveal, among others, recordings of Bach’s Matthew Passion, Magnificat and Easter Oratorio, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and Handel oratorios Saul, Theodora and Solomon.
Broadcast DiaryMay–June
Saturday 17 May, 1pm RUSSIAN MAESTROS Alexander Lazarev conductor Lukáš Vondráček pianoRachmaninoff, Shostakovich
Saturday 17 May, 8pm MENDELSSOHN’S ELIJAHSee this program for details.
Monday 19 May, 8pm LUKÁŠ VONDRÁČEK IN RECITAL
Haydn, Prokofiev, Brahms Piano Sonata No.3
Wednesday 4 June, 8pm HEAVENLY SCHUBERT Oleg Caetani conductor Lynn Harrell celloCherubini, Shostakovich, Schubert
FIVE BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTOS IN ONE WEEKEND
David Robertson conductor Emanuel Ax piano
Saturday 21 June, 1pm BEETHOVEN 1 & 2Hindemith, Beethoven Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Saturday 21 June, 8pm BEETHOVEN 3 & 4Tippett, Beethoven Piano Concertos 3 & 4
Sunday 22 June, 2pm BEETHOVEN’S EMPERORDean, Beethoven, Richard Strauss
SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2014 Tuesday 10 June, 6pm
Musicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store in our forthcoming concerts.
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Paul McCreesh is the Artistic Director of the Gabrieli Consort & Players, which he founded in 1982 and with whom he has toured worldwide and made many award-winning recordings. In 2013 he began his tenure as the Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon).
He is well-known for the energy and passion that he brings to his music-making, and he has guest conducted many of the world’s major orchestras and choirs. In the 2013–14 season his debut appearances will include the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester (in a program of Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn), and the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester (Mozart and Britten). He will also return to the St Paul Chamber Orchestra in the United States and tour Switzerland and Italy with the Basel Chamber Orchestra.
His inaugural season with the Gulbenkian Orchestra included Mozart’s late symphonies, Schubert’s Great C Major Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Suite No.3 and Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. Last year he also conducted the orchestra on tour in China. A focus on oratorio and opera in concert will see him working closely with the world-renowned Gulbenkian Choir.
He also has a strong reputation in opera, conducting productions at the Teatro Real Madrid, Royal Danish Opera, Vlaamse Opera and the Verbier Festival. Future projects include Hérold’s Le Pré aux clercs (The Clerks’ Meadow) at L’Opéra Comique, Paris, and a return to Vlaamse Opera for a new production of The Marriage of Figaro.
Building on a large discography with Deutsche Grammophon, including an award-winning recording of Haydn’s Creation, in 2011 he launched his own label, Winged Lion – a collaboration with the Gabrieli Consort & Players, Signum Classics and Wratislavia Cantans Festival, of which Paul McCreesh was artistic director (2006–12). To date there are six recordings, which reflect the breadth of his musical interests: Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem, two acclaimed albums of Renaissance and contemporary choral music, and a reworking of his earlier Gabrieli Consort release, A New Venetian Coronation 1595.
Paul McCreesh is especially passionate about working with young musicians and broadening access to classical music and he works regularly with youth orchestras and choirs. This is his Sydney Symphony Orchestra debut.
Paul McCreeshconductor
THE ARTISTS
BE
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Scottish soprano Gillian Webster studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Opera Studio. A noted exponent of baroque music and the concert works of Mahler, Richard Strauss, Mozart and Beethoven, she has sung under the baton of Paul McCreesh, Colin Davis, John Eliot Gardiner, Bernard Haitink, Marc Minkowski, Yehudi Menuhin, Georg Solti and Jeffrey Tate. Concert engagement highlights include Mahler’s Fourth Symphony (New York Philharmonic); Strauss’s Four Last Songs (L’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Nancy); Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (Madrid National Orchestra); Pallas Athene (Gluck’s Paride ed Elena); Galatea in Acis and Galatea (Les Musiciens du Louvre); and Aci in Aci, Galatea e Polifemo on tour with the Gabrieli Consort under Paul McCreesh. Other recent engagements include Haydn’s Creation (Ulster Orchestra), Dvořák’s Stabat Mater in Wrocław, Penseroso in Handel’s L’Allegro in London, Beaune, Krakow and Rotterdam, Handel arias with the Avison Ensemble, and a triumphant Agrippina for English Touring Opera. She has appeared at the Royal Opera House in roles such as Pamina (The Magic Flute) and Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice), both recorded for DVD, as well as the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Micaëla (Carmen), Mimi (La bohème), Marzelline (Fidelio), Rhinemaidens (Der Ring des Nibelungen); and title roles in Le Coq d’Or and Kátya Kabanová. She has also sung Leila (The Pearl Fishers) and Pamina for English National Opera and appeared in many opera houses throughout Europe.
Gillian Webstersoprano
Deborah Humble is one of Australia’s most successful international artists. Since 2004, she has sung as a principal mezzo-soprano with the State Opera of Hamburg in roles such as Zenobia (Radamisto), Bradamante (Alcina), Hansel (Hänsel und Gretel), Page (Salome), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Olga (Eugene Onegin) and Malik in the German premiere of Henze’s L’Upupa (The Hoopoe). But it was for her Wagner roles in Hamburg’s Ring cycle – conducted by Simone Young and directed by Claud Guth – that she received international acclaim. Deborah sang Erda in Das Rheingold (2008) and went on to sing Schwertleite in Die Walküre, Erda in Siegfried and both First Norn and Waltraute in Götterdämmerung. She recorded these roles and, in early 2011, repeated them in two complete cycles.
Since 2012, Deborah Humble has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Duruflé’s Requiem and Lambert’s Rio Grande) and Opera Australia (Amneris in Aida and Brigitte in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt). In 2013 she appeared as Erda and Waltraute in further Ring cycles in Hamburg, Halle, Ludwigshafen and Melbourne. Future engagements include Strauss’s Elektra and Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (Hamburg State Opera), Mahler’s Third Symphony (Queensland Symphony Orchestra) and Act III of Siegfried (Boston Youth Orchestra). Her most recent appearance with the SSO was in The Queen of Spades, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy in 2012.
Deborah Humblemezzo-soprano
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SU
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FOS
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Born in Glasgow, Thomas Walker studied in the brass department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before studying singing with Ryland Davies at the Royal College of Music. In 2002 his debut at the BBC Proms in Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Kurt Masur and the London Philharmonic Orchestra) resulted in return invitations to sing Janáček’s Otčenáš (The Lord’s Prayer) and Beethoven’s Mass in C. And after his debut with the Northern Sinfonia (Bach’s Magnificat) with Thomas Zehetmair, he was asked to sing Haydn’s Creation in the opening concert at the Sage, Gateshead, and more recently Mozart’s Requiem. Other recent concert appearances include Les Illuminations by Britten, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, Britten’s War Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, a concert of music by Janáček and Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, as well as music by Bach: cantatas, the B Minor Mass, Easter Oratorio, the Evangelist in the Matthew and John Passions, and the arias in the Matthew Passion. His opera engagements have taken him to Stuttgart Opera, Staatstheater Nürnberg, La Monnaie Brussels, Innsbruck Early Music Festival, Grange Park Opera, Holland Park Opera, Scottish Opera, English National Opera and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Engagements in the 2013–14 season include the title role in Rameau’s Platée (Stuttgart), Basilio in a tour of The Marriage of Figaro (Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and René Jacobs), Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Zadok in Handel’s Solomon and Mozart’s Requiem.
Thomas Walkertenor
Andrew Foster-Williams was born in Manchester and studied at the Royal Academy of Music, of which he is now a Fellow. Since then, his operatic and concert performances have taken him to the major concert halls and opera houses of Europe and North America. His opera roles include Leporello (Don Giovanni), Albert (Massenet’s Werther), the title role in William Tell; Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Deborah Warner’s staging of Messiah for Lyon Opera, Pizarro (Fidelio), Colline (La bohème), the Count (The Marriage of Figaro), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande), the four villains in The Tales of Hoffmann, and the Handel roles Leone (Tamerlano), Fenice (Deidamia), Garibaldo (Rodelinda), Melisso (Alcina) and Argante (Rinaldo). Recent concerts include Haydn’s Seasons, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Brahms’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, performances with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset, Elijah, Haydn’s Creation and The Seasons, The Last Judgement by Spohr, and JC Bach’s Lucio Silla. In the United States his appearances have included the San Francisco Symphony, the Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras, and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. 2013–14 season engagements include Bach’s John Passion (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Mozart’s Requiem (New York Philharmonic), and Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Academy of Ancient Music).
Andrew Foster-Williamsbass-baritone (Elijah)
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Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Formed in 1920, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia’s largest choral organisation. The two principal choirs – the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and the young adult choir VOX – perform a diverse repertoire each year, ranging from early a cappella works to challenging contemporary music. SPC presents an annual concert series of choral masterpieces, and has premiered several commissioned works, including Ford’s Waiting for the Barbarians, Rautavaara’s Missa a Cappella, and most recently Chaconne by Lyle Chan. In 2002, Sydney Philharmonia was the first Australian choir to sing at the BBC Proms (Mahler’s Eighth Symphony under Simon Rattle), returning in 2010. Other highlights have included Britten’s War Requiem at the 2007 Perth Festival and Semele Walk at the 2013 Sydney Festival.
Appearances with the SSO have included Mahler’s Eighth for the Olympic Arts Festival (2000); Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms, ‘Midsummer Shakespeare’, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Holst’s Planets (Sydney Festival); Vladimir Ashkenazy’s Mahler Odyssey (2010–11); the Lord of the Rings trilogy; Sibelius’s Kullervo, Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades and Britten’s War Requiem (conducted by Ashkenazy); Verdi’s Requiem, The Flying Dutchman and Elektra (David Robertson); and Alexander Nevsky. In 2013 the choir also sang Verdi’s Requiem with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. This year, the Sydney Philharmonia season began with selections from the 16th-century Eton Choirbook and will include the complete Bach Motets, MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados, Belshazzar’s Feast, and a new commission by Matthew Hindson in collaboration with Sydney Youth Orchestra.
Brett Weymark studied singing at the University of Sydney and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium alongside studies in Europe and America. In 2002 he was awarded a Centenary Award for his services to music and in 2003 he was appointed Musical Director of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. He has performed with all the major ensembles from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to The Black Arm Band. He has conducted the choirs in premieres of works by composers such as Elena Kats-Chernin, Andrew Schultz and Peter Sculthorpe and has also prepared the choirs for concerts with conductors such as Sir Charles Mackerras, Charles Dutoit and Sir Simon Rattle. Recent highlights include working with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and this year, in addition to conducting a full program with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, he will conduct Handel’s Alexander Balus and, for the SSO, the premiere of Jandamarra by Paul Stanhope and Steve Hawke.
BRETT WEYMARKMusic Director
THE CHOIR
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Brett Weymark Music Director David Francis General Manager Anthony Pasquill Assistant Chorusmaster Elizabeth Vierboom Assistant Chorusmaster Josephine Allan Rehearsal Pianist
To find out about Sydney Philharmonia concerts or joining one of the choirs, visit www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au
SOPRANOSHeather Aird Shelley Andrews Debra Baker Georgina Bitcon Anne Blake Olga Bodrova Jodie Boehme Nikki Bogard Deborah Brown Elizabeth Cartmer Lisa Clews Pam Cunningham Shamistha De Soysa Soline Epain-Marzac Rachel Evans Natalie Fisher Christine Fulcher Lyudmyla Goncharova Natalie Gooneratne Judith Gorry Belinda Griffiths Caroline Gude Kellie Hewitt-Taylor Rebecca Howard Carine Jenkins Sue Justice Rychelle Kiely Karolina Kulczynska Yvette Leonard Maria Lopes Carolyn Lowry Gillian Markham
Bernadette Mitchell Lindy Montgomery Jayne Oishi Lindsey Paget-Cooke Dympna Paterson Linda Peach Jane Prosser Marina Rados Georgia Rivers Susie Roberts Elna Schonfeldt Meg Shaw Sarah Thompson Nicole Thomson Jessica Veliscek Carolan Sarah Walmsley Sara Watts Jacqui Wilkins Hester Wright
ALTOSLeonie Armitage Julie Aysom Amanda Baird Gillian Behrens Mallika Bender Katie Blake Gae Bristow Heather Burnett Jo Burton Michelle (Nien-Hung) Chou Kate Clowes
Ruth Collerson Claire Duffy Ruth Edenborough Helen Esmond Carly-Anne Evans Phoebe Ferguson Penny Gay Jennifer Gillman Rebecca Gladys-Lee Joanna Goddard Edith Gray Sue Harris Kathryn Harwood Vesna Hatezic Johanna Knoechel Emi Kubota Rachel Maiden Hannah Mason Donna McIntosh Janice McKeand Maggie McKelvey Tijana Miljovska Penelope Morris Jane Schofield Johanna Segall Jan Shaw Liz Shoostovian Megan Solomon Natasja Stul Erica Svampa Melvin Tan Sheli Wallach Noriko Yamanaka
TENORSMatthew Allchurch Patrick Blake Paul Boswell Simon Cadwallader Daniel Comarmond Stephen Couling Malcolm Day Denys Gillespie Steven Hankey Jude Holdsworth Michael Kertesz Vincent Lo Thomas MacDonald Frank Maio Tim Matthies Dimitry Moraitis George Panaretos Martin Stebbings Paul Sutton Dan Walker Alex Walter Mark Wong
BASSESSam Allchurch John Baird Phil Barton Simon Boileau Gordon Cheng Andy Clare Julian Coghlan Daryl Colquhoun Tom Cousins
Philip Crenigan Robert Cunningham Tom Forrester-Paton Kevin Gormley Robert Green Eric Hansen Derek Hodgkins David Jacobs Timothy Jenkins Ian Jurd Simon Lobelson Mark McGoldrick Ian Pettener Peter Poole Andrew Raftery Michael Ryan Tim Storer Nicholas Tong Nick Whiley Adam Williams Arthur Winckler Jonathan Wood Ken Zhang
CONSORT SOLOISTS
Lindy Montgomery, soprano Nicole Thomson, soprano Jo Burton, mezzo-soprano Carly-Anne Evans, mezzo-soprano Paul Sutton, tenor Dan Walker, tenor Phil Barton, bass Simon Lobelson, bass
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Conservatorium High School Choir
The Conservatorium High School is the secondary arm of the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney and the State’s only specialist music high school. Choral singing has been an integral part of the program at the Conservatorium High from the school’s inception almost a century ago. Unlike professional choirs, the CHS Choir exists primarily to serve a pedagogical role. Students are able to develop their musicianship and ensemble acuity, cultivate their artistic awareness and respond confidently to the demands of changing and developing young voices.
In recent years vocal music has assumed a new prominence in the school thanks to our collaboration with the Sydney Children’s Choir. This sharing of staff and expertise makes possible the school’s junior vocal stream, which was established for students whose primary medium of musical expression is the voice.
End-of-term concerts involving the whole school regularly feature a major choral orchestral work. Highlights of the 2012 and 2013 seasons included performances of Mozart’s Requiem under the school’s conductor-in-residence, Dr Carolyn Watson, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana under the direction of Richard Gill.
Elizabeth Vierboom studied music and education at the Conservatorium High School and the University of Sydney. Majoring in violin and pipe organ, she toured with the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Sydney Youth Orchestra before developing a strong interest in teaching and choral music.
She has conducted and worked with the Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana Choirs and the Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir in Sydney and around Australia. As an educator, she has presented at local and international conferences and worked with the SSO’s TunED Up program. She has also taught and worked with choirs at Barker College, Abbotsleigh and other schools and communities throughout NSW.
Elizabeth Vierboom is currently the Director of the Choral and Vocal Program and a music teacher at the Conservatorium High School as well as an Associate Artist with Gondwana Choirs. She is a passionate advocate for Australian choral music and has commissioned new works by young Australian composers.
ELIZABETH VIERBOOMDirector, Choral and Vocal Program
THE CHOIR
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Dr Robert Curry Principal Ian Barker Deputy Principal Jeffrey Willey Head Teacher, Music Music Teachers
Felicity Andreasen, Jane Cateris, Richard Fowler, Annie Kwok, Elizabeth Vierboom Christine Whiting Assistant Manager, Music Program
To find out more about the Conservatorium High School visit: www.conservat-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
TREBLE SOLOLachlan Massey Dominic Grimshaw (understudy)
SOPRANOSJessica Abrahams Christian Alafaci Miriam Alperovich Jane Anderson Suebin Bae Joanne Baee Chelsea Baek Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward Guian Balan Hana Batt Amarinda Bullock Jessie Cai Johanna Collins Cassandra Doyle Lily Eyland Elizabeth Fong Danah Gressel-Keich Dominic Grimshaw Alison Hardy Beth Harper-King Elizabeth Hong Rebecca Hong Kelly Hou Imogen Jones Joo Lee Kim Jacqui Leather Selina Lin Kyra Long
Claudia Mackay Lachlan Massey Freyja Meany Gabrielle Montalbo Stella Mountain Jade Ng Rebecca O’Hanlon Mara Schwerdtfeger Kate Stephenson Paula Tennent Gemma Tong Olivia Wei Fiona Yim
ALTOSSoda Adlmayer Crystal Bai Sophia Chan Alexander Chesterman Katie Choi Lorraine Chung Marta Davis Timothy Dutton Eve Fan Jing Jing Fan Kevin Fine Lily Fowler Louisa Garcia -Dolnik Oliver Golding Emily Green Ella Grier Julia Gu Georgina Gwatkin- Higson Matthew Jenkins
Sophia Kalo
Sachleen Khanna
Nicole Kim
Queena Kuang
Annabel Lee
Dana Lee
Jina Lee
Roselyn Liang
Jing Liang
Hana Matsuoka
Sarah Pak
Gabriela Powell-
Thomas
Mason Pun
Jessica Rasmussen
Nadine Serhalawan
Daniel Shao
Catherine Shen
Liana Tam
Hana Tan
Jessie Wang
Dorothy Wu
Megan Yang
Jessica Yao
Ailie Yeh
Shanky Yip
Ye Jean Yun
Bianca Zhou
Shirley Zhu
Alison Zhuang
TENORSDomenic Azzi Brian Bae Carl Bodnaruk Jonathan Chan Joseph Chan Yen Lam Tarn Clark Ashley Clayton Maximillian Cullen- Feng Neil Dong Andrei Hadap Panagiotis Karamanos Reuben Langbein Ryan Little Rhys Little Justinn Lu Eugene Nam Nathan O’Brien Ethan Pang David Pham Calvin Tambunan Oliver Tan Ricardo Valverde Kim Wan William Yan Baggio Yin Michael Zhang Wisdom Zhang
BASSESThomas Arblaster Simran Bagga Jamin Bennett Ethan Bergan
Mark Bosch
Dexter Cave
Jack Cheng
Ihnteck Chung
Isaac Davis
Hikaru Fuminashi
Brian Sungil Hong
Andrew Jefferies
Timothy Johns
Joseph Johnson
James Lim
Tony Lu
Johannes Macdonald
Enrico Mainas
Connor Malanos
Jordy Meulenbroeks
Aleksander Mitsios
Nathan Moas
Ryan Nguyen
Robin Park
John Paterson
Nicolas Petit
Jasper Rasmussen
Benjamin Saffir
Isaac Said
Basil Salah
Eddy Sit
Hamish Spicer
Charlie Ward
Indiana Williams
Noam Yaffe
Jack Zeng
Jeffrey Zhang
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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved into one of the world’s finest 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 orchestra’s first 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, Zdenĕk Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti. Vladimir Ashkenazy was Principal Conductor from 2009 to 2013. The orchestra’s history also boasts collaborations with legendary figures such
as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky.
The SSO’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, Lee Bracegirdle, Gordon Kerry, Mary Finsterer, Nigel Westlake and Georges Lentz, and the orchestra’s recordings of music by Brett Dean have been released on both the BIS and SSO Live labels.
Other releases on the SSO Live label, established in 2006, include performances with Alexander Lazarev, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and David Robertson. 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 ABC Classics.
This is the first year of David Robertson’s tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director.
DAVID ROBERTSON Chief Conductor and Artistic Director
PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir ac cvo
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MUSICIANS
David RobertsonCHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SUPPORTED BY EMIRATES
Dene OldingCONCERTMASTER
Jessica CottisASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SUPPORTED BY PREMIER PARTNER CREDIT SUISSE
Andrew HaveronCONCERTMASTER
FIRST VIOLINS Andrew Haveron CONCERTMASTER
Sun Yi ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Kirsten Williams ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Lerida Delbridge ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Fiona Ziegler ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER
Jenny BoothBrielle ClapsonSophie ColeGeorges LentzNicola LewisAlexander NortonLéone ZieglerClaire Herrick°Elizabeth Jones°Emily Qin°Madeleine Boud*Dene Olding CONCERTMASTER
Amber DavisJennifer HoyAlexandra Mitchell
SECOND VIOLINS Marina Marsden Marianne Broadfoot Emma Jezek ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Maria DurekEmma HayesShuti HuangStan W KornelBenjamin LiEmily LongNicole MastersPhilippa PaigeBiyana RozenblitAlexandra D’Elia*Rebecca Gill*Belinda Jezek°Kirsty HiltonMaja Verunica
VIOLASRoger Benedict Tobias Breider Anne-Louise ComerfordJustin Williams ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Sandro CostantinoRosemary CurtinGraham HenningsStuart JohnsonJustine MarsdenLeonid VolovelskyCarl Lee†
David Wicks*Jane HazelwoodFelicity TsaiAmanda Verner
CELLOSUmberto ClericiCatherine Hewgill Henry David Varema Leah Lynn ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Kristy ConrauTimothy NankervisElizabeth NevilleChristopher PidcockAdrian WallisJames sang-oh Yoo†
Fenella GillDavid Wickham
DOUBLE BASSESAlex Henery Neil Brawley PRINCIPAL EMERITUS
Steven LarsonRichard LynnBenjamin WardJosef Bisits*Kees Boersma David CampbellDavid Murray
FLUTES Janet Webb Emma Sholl Carolyn HarrisChelsea Witham*Rosamund Plummer PRINCIPAL PICCOLO
OBOESShefali Pryor ACTING PRINCIPAL
David PappAlexandre Oguey PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS
Georgina Roberts†
Diana Doherty
CLARINETSLawrence Dobell Francesco Celata Christopher TingayCraig Wernicke PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET
BASSOONSMatthew Wilkie Fiona McNamaraNoriko Shimada PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON
Timothy Murray†
HORNSBen Jacks Geoffrey O’Reilly PRINCIPAL 3RD
Marnie SebireRachel SilverRobert Johnson Euan Harvey
TRUMPETSDavid Elton Anthony HeinrichsPeter Miller*§
Jenna Smith*Paul Goodchild
TROMBONESBrett Kelly*§
Iain FaragherJonothan RamsayRonald Prussing Scott Kinmont Christopher Harris PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE
OPHICLEIDENick Byrne
TUBASteve Rossé
TIMPANIRichard Miller Mark Robinson ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
PERCUSSIONRebecca Lagos
HARP Louise Johnson
ORGANDavid Drury*
BOLD = PRINCIPAL
ITALICS = ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
° = CONTRACT MUSICIAN
* = GUEST MUSICIAN
† = SSO FELLOW
GREY = PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NOT APPEARING IN THIS CONCERT § PETER MILLER (TRUMPET) APPEARS COURTESY OF THE WEST AUSTRALIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA; BRETT KELLY (TROMBONE) COURTESY OF THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The men of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra are proudly outfitted by Van Heusen.
To see photographs of the full roster of permanent musicians and find out more about the orchestra, visit our website: www.sydneysymphony.com/SSO_musicians
If you don’t have access to the internet, ask one of our customer service representatives for a copy of our Musicians flyer.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Rory Jeffes
EXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT
Lisa Davies-Galli
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING
Benjamin Schwartz
ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER
Eleasha Mah
ARTIST LIAISON MANAGER
Ilmar Leetberg
RECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER
Philip Powers
LibraryAnna CernikVictoria GrantMary-Ann Mead
LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT
DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT
Kim Waldock
EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER
Mark Lawrenson
EDUCATION MANAGER
Rachel McLarin
EDUCATION OFFICER
Amy Walsh
ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT
DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT
Aernout Kerbert
ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR
Georgia Stamatopoulos
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Kerry-Anne Cook
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Laura Daniel
STAGE MANAGER
Courtney Wilson
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Tim Dayman
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Dave Stabback
SALES AND MARKETING
DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING
Mark J Elliott
SENIOR SALES & MARKETING MANAGER
Penny Evans
MARKETING MANAGER, SUBSCRIPTION SALES
Simon Crossley-Meates
MARKETING MANAGER, CLASSICAL SALES
Matthew Rive
MARKETING MANAGER, WEB & DIGITAL MEDIA
Eve Le Gall
MARKETING MANAGER, CRM & DATABASE
Matthew Hodge
DATABASE ANALYST
David Patrick
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Christie Brewster
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Tessa Conn
MARKETING COORDINATOR
Jonathon Symonds
SENIOR ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR
Jenny Sargant
ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR
Jonathan Davidoff
Box OfficeMANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS
Lynn McLaughlin
BOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR
Jacqueline Tooley
BOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
John Robertson
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES
Karen Wagg – Senior CSR Michael DowlingKatarzyna OstafijczukTim Walsh
PublicationsPUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER
Yvonne Frindle
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Yvonne Zammit
PhilanthropyHEAD OF PHILANTHROPY
Luke Andrew Gay
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Amelia Morgan-Hunn
PHILANTHROPY COORDINATOR
Sarah Morrisby
Corporate RelationsBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Belinda Besson
CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER
Janine Harris
CommunicationsPUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER
Katherine Stevenson
COMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA MANAGER
Bridget Cormack
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER
Kai Raisbeck
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY OFFICER
Caitlin Benetatos
BUSINESS SERVICES
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
John Horn
FINANCE MANAGER
Ruth Tolentino
ACCOUNTANT
Minerva Prescott
ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT
Emma Ferrer
PAYROLL OFFICER
Laura Soutter
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
IN-HOUSE COUNSEL
Michel Maree Hryce
SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA STAFF
John C Conde ao ChairmanTerrey Arcus am
Ewen Crouch am
Ross GrantCatherine HewgillJennifer HoyRory JeffesAndrew Kaldor am
David LivingstoneThe Hon. Justice AJ MeagherGoetz Richter
SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BOARD
SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COUNCIL
Geoff Ainsworth am
Andrew Andersons ao
Michael Baume ao
Christine BishopIta Buttrose ao obe
Peter CudlippJohn Curtis am
Greg Daniel am
John Della BoscaAlan FangErin FlahertyDr Stephen FreibergDonald Hazelwood ao obe
Dr Michael Joel am
Simon JohnsonYvonne Kenny am
Gary LinnaneAmanda LoveHelen Lynch am
David Maloney am
David Malouf ao
Deborah MarrThe Hon. Justice Jane Mathews ao
Danny MayWendy McCarthy ao
Jane MorschelDr Timothy Pascoe am
Prof. Ron Penny ao
Jerome RowleyPaul SalteriSandra SalteriJuliana SchaefferLeo Schofield am
Fred Stein oam
Gabrielle TrainorJohn van OgtropPeter Weiss ao HonDLittMary WhelanRosemary White
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Through their inspired financial support, Patrons ensure the SSO’s continued success, resilience and growth. Join the SSO Patrons Program today and make a difference.
sydneysymphony.com/patrons (02) 8215 4674 • [email protected]
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRONS
MAESTRO’S CIRCLESUPPORTING THE ARTISTIC VISION OF DAVID ROBERTSON, CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Peter Weiss ao Founding President & Doris WeissJohn C Conde ao ChairmanBrian AbelGeoff Ainsworth am Tom Breen & Rachael KohnIn memory of Hetty & Egon GordonAndrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor aoVicki Olsson
Roslyn Packer aoDavid RobertsonPenelope Seidler amMr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy StreetWestfield GroupBrian & Rosemary WhiteRay Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam
CHAIR PATRONS
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 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair
10 Janet Webb Principal Flute Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Chair
01 Roger Benedict Principal Viola Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Chair
02 Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Anne & Terrey Arcus am Chair
03 Diana Doherty Principal Oboe Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Chair
04 Richard Gill oam Artistic Director, Education Sandra & Paul Salteri Chair
05 Catherine Hewgill Principal Cello The Hon. Justice AJ & Mrs Fran Meagher Chair
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHAIR PATRONS PROGRAM,
CALL (02) 8215 4619.
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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
DIAMOND PATRONS: $30,000+Geoff Ainsworth am
Mr John C Conde ao
Mr Andrew Kaldor am & Mrs Renata Kaldor ao
In Memory of Matthew KrelMrs Roslyn Packer ao
Paul & Sandra SalteriScully FoundationMrs W SteningMr Fred Street am &
Mrs Dorothy StreetPeter Weiss ao & Doris WeissMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary WhiteKim Williams am &
Catherine Dovey
PLATINUM PATRONS: $20,000–$29,999Brian AbelRobert Albert ao &
Elizabeth AlbertAnne & Terrey Arcus amTom Breen & Rachael KohnSandra & Neil BurnsRobert & Janet ConstableJames & Leonie FurberIn memory of Hetty &
Egon Gordon
BRONZE PATRONS: PRESTO $2,500–$4,999Mr Henri W Aram oam
The Berg Family Foundation in memory of Hetty Gordon
Dr Diana Choquette & Mr Robert Milliner
Mr B & Mrs M ColesMr Howard ConnorsGreta DavisFirehold Pty LtdStephen Freiberg &
Donald CampbellAnn HobanIrwin Imhof in memory of
Herta ImhofRobert McDougallJames & Elsie MooreMs Jackie O’BrienJ F & A van OgtropMarliese & Georges TeitlerMr Robert & Mrs Rosemary
WalshYim Family FoundationMr & Mrs T & D Yim
BRONZE PATRONS: VIVACE $1,000–$2,499Mrs Lenore AdamsonMrs Antoinette AlbertAndrew Andersons ao
Sibilla BaerDavid BarnesAllan & Julie BlighDr & Mrs Hannes BoshoffJan BowenLenore P BuckleMargaret BulmerIn memory of RW BurleyIta Buttrose ao obe
Mr JC Campbell qc & Mrs Campbell
Dr Rebecca ChinMr Peter ClarkeConstable Estate Vineyards Dom Cottam &
Kanako ImamuraDebby Cramer & Bill CaukillMr John Cunningham SCM &
Mrs Margaret CunninghamLisa & Miro DavisMatthew DelaseyMr & Mrs Grant Dixon
Colin Draper & Mary Jane Brodribb
Malcolm Ellis & Erin O’NeillMrs Margaret EppsPaul R EspieProfessor Michael Field am
Mr Tom FrancisWarren GreenAnthony GreggAkiko GregoryIn memory of Dora &
Oscar GrynbergJanette HamiltonMrs Jennifer HershonMrs & Mr HolmesMichael & Anna JoelAron KleinlehrerMr Justin LamL M B LampratiMr Peter Lazar am
Professor Winston LiauwDr David LuisPeter Lowry oam &
Dr Carolyn Lowry oam
Kevin & Deirdre McCannIan & Pam McGawMacquarie Group Foundation
The Estate of Dr Lynn JosephI KallinikosHelen Lynch am & Helen BauerMrs T Merewether oam
Mr B G O’ConorVicki OlssonDavid RobertsonMrs Penelope Seidler am
G & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzie
Westfield GroupRay Wilson oam in memory of
James Agapitos oam
Anonymous (1)
GOLD PATRONS: $10,000–$19,999Doug & Alison BattersbyAlan & Christine BishopIan & Jennifer BurtonMichael Crouch ao &
Shanny CrouchCopyright Agency Cultural
Fund Edward & Diane FedermanNora GoodridgeMr Ross GrantMr Ervin KatzJames N Kirby FoundationMs Irene Lee
Ruth & Bob MagidThe Hon. Justice AJ Meagher
& Mrs Fran MeagherMr John MorschelDrs Keith & Eileen OngMr John Symond amAndy & Deirdre PlummerCaroline WilkinsonAnonymous (1)
SILVER PATRONS: $5000–$9,999Dr Francis J AugustusStephen J BellMr Alexander & Mrs Vera
BoyarskyPeter Braithwaite & Gary
LinnaneMr Robert BrakspearMr David & Mrs Halina BrettMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie ClampettEwen Crouch am &
Catherine CrouchThe Hon. Mrs Ashley Dawson-
DamerIan Dickson & Reg HollowayDr Lee MacCormick Edwards &
Mr Michael CraneDr Colin Goldschmidt
The Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory JeffesThe late Mrs Isabelle JosephJudges of the Supreme Court
of NSW J A McKernanDavid Maloney am & Erin
FlahertyR & S Maple-BrownJustice Jane Mathews ao
Mora MaxwellMrs Barbara MurphyWilliam McIlrath Charitable
FoundationRodney Rosenblum am &
Sylvia RosenblumDr Evelyn RoyalThe Estate of the late
Greta C RyanManfred & Linda SalamonSimpsons SolicitorsMrs Joyce Sproat &
Mrs Janet CookeWestpac GroupMichael & Mary Whelan TrustJune & Alan Woods Family
BequestAnonymous (1)
Renee MarkovicHenry & Ursula MooserMilja & David MorrisMrs J MulveneyMr & Mrs OrtisMr Darrol NormanDr A J PalmerMr Andrew C PattersonDr Natalie E PelhamAlmut PiattiRobin PotterIn memory of Sandra Paul
PottingerTA & MT Murray-PriorDr Raffi QasabianMichael QuaileyMr Patrick Quinn-GrahamErnest & Judith RapeeKenneth R ReedPatricia H Reid Endowment
Pty LtdDr Marilyn RichardsonRobin RodgersLesley & Andrew RosenbergIn memory of H St P ScarlettCaroline SharpenDavid & Isabel Smithers
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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA VANGUARDA MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM FOR A DYNAMIC GROUP OF GEN X & Y SSO FANS AND FUTURE PHILANTHROPISTS
Vanguard CollectiveJustin Di Lollo ChairKees BoersmaAmelia Morgan-HunnJonathan PeaseSeamus R QuickChloe SassonCamille Thioulouse
MembersJames ArmstrongDamien BaileyJoan BallantineAndrew BaxterMar BeltranEvonne BennettNicole BilletDavid BluffAndrew BraggPeter BraithwaiteBlake Briggs
Andrea BrownMelanie BrownProf. Attila BrungsHelen CaldwellHilary CaldwellHahn ChauAlistair ClarkPaul ColganJuliet CurtinAlastair FurnivalAlexandra GibsonAlistair GibsonSam GiddingsMarina GoTony GriersonLouise HaggertyRose HercegPhilip HeuzenroederFrancis HicksPaolo HookePeter Howard
Jennifer HoyKatie HryceScott JacksonJustin JamesonJonathan KennedyAernout KerbertPatrick KokAlisa LaiTristan LandersGary LinnanePaul MacdonaldKylie McCaigRebecca MacFarlingDavid McKeanHayden McLeanTaine MoufarrigeNick NichlesTom O’DonnellKate O’ReillyLaurissa PoulosJingmin Qian
Leah RanieSudeep RaoMichael ReedePaul ReidyChris RobertsonDr Benjamin RobinsonEmma RodigariJacqueline RowlandsBenjamin SchwartzCaroline SharpenKatherine ShawRandal TameSandra TangMichael TidballMark TimminsKim WaldockJonathan WatkinsonJon WilkieYvonne Zammit
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A
SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRON, PLEASE
CONTACT THE PHILANTHROPY OFFICE ON (02) 8215 4674
OR EMAIL [email protected]
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PLAYING YOUR PART
Mrs Judith SouthamCatherine StephenThe Hon. Brian Sully qc
Mildred TeitlerKevin TroyJohn E TuckeyIn memory of Joan &
Rupert VallentineDr Alla WaldmanMiss Sherry WangHenry & Ruth WeinbergThe Hon. Justice A G WhealyIn memory of Geoff WhiteA Willmers & R PalMr & Mrs B C WilsonDr Richard Wing
Mr Robert WoodsIn memory of Lorna WrightDr John YuAnonymous (11)
BRONZE PATRONS: ALLEGRO $500–$999David & Rae AllenMr & Mrs Garry S AshDr Lilon BandlerMichael Baume ao & Toni BaumeBeauty Point Retirement ResortRichard & Margaret BellMrs Jan BiberMinnie BiggsMrs Elizabeth BoonMr Colin G BoothDr Margaret BoothMr Frederick BowersMr Harry H BrianR D & L M BroadfootMiss Tanya BryckerDr Miles BurgessPat & Jenny BurnettEric & Rosemary Campbell
Barrie CarterMr Jonathan ChissickMrs Sandra ClarkMichael & Natalie CoatesCoffs Airport Security Car ParkJen CornishDegabriele KitchensPhil Diment am & Bill
ZafiropoulosDr David DixonElizabeth DonatiMrs Jane DrexlerDr Nita Durham &
Dr James DurhamJohn FavaloroMs Julie Flynn & Mr Trevor CookMrs Lesley FinnMr John GadenVivienne GoldschmidtClive & Jenny GoodwinRuth GrahameMs Fay GrearIn Memory of Angelica GreenMr Robert GreenRichard Griffin am
Mr & Mrs Harold & Althea Halliday
Benjamin Hasic & Belinda Davie
Mr Robert HavardRoger HenningSue HewittIn memory of Emil HiltonDorothy Hoddinott ao
Mr Joerg HofmannMr Angus HoldenMr Kevin HollandBill & Pam HughesDr Esther JanssenNiki KallenbergerMrs W G Keighley
Mrs Margaret KeoghDr Henry KilhamChris J KitchingAnna-Lisa KlettenbergMr & Mrs Gilles T KrygerThe Laing FamilySonia LalDr Leo & Mrs Shirley LeaderMargaret LedermanMrs Erna Levy Sydney & Airdrie LloydMrs A LohanPanee LowDr David LuisMelvyn MadiganBarbara MaidmentHelen & Phil MeddingsDavid MillsKenneth Newton MitchellHelen MorganChris Morgan-HunnMr Graham NorthE J NuffieldDr Margaret ParkerDr Kevin PedemontDr John PittMrs Greeba PritchardMiss Julie RadosavljevicRenaissance ToursAnna RoAgnes RossMr Kenneth RyanGarry Scarf & Morgie Blaxill
Peter & Virginia ShawV ShoreMrs Diane Shteinman am
Victoria SmythDr Judy SoperDoug & Judy SotherenRuth StaplesMr & Mrs Ashley StephensonMargaret SuthersMs Margaret SwansonThe Taplin FamilyDr & Mrs H K TeyAlma Toohey Judge Robyn TupmanMrs M TurkingtonGillian Turner & Rob BishopRonald WalledgeIn memory of Denis WallisThe Wilkinson FamilyEvan Williams am &
Janet WilliamsDr Edward J WillsAudrey & Michael Wilson
Dr Richard WingateDr Peter Wong &
Mrs Emmy K WongGeoff Wood & Melissa
WaitesMrs Robin YabsleyAnonymous (29)
List correct as of 1 May 2014
34
SALUTE
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is assisted by the
Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council,
its arts funding and advisory body
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is
assisted by the NSW Government
through Arts NSW
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
PREMIER PARTNER
GOLD PARTNERS
SILVER PARTNERS
REGIONAL TOUR PARTNER MARKETING PARTNER
EDUCATION PARTNERPLATINUM PARTNER
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❝I’d practise trumpet in the off season.
❞Paul is a good friend of
the Barmy Army’s mascot trumpeter, Bill. The Army covers Bill’s expenses, and in return he leads many of the tunes they sing. You’ve no doubt heard him on the ABC Grandstand broadcasts. ‘Bill and I were introduced via text message by a mutual friend who happened to be in Switzerland when we were at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He suggested we should meet up, so we did – didn’t talk much about the trumpet, mostly talked about cricket and drank wine.’
The two have stayed in touch. Last year when the Ashes was played at Lords, Paul took great delight in texting Bill from the comfort of his couch on the other side of the world with suggestions about what he should play next, only to hear those tunes coming through the television moments later. There are two things for sure: technology makes the world a smaller place, and music knows no boundaries!
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In the summertime, there’s one place you’re guaranteed to find trumpeter Paul Goodchild – watching the cricket. At the ground or via the telly, Paul follows cricket with a passion. ‘My love of cricket comes from two of my uncles, who used to talk about it so passionately.’ Cricket was Paul’s game of choice at his very sporty high school. ‘I didn’t play a winter sport because I had to protect my teeth, but cricket in the summer was safe. I’d practise trumpet in the off season!’
Anyone who’s ever followed an Ashes Series will be familiar
with the Barmy Army – the jolly mob of fanatical cricket fans who travel from Blighty to wherever the English team is playing. This summer past, Paul found himself fraternising with members of the Army. ‘I wanted to make them feel welcome on hostile soil. The Barmy Army’s an institution. They’re great fun and they all love to sing. Every player on the field will have his own “anthem” that they sing. Some are very tongue in cheek, like singing “Your next queen is Camilla Parker Bowles” to the tune of Yellow Submarine to goad the Aussie side.’
GOOD SPORTMusic and sport. Who says the two can’t go hand-in-hand? Certainly not Paul Goodchild, the SSO’s Associate Principal Trumpet…
ORCHESTRA NEWS | APRIL–MAY 2014
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Music and travel have gone hand in hand since Mozart’s time. ‘I assure you that without travel,’ he wrote to his father Leopold, ‘we are miserable creatures. A man of mediocre talent will remain mediocre whether he travels or not; but one of superior talent…will go to seed if he remains continually in one place.’
Mozart’s words are music to our ears as we announce our new partnership with luxury cruise and tour operator APT as the presenting partner of our Master Series. ‘We’re delighted to be working with one of Australia’s leading cultural institutions,’ says APT General Manager of Marketing and Sales, Debra Fox, ‘and look forward to sharing some outstanding concerts with music lovers from Sydney and across Australia.’
SSO Managing Director Rory Jeffes adds, ‘The SSO and APT are focused on excellence in all our offerings, be it a performance at the Sydney Opera House or a river boat cruise in Europe. Our organisations share a belief in experiences of the highest quality.’
Sponsorship Highlight Ask a MusicianIn July, we’re giving the premiere of a new cantata by composer Paul Stanhope and librettist Steve Hawke: Jandamarra: Sing for the Country, Ngalanyba Muwayi. We asked Paul about the creative and collaborative process of writing such a large-scale work.
In 2011 Paul Stanhope first contacted Steve Hawke (son of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke) about setting his existing play, Jandamarra, to music. ‘He really liked the idea’, says Paul, ‘and thought it was important to involve the Bunuba community, which he’s worked with for years.’
Paul’s cantata will incorporate the music of the Bunuba people. ‘It’s a really important part of how the story is told.’ A junba (traditional song from the West Australian Kimberly region) will be performed by members of the Yilimbirri ensemble from Fitzroy Crossing, and adapted into the musical fabric of the cantata.
Paul has also had assistance from June Oscar ao, an ambassador for the Bunuba community: ‘She’s helped me to come up with song lyrics, and given me advice on how to set the language.’
With around 500 performers (including singers and dancers and 400 young choristers), there will be huge musical forces to marshal: a challenge even for a seasoned composer such as Paul. ‘It’s quite huge!’ he says. ‘It’s the biggest and most complicated project I’ve ever been involved in.’
‘This is our chance to really tell the story one of the few organised armed insurrections documented against European settlement in Australia to a whole lot of people who otherwise would never have known about it.’
Have a question about music, instruments or the inner workings of an orchestra? ‘Ask a Musician’ at [email protected] or by writing to Bravo! Reply Paid 4338, Sydney NSW 2001.
Perfect Partners
In March, the SSO again joined with Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa for the annual Symphony under the Stars chamber music weekend – three days of food, wine and fine music. More than 70 resort guests mingled with SSO musicians and enjoyed chamber music ranging from Mozart, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky to Broadway favourites. You can register your interest in the 2015 event by contacting Wolgan Valley on (02) 9290 9733.
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The Score
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Yoo (returning on cello), Aurora Henrich (double bass), Georgina Roberts (oboe), Alexei Dupressoir (clarinet) and Timothy Murray (bassoon).
‘I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into some chamber music,’ says Liisa. ‘I feel that’s something that you often miss out on at university if you’re always preparing for recitals or auditions. Even if you’re freelancing you’re often playing in big groups, so chamber music gets overlooked.’
The Artistic Director of the SSO Fellowship program, Roger Benedict, says there’s a shared hunger in this crop of Fellows ‘for the experiences that take them to the next stage, that really prepare them for a career in music’.
‘After 13 years of a wonderfully successful program,’ he continues, ‘we have members in the SSO who were Fellows, and in orchestras all over the world now. The program has grown from strength to strength, and largely due to the support of Credit Suisse and our supporters.’ These generous supporters include Mrs W Stening, Tenix, Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey, Robert Albert ao & Elizabeth Albert, Sandra & Neil Burns, Mrs T Merewether oam, and a donor who has given in memory of Matthew Krel, as well as anonymous donors.
The early months of the SSO’s annual Fellowship program are a process of learning and discovery, revealing as much about personalities as musicianship and talent. Tim Murray, bassoon Fellow, is not afraid to take a lighter look at serious subjects: ‘When I think about my expectations for the Fellowship program,’ he says with a grin, ‘I expect to get really good at sight-reading!’ Tim knows already that the musical demands of this year’s Fellowship program will require him and the seven other young musicians in the program to juggle practising and rehearsal of solo repertoire, chamber music and orchestral music.
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship is an intensive year-long program that introduces aspiring young instrumentalists to the world of full-time music-making at the highest level. Every year, up to nine Fellows are selected from hundreds of applicants through a rigorous audition process. The successful candidates then enter a world of professional concert-giving, mentoring by SSO musicians, masterclasses with visiting guest artists, and a series of chamber music recitals. This year’s Fellows are Liisa Pallandi and Nicholas Waters (violin), Carl Lee (viola), James sang-oh
Education Focus
NEW FACES
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We welcome our 2014 Fellows
Strictly Luhrmann: Strictly MusicalBaz Luhrmann’s boyhood might not have included music lessons but he’s a deeply musical person, someone who listens. Arranger and conductor Matt Dunkley, who’s worked on several Luhrmann films, says the director has ‘a real sensibility for music and he understands what it can do – the music’s there in the script from the beginning’.
Dunkley (pictured) is well placed to develop a concert around the soundtracks of the five Luhrmann movies. All the music is good – he recalls the cutting-edge choices in Romeo+Juliet, including early Radiohead. The challenge for an orchestral concert is that Luhrmann’s taste is so eclectic.
‘Naturally if we start trying to reinvent all the pop tracks that’s not going to work orchestrally,’ says Dunkley, ‘the result will be cheesy, like “Hooked on Classics”.’ Instead he’s tried to suggest the story of each movie, finding the heart of the scores, the big orchestral moments, and marrying these with the songs that people remember and the concert hall classics. The result mixes original music such as O Verona, written by Craig Armstrong for Romeo+Juliet, with popular vocal sequences such as the ‘Elephant Love Medley’ from Moulin Rouge, and classics such as Rhapsody in Blue (The Great Gatsby) and The Blue Danube (Strictly Ballroom).
Strictly LuhrmannKaleidoscope 2, 3 May | 8pm
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SYMPHONY SERVICES INTERNATIONALSuite 2, Level 5, 1 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010PO Box 1145, Darlinghurst NSW 1300Telephone (02) 8622 9400 Facsimile (02) 8622 9422www.symphonyinternational.net
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUSTMr John Symond am (Chair)Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Brenna Hobson, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Peter Mason am, Ms Jillian Segal am, Mr Robert Wannan, Mr Phillip Wolanski am
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENTChief Executive Officer Louise Herron am
Chief Operating Officer Claire SpencerDirector, Programming Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre and Events David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development and Maintenance Greg McTaggartDirector, External Affairs Brook TurnerDirector, Commercial David Watson
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All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.
Please address all correspondence to the Publications Editor: Email [email protected]
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By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specified on the title page of this publication. 17313 — 1/140514 — 15 S33/35
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Chairman Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD
Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan Ziegler
Operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin
SYMPHONY SERVICES INTERNATIONALSuite 2, Level 5, 1 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010PO Box 1145, Darlinghurst NSW 1300Telephone (02) 8622 9400 Facsimile (02) 8622 9422www.symphonyinternational.net
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUSTMr John Symond am [Chair]Ms Catherine Brenner, The Hon Helen Coonan, Ms Brenna Hobson, Mr Chris Knoblanche, Mr Peter Mason am, Ms Jillian Segal am, Mr Robert Wannan, Mr Phillip Wolanski, am
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENTChief Executive Officer Louise Herron am
Chief Operating Officer Claire SpencerDirector, Programming Jonathan BielskiDirector, Theatre and Events David ClaringboldDirector, Building Development and Maintenance Greg McTaggartDirector, External Affairs Brook TurnerDirector, Commercial David Watson
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSEBennelong Point GPO Box 4274, Sydney NSW 2001Administration (02) 9250 7111 Box Office (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666 Website www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Clocktower Square, Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4644Box Office (02) 8215 4600Facsimile (02) 8215 4646www.sydneysymphony.com
All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing.
Please address all correspondence to the Publications Editor: Email [email protected]
PAPER PARTNER
All enquiries for advertising space in this publication should be directed to the above company and address. Entire concept copyright. Reproduction without permission in whole or in part of any material contained herein is prohibited. Title ‘Playbill’ is the registered title of Playbill Proprietary Limited. Title ‘Showbill’ is the registered title of Showbill Proprietary Limited.
By arrangement with the Sydney Symphony, this publication is offered free of charge to its patrons subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s consent in writing. It is a further condition that this publication shall not be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that in which it was published, or distributed at any other event than specified on the title page of this publication 17282 — 1/040414 — 11TS S23
This is a PLAYBILL / SHOWBILL publication. Playbill Proprietary Limited / Showbill Proprietary Limited ACN 003 311 064 ABN 27 003 311 064
Head Office: Suite A, Level 1, Building 16, Fox Studios Australia, Park Road North, Moore Park NSW 2021PO Box 410, Paddington NSW 2021Telephone: +61 2 9921 5353 Fax: +61 2 9449 6053 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.playbill.com.au
Chairman Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD
Managing Director Michael Nebenzahl Editorial Director Jocelyn Nebenzahl Manager—Production—Classical Music Alan Ziegler
Operating in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin
EDITOR Genevieve Lang Huppert sydneysymphony.com/bravoCONTRIBUTOR Andrew Aronowicz
BUSY FELLOWSIn March our 2014 Fellows gave a private backstage concert for SSO Fellowship and Education patrons. The Fellows performed music by Mozart, Nielsen and Hindson, then met with their supporters over drinks.
In April the Fellows will be making a visit to the South Coast Correctional Centre, combining a one-hour chamber music performance with a workshop led by Roger Benedict exploring communication, conflict resolution and teamwork in the context of chamber music. The Fellows will also have lunch with 30 specially selected inmates, who are all taking part based on their good behaviour and enrolment in education classes.
HEALING POWERLast month we launched the 2014 season of our music4health program at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Since starting this program six years ago, we’ve
visited hospitals throughout NSW, performed at retirement homes and given concerts at the Powerhouse Museum as part of Disability Awareness Week, and we perform each year to hundreds of autistic children in a special event in conjunction with the Autism Advisory and Support Service. This year music4health will include visits to Westmead Children’s Hospital and the Randwick and Hunters Hill campuses of the Montefiore Home.
If you would like more information or to join our musicians on a music4health visit to see firsthand the power of music, contact Amelia Morgan-Hunn at [email protected]
SUPPORTING OUR FUTUREThe SSO has received a generous bequest of $50,000 from the late Dr Lynn Joseph. Dr Joseph, a survivor of World War II, was a long-time SSO subscriber until passing away last year at the age of 94. We are deeply grateful to Dr Joseph for supporting the orchestra in such a meaningful way.
If you’d like more information about leaving a gift to the SSO in your will, contact Luke Gay on (02) 8215 4625.
JOAN MACKENZIE SCHOLARSHIPLast year a generous bequest and gift from the late Joan MacKenzie and her family allowed us to set up an annual scholarship for an out-of-state violinist in the SSO’s Sinfonia program. This year the scholarship has been awarded to 22-year-old violinist Brett Yang, from Sunnybank Queensland, and will cover his travel to Sydney as well as private lessons with SSO musicians.
SYMPHONY IN THE PARKOn 22 March we gave our seventh annual concert in Parramatta Park, performing music by Dvorák and Wieniawski, and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, under the baton of Pinchas Steinberg, with violin soloist Karen Gomyo. On the night we announced future plans for the event, which will incorporate primary and high school music education activities in the Parramatta region.
CODA
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