2014

ELEKTRA

Special Event Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Saturday 22 February 2014 Mondays @ 7

Monday 24 February 2014

february — march

CLASSICAL

ELEKTRA

ROBERTSON CONDUCTS AN OPERA IN THE CONCERT HALL R STRAUSS Elektra David Robertson conductor Christine Goerke soprano (Elektra) Lisa Gasteen soprano (Klytemnestra) Cheryl Barker soprano (Chrysothemis) Peter Coleman-Wright baritone (Orestes) Kim Begley tenor (Aegisthus) Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Sydney Dance Company Stephanie Lake choreographer

Special Event Premier Partner Credit Suisse

Sat 22 Feb 8pm Mondays @ 7

Mon 24 Feb 7pm Pre-concert talk by David Larkin

ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK IN RECITAL

SCHUMANN Kinderszenen MOZART Piano Sonata in C, K330 LISZT Lacrymosa from Mozart’s Requiem LISZT Tarantella from Venezia e Napoli, S162 PROKOFIEV Sonata No.6 (War Sonata 1)

International Pianists in Recital Presented by Theme & Variations

Mon 10 Mar 7pm City Recital Hall Angel Place

Pre-concert talk by Stephanie McCallum

SSO PRESENTS

JOHN WILLIAMS

MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES David Robertson presents a concert of highlights from the great John Williams film scores. From Superman and E.T. to Schindler’s List and Star Wars – movie sounds in the concert hall in the hands of a great communicator.

Meet the Music

Thu 27 Feb 6.30pm Kaleidoscope

Fri 28 Feb 8pm Sat 1 Mar 8pm Pre-concert talk at 7.15pm (5.45pm Thursday)

rePLAY

SYMPHONY OF HEROES Get set for a gaming paradise on screen and stage! Including Portal, Journey, The Legend of Zelda, The Elder Scrolls, Halo and Final Fantasy. Played out with the dramatic, powerful and live surround sound of your Sydney Symphony Orchestra on stage at the Sydney Opera House.

Fri 7 Mar 8pm Sat 8 Mar 2pm

FOR COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE 2014 SEASON VISIT

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WELCOME

Credit Suisse warmly welcomes you to this musical highlight of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s 2014 season. Tonight you will experience a concert performance of Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra, conducted by the orchestra’s new chief conductor, David Robertson. But this is no ordinary ‘concert performance’ of an opera – this is a creative collaboration that brings together music and dance for a powerful evening in the concert hall. Last year, David Robertson gave us a visual treat with Wagner’s Flying Dutchman supported by video projections. As Premier Partner, we were proud to support his creative vision in that ambitious project, and this year we are equally proud to be supporting his innovative conception of Elektra. We’ve been looking forward to this special event in the launch of Robertson’s tenure with the SSO, as have many Sydney music lovers. We’re delighted to see you here this evening and hope you enjoy the performance.

Rob Stewart Chief Executive Officer Credit Suisse Australia

2014 concert season

SPECIAL EVENT PREMIER PARTNER CREDIT SUISSE SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, 8PM MONDAYS @ 7 MONDAY 24 FEBRUARY, 7PM SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL

ELEKTRA Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal Sung in German with English surtitles David Robertson conductor Elektra Chrysothemis Klytemnestra Orestes Aegisthus

Christine Goerke soprano Cheryl Barker soprano Lisa Gasteen soprano Peter Coleman-Wright baritone Kim Begley tenor

with Warwick Fyfe, Sarah Toth, Carmen Young, Leah Thomas, Pascal Herington, Shane Lowrencev, Nicole Youl, Amanda Windred, Emily Edmonds and Lee Abrahmsen

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Brett Weymark, Music Director Stephen Mould, Musical Assistant Jessica Cottis, Assistant Conductor Stephanie Lake choreographer Sydney Dance Company Rafael Bonachela, Artistic Director

Saturday night’s performance will be recorded for later broadcast by ABC Classic FM on Sunday 2 March at 7pm. Pre-concert talk by David Larkin in the Northern Foyer, 45 minutes before each performance. The opera will be performed without interval and will conclude at approximately 9.50pm (Sat), 8.50pm (Mon).

CAST AND CREDITS

ELEKTRA Opera in one act by Richard Strauss Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal after Sophocles Sung in German with English surtitles David Robertson conductor Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon Chrysothemis, her sister Klytemnestra, their mother Orestes, their brother Aegisthus, Klytemnestra’s lover

Christine Goerke soprano Cheryl Barker soprano Lisa Gasteen soprano Peter Coleman-Wright baritone Kim Begley tenor

Orestes’ Tutor Klytemnestra’s Confidante Klytemnestra’s Trainbearer Overseer Young Servant Old Servant First Maid Second Maid Third Maid Fourth Maid Fifth Maid Six Maidservants

Warwick Fyfe bass Sarah Toth soprano Carmen Young soprano Leah Thomas soprano Pascal Herington tenor Shane Lowrencev bass Nicole Youl mezzo-soprano Amanda Windred mezzo-soprano Emily Edmonds mezzo-soprano Sarah Toth soprano Lee Abrahmsen soprano Carmen Young, Maria Hemphill, Lee Abrahmsen, Carine Jenkins, Leah Thomas, Tijana Miljovska

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Brett Weymark, Music Director Stephen Mould, Musical Assistant Jessica Cottis, Assistant Conductor Stephanie Lake choreographer Sydney Dance Company Rafael Bonachela, Artistic Director DANCERS: Christopher Aubrey, Chen Wen, Bernhard Knauer, Todd Sutherland, Holly Doyle, Alana Sargent, Jesse Scales and Jessica Thompson Amy Hollingsworth, Dance Director; Fiona Holley, Costume Design; Simon Turner, Stage Manager; Adam Iuston, Technical Director; Tony McCoy, Production Technician PRODUCTION Toby Sewell, Lighting Designer Laura Daniel, Production Manager (SSO) English language surtitles provided by Symphony Services International Prepared by Antony Ernst and operated by Takefumi Ogawa

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SYNOPSIS The setting The inner courtyard of the royal palace at Mycenae in ancient Greece

Previously… Agamemnon, King of Argos and commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War, had left his wife, Klytemnestra, to rule in his absence. She took as a lover Agamemnon’s enemy, Aegisthus, and together they murdered her husband on his return. Since then, Klytemnestra’s daughters have led degraded lives. Elektra, in particular, lives like an animal, thinking only of revenge, and is abused even by the servants. Their brother, Orestes, is in exile.

The drama begins… Maidservants are drawing water from a well. It is the hour when Elektra laments her dead father and when she appears they hurl insults. Once the courtyard is empty, Elektra appears again – alone. She recalls the death of her father, murdered in his bath. The music anticipates a waltz, but Elektra does not dance. Yet. Elektra’s sister, Chrysothemis, appears. She tells Elektra that their mother and her lover are planning to throw Elektra into a tower. She feels trapped and blames Elektra for their fate: ‘Were it not for your hatred…they would let us out of this prison!’ Chrysothemis yearns to live, and to bear children. Chrysothemis warns Elektra that their mother is in a bad mood: she has dreamed of Orestes and death. Elektra is determined to talk to her mother. In the central scene of the opera, Klytemnestra recounts her dreams. She believes they will pass only after an appropriate sacrifice. Elektra, in anger, paints a picture of Orestes returning and pursuing his mother through the palace with an axe: ‘Then you will dream no more…’ Chrysothemis returns with terrible news: Orestes is dead! For Elektra, the news means one thing: she and Chrysothemis must now enact their revenge themselves. Frightened, Chrysothemis flees. Elektra resolves to act alone and begins to unearth the axe she has buried. A stranger (Orestes) arrives and tells her he witnessed Orestes’ death. When she reveals herself to be Elektra he confesses that Orestes is ‘as safe and sound as I am’. Their duet is interrupted by Orestes’ tutor, who tells them the moment is ripe. The two men enter the palace. Klytemnestra screams from within. Aegisthus arrives and Elektra meets him with a torch. He too enters the palace and is murdered. The final waltz-sequence begins: Elektra’s ecstatic dance of triumph and her frenzied collapse.

COVER IMAGES: The Mask of Agamemnon, discovered by Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae in 1876, now believed to pre-date the Trojan War. Photo of SDC dancers Jessica Thompson and Charmene Yap by Ellis Parrinder.

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ABOUT THE MUSIC

Elektra – a tragedy in the age of Freud European artists, especially those in the German-speaking countries, couldn’t help but be aware of the revolutionary ideas of Sigmund Freud in the early years of the 20th century. Freud had been publishing his theories on sexual repression and anxiety, hysteria and the world of dreams ,from the mid-1890s. A decade later German theatre was replete with plays and operas in which such ideas were explored in fictional guise. In 1905, Alban Berg saw the two plays of Frank Wedekind, Earth Spirit (1895) and Pandora’s Box (1904), which would form the basis of his opera of the femme fatale, Lulu; in 1906 Arnold Schoenberg produced his monodrama Erwartung, a study in death-haunted hysteria. In 1902, the brilliant young director Max Reinhardt produced a German-language version of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, where the stepdaughter of King Herod is driven, and ultimately killed, by her sexual obsession with the imprisoned John the Baptist. The succès de scandale was such that Strauss turned the play into an opera. And in 1903, Reinhardt presented a play by Hugo von Hofmannsthal about another obsessed woman, driven not, however, by lust, but by vengeance: Elektra. Hofmannsthal’s Elektra, which he had begun in 1901, was a ‘rewritten’ version of the play of the same name by Greek tragedian Sophocles from the mid-5th century BC; Sophocles’ play was one of three contemporary Greek tragedies with Elektra in the central role. The Choephori (Libation Bearers), the second play in Aeschylus’ trilogy, the Oresteia, was written first, and Sophocles and his rival Euripides are thought to have written theirs at around the same time some decades later. In fact, the character and story of Elektra do not appear in the

 Hofmannsthal and Strauss – a contemporary silhouette.

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surviving Greek literature before this time, and she is certainly nowhere mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. But the story is a development of one of the Iliad’s narrative strands. The Greek kingdoms have been at war with Troy, as a Trojan prince, Paris, had carried off Helen, wife of Menelaus. Menelaus’ brother, Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, has fought alongside other Greek heroes (except, that is, for the incident on which the Iliad hangs, where the great Achilles refuses to fight because Agamemnon has taken his favourite slave girl). Meanwhile, Agamemnon’s wife, Klytemnestra has taken a lover, Aegisthus, and when Agamemnon returns victorious from Troy, she brutally murders him with an axe as he prepares to take his ritual bath. In the classical myth, Orestes avenges his father’s death by killing Klytemnestra and Aegisthus, but for spilling his own mother’s blood is driven mad and pursued by the Furies. The 5th-century tragedians and Hofmannsthal portray Elektra, a daughter of Agamemnon and Klytemnestra, as motivated by grief at the death of her father and a desire to see just revenge. As might be expected for a playwright working in the age of Freud, Hofmannsthal stresses how her sanity has been affected by her emotional upheavals, and of course Strauss responds with some of his most confronting, thrilling and powerful music. In fact Hofmannsthal’s ‘rewriting’ amounts to a wholesale revision of Sophocles, with the significant addition of Elektra’s death once her revenge has been achieved. But the play retains the simple structure and implacable movement of classical tragedy. Strauss enhanced these attributes considerably by cutting about a third of the text (with Hofmannsthal’s approval, as the original play would have been far too long if set to music), having Hofmannsthal write some new lines, and demanding certain clarifications to the stage directions. This was the beginning of a brilliant theatrical partnership.

The opera and its music After the orchestra blazes out a minor-triad motif that we come to recognise as the name ‘Agamemnon’, the opera’s action begins with a scene for five of the queen’s maidservants, four of whom abuse the maddened Elektra and the bestial conditions in which she lives outside the palace of Mycenae, and belittle her when she briefly appears, as expected, to wail for her father. We hear two important themes associated with Elektra: one that conductor and scholar Norman Del Mar describes as ‘pure fury’ with its terse falling seventh (which he likens to the fall of the axe that killed Agamemnon) and bitonal overlay of chords that will be expanded in Klytemnestra’s music, and a surging melody, again over a chord which contains two quite different tonal centres. This chord, with its distinctive bite, comes, as Del Mar notes, to have status as an ‘isolated entity’, a theme in its own right.

Keynotes R STRAUSS Born Munich, 1864 Died Garmisch-Partenrkirchen, 1949 Richard Strauss wrote two symphonies as a teenager, but this was not the musical genre that captured his imagination. Instead he made his name with the evocative and storytelling possibilities of the symphonic poem (or ‘tone poem’, as he preferred to call it) and above all with opera. He composed 15 operas, of which Salome and Elektra are among the earliest and perhaps the most striking. These were followed by Der Rosenkavalier and Ariadne auf Naxos. His final opera was Capriccio. ELEKTRA Elektra was Strauss’s fourth opera (premiered in 1909) and, significantly, his first opera with a libretto by the Austrian novelist and dramatist Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874–1929). The text is a close reworking of Sophocles’ play. Although the text – and opera – is cast in one continuous scene, it falls into seven distinct sections, which pivot around the dramatic confrontation between Elektra and her mother. 1. Prelude – the servants . Elektra 2 3 . Elektra and her sister 4. Elektra and her mother 5 . Elektra and her sister 6 . Elektra and her brother 7. The murders, and Elektra’s dance of triumph

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The one maid who tries to defend Elektra is dragged off to be beaten by the palace overseer. Elektra re-emerges, and from this point never leaves the stage. Her long solo functions as the exposition of the opera’s dramatic heart and many of its musical themes. Where Hofmannsthal studiously avoided Agamemnon’s name, Strauss has Elektra sing it repeatedly to variously elaborated versions of the opera’s opening motif so that we feel the force of the murdered king’s absence; Strauss also introduces muscular themes associated with Elektra’s royal state, hints of later themes to do with Klytemnestra (unstable and chromatic) and Aegisthus (a repeated pattern of short–short–long notes, often outlining the interval of the fourth), and a powerful motif of octave leaps associated with Agamemnon. Finally, there is a theme that is used to depict both Elektra and Orestes, consisting of long notes followed by triplets, with increasingly wide leaps between each rhythmic motif. In this long solo, Elektra describes the murder of her father, and fantasises about bloodthirsty revenge. The action then proceeds through a series of scenes in each of which Elektra confronts a single character. First it is her sister, Chrysothemis (who is, incidentally, mentioned by Agamemnon in the Iliad), who comes to warn Elektra that Klytemnestra plans to lock her in a tower. Chrysothemis, in contrast to Elektra, wants nothing more than a husband and children, and will submit to Aegisthus’ authority if it means she can marry. Her aspirations are expressed in waltz-based music of bourgeois amplitude; her fears that nothing will change, and their brother never return, are coloured by the desolate sound of low reed instruments. Her desperate reiteration of her vision of married bliss is met with derision from Elektra, but we soon hear in unforgettable music, the approach of Klytemnestra. Accompanied by a train-bearer and a confidante, Klytemnestra is described vividly in Hofmannsthal’s stage directions as a physical wreck, barely able to keep her eyelids open, and festooned with charms and amulets, though Strauss later preferred to describe her as a handsome middle-aged woman on the brink of spiritual collapse. She is unable to sleep for fear of Orestes’ return, and obsessively makes sacrifices to the gods. In their intense exchange Elektra tells her mother that it is only when she, Klytemnestra, is put to death with the same axe that killed Agamemnon that her dreams will end, but this is interrupted by news that makes Klytemnestra call for the palace to be lit with torches, and sweep out in triumph. Chrysothemis explains that news of Orestes’ death has just arrived. Elektra is at first incredulous and then appalled, and after a brief interlude where two male servants discuss going to the fields to tell Aegisthus the news, insists that she and her sister will have to carry out the act of revenge. She tries 10

Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon, a painting by Frederic Leighton (1869)

everything, even an attempt to flatter Chrysothemis in classically Straussian erotic music. When this fails, Elektra curses Chrysothemis (who runs off), and starts digging for the axe that she had hidden. A stranger appears, who answers Elektra’s questions in music of unexpected calm, claiming to know of Orestes’ death. Gradually the disguised stranger and the brutalised ‘madwoman’ come to recognise each other as brother and sister, and are reconciled in what is practically a love duet, that prefigures Strauss’s and Hofmannsthal’s next opera, Der Rosenkavalier. Their reunion, where Orestes undertakes to kill his mother, is interrupted by Orestes’ tutor, who tells him that the queen is expecting the ‘messengers’ who bring details of Orestes’ death. The men enter the palace without the axe, but Klytemnestra is soon heard screaming. In the confusion, Chrysothemis and the maidservants rush into the courtyard but disperse in panic on the arrival of Aegisthus. Elektra insists on lighting his path into the palace, in a playfully sinister waltz. Soon he too is heard screaming for help; Elektra declaims ‘Agamemnon hears thee’, and offstage voices call Orestes’ name repeatedly. Elektra refuses to go into the palace with Chrysothemis to see Orestes hailed as a liberator. Her revenge complete, she begins to dance – a frenetic waltz – more and more wildly until she collapses and dies, as the Agamemnon motif sounds three times in victory. A terrified Chrysothemis hammers on the palace door calling for Orestes as the curtain falls. Carl Gustav Jung, not Freud, described the ‘Elektra complex’ as a female equivalent of the Oedipus complex some years after Elektra was premiered. Strauss’s dramatisation of obsession, guilt and revenge, expressed in music of almost unprecedented dissonance and contrasting tenderness, offers its own insights into human nature.

…the disguised stranger and the brutalised ‘madwoman’ come to recognise each other as brother and sister…

GORDON KERRY © 2011 Elektra calls for a large orchestra: three flutes (one doubling piccolo), three oboes (one doubling cor anglais), heckelphone or bass oboe, four clarinets, E flat clarinet, bass clarinet, two basset horns, three bassoons and contrabassoon; four horns, four Wagner tubas, six trumpets, bass trumpet, four trombones and tuba; two timpani and four percussionists; two harps, celesta and 62 strings. Elektra was premiered in Dresden on 25 January 1909. The first Australian performances were presented by the ABC and the Australian Opera in November 1985, in Melbourne with the MSO then in Sydney with the SSO. The conductor was Richard Armstrong and Rita Hunter sang Elektra. Since then it has been staged in Adelaide and in the Melbourne Festival (1999) and by WA Opera for the Perth Festival (2012). The SSO’s most recent performance of Elektra was a production conducted by Simone Young at the Capitol Theatre for the 2000 Sydney Festival. Deborah Polaski sang the title role.

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Elektra and the dance Why dancing? Nowhere does Richard Strauss, or his librettist, call for dancers in Elektra. This was a modern opera created at the dawn of the 20th century, not a Romantic opera with its obligatory ballet scene. There’s no call for dancers, but even so, a dance winds its way through this opera, musically (in the form of a waltz) and dramatically: Elektra’s dance of vengeance. The answer lies in Elektra’s final words, sung in an ecstatic delirium before she falls dead to the floor: Be silent, and dance. Come here to me, all of you! Close your ranks! I bear the burden of joy and I lead you in the dance. There is only one thing fitting for those happy as we: to be silent and dance! These words spoke powerfully to David Robertson and our artistic planner Peter Czornyj as they planned these performances. From this emerged an unusual – possibly unique – emphasis on dance in Elektra and a collaboration with Sydney Dance Company and the Melbourne choreographer Stephanie Lake. The result is a concert performance that sees us occupy the Concert Hall space in a new way and which offers a powerful visual complement to Strauss’s music. Stephanie Lake’s approach to the choreography is a response to this potent and deeply emotional music. Rather than attempt a literal representation of the Elektra narrative, the choreography creates atmosphere through physical action, finding intuitive and abstract inspiration in the opera. The dancers don’t play characters or represent the unfolding narrative but instead embody the emotional content of the score. ‘Elektra’s obsession and lust for revenge,’ says Stephanie Lake, ‘all feed into the movement; the raw, brutal and violent aspects of the story find their way into the dance vocabulary without ever being literal.’ Working with eight dancers from SDC, she has built a movement language that explores the shifting tension between a certain recklessness or violence and delicacy or playfulness. And you’ll see duets, trios and quintets in which the dancers are not only manipulated by each other – whether in tenderness or with force – but also by external forces, things unseen and seemingly out of their control. Just as Strauss’s score is complex and demanding, so too is the choreographic material for the dancers. ‘The creation of this work has been enormously challenging,’ says Lake, ‘and so – like all challenges – the satisfaction of this beautiful result has been exciting.’ 12

The dancers don’t play characters or represent the unfolding narrative but instead embody the emotional content of the score.

MORE MUSIC ELEKTRA

READING

If you buy only one recording of Elektra, make it the Georg Solti recording. Brigit Nilsson is the tragic Elektra in a stirring performance with the Vienna Philharmonic. Regina Resnik sings Klytamnestra, Marie Collier Chrysothemis, and Tom Krause Orestes.

For a comprehensive but friendly study of Strauss’s Elektra, you can’t go wrong with the book edited by Derrick Puffett for the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series. It covers the origins of the story, Hofmannsthal’s libretto, an overview of the music, a synopsis and several more detailed articles on aspects of the music.

DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 479 2274

To get the full, visual impact of this horrifying tale, look for the DVD of Götz Friedrich’s production, also with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Karl Böhm. Leonie Rysanek’s portrayal of the deranged, vengeful Elektra is vividly presented in this film adaptation of the opera, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Orestes. A companion DVD offers a documentary on the making of the film, with footage of an elderly Karl Böhm conducting one of the last shows of his life. DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 073 4095

RICHARD STRAUSS OPERAS If you’d like to sink your teeth into another impassioned opera with a powerful female lead, try Strauss’s emotionally charged Salome. Hildegard Behrens is the sensual and obsessive Salome in the Vienna Philharmonic’s recording with Herbert von Karajan conducting.

If you’d like to read the original drama by Strauss’s librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, a contemporary translation (1908) by Arthur Symons is available at scribd.com. You can read it on the website, or sign in to download a PDF. bit.ly/ElektraLibretto The Elektra myth comes to us via the great playwrights of Ancient Greece, including Euripides and Sophocles, with the latter providing the source for Hofmannsthal’s play. Find a translation of the Sophocles online in the Internet Classics Archive: classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/electra.html

Broadcast Diary March

EMI CLASSICS 66832

For something a little lighter, Strauss’s charming comic opera Der Rosenkavalier can’t fail to please. Opera Australia’s production with Andrew Litton is available on DVD, with Cheryl Barker as the Marschallin. OPERA AUSTRALIA 56026

And for a mixture of the two, Strauss’s quirky combination of comic and serious opera is realised in Ariadne auf Naxos, a delightful production in which Burlesque meets Ancient Greek drama. Look for the Dresden Staatskapelle’s performance on DVD with Christian Thielemann conducting. Renée Fleming heads the cast as the abandoned Ariadne. DECCA 074 3809

GREEK MYTHOLOGY Characters from Ancient Greece have inspired countless operatic masterpieces throughout history, including Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. Sung in Latin with English narration, the cruel story of an ill-fated king can be experienced in a DVD of Julie Taymor’s striking production. Seiji Ozawa conducts and the cast includes Jessye Norman and Bryn Terfel.

Sunday 2 March, 7pm ELEKTRA See this program for details Saturday 8 March, 8pm MURRAY PERAHIA IN RECITAL (2013) Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin Monday 10 March, 7pm ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK IN RECITAL Schumann, Mozart, Liszt, Prokofiev Saturday 15 March, 8pm RUSSIAN DAYDREAMS Pinchas Steinberg conductor Natascha Petrinsky mezzo-soprano Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev Sunday 16 March, 2pm ROBERTSON CONDUCTS JOHN WILLIAMS David Robertson conductor Andrew Haveron violin Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana Alumni Choir

PHILIPS 074 3077

If orchestral music is more your thing, we recommend Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber. It’s a powerful concert work, based on his ballet Medea, that captures both the brooding tragedy and the murderous violence of the story. Look for Leonard Slatkin conducting the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in an all-Barber disc that also includes the much-loved Adagio for Strings. EMI CLASSICS 86561

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2014 Tuesday 11 March, 6pm Musicians, staff and guest artists discuss what’s in store in our forthcoming concerts.

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MICHAEL TAMMARO

THE ARTISTS

David Robertson Chief Conductor and Artistic Director American conductor David Robertson is a compelling and passionate communicator whose stimulating ideas and music-making have captivated audiences and musicians alike, and he has established strong relationships with major orchestras throughout Europe and North America. He made his Australian debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2003 and soon became a regular visitor to the orchestra, with projects such as The Colour of Time, a conceptual multimedia concert; the Australian premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony; and concert performances of The Flying Dutchman with video projections. This is his first year as Chief Conductor of the SSO. He has been Music Director of the St Louis Symphony since 2005. Other titled posts have included Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon and resident conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. A recognised expert in 20th- and 21st-century music, he has also been Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris (where composer and conductor Pierre Boulez was an early supporter) and his discography includes music by such composers as Adams, Bartók, Boulez, Carter, Ginastera, Milhaud and Reich. He is also a champion of young musicians, devoting time to working with students and young artists.

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Last season he appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and at the Metropolitan Opera, and in Europe with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic and Ensemble Intercontemporain. He also toured Europe with the St Louis Symphony and violinist Christian Tetzlaff. His awards and accolades include Musical America Conductor of the Year (2000), Columbia University’s 2006 Ditson Conductor’s Award, and, with the SLSO, the 2005–06 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming. In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2011 a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He was born in Santa Monica, California, and educated at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied French horn and composition before turning to conducting. He is married to pianist Orli Shaham. THE POSITION OF CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IS SUPPORTED BY EMIRATES

KEITH SAUNDERS

ARIELLE DONESON

Christine Goerke soprano

Cheryl Barker soprano

Elektra

Chrysothemis

Soprano Christine Goerke has appeared in the major opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera, La Scala and Deutsche Oper Berlin, was well as the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Saito Kinen Festival. She has sung much of the great soprano repertoire, beginning with the Mozart and Handel heroines and now moving into dramatic Strauss and Wagner roles. She has also appeared with leading orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Radio Vara and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Her vast discography includes Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes and Stabat Mater settings by Poulenc, Szymanowski and Dvořák (all with the late Robert Shaw), Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, the title role in Iphigénie en Tauride and Britten’s War Requiem. This season she returned to Covent Garden in Elektra and the Metropolitan as the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau ohne Schatten, gave a recital in the Tucson Desert Song Festival, and will sing the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Glimmerglass Festival where she is also Artist in Residence. Future engagements include her first fully staged performances of Brünnhilde in Die Walküre (Canadian Opera Company and Houston Grand Opera), and full Ring cycles for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Company and Houston.

One of Australia’s finest sopranos, Cheryl Barker is noted internationally for her performances in Madama Butterfly, singing Cio-Cio San for English National Opera, Vlaamse Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Netherlands Opera, Welsh National Opera and Houston Grand Opera, as well as Opera Australia. She has also sung Jenifer (Tippett’s Midsummer Marriage) for Covent Garden; Oksana (RimskyKorsakov’s Christmas Eve), Foreign Princess (Rusalka), Governess/Miss Jessel (Turn of the Screw), Musetta (La bohème), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Tosca, Salome and Emilia Marty (The Makropoulos Case) for ENO; Maria Stuarda for Nationale Reisoper, Violetta (La Traviata) for Hamburg and Deutsche Oper; Suor Angelica, Giorgetta (Il tabarro), Mimì (La bohème), Desdemona (Otello), Liu (Turandot) and The Merry Widow for Vlaamse Opera; and Katya Kabanová for WNO and Geneva. Australian roles include Nedda (I pagliacci), the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Mimì, Violetta, Donna Elvira, Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Antonia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Desdemona, Giorgetta, Emilia Marty, Cio-Cio San, Tosca, Jenůfa, Rusalka, Suor Angelica, Arabella, Manon Lescaut and Desdemona. In 2013 she was awarded Helpmann and Green Room awards for her performances of Salome. In concert, she has appeared at London’s Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, with the Hallé Orchestra and in the Edinburgh and Spoleto festivals, and toured for Musica Viva. She holds an honorary doctorate conferred by the Victorian College of the Arts.

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Lisa Gasteen soprano

Peter Coleman-Wright baritone

Klytemnestra

Orestes

Lisa Gasteen first became known in the lyric spinto repertoire and rose to worldwide prominence after becoming the first and only Australian to win the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. She has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany and sung at most of the major opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, Paris Bastille, and at the Metropolitan Opera New York and Royal Opera House Covent Garden where she was a regular guest artist. Her repertoire includes the principal female lead roles in Aida, La forza del destino, Un ballo in maschera, Don Carlo, Otello, Don Giovanni, Tosca, Andrea Chénier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Elektra, Salome, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Der fliegender Holländer, Tristan und Isolde and Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since her departure from the international operatic stage, she has established a concert and recital career and her most recent appearance with the SSO was in 2013, singing Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with conductor Simone Young. Lisa Gasteen devotes most of her time to teaching and mentoring promising Australians. She holds the Chair of Practice Professor of Opera at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University, and in 2011 established the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School.

Peter Coleman-Wright is considered one of the most versatile singers in the world, successful in opera, concert and recital. He is known for bringing great humanity to his music and is considered one of the great actors onstage. In Europe he has appeared with Netherlands Opera, Bordeaux, Venice, Munich, Geneva, Paris, Flanders and the Aix-en-Provence and Bregenz festivals, and he is a regular guest at Royal Opera Covent Garden and English National Opera. North American appearances include Vancouver, Santa Fe, New York City Opera, Houston and Metropolitan Opera. He has performed throughout Britain with all the leading orchestras, in the major European capitals, at New York’s Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls and is a frequent performer with the Australian orchestras. Last year he gave the Australian and American premieres of Brett Dean’s Last Days of Socrates. Recent engagements include the Metropolitan, ENO, Covent Garden (Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger), La Scala, Hallé Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam and Madrid. He created the role of Harry Joy in the premiere of Brett Dean’s Bliss for Opera Australia (winning a Green Room Award) and reprised the role in the 2010 Edinburgh Festival. He has also won a Green Room Award for his performances as Orestes, and Helpmann Awards for Sweeney Todd and Death in Venice. He holds an honorary doctorate conferred by the Victorian College of the Arts.

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Kim Begley tenor

Stephanie Lake

Aegisthus

choreographer

Throughout a career which has spanned more than three decades, Kim Begley has remained in demand for operatic engagements across Europe and North America, having performed leading roles at the opera houses in Frankfurt, Barcelona, Dresden, as well as in Amsterdam, at both the Opéra National and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, at La Scala Milan, Berlin State Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. Recent seasons have included a highly acclaimed return to English National Opera, first as Walter in David Pountney’s production of The Passenger by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, followed by Captain Vere in David Alden’s new production of Billy Budd, conducted by Edward Gardner. He has also made two role debuts: in Paris as Selim (The Rake’s Progress) and in Montpellier as Aegisthus (Elektra) as well as scoring a great personal success as Loge in the Opera National de Paris production of Das Rheingold, conducted by Philippe Jordan. In the 2013–14 season he has returned to Opéra National de Paris as Aegisthus in Robert Carsen’s production of Elektra, and in concert he sang Britten’s War Requiem under James Judd at the George Enescu Festival, Romania. In May he joins the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast by Coleridge-Taylor.

Stephanie Lake is an award-winning choreographer and dancer based in Melbourne. She has performed with renowned companies such as Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc and BalletLab for over 13 years, touring to festivals worldwide. Her acclaimed choreographic works include AORTA (Chunky Move), A Small Prometheus (Melbourne Festival), DUAL (Dance Massive, Helpmann Award nominee for Best Choreography), AxiaL (Frontier Danceland, Singapore), Dream Lucid (Sydney Dance Company/Sydney Opera House) and Mix Tape (Chunky Move, Green Room Award winner for Best Choreography). Her works have been presented in the UK and Asia and future touring includes Glasgow, Paris, Holland and Denmark. She regularly collaborates on projects with visual artists, filmmakers and musicians, including Unashamed Desire for Missy Higgins, and she has directed large-scale public dance performances involving over a thousand participants. Stephanie Lake was listed alongside collaborator Robin Fox in The Age’s Top 100 for 2012 and has been named many times in Dance Australia as Best Female Dancer and Choreographer to Watch. In 2012 she received the Peggy Van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship, and in 2013 she was appointed inaugural Resident Director of Lucy Guerin Inc and awarded the prestigious Sidney Myer Fellowship. www.stephanielake.com.au

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Leah Thomas soprano

Orestes’ Tutor

Overseer

KRISTIN COLEMAN

BLUEPRINT STUDIOS

Warwick Fyfe bass

Pascal Herington tenor

Klytemnestra’s Confidante & Fourth Maid

Young Servant

Carmen Young soprano

Shane Lowrencev bass

Klytemnestra’s Trainbearer

Old Servant

STUDIO OLYMPIA

Sarah Toth soprano

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Nicole Youl mezzo-soprano

Amanda Windred mezzo-soprano

First Maid

Second Maid

Emily Edmonds mezzo-soprano

Lee Abrahmsen soprano

Third Maid

Fifth Maid

KEITH SAUNDERS

Farewell Peter Czornyj If you sit in the back rows of the stalls, you may have noticed a regular presence, attending nearly every concert, keenly listening. For the past five years, that figure has been Peter Czornyj, our Director of Artistic Planning, who now leaves us to take up the same position with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Peter came to Sydney with a track record of exceptional artistic leadership at the St Louis Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra (where, among many achievements, he planned a thrilling performance of Elektra starring Lisa Gasteen).

He also brought valuable experience in the recording industry, as director of the Archiv Produktion label at Deutsche Grammophon and as founder of the Glissando label. The success of the relationship between Peter and the SSO has been such that it extended well beyond its envisaged timescale. However, the role in Dallas provides him and his family with the opportunity to return to the United States, and it is with sadness that we must bid them goodbye. Peter, thank you for your tireless work behind the scenes – we wish you well!

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THE DANCERS

Sydney Dance Company Sydney Dance Company is Australia’s leading contemporary dance company, celebrating its 45th year in 2014. Sydney Dance Company commissions, presents and tours contemporary dance that inspires audiences and dancers alike. Led by Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela, SDC thrives on an ethos of collaboration and excellence – working with the most exciting and engaging artistic talents both nationally and internationally. The SDC ensemble currently comprises 16 dancers. In addition to an ambitious national and international touring schedule, Sydney Dance Company is focused on developing new audiences for contemporary dance through an education program that includes school matinees, in-school workshops and vocational intensives for aspiring dance professionals. Sydney Dance Company is also renowned for being a strong training ground for dance. Our studios, located at our home in Walsh Bay, offer open classes taught by leading industry professionals in styles ranging from ballet and contemporary to hip hop and jazz to over 70,000 participants each year. Sydney Dance Company aims to create exceptional contemporary dance of the highest standard that inspires a variety of audiences to watch, enjoy, engage with and participate in this diverse and exciting art form. www.sydneydancecompany.com

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RAFAEL BONACHELA Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela has been the Artistic Director for Sydney Dance Company since 2008. During this time he has been named winner of the dance category for The Monthly’s 2013 Arts Awards and listed as one of the (sydney) magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People in 2012 for his efforts to popularise dance as SDC Artistic Director and as curator of Australia’s international festival of contemporary dance, Spring Dance at the Sydney Opera House. Since his appointment, he has created several pieces for Sydney Dance Company, including 360° (2008), we unfold (2009), 6 Breaths (2010), LANDforms (2011), 2 One Another (2012), Project Rameau (2012), Emergence (2013) and Les Illuminations (2013, a collaboration with the SSO). In addition, he has remounted Bonachela Dance Company repertoire such as Soledad and Irony of Fate (2010) and The Land of Yes & The Land of No (2011). His internationally recognised talent has seen him work not only with contemporary dance at the highest level but also with artists from popular culture, such as Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, Sarah Blasko and Katie Noonan, as well as with leading fashion designers Dion Lee and Toni Maticevski. Such collaborative efforts reflect the inspiration he finds in culture today. He began his dance training in Barcelona and was a member of the legendary Rambert Dance Company, both as a dancer and Associate Choreographer. He established the Bonachela Dance Company in 2006. As a choreographer, he has been commissioned to make works for such companies as Candoco, George Piper Dances, ITDANSA Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Transitions Dance Company and Dance Works Rotterdam.

Simon Turner Stage Manager Adam Iuston Technical Director Tony McCoy Production Technician PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER GREIG

Rafael Bonachela Artistic Director Anne Dunn Executive Director Amy Hollingsworth Dance Director Fiona Holley Costume Design

Christopher Aubrey

Holly Doyle

Chen Wen

Alana Sargent

Bernhard Knauer

Jesse Scales

Todd Sutherland

Jessica Thompson 21

THE CHOIR

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. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs presents an annual concert series of choral masterpieces, and has premiered several commissioned works, including Ford’s Waiting for the Barbarians, Rautavaara’s Missa a Cappella, and most recently Chaconne by Lyle Chan. In 2002, Sydney Philharmonia was the 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), and Verdi’s Requiem and Wagner’s Flying Dutchman (David Robertson). In 2013 the choir also sang Verdi’s Requiem with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. This year, the Sydney Philharmonia season will include selections from the 16th-century Eton Choirbook, the complete Bach Motets, MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados, Belshazzar’s Feast, and a new commission by Matthew Hindson in collaboration with Sydney Youth Orchestra.

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BRETT WEYMARK Music Director 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 Weymark Music Director Josephine Allan and Michael Curtain Rehearsal pianists

SOPRANOS Heather Aird Debra Baker Georgina Bitcon Anne Blake Nikki Bogard Megan Boundey Deborah Brown Lauren Carter Elizabeth Cartmer Lisa Clews Anne Cooke Pam Cunningham Rouna Daley Shamistha De Soysa Soline Epain-Marzac Karina Falland Natalie Fisher Lyudmyla Goncharova Natalie Gooneratne Belinda Griffiths Maria Hemphill* Rebecca Howard Carine Jenkins* Claire Johnson Rychelle Kiely Anna Kleibert Karolina Kulczynska Yvette Leonard Athena Lill Lyanne Macfarlane Bernadette Mitchell

Sarah Moore Lindsey Paget-Cooke Dympna Paterson Linda Peach Marina Rados Susie Roberts Allison Rowlands Elna Schonfeldt Meg Shaw Sarah Thompson Jessica Veliscek Carolan Jacqui Wilkins

Emi Kubota Hannah Mason Donna McIntosh Janice McKeand Tijana Miljovska* Penelope Morris Susannah Russell Johanna Segall Liz Shoostovian Megan Solomon Natasja Stul Robyn Tupman Noriko Yamanaka

ALTOS Leonie Armitage Amanda Baird Katie Blake Gae Bristow Kate Clowes Ruth Collerson Helen Esmond Phoebe Ferguson Nadia Fried Jenny Gillman Rebecca Gladys-Lee Sue Harris Jenny Harry Kathryn Harwood Margaret Hofman Johanna Knoechel Pia Kostiainen

TENORS Paul Boswell Simon Cadwallader Malcolm Day Robert (Bob) Elliott Denys Gillespie Adela Greenbaum Steven Hankey Michael Kertesz Vincent Lo Tim Matthies Daniel Sloman Martin Stebbings Michael Wallach Alex Walter Mark Wong

BASSES Greg Anderson Simon Boileau Peter Callaghan Gordon Cheng Julian Coghlan Daryl Colquhoun Tom Cousins Robert Cunningham Tom Forrester-Paton Kevin Gormley Robert Green Eric Hansen Derek Hodgkins David Jacobs Timothy Jenkins Johann Loibl Andrew Raftery Michael Ryan Tim Storer Nicholas Tong Adam Williams Arthur Winckler * Maidservants

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

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SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTR A

DAVID ROBERTSON

Chief Conductor and Artistic Director PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir ac cvo

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved into one of the world’s 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

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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 and Vladimir Ashkenazy. In 2010–11 the orchestra made concert recordings of the complete Mahler symphonies with Ashkenazy, and has also released recordings of Rachmaninoff and Elgar orchestral works on the Exton/Triton labels, as well as numerous recordings on ABC Classics. This is the first year of David Robertson’s tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director.

MUSICIANS David Robertson

Jessica Cottis

CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SUPPORTED BY EMIRATES

Andrew Haveron

Dene Olding

CONCERTMASTER

CONCERTMASTER

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR SUPPORTED BY PREMIER PARTNER CREDIT SUISSE

FIRST VIOLINS

VIOLAS

FLUTES

TRUMPETS

Dene Olding

Roger Benedict Tobias Breider Anne-Louise Comerford Justin Williams

Janet Webb Emma Sholl Carolyn Harris Rosamund Plummer

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPAL PICCOLO

David Elton Paul Goodchild Anthony Heinrichs Andrew Evans* Greg Flynn* Colin Grisdale*

CONCERTMASTER

Kirsten Williams ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Sun Yi ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER

Lerida Delbridge ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Fiona Ziegler ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER

Brielle Clapson Sophie Cole Jenny Booth Amber Davis Georges Lentz Nicola Lewis Alexander Norton Léone Ziegler Elizabeth Jones° Emily Qin° Lucy Warren* Andrew Haveron CONCERTMASTER

Jennifer Hoy Alexandra Mitchell

SECOND VIOLINS Kirsty Hilton Marina Marsden Emma Jezek

Sandro Costantino Rosemary Curtin Jane Hazelwood Graham Hennings Stuart Johnson Justine Marsden Felicity Tsai Amanda Verner Leonid Volovelsky

CELLOS Umberto Clerici Catherine Hewgill Henry David Varema Leah Lynn ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Kristy Conrau Fenella Gill Timothy Nankervis Elizabeth Neville Christopher Pidcock Adrian Wallis David Wickham Eleanor Betts*

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Marianne Broadfoot Emma Hayes Shuti Huang Stan W Kornel Benjamin Li Emily Long Nicole Masters Philippa Paige Biyana Rozenblit Maja Verunica Nicholas Waters† Maria Durek

DOUBLE BASSES Kees Boersma Alex Henery Neil Brawley PRINCIPAL EMERITUS

David Campbell Steven Larson Richard Lynn Benjamin Ward Josef Bisits* David Murray

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.

OBOES Diana Doherty Shefali Pryor David Papp Alexandre Oguey PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS

CLARINETS Lawrence Dobell Francesco Celata Lisa McCowage Christopher Tingay Craig Wernicke PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET

Alexei Dupressoir† BASSET HORN

Evan Guy* Rowena Watts* BASSET HORN

BASSOONS Matthew Wilkie Roger Brooke* Fiona McNamara Noriko Shimada PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON

HORNS Ben Jacks Robert Johnson Geoffrey O’Reilly

TROMBONES Ronald Prussing Scott Kinmont Nick Byrne Christopher Harris PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE

Colin Burrows*

TUBA Steve Rossé

TIMPANI Richard Miller Mark Robinson ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION Rebecca Lagos Joshua Hill* Alison Pratt* Philip South*

HARP Louise Johnson Genevieve Lang*

CELESTA Susanne Powell*

PRINCIPAL 3RD

Marnie Sebire Rachel Silver Euan Harvey Abbey Edlin* Jenny McLeod-Sneyd*

BOLD = PRINCIPAL ITALICS = ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL ° = CONTRACT MUSICIAN * = GUEST MUSICIAN † = SSO FELLOW GREY = PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NOT APPEARING IN THIS CONCERT

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

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BEHIND THE SCENES SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BOARD

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA STAFF MANAGING DIRECTOR

CREATIVE ARTWORKER

John C Conde ao Chairman Terrey Arcus am Ewen Crouch am Ross Grant Jennifer Hoy Rory Jeffes Andrew Kaldor am David Livingstone Goetz Richter

Rory Jeffes

Nathanael van der Reyden

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COUNCIL Geoff Ainsworth am Andrew Andersons ao Michael Baume ao Christine Bishop Ita Buttrose ao obe Peter Cudlipp John Curtis am Greg Daniel am John Della Bosca Alan Fang Erin Flaherty Dr Stephen Freiberg Donald Hazelwood ao obe Dr Michael Joel am Simon Johnson Yvonne Kenny am Gary Linnane Amanda Love Helen Lynch am David Maloney am David Malouf ao Deborah Marr The Hon. Justice Jane Mathews ao Danny May Wendy McCarthy ao Jane Morschel Dr Timothy Pascoe am Prof. Ron Penny ao Jerome Rowley Paul Salteri Sandra Salteri Juliana Schaeffer Leo Schofield am Fred Stein oam Gabrielle Trainor Ivan Ungar John van Ogtrop Peter Weiss ao HonDLitt Mary Whelan Rosemary White

EXECUTIVE TEAM ASSISTANT

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Lisa Davies-Galli

Jonathon Symonds

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Jenny Sargant

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

Peter Czornyj

Box Office

Artistic Administration

MANAGER OF BOX OFFICE SALES & OPERATIONS

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Lynn McLaughlin

Eleasha Mah

BOX OFFICE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

ARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Jacqueline Tooley

Ilmar Leetberg

BOX OFFICE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR

RECORDING ENTERPRISE MANAGER

John Robertson

Philip Powers

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Education Programs

EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Karen Wagg – Senior CSR  Michael Dowling Katarzyna Ostafijczuk Tim Walsh

Mark Lawrenson

Publications

EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Rachel McLarin

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR & MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

Yvonne Frindle

HEAD OF EDUCATION

Kim Waldock

Amy Walsh

Library Anna Cernik Victoria Grant Mary-Ann Mead

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTOR, EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Yvonne Zammit

Philanthropy HEAD OF PHILANTHROPY

Luke Andrew Gay

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Aernout Kerbert

Amelia Morgan-Hunn

ORCHESTRA MANAGER

PHILANTHROPY COORDINATOR

Chris Lewis

Sarah Morrisby

ORCHESTRA COORDINATOR

Corporate Relations

Georgia Stamatopoulos OPERATIONS MANAGER

Kerry-Anne Cook PRODUCTION MANAGER

Laura Daniel STAGE MANAGER

Courtney Wilson PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tim Dayman PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Ian Spence

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 GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lucy McCullough

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ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR

HEAD OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

Jeremy Goff CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER

Janine Harris

Communications PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Katherine Stevenson 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 ORCHESTR A PATRONS MAESTRO’S CIRCLE SUPPORTING THE ARTISTIC VISION OF DAVID ROBERTSON, CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Peter Weiss ao Founding President & Doris Weiss John C Conde ao Chairman Geoff Ainsworth am Tom Breen & Rachael Kohn In memory of Hetty & Egon Gordon Andrew Kaldor am & Renata Kaldor ao Vicki Olsson

Roslyn Packer ao Penelope Seidler am Mr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy Street Westfield Group Brian & Rosemary White Ray Wilson oam in memory of the late James Agapitos oam

CHAIR PATRONS 01

Roger Benedict Principal Viola Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey Chair

02

Lawrence Dobell Principal Clarinet Terrey Arcus am & Anne Arcus Chair

03

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

05

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

07 Robert Johnson Principal Horn James & Leonie Furber Chair 08 Elizabeth Neville Cello Ruth & Bob Magid Chair

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10



09 Emma Sholl Associate Principal Flute Robert & Janet Constable Chair

10 04 Richard Gill oam Artistic Director, Education Sandra & Paul Salteri Chair

Janet Webb Principal Flute Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Chair

06 Kirsty Hilton Principal Second Violin Corrs Chambers Westgarth Chair

n n n n n n n n n n FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHAIR PATRONS PROGRAM, CALL (02) 8215 4619.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE 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]

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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 Krel Mrs Roslyn Packer ao Paul & Sandra Salteri Scully Foundation Mrs W Stening Mr Fred Street am & Mrs Dorothy Street Peter Weiss ao & Doris Weiss Mr Brian & Mrs Rosemary White Kim Williams am & Catherine Dovey

Robert & Janet Constable James & Leonie Furber In memory of Hetty & Egon Gordon I Kallinikos Helen Lynch am & Helen Bauer Mrs T Merewether oam Vicki Olsson Mrs Penelope Seidler am G & C Solomon in memory of Joan MacKenzie Westfield Group Ray Wilson oam in memory of James Agapitos oam Anonymous (1)

GOLD PATRONS: $10,000–$19,999

Brian Abel Robert Albert ao & Elizabeth Albert Terrey Arcus am & Anne Arcus Tom Breen & Rachael Kohn Sandra & Neil Burns

Doug & Alison Battersby Alan & Christine Bishop Ian & Jennifer Burton Michael Crouch ao & Shanny Crouch Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Edward & Diane Federman Nora Goodridge

BRONZE PATRONS: PRESTO $2,500–$4,999

BRONZE PATRONS: VIVACE $1,000–$2,499

Mr Henri W Aram oam Dr Francis J Augustus The Berg Family Foundation in memory of Hetty Gordon Mr B & Mrs M Coles Mr Howard Connors Greta Davis Firehold Pty Ltd Stephen Freiberg & Donald Campbell Ann Hoban Irwin Imhof in memory of Herta Imhof Gary Linnane Robert McDougall James & Elsie Moore Ms Jackie O’Brien J F & A van Ogtrop Marliese & Georges Teitler Mr Robert & Mrs Rosemary Walsh Yim Family Foundation Mr & Mrs T & D Yim

Mrs Lenore Adamson Mrs Antoinette Albert Andrew Andersons ao Sibilla Baer David Barnes Allan & Julie Bligh Dr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff Jan Bowen Mr Peter Braithwaite Lenore P Buckle Margaret Bulmer In memory of RW Burley Ita Buttrose ao obe Mr JC Campbell qc & Mrs Campbell Dr Rebecca Chin Dr Diana Choquette & Mr Robert Milliner Mr Peter Clarke Constable Estate Vineyards Dom Cottam & Kanako Imamura Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill Mr John Cunningham SCM & Mrs Margaret Cunningham

PLATINUM PATRONS: $20,000–$29,999

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Stephen J Bell Mr Alexander & Mrs Vera Boyarsky Mr Robert Brakspear Mr David & Mrs Halina Brett Mr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr Bob & Julie Clampett Ewen Crouch am & Catherine Crouch The Hon. Mrs Ashley DawsonDamer Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway

Dr Lee MacCormick Edwards & Mr Michael Crane Dr Colin Goldschmidt The Greatorex Foundation Mr Rory Jeffes Judges of the Supreme Court of NSW J A McKernan David Maloney am & Erin Flaherty R & S Maple-Brown Justice Jane Mathews ao Mora Maxwell Mrs Barbara Murphy William McIlrath Charitable Foundation Mr B G O’Conor Rodney Rosenblum am & Sylvia Rosenblum Estate of the late Greta C Ryan Manfred & Linda Salamon Simpsons Solicitors Mrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet Cooke Michael & Mary Whelan Trust June & Alan Woods Family Bequest Anonymous (1)

Lisa & Miro Davis Matthew Delasey Mr & Mrs Grant Dixon Colin Draper & Mary Jane Brodribb Malcolm Ellis & Erin O’Neill Mrs Margaret Epps Paul R Espie Professor Michael Field am Mr Tom Francis Warren Green Anthony Gregg Akiko Gregory In memory of Dora & Oscar Grynberg Janette Hamilton Mrs Jennifer Hershon Mrs & Mr Holmes Michael & Anna Joel Aron Kleinlehrer Mr Justin Lam L M B Lamprati Mr Peter Lazar am Professor Winston Liauw Dr David Luis Peter Lowry oam & Dr Carolyn Lowry oam

Kevin & Deirdre McCann Ian & Pam McGaw Macquarie Group Foundation Renee Markovic Henry & Ursula Mooser Milja & David Morris Mrs J Mulveney Mr & Mrs Ortis Mr Darrol Norman Dr A J Palmer Mr Andrew C Patterson Dr Natalie E Pelham Almut Piatti Robin Potter In memory of Sandra Paul Pottinger TA & MT Murray-Prior Dr Raffi Qasabian Michael Quailey Ernest & Judith Rapee Kenneth R Reed Patricia H Reid Endowment Pty Ltd Robin Rodgers Lesley & Andrew Rosenberg In memory of H St P Scarlett Caroline Sharpen

Mr Ross Grant Mr Ervin Katz James N Kirby Foundation Ms Irene Lee Ruth & Bob Magid The Hon. Justice AJ Meagher & Mrs Fran Meagher Mr John Morschel Drs Keith & Eileen Ong Mr John Symond Andy & Deirdre Plummer Caroline Wilkinson Anonymous (1)

SILVER PATRONS: $5000–$9,999

David & Isabel Smithers Mrs Judith Southam Catherine Stephen The Hon. Brian Sully qc Mildred Teitler Kevin Troy John E Tuckey In memory of Joan & Rupert Vallentine Dr Alla Waldman Miss Sherry Wang Henry & Ruth Weinberg The Hon. Justice A G Whealy Ms Kathy White in memory of Mr Geoff White A Willmers & R Pal Mr & Mrs B C Wilson Dr Richard Wing Mr Robert Woods In memory of Lorna Wright Dr John Yu Anonymous (11)

BRONZE PATRONS: ALLEGRO $500–$999 David & Rae Allen Mr & Mrs Garry S Ash Dr Lilon Bandler Michael Baume ao & Toni Baume Beauty Point Retirement Resort Richard & Margaret Bell Mrs Jan Biber Minnie Biggs Mrs Elizabeth Boon Mr Colin G Booth Dr Margaret Booth Mr Frederick Bowers Mr Harry H Brian R D & L M Broadfoot Miss Tanya Brycker Dr Miles Burgess Pat & Jenny Burnett

Eric & Rosemary Campbell Barrie Carter Mr Jonathan Chissick Mrs Sandra Clark Michael & Natalie Coates Coffs Airport Security Car Park Jen Cornish Degabriele Kitchens Phil Diment am & Bill Zafiropoulos Dr David Dixon Elizabeth Donati Mrs Jane Drexler Dr Nita Durham & Dr James Durham John Favaloro Ms Julie Flynn & Mr Trevor Cook Mrs Lesley Finn Mr John Gaden Vivienne Goldschmidt Clive & Jenny Goodwin Ms Fay Grear In Memory of Angelica Green Mr Robert Green Richard Griffin am Mr & Mrs Harold & Althea Halliday Benjamin Hasic & Belinda Davie Mr Robert Havard Roger Henning Sue Hewitt In memory of Emil Hilton Dorothy Hoddinott ao Mr Joerg Hofmann Mr Angus Holden Mr Kevin Holland Bill & Pam Hughes Dr Esther Janssen Niki Kallenberger Mrs W G Keighley

Mrs Margaret Keogh Dr Henry Kilham Chris J Kitching Anna-Lisa Klettenberg Mr & Mrs Gilles T Kryger The Laing Family Sonia Lal Dr Leo & Mrs Shirley Leader Margaret Lederman Mrs Erna Levy Sydney & Airdrie Lloyd Mrs A Lohan Panee Low Dr David Luis Melvyn Madigan Barbara Maidment Helen & Phil Meddings David Mills Kenneth Newton Mitchell Helen Morgan Chris Morgan-Hunn Mr Graham North E J Nuffield Dr Margaret Parker Dr Kevin Pedemont Dr John Pitt Mrs Greeba Pritchard Mr Patrick Quinn-Graham Miss Julie Radosavljevic Renaissance Tours Dr Marilyn Richardson Anna Ro Agnes Ross Mr Kenneth Ryan

Garry Scarf & Morgie Blaxill Peter & Virginia Shaw V Shore Mrs Diane Shteinman am Victoria Smyth Dr Judy Soper Doug & Judy Sotheren Ruth Staples Mr & Mrs Ashley Stephenson Margaret Suthers Ms Margaret Swanson The Taplin Family Dr & Mrs H K Tey Alma Toohey Judge Robyn Tupman Mrs M Turkington Gillian Turner & Rob Bishop Ronald Walledge In memory of Denis Wallis The Wilkinson Family Evan Williams am & Janet Williams Dr Edward J Wills Audrey & Michael Wilson Dr Richard Wingate Dr Peter Wong & Mrs Emmy K Wong Geoff Wood & Melissa Waites Mrs Robin Yabsley Anonymous (29)

List correct as of 17 January 2014

n n n n n n n n n n TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PATRON, PLEASE CONTACT THE PHILANTHROPY OFFICE ON (02) 8215 4674 OR EMAIL [email protected]

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA VANGUARD A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM FOR A DYNAMIC GROUP OF GEN X & Y SSO FANS AND FUTURE PHILANTHROPISTS

Vanguard Collective Justin Di Lollo Chair Kees Boersma David McKean Amelia Morgan-Hunn Jonathan Pease Seamus R Quick Chloe Sasson Camille Thioulouse

Members Damien Bailey Andrew Baxter Mar Beltran Evonne Bennett Nicole Billet David Bluff Andrew Bragg

Peter Braithwaite Blake Briggs Andrea Brown Prof. Attila Brungs Helen Caldwell Hilary Caldwell Hahn Chau Alistair Clark Paul Colgan Juliet Curtin Alistair Furnival Alistair Gibson Sam Giddings Marina Go Tony Grierson Louise Haggerty Rose Herceg Philip Heuzenroeder

Paolo Hooke Peter Howard Jennifer Hoy Scott Jackson Justin Jameson Aernout Kerbert Tristan Landers Gary Linnane Paul Macdonald Kylie McCaig Rebecca MacFarling Hayden McLean Taine Moufarrige Nick Nichles Tom O’Donnell Kate O’Reilly Laurissa Poulos Jingmin Qian

Leah Ranie Michael Reede Paul Reidy Chris Robertson Dr Benjamin Robinson Emma Rodigari Jacqueline Rowlands Katherine Shaw Randal Tame Sandra Tang Michael Tidball Jonathan Watkinson Jon Wilkie

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SALUTE PRINCIPAL PARTNER

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

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

PREMIER PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNER

EDUCATION PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNER

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MARKETING PARTNER

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

Photo: Keith Saunders

ORCHESTRA NEWS | JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2014

❝ …brass playing is a very physical thing.

❞ GRUNT WORK Rachel Silver, recently appointed to the SSO horn section, finds herself doing some of the heavy lifting. ‘When my niece asks what I do for a job, I blow a raspberry and tell her, “Someone pays me to do that all day.”’ French horn player Rachel Silver has her tongue firmly in cheek, of course. It’s a whole lot more complicated than that. ‘Actually, brass playing is a very physical thing. It involves the whole body – using big muscles to take in a lot of air and blow it out, with the vibration of your lips to produce the sound. Smaller movements with little muscles around the embouchure help make sure we hit the right note.’ As with many instruments, playing the horn for a long time

can result in physical changes to a musician’s body. ‘If you use a finger hook [to support the weight of the instrument], you can end up with a bent little finger.’ Or too much pressure on the mouthpiece, for instance, and a pair of small crescent moon-shaped indentations may appear on the lips. Check twice next time you’re talking to a brass player! The internal structure of an orchestral horn section dates back to a time when crooks (sections of tubing) were used to change the key in which the instrument was playing. The horns would play in pairs – first

and second horns together in the tonic, or ‘home’ key, third and fourth together in a related key. First and third are traditionally considered ‘high’, while second and fourth are ‘low’. Recently appointed to the position of section horn, Rachel is discovering that playing in the SSO requires a degree of flexibility. ‘I’m definitely most comfortable playing second or fourth, but sometimes I’ll be required to bump the first horn.’ (‘Bumping’ means sharing the first horn part between two players.) ‘The bumper won’t play any of the big solos, but we do some of the grunt work to give the first horn a break.’ That might mean taking over some of the really loud notes, or occasionally helping out in the middle of a phrase to disguise the need to take a breath. ‘It’s satisfying when you can assist your first horn and help make them feel comfortable.’

From the Managing Director Education Highlight What’s my motivation?

Photo: Belinda Pratten

RORY JEFFES

Photo: Ken Butti

Welcome to our 2014 season – and what a season it promises to be, under the leadership of our new Chief Conductor and Artistic Director, David Robertson. From Strauss’s epic opera Elektra to the film music of John Williams, from the enduring mastery of Beethoven and Brahms to a commissioned work celebrating our Indigenous culture, Jandamarra by Paul Stanhope, we aim to offer something that will inspire everyone who loves to hear live orchestral music. As I look ahead at this year’s feast of musical offerings, I pay tribute to the extraordinary talents and commitment of our players, administrators and artists. And I also thank you, our audience, for your contribution and support for your orchestra. An inspiring performance requires not just great music making on stage, but also an engaged audience, full of people who come to see, hear and love what these talented individuals create when they come together in the name of that thing which we love above all – music. So welcome, and enjoy this performance and the forthcoming season, with our thanks and commitment to providing you with a year of outstanding artistic experiences.

There are motives, and then there are motives. What does it mean when a composer uses a motive in his or her composition? This was the question explored by participants in our Sinfonietta Composition Project at the end of 2013. Supported by Leighton Holdings and CAL Cultural Fund, the Sinfonietta Project is now in its eighth year, and in 2013 attracted the highest ever number of applicants. Fourteen students from around Australia, aged 13 to 17, were selected to take part in a three-day intensive workshop under the mindful care of Richard Gill, and with the expert assistance of our Fellowship quartet. Two teachers also travelled from Tasmania with their students to observe the workshops. The string quartets of Haydn and Shostakovich were examined for examples of rhythmic and harmonic motives, before each participant had the opportunity to try their own hand, composing for performance by the string quartet. Working with the Fellows, said one participant, ‘gave a sense of realism to what, until then, had been quite an abstracted practice’. There’s clearly no substitute for the real thing! Another student, from Melbourne, acknowledged the depth and breadth of the program: ‘I learn much more about music from the Sinfonietta project than any other class I’ve been to at the specialist music school I attend.’

Richard Gill with the 2013 Sinfonietta composers

Vanguard took members and guests on a sensory adventure, matching Brokenwood Wines and Young Henry’s beer with music played by an ensemble of SSO musicians. Dan Hampton (Young Henry’s), Justin Di Lollo (Vanguard Chair), and Oscar MacMahon (Young Henry’s) clearly enjoyed the night!

Artistic Focus

The Score

SSO GOES TO THE MOVIES

Alexander Nevsky

David Robertson will present highlights from John Williams’ film scores in his first visit to Sydney as chief conductor. (Pictured: Alex Mitchell and Emma Jezek)

‘Never send a human to do a machine’s job.’ So says Agent Smith in a chilling monotone in The Matrix. With this advice he would surely find himself at odds with conductor Frank Strobel, who joins us in September to conduct the film in concert. It’s true that a live orchestra accompanying a big screen picture requires a machine-like synchronicity between orchestra and film, but Frank argues there’s still plenty of room for spontaneity. ‘Similar to an operatic performance, I need to be able to shape and structure a work and to uphold its tension, without having the feeling of being at the movie’s mercy. And it is especially important to me that a performance takes place without any additional technical aids, such as a click track in my ear or a visible time code on the monitor – for musicality’s sake.’ So without the usual mechanical or electronic assistance, how is the necessary precision achieved to play in time with the picture? ‘Synchronicity can be achieved with a precise knowledge of the film, plentiful (often more than a thousand) synchronicity pointers in the score, exact tempo specifications (preferably metronomic indications) and the aforementioned feeling for movement and mounting in the picture. Spontaneity does not need to suffer because of this.’ In a year featuring two ‘film

in concert’ presentations (West Side Story is the other), chief conductor David Robertson will set the tone in February when he conducts and compères a concert hall program dedicated to the music of John Williams. John Williams’ film scores include Jaws, E.T., Superman and Schindler’s List, to name just a few, and David is in awe of his skill as a composer. ‘His range is without bounds, his inspiration seems unending, and his power to unlock our emotions is breathtaking.’ He says Williams understands that when we enter a movie theatre, we become aware of sound in a different way, and open ourselves to the complete experience of a film. Williams ‘finds just the right combination of sounds and timbres to communicate with us on a very deep emotional level. Those moments in cinema when people say “I couldn’t help but cry” are often brought on by his music or framed by it.’ 28 Feb, 1 Mar Robertson conducts John Williams: Music from the Movies

2, 3 May Strictly Luhrmann: Music from the Movies

26, 27 Sep The Matrix Live: Film in Concert

7, 8 Nov West Side Story: On Stage and Screen

More info: bit.ly/SSOfilmmusic

This year we’ve planned four concerts with an overt film connection, but there’s a fifth concert with a hidden connection: Russian Daydreams in March. In 1938 Prokofiev – newly returned to Russia from a visit to Hollywood – was invited by film director Sergei Eisenstein to write the music for Alexander Nevsky. The result has become a cult classic among film buffs and is still regarded as one of the greatest collaborations between composer and director in the history of cinema. (So closely did they work, Eisenstein would often cut his shots to the music rather than vice versa.) Thanks to the machinations of history, Prokofiev’s music has also survived in the concert hall. Not long after the December 1938 premiere, the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939 was signed and the film – which told the story of the Russians’ victory over the Teutonic knights in 1242 – was withdrawn. But Prokofiev salvaged the most powerful moments of his score to create a seven-movement cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra. Eisenstein declared Prokofiev ‘a perfect composer for the screen’, saying that his music was never merely illustrative but embodied the emotion of the events on screen. And even without the striking imagery of the film, the cantata conveys the dramatic range of the story: from the tragedy of Russia under oppression to the Battle on the Ice and the triumph of victory.

Russian Daydreams Master Series 12, 14, 15 March | 8pm

CODA

TURNING JAPANESE

NEWBIES We welcome Rachel Silver (horn) and Amanda Verner (viola) to the permanent ranks of the SSO, following successful completion of their trials.

FAREWELLS In December 2013 we farewelled three of the orchestra’s longestserving musicians – Julie Batty (first violin), Robyn Brookfield (viola) and Colin Piper (percussion). Combined, they have given the orchestra almost 100 years of service. We thank them for their dedication, inspiration and wonderful collegiality over all these years, and wish them the very best for their future retirement projects. And at the end of this month we will bid a fond farewell to our director of artistic planning, Peter Czornyj, who is returning with his family to the United States to take up the same role at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Rosamund Plummer (SSO Principal Piccolo) has been selected as the very first Global Winds Artist in Residence at the Tokyo Academy of Instrumental Heritage Music. Rose will travel to Japan and America for three months to study the ryu ¯teki, a traditional Japanese transverse bamboo flute. This award is an initiative of the department of mediæval Japanese music at Columbia University, which hopes to seed high profile Western orchestras with musicians who can play traditional Japanese instruments and thus perform specialised music. Rose is currently learning as much Japanese language as possible to get the most out of daily lessons with her ryu ¯teki mentor in Tokyo. がんばって、 ローズ!

MOVIN’ ON UP We can report exciting times for our most recent crop of Fellowship alumni, with multiple successes following their time with SSO. The string Fellows have all been

accepted into a winter residency at The Banff Centre in Canada; Som Howie (clarinet) has won a position in the Southbank Sinfonia in London for 2014; and Laura van Rijn (flute) is taking up a contract position as Associate Principal Flute with the Auckland Philharmonia. Bravi tutti!

PARK & DINE Did you know…? If you’re an SSO subscriber you can take advantage of InterContinental Sydney’s exclusive park and dine package. Enjoy valet parking when combined with a meal at Cafe Opera, just a short stroll from the Sydney Opera House. Call (02) 9240 1396 to find out more about this deal from our accommodation partner.

HIGH TEA On 9 December we thanked our wonderful and dedicated volunteers with a special Christmas high tea backstage at the Sydney Opera House. Volunteers are special members of the SSO family whose support is invaluable.

EDITOR Genevieve Lang Huppert

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