Allia Rizvi Brand Manager Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

Transcription

1 W e have great pleasure in welcoming you to an outstanding evening of the 2007 Veuve Clicquot Series. Since 1999, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has proudly partnered the Sydney Symphony to bring together a series of concerts for lovers of great music, to add a little sparkle to Monday nights. Since the foundation of our great Champagne house in 1772, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has become synonymous with elegance, refinement, seduction and celebration. We believe that creating truly great champagne is the collaboration of many individuals, along with the finest selection of great vintage wines (over 50 wines comprise our Yellow Label Brut), which together produce a singular sensation for the senses much like the incredible talents and dedication of the members of the Sydney Symphony. The aim of our involvement is to enhance your pleasure from these superb musical experiences, through providing our flagship champagne, Yellow Label Brut, in all of the bars at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for the Sydney Symphony performances. We hope that you enjoy the artistic talents of the Sydney Symphony this evening, and take pleasure in a glass of the passion of our labours at interval. A votre santé! Allia Rizvi Brand Manager Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

2 SEASON 2007 BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL THE VEUVE CLICQUOT SERIES BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES 1 AND 9 Sunday 10 June 2pm Monday 11 June 7pm Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor Myrtò Papatanasiu soprano Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano Scott MacAllister tenor José Carbó baritone Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Brett Weymark, artistic director Cantillation Antony Walker, music director LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN ( ) Symphony No.1 in C, Op.21 Adagio molto Allegro con brio Andante cantabile con moto Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace) Finale (Adagio Allegro molto e vivace) INTERVAL Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 (Choral) Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso Molto vivace Presto Molto vivace Adagio molto e cantabile Andante moderato Allegro assai (Choral finale on Schiller s ode To Joy) This concert will be recorded for broadcast across Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9 on Tuesday 19 June at 8pm. Pre-concert talk by Gordon Kerry at 1.15pm (Sunday) and 6.15pm (Monday) in the Northern Foyer. Estimated timings: 26 minutes, 20-minute interval, 65 minutes The performance will conclude at approximately 4pm (Sunday) and 9pm (Monday). Cover images: see page 30 for captions Program notes begin on page 5 Artist biographies begin on page 16 PRESENTING PARTNER

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4 INTRODUCTION Beethoven Festival First and last. This final program in the Sydney Symphony s 2007 Beethoven Festival traces the extremes of Beethoven s symphonic style, from his first symphony as a 30-year-old to his last, completed when he was 54. The First Symphony could be thought of as a farewell to the 18th century. It s appropriate that it was dedicated to Baron van Sweiten: friend of both Haydn and Mozart, devotee of the music of Bach and Handel, and the man who had encouraged Beethoven in his study of strict counterpoint of the old-fashioned variety. (The Baron was a librarian, hence perhaps his interest in the past, uncharacteristic for the times.) The Ninth Symphony was dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. But in reality it was dedicated to all of mankind a joyous hymn to freedom and equality. In his previous eight symphonies Beethoven had expanded musical possibilities, adapting classical structures to accommodate a large-scale vision. He took the genre as far as it could go. Then he went further increasing the scale yet again and adding voices for a choral finale. The impact of the Ninth Symphony was unprecedented and long-reaching and the music continues to speak powerfully through the ages. As Maestro Gelmetti says, I don t think words can describe the amazement, the joy and the yearning for peace which this symphony inevitably brings about in us. It creates a miraculous and mysterious desire for communion and for fraternity. The Ninth Symphony gives us a hymn with which to conclude our Beethoven Festival. Stieler s portrait of Beethoven from 1820 (top) was said to have been the composer s favourite he even circulated copies and this highly idealised image of Beethoven is the one that has most influenced modern perceptions of his personality and character. Below is the portrait that was completed just a few years later by Waldmüller on commission from Beethoven s publishers, Breitkopf & Härtel. (It was destroyed when their Leipzig office was bombed in 1945.) This was the Beethoven of the Ninth Symphony. The hair is streaked with grey but hardly dishevelled and the artist has captured some of the irregularities of Beethoven s features, particularly around the nose. CAPTURE THE MEMORY Register now for future releases on the Sydney Symphony s live recording label. Additional forms and registration box at the customer service desk in the foyer 5 Sydney Symphony

5 ABOUT THE MUSIC Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No.1 in C, Op.21 Adagio molto Allegro con brio Andante cantabile con moto Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace) Finale (Adagio Allegro molto e vivace) When Beethoven presented his first symphony amid the gilt elegance of the Imperial Court Theatre (Burgtheater) in Vienna on 2 April 1800, he was already in his 30th year, looking forward to a new century in the aftermath of the French Revolution, and by now ready to have his work stand comparison with anything of Haydn and Mozart. Having lived more than six years in Vienna, he was celebrated as the city s foremost piano virtuoso through his performances in grand salons and, ultimately, his first public performance in 1795 (when he played the Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat). Beethoven had also achieved celebrity as a composer, the subscription list for his three Piano Trios, Op.1, published in 1794, demonstrating an already wide circle of patrons and admirers. In his first personal benefit concert in the coveted Burgtheater, that evening in 1800, Beethoven acknowledged gratefully the heritage from which he drew his skills and inspiration. He programmed a symphony by Mozart and excerpts from Haydn s oratorio The Creation, alongside his own Septet in E flat, Op.20 (which he jocularly referred to as his own Creation) and a piano concerto (probably his newest, the one we know as No.1 in C, Op.15). He also improvised at the keyboard before the first performance of his new symphony. Beethoven asserts his nonconformist personality in the very opening chord of the first movement, which is not the expected C major but a discord. Though he shifts key in the third bar, it still is not the home key. Beethoven s audience would have found this groping for tonality somewhat outlandish, if not altogether unprecedented. More unusual than the discord itself is the way the composer uses it and the subsequent unexpected modulations to create tensions which build up throughout the slow introduction, finding resolution only when the proper C major is achieved with the arrival of the Allegro. Beethoven allows himself minor harmonic jokes, as for example when he introduces the subsidiary theme of the sonata-form first movement. However, we hear his Keynotes BEETHOVEN Born Bonn, 1770 Died Vienna, 1827 Beethoven began his symphonic career at the age of 30. He had inherited the musical language of the 18th century and the symphonic style of Mozart and Beethoven, and this first effort in the genre followed in the tradition: a new Grand Symphony with complete orchestra. But it was adventurous, too, and audiences noticed. In 1824 Beethoven, now in his 50s, completed his Ninth symphony, more than twice as long and putting a whole new spin on the concept of grand. Although he began a Tenth Symphony, it was never completed. FIRST SYMPHONY The First Symphony is Classical on the surface but everywhere it breaks with the past : beginning with what would have been a shocking opening, and inching the third movement from its traditional dance-like menuet character to something more like a wild Beethovenian scherzo. Beethoven s emerging boldness is heard in the broad lines and his imaginative treatment of the most basic musical ideas. The First Symphony was premiered on 2 April It was well-received, and the critics approved of its novelty and wealth of ideas. One, however, thought that the prominence Beethoven had given to the wind instruments made the symphony sound more like band music than a proper orchestral work. 6 Sydney Symphony

6 authentic voice as he takes the theme darkly into the minor, beneath a plaintive oboe. He crowns the movement with an unexpectedly brilliant and large-scale coda. The slow movement begins to make a fugue of its gently tripping theme, though the movement is in sonata form and closely resembles the more elaborate slow movement of the contemporaneous String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4. Beethoven makes his first great contribution to symphonic form in the third movement, which he labels a minuet, though to all intents and purposes it is his first trademark symphonic scherzo. This is no longer dance music. But Beethoven resists the term scherzo (implying a joke); for the young tiger is in no particularly jocular mood. Under Beethoven, scherzo was to take on a new meaning, with its vigorous one-in-a-bar beat and totally new driving force. Again outlandish to some in the conservative musical establishment was the apparent frivolity with which Beethoven opens his finale violins fooling over several false starts before they eventually hit on the tune and then whirl away with great brio. One respected German conductor is said to have habitually cut the introduction lest it evoke laughter in the audience. The light-hearted finale culminates, like the first movement, in a coda already stamped with true Beethovenian power and authority. ANTHONY CANE 2001 Beethoven s First Symphony calls for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets; timpani and strings. The earliest recorded performance by the Sydney Symphony of the First Symphony was in 1940 with Georg Schnéevoigt. The most recent performance was in 2005 with Gianluigi Gelmetti. Maestro Gelmetti on the First Symphony Beethoven breaks with the past in the incredible opening of the First Symphony. Today it is performed like a fait accompli, but for the time it would have been as shocking to the ear as some contemporary music is for us today. The story is told that Haydn, hearing this opening left the concert in frustration it s probably an apocryphal story, but I think it is very possibly true. Until that time symphonies almost always began tranquilly, usually on the tonic, but Beethoven was a musician who smashed that. He begins the First on the dominant, and with a fortepiano a dramatic gesture in this way writing something audacious and innovative. It was a total upheaval for the critical mindset of the time. Gelmetti talks of his vision for Beethoven s symphonies at: gelmettisbeethoven 7 Sydney Symphony

7 Beethoven Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 (Choral) Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso Molto vivace Presto Adagio molto e cantabile Andante moderato Allegro assai (Choral Finale on Schiller s ode To Joy individual tempo markings indicated in the vocal text) Myrtò Papatanasiu soprano Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano Scott MacAllister tenor José Carbó baritone Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Cantillation Beethoven s last symphony seems to have been an amalgamation of two separate symphonic ideas which the composer was sketching between about 1815 and One was intended for London. The other was to be a German symphony which might include a choral section on a religious text as well as popular Turkish military music. In the event, one symphony made do for both purposes. Lurking in the wings was a poem Beethoven had long wanted to set to music the ode An die Freude ( To Joy ) by Friedrich von Schiller. That he had remained obsessed with the ode since 1793 is testimony to the force with which its ideas struck him when he encountered them as a young man in the aftermath of the French Revolution. During the planning and sketching of this symphony Beethoven composed such other works as the Missa solemnis, the final three piano sonatas and the monumental Diabelli Variations. By 1823 composition was well advanced on the first three movements of this symphony. It was at this late stage that Beethoven decided that the symphony and Schiller s ode belonged to each other. He put aside the purely instrumental finale he had intended, later recasting it as the finale of String Quartet, Op.132, and created a finale of heaven-storming optimism in place of one that would have been subdued and elegiac. Although the main theme of the first movement eventually emerges from the nebulous haze of the opening with considerable force on the entire orchestra, Keynotes NINTH SYMPHONY With the Ninth Symphony Beethoven broke his own record, composing the longest symphony that had ever been written one nearly three times as long as the typical Classical symphony. And he added the human voice to the symphony for the same time, introducing vocal soloists and full choir for a setting of Schiller s ode To Joy in the finale. But these are practical matters. Perhaps the most important feature of Beethoven s Ninth Symphony is its philosophical character. The First Symphony may have been Classical in that it was purely about music; that is no longer the case in the Ninth. This is music that attains a sense of deep spiritual joy, and in the last movement Beethoven uses the most basic of means a simple tune that anyone can sing to build a powerful hymn to universal freedom and equality. The Ninth Symphony was completed and premiered in Sydney Symphony

8 it collapses no sooner than it has announced itself. A further statement emerges likewise from the mist. The clouds lift somewhat with a second-subject group based on two lyrical melodies tripping in one after the other on woodwinds, but even these are subjected to a number of hammer-blow interjections. The haze of the introduction returns to mark the beginning of the development section. But at the recapitulation the main theme bursts forth in a grimly exultant D major. The huge coda that ends this movement bids fair to become another development section, but Beethoven brings the movement to a terse and uncompromising conclusion. Emerging from the strenuous journey of the first movement, Beethoven plunges directly into feverish activity. The relentlessly driving, minor-key first section of his scherzo is actually a very large sonata structure, even dabbling briefly in a five-part fugue on the opening theme. A shift into overdrive with the ensuing trio section marginally increases the speed, but the oppression is lightened by adoption of the major key and some chirpy writing for winds. Following the regulation repeat of the scherzo, the trio attempts an unscheduled reappearance and is brusquely cut off. At last, Beethoven introduces a period of sustained calm with one of his sublime slow movements. This is a stupendous set of variations on two themes a deeply meditative Adagio followed by a gently flowing Andante. Both themes in turn are treated in the first variation, after which a rapt, expectant interlude leads to a second variation, now using only the Adagio theme. Successive brassy eruptions are soothed by the expressive opening notes of the Adagio theme, as further free variation proceeds to end the movement blissfully in a long coda. The finale explodes on to the scene with angrily impatient recitative. As if to recover a lost sense of direction, Beethoven briefly reviews the leading themes of the first three movements. Each in turn is dismissed. Immediately, sotto voce at first but growing in confidence, enters the noble, yet simple, principal theme of the finale which will become the hymn to joy. After the third variation, the harshly dissonant recitative of the opening violently reasserts itself. This sets the scene for the entry of the human voice, Schiller s ode To Joy as the culmination of the mighty Gelmetti on the Ninth Symphony Something surprising is born from the Ninth, the most emblematic, conclusive moment of Beethoven s production and one that it s interesting to dwell upon. I don t think words can describe the amazement, the joy and the yearning for peace which this symphony inevitably brings about in us. It creates a miraculous and mysterious desire for communion and for fraternity The beginning of the Ninth is a non-theme. It s total abstraction, a blade of ice, a blast of wind. The opening attack needs to be clear, not separated and hard. The theme arrives quickly and horizontally, like an arrow. I prefer it to be performed with open strings, because it is the annunciation from nothing, and from the absolute at the same time. From there begins progressively the development and clarification of the musical discourse of the symphony. The sound is born from nothing we almost find ourselves in the middle of the music without having had a clear perception of the opening. Is this effect an important indication of the attitude with which we should listen to the following movements, to arrive at the final joy? 9 Sydney Symphony

9 work. But first, in words of his own devising, Beethoven has the baritone clarify the rationale the rejection of what has gone before and the need to sing a new song. The variations on the great joy theme resume, now with vocal soloists and chorus, and joined to Schiller s inspiring text (selected and rearranged by Beethoven). The finale of the Ninth is extraordinary not merely because it introduces the human voice for the first time into a symphony, but also because the contrast of musical texture provided by the vocal forces enables him to follow one magnificent variation movement with another. Extraordinary is the fact that the finale is layered on no fewer than four separate but integrated structural levels. It is not simply a setting of Schiller, nor a huge set of variations. As Charles Rosen has pointed out, the variations themselves combine to create the symmetry of a huge sonata-form movement. And again, from the opposite end of the telescope, as it were, Rosen views the cantata on Schiller s ode as a microcosm of the entire four-movement symphony structure. (Rosen s four movements are identified in the following vocal text.) That the symphony has achieved a unique festive, even spiritual, status in the western world is due not so much to its introduction of vocal forces as to the very melody Beethoven devised for his hymn to joy. The tune is simple to the point of banality. Yet Beethoven agonised over it, and consciously made it popular. Was not his noble message one of universal brotherhood? Notwithstanding the force of the joy theme, Beethoven keeps a new and solemn theme in reserve for the spiritual heart of the work, his setting of the words Seid umschlungen, Millionen. Here, the idea of brotherhood progresses immediately to the corollary, a loving Father beyond the stars. Beethoven in the Ninth Symphony attains a sense of deep spiritual joy not unlike that of Haydn in his late masses, and through like technical means. The difference is that Haydn s joy comes straightforwardly from willing belief and acceptance, Beethoven s from titanic struggle of superhuman proportions. The result is a musical colossus that in its scale and sustained intensity stretches human ability and understanding to the limit. Gelmetti on the Choral Finale The last movement opens with a series of incredible dissonances. It seems almost that Beethoven wants to destroy everything he has created in the last three movements to negate what he has said. O friends, no more these sounds! Instead let us sing out more pleasingly with joy abundant intones the voice at the beginning of the ode. Beethoven wants to take us into a new world, a world of simplicity, in which he can speak to all humanity. After the third movement, which arrives at a mindblowing level of construction, of culture, and of musical intelligence, Beethoven smashes all logic. A miraculous surprise: in the famous final recitative, is that the instruments themselves wish to speak. They seek a creative, lifegiving word which they share And it s a word of joy. They find in the disarming simplicity of a theme of absolute ecstatic perfection Contemplating the total simplicity which now is reflected in the most simple, listenable theme imaginable and which all, really all, can sing. A universal estate, a hymn with which to conclude our Beethoven Festival. 10 Sydney Symphony

10 Finale To Joy O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere. RECITATIVE O friends, no more these sounds! Instead let us sing out more pleasingly, with joy abundant. Opening expository movement (Allegro assai) Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt: alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. VARIATION 4 O joy, pure spark of God, daughter from Elysium, with hearts afire, divine one, we come to your sanctuary. Your heavenly powers reunite what custom sternly keeps apart: all mankind become brothers beneath your sheltering wing. VARIATION 5 Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen eines Freundes Freund zu sein, wer ein holdes Weib errungen, mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer s nie gekonnt, der stehle weinend sich aus diesem Bund! Whoever has known the blessing of being friend to a friend, whoever has won a fine woman, whoever, indeed, calls even one soul on this earth his own, let their joy be joined with ours. But let the one who knows none of this steal, weeping, from our midst. VARIATION 6 Freude trinken alle Wesen an den Brüsten der Natur, alle Guten, alle Bösen, folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, und der Cherub steht vor Gott. All beings drink in joy at Nature s bosom, the virtuous and the wicked alike follow her rosy path. Kisses she gave to us, and wine, and a friend loyal to the death; bliss to the lowest worm she gave, and the cherub stands before God. Scherzo movement (Allegro assai vivace) Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen durch des Himmels prächtgen Plan, laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen! VARIATION 7 (Alla marcia) Joyously, as His dazzling suns traverse the heavens, so, brothers, run your course, exultant, as a hero claims victory. VARIATION 8 Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt: alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. O joy, pure spark of God, daughter from Elysium, with hearts afire, divine one, we come to your sanctuary. Your heavenly powers reunite what custom sternly keeps apart: all mankind become brothers beneath your sheltering wing. 11 Sydney Symphony

11 Slow movement (Andante maestoso) Seid umschlungen, Millionen, diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Brüder, über m Sternenzelt muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. COUNTER-SUBJECT Be enfolded, all ye millions, in this kiss of the whole world! Brothers, above the canopy of stars must dwell a loving Father. (Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto) Ihr stürtzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such ihn über m Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muss er wohnen. Do you fall down, ye millions? In awe of your Creator, world? Go seek Him beyond the stars! For there assuredly He dwells. Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Seid umschlungen, Millionen, diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Ihr stürtzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such ihn über m Sternenzelt! Brüder, über m Sternenzelt muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. Finale (Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato) DOUBLE FUGUE (on the Freude and Seid umschlungen themes simultaneously) O joy, pure spark of God, daughter from Elysium, with hearts afire, divine one, we come to your sanctuary. Be enfolded, all ye millions, In this kiss of the whole world! Do you fall down, ye millions? In awe of your Creator, world? Go seek Him beyond the stars! Brothers, above the canopy of stars must dwell a loving Father. CODA (Allegro ma non tanto Poco adagio Poco allegro) Freude, Tochter aus Elysium! Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt! alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Seid umschlungen, Millionen, diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Brüder, über m Sternenzelt muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Tochter aus Elysium! Freude, schöner Götterfunken! O joy, daughter from Elysium! Your heavenly powers reunite what custom sternly keeps apart! All mankind become brothers beneath your sheltering wing. (Prestissimo) Be enfolded, all ye millions, In this kiss of the whole world! Brothers, above the canopy of stars must dwell a loving Father. O joy, pure spark of God! Daughter from Elysium! O joy, pure spark of God! TEXT BY FRIEDRICH VON SCHILLER NOTES AND TRANSLATION ANTHONY CANE 2001/2006 Beethoven s Ninth Symphony calls for piccolo, pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, and contrabassoon; four horns, two trumpets and three trombones; timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbals and triangle); and strings. In the finale the orchestra is joined by four-part chorus and vocal soloists. In this concert Maestro Gelmetti doubles the main woodwind parts, performing the symphony with four each of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons. The Sydney Symphony first performed the Ninth Symphony in 1940 with conductor Georg Schnéevoigt and soloists Maria Markan, Dorothy Helmrich, Heddle Nash and Harold Williams. The most recent performance was in 2005 conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti with soloists Penelope Randall-Davis, Deborah Humble, Jaewoo Kim and José Carbó and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. 12 Sydney Symphony

12 GLOSSARY CANTATA in the 19th century, a choral work with orchestra (possibly featuring solo voices). FUGUE a musical form in which a short melody, the subject, is first sounded by one part or instrument alone, and is then taken up in imitation by other parts or instruments one after the other. The Latin fuga is related to the idea of both fleeing and chasing. RECITATIVE in vocal music a recitative is a kind of sung speech ; transferred to instrumental music, it refers to passages in which the melody and rhythms mimic the inflections of speech. In the finale of Beethoven s Ninth recitative can be heard from both the double basses and the bass soloist. SONATA FORM this analytical term was conceived in the 19th century to describe the harmonically based structure most Classical composers had adopted for the first movements of their sonatas and symphonies. It involves the EXPOSITION, or presentation of themes and subjects: the first in the home key, the second in a contrasting key. Traditionally the exposition is repeated, and the tension between the two keys is then intensified in the DEVELOPMENT, where the themes are manipulated and varied as the music moves further and further away from the ultimate goal of the home key. Tension is resolved in the RECAPITULATION, where both subjects are restated in the tonic. Sometimes a CODA ( tail ) is added to enhance the sense of finality. SCHERZO literally, a joke; the term generally refers to a movement in a fast, light triple time, which may involve whimsical, startling or playful elements. Most symphonic scherzos include a contrasting central section called a Trio. TURKISH MILITARY MUSIC evoking the military bands of the janissaries or elite troops of the Ottoman Empire, which were characterised by strident wind instruments, drums, cymbals and bells. The style became fashionable in late 18th-century Europe, with Turkish effects provided by piccolo, jingling percussion instruments, and simple but bold musical gestures. TONALITY another word for referring to key in music. In Western music there are two main categories of scale or tonality, major and minor. A major scale will sound brighter or more cheerful to the ear, while a minor scale will sound sombre or mournful ( Happy Birthday is in a major key, funeral marches are in minor keys). In much of the classical repertoire, movement titles are taken from the Italian words that indicate the tempo and mood. A selection of terms from this program is included here. Adagio slow Adagio molto e cantabile very slow and in a singing style Allegro assai very fast Allegro con brio fast, with spirit Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso fast but not too much, somewhat majestically Allegro molto e vivace very fast and lively Andante cantabile con moto at a walking pace, in a singing style and with movement Menuetto in the tempo of a minuet (dance-like and moderately fast) Moderato moderately Presto as fast as possible This glossary is intended only as a quick and easy guide, not as a set of comprehensive and absolute definitions. Most of these terms have many subtle shades of meaning which cannot be included for reasons of space. 13 Sydney Symphony

13 MORE MUSIC Selected Discography Broadcast Diary GIANLUIGI GELMETTI Beethoven Choral Fantasy (DVD) with Gerhard Oppitz, piano, and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir; a Region 1 (USA & Canada) release GENEON (DVD) Nino Rota Film Music The Leopard, War and Peace, La Strada, Waterloo Monte Carlo Philharmonic EMI ENCORE Rossini The Thieving Magpie Live recording with the RAI Torino (3CDs) SONY S3K Rossini The Barber of Seville (DVD) Teatro Real Madrid production; Juan Diego Flórez (Count Almaviva), María Bayo (Rosina), Pietro Spagnoli (Figaro) DECCA DH2 Rossini Overtures and highlights from The Barber of Seville Thomas Hampson, Susanne Mentzer; Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Toscana Orchestra EMI Salieri Les Danaïdes with Monserrat Caballé and the RAI Orchestra DYNAMIC 489/1-2 JUNE RELIVE THE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL Gianluigi Gelmetti conductor Gerhard Oppitz piano Wed 13 June 2.30pm Moonlight Sonata (Gerhard Oppitz) Wed 13 June 8pm Symphonies No.4 and No.7 Thu 14 June 8pm Symphony No.2 and Piano Concerto No.4 Fri 15 June 8pm Symphonies No.3, Eroica and No.6, Pastoral Sat 16 June 12.05pm Symphony No.5 and Piano Concerto No.5 (Emperor) Sat 16 June 8pm Symphony No.8 and Piano Concerto No.3 Mon 18 June 8pm LIVE BROADCAST Gerhard Oppitz recital Beethoven sonatas, including the Appassionata Tue 19 June 8pm Symphonies No.1 and No.9 (Choral) 2MBS-FM SYDNEY SYMPHONY: LIVE RECORDINGS Strauss and Schubert R. Strauss Four Last Songs; Schubert Symphony No.8 (Unfinished); J. Strauss II Blue Danube Waltz Gianluigi Gelmetti (cond.), Ricarda Merbeth (sop.) SSO1 Glazunov and Shostakovich Glazunov The Seasons; Shostakovich Symphony No.9 Alexander Lazarev (conductor) SSO2 SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2007 Tue 12 June 6pm What s on in concerts, with interviews and musical samples. Webcast Diary In 2006 selected Sydney Symphony concerts were recorded for webcast by Telstra BigPond. These can be viewed at: Further Reading GELMETTI ON BEETHOVEN S SYMPHONIES Visit sydneysymphony.com Visit the Sydney Symphony online for concert information, podcasts, and to read your program book in advance of the concert. 14 Sydney Symphony

14 THE ARTISTS Gianluigi Gelmetti CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Gianluigi Gelmetti, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony, studied with Sergiu Celibidache, Franco Ferrara and Hans Swarowsky. For ten years he conducted the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; he has conducted many of the leading orchestras in the world and appears regularly at international festivals. Since 2000 he has been Music Director of the Teatro dell Opera di Roma. Highlights of past seasons include engagements in France, Germany, Great Britain, America, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and Italy, where he conducted Mascagni s Iris and Respighi s La fiamma at the Teatro dell Opera di Roma and William Tell at the Rossini Opera Festival. In 1999 he was awarded the Rossini d Oro Prize. Gianluigi Gelmetti has also worked regularly at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His interpretation of Mozart s The Marriage of Figaro earned him the title Best Conductor of the Year from the German magazine Opernwelt, and in 1997 he won the Tokyo critics prize for the best performance of the year of Beethoven s Symphony No.9. He has been honoured as Chevalier de l Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and Grande Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana in Italy. Gianluigi Gelmetti s recording catalogue includes operas by Salieri, Rossini, Puccini and Mozart, the complete orchestral music of Ravel, the late symphonies of Mozart and works by many 20th-century composers, including Stravinsky, Berg, Webern, Varèse and Rota. Among his recent recordings are William Tell, Iris, La fiamma, Bruckner s Symphony No.6 and Rossini s Stabat Mater. Gianluigi Gelmetti is also a composer; his recent works include In Paradisum Deducant Te Angeli, written to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Franco Ferrara s death, Algos, and Prasanta Atma, in memory of Sergiu Celibidache. Since summer 1997 he has been teaching at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. 15 Sydney Symphony

15 Myrtò Papatanasiu soprano Deborah Humble mezzo-soprano Greek soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu studied singing and musicology in Thessaloniki before continuing her studies in Milan under Roberto Coviello. She began her career in Thessaloniki singing Monteverdi s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, and the roles of Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Marzelline (Fidelio), Monica (The Medium by Menotti) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). In 2002 she made her debut at the Monte-Carlo Opera as Carolina in Cimarosa s Il matrimonio segreto, a role she has also sung in Torino. She has appeared in roles for the Opéra Comique in Paris and the Konzerthaus and Volksoper in Vienna. In Athens she has sung at the National Theatre and at the Megaron, appearing in Die Frau ohne Schatten with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Debussy s Martyre de Saint Sébastian. In the 2005/06 season she made her debut in Genova as Donna Anna; sang Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) in Wiesbaden, Verona and Reggio Emilia; and Donna Anna for Netherlands Opera. Myrtò Papatanasiu s concert appearances have included Bruckner s Mass in F minor and the Dvořák Te Deum at the Tonhalle Zurich, and The Danube by Janáček in Lucerne. This season she has sung Don Giovanni in Amsterdam, Beethoven s Missa Solemnis and La traviata for Rome Opera, conducted by Gianluigi Gelmetti. This is Myrtò Papatanasiu s Australian debut. Born in Wales, Deborah Humble studied at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide and the Victorian College of the Arts. After relocating to Paris, she sang regularly with Les Musiciens du Louvre under the direction of Marc Minkowsky. She also appeared at the Salzburg Easter Festival and the Festival d Aix-en-Provence, and performed with such groups as European Chamber Opera, English Festival Opera and Scottish Opera. In 2002 Deborah Humble became a Artist with Opera Australia. In 2004 she was awarded the Dame Joan Sutherland Scholarship, and in 2005 she became a Mezzo-Soprano with the State Opera of Hamburg. She has also sung with Singapore Lyric Opera, State Opera of South Australia and Opera Queensland. Deborah Humble has sung most of the major concert repertoire, appearing with such orchestras as the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Hamburg Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, and the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra. Recent engagements have included Verdi s Requiem, Messiah, Mozart s Requiem, and Die erste Walpurgis Nacht. Her engagements this season include Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera (State Opera of South Australia), Wowkle in La fanciulla del West (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) and concerts for the Queensland Music Festival. Deborah Humble s most recent appearance with the Sydney Symphony was in 2005 when she sang Beethoven s Ninth Symphony. 16 Sydney Symphony

16 Scott MacAllister tenor José Carbó baritone Scott MacAllister was born in Glenwood Springs, USA, and studied at the University of Idaho, followed by Masters studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he graduated with distinction. After an engagement at the Western Opera San Francisco, he went to Europe, spending four seasons at the Royal Opera de Wallonie in Liège. Subsequent engagements in Germany led him to the Stadttheater Würzburg and the Nationaltheater Mannheim, where he was a member of the ensemble. After several years with the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, he returned to the ensemble in Mannheim, performing roles such as Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), Riccardo (Un ballo in maschera), Max (Der Freischütz) and Alwa (Lulu). He also became sought-after for the parts of Parsifal, Cavaradossi (Tosca) and Don José (Carmen). More recently he has appeared with the Staastoper Hamburg, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro La Fenice Venice, and the Staatsoper Budapest, and has sung with the Nagoya Symphony Japan. Earlier this year, after his debut as Lohengrin in Lübeck, Scott MacAllister sang his first Tannhäuser at the Theater Kiel. This season he will also sing Florestan (Fidelio) for Theater Kiel, and Apollo (Daphne) for Santa Fe Opera and the Netherlands Opera Amsterdam. Scott MacAllister s concert repertoire includes Verdi s Requiem, Puccini s Messa da Gloria and Britten s War Requiem. This is Scott MacAllister s Australian debut. Born in Argentina, José Carbó moved to Australia at an early age. He studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and was the winner of the Australian Singing Competition Opera Award in He made his debut with Opera Australia in Ariadne auf Naxos in 2002, and was subsequently engaged to sing Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He sang the title role in the Opera Queensland production of Don Giovanni, and was a principal singer in the premiere of John Haddock s Madeline Lee. In 2005 he made his European debut in Madrid at the Opera Real singing Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other European appearances have included Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro for Rome Opera, and Dandini for the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow and in concert with the Swiss Symphony Orchestra. This year he sings Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Opera Australia. José Carbó has extensive concert experience, in repertoire including Beethoven s Ninth Symphony, Carmina Burana, The Bells, Fauré s Requiem, and Brahms A German Requiem, and he has appeared with the major orchestras of Australia and New Zealand. Last year he sang Rambaldo in the Sydney Symphony s performances of La Rondine and toured with the Orchestra to Japan. 17 Sydney Symphony

17 Formed in 1920, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is Australia s largest choral organisation. With four choirs the 32-voice Chamber Singers (the Motet Choir), the 100-voice Symphony Chorus, the youth-focussed 70-voice Vox and the 300-voice Festival Chorus Sydney Philharmonia presents its own annual concert series as well as acting as chorus for the Sydney Symphony. Sydney Philharmonia has worked with conductors such as Eugene Ormandy, Otto Klemperer, David Willcocks, Charles Mackerras, Edo de Waart, Charles Dutoit, Christopher Hogwood, Mark Elder, John Nelson, Richard Hickox, Gianluigi Gelmetti and Bruno Weil. Previous Musical Directors have included Mats Nilsson, Antony Walker, John Grundy and Peter Seymour. In 2002 Sydney Philharmonia was the first Australian choir to sing at the BBC Proms, performing Mahler s Eighth Symphony under Simon Rattle. Other highlights have included performances for the Sydney Olympics and the Nagano Winter Olympics, concerts with Barbra Streisand, Schoenberg s Gurrelieder for the Melbourne Festival, and the premiere recording of Andrew Schultz and Gordon K. Williams Journey to Horseshoe Bend with the Sydney Symphony. Last year the schedule included recording for the soundtrack of Happy Feet and Stravinsky s Rite of Spring with the Australian Youth Orchestra and Oleg Caetani season highlights include Britten s War Requiem for the Perth Festival, and a tour to Hobart to work with the TSO. Last month Sydney Philharmonia appeared with the Sydney Symphony in Rossini s Stabat Mater. Brett Weymark artistic director Brett Weymark studied singing at Sydney University and conducting at the Sydney Conservatorium. He is passionate about new Australian compositions, baroque masterworks, music education, and access to the art of choral singing, and in 2001 he was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to choral music. In 2000 he was appointed Assistant Chorus Master at Sydney Philharmonia, and Musical Director in In 2002 he received a NSW Ministry for the Arts grant to study conducting in Europe and America. From 2003 to 2005 he was also Musical Director and Conductor for Pacific Opera. As a chorusmaster, he has prepared works for Charles Mackerras, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Edo de Waart, Simon Rattle and Charles Dutoit. In the Sydney Philharmonia 2005 season he presented 32 of Bach s church cantatas in a 10-concert series and conducted A Child of Our Time for the Tippett centenary. Highlights in 2006 included a Sydney Festival concert of Danish works and The Wizard of Oz with the Sydney Symphony. He conducted music for the film Happy Feet and led a workshopped performance of Mozart s Requiem with over 1300 voices. Earlier this year he conducted the Sydney Symphony in concerts with Michael Parkinson, and Bach s St Matthew Passion with Sydney Philharmonia. 18 Sydney Symphony

18 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Symphony Chorus Brett Weymark artistic director and chorusmaster Jo Jacobs general manager Elizabeth Scott assistant chorusmaster Josephine Allan and Ben van Tienen rehearsal pianists SOPRANOS Emily Trujillo TENORS Paul Green Shelley Andrews Rachel Barnes Sally Bateman Anne Blake Genevieve Clark Shona Corbin Freja Cross Pamela Cunningham Rouna Daley Catherine De Luca Shehara de Soysa Virginia Dinh Vanessa Downing Vanessa Ede Emily Edmonds Fay Farah Judith Gorry Lucy Haege Phoebe Haylen Ellen Hopper Carine Jenkins Claire Jordan Sue Justice Heather Lee Peta Longhurst Carolyn Lowry Gillian Markham Clare Mills Elizabeth Milner Dympna Paterson Vicky Pirolo Victoria Robson Mitali Sagade Lauren Saunders Myanna Sorensen Clare Southwell Amy Streater Sulie Anna Tay Leighana Thornton Andrea Tighe Kathrine Tomkins Fiona Treloar Jessica Trujillo Narelle Vance Jacqui Wilkins Caroline Woolias Rachael Zadro ALTOS Louise Barber Elizabeth Birrell Jan Borrie Gae Bristow Megan Brock Amanda Cassie Erin Chapman Misha Christian Ruth Collerson Catriona Debelle Ruth Edenborough Alex Falkiner Phoebe Ferguson Kerry Francis Adele Gillies Edith Gray Sue Harris Kathryn Harwood Sarah Howell Melinda Jefferson Alison Keene Luisa Lyons Silvana Mladenovic Anne O Connor Felicity Paulsen Megan Solomon Ariadne Taylor Victoria Tester Victoria Todd Sheli Wallach Louise Williams Brigitte Wirfler Peta Wolifson Adriana Zlatinova Mark Barber Patrick Blake Adam Bourke Adam Brunero Michael Clark Malcolm Day Brendan Docherty Leonard Fung Richard Hansen Todd Hawken Selwyn Lemos Stephen McDonnell Scott McLennan Sean Newell Damien Noyce Jeremy Paton Peter Roberts Tanushan Samuel- Thambiah Robert Thomson Bruce Turner Adam Varnhed Michael Wallach Alex Walter BASSES Warwick Anderson Martin Baird John Bartholomaeus Timothy Bennett Ben Burton Peter Callaghan Edwin Carter Daryl Colquhoun Paul Couvret Robert Cunningham Ian Davies Timothy Dunstone Stephen Endicott Peter Fitzgibbon Nicholas Gentile Robert Green Timothy Jenkins Michael Joost Eckhard Kemmerer Raff Kersten Allan Kreuiter Martin Kuskis Gavin Lamont Timothy Man Riley Mansfield Mark McGoldrick Chris Moore Chris Othen Peter Poole David Randall Michael Ryan Ben Sweeten Daniel Tame Edward Toal Benjamin Wirfler Alex Wylie Atmore 19 Sydney Symphony

19 Cantillation Cantillation is a chorus of professional singers an ensemble of fine voices with the speed, agility and flexibility of a chamber orchestra. Formed in 2001 by Antony Walker and Alison Johnston, it has since been busy in the concert hall, opera theatre and recording studio. Performance highlights have included Adams Harmonium and Transmigration of Souls, the Australian premiere of Gubaidulina s Now Always Snow, Edwards Star Chant, Haydn s Nelson Mass and Jonathan Mills Sandakan Threnody (all with the Sydney Symphony); Butterley s Spell of Creation, Mahler s Eighth Symphony, tours for Musica Viva and concerts with Emma Kirkby and the Orchestra of the Antipodes. Recordings include Allegri Miserere Sacred Music of the Renaissance, Fauré s Requiem, Carmina Burana, Prayer for Peace, Messiah, Silent Night, Ye Banks and Braes and Magnificat with Emma Kirkby. Last year Cantillation recorded Mozart s Requiem and Bach choruses. As well as opera appearances (most recently Idomeneo with Pinchgut Opera), Cantillation has sung for the Dalai Lama, appeared with Andrea Bocelli, recorded and performed for the Rugby World Cup, and recorded soundtracks for several movies. Recent collaborations with the Sydney Symphony have included the Shock of the New concerts and Ravel s Daphnis et Chloé with Gianluigi Gelmetti, and The Bells by Rachmaninov with Vladimir Ashkenazy. In February Cantillation appeared in Symphony at the Movies with Michael Parkinson, and sang Brahms German Requiem in the Orchestra s opening gala concert. In March the female voices of Cantillation sang in Vaughan Williams Sinfonia antartica. Cantillation Antony Walker music director Alison Johnston manager David Russell chorusmaster SOPRANOS ALTOS Jo Burton Anne Farrell Judy Herskovits Natalie Shea Helen Sherman Nicole Smeulders TENORS Michael Butchard Philip Chu Andrei Laptev Dan Walker BASSES Daniel Beer Corin Bone Craig Everingham David Russell Sarah Jones Belinda Montgomery 20 Sydney Symphony

20 David Russell chorusmaster David Russell completed a Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he was twice a recipient of the Horace Keats Memorial Scholarship for Singing. He sings regularly with Cantillation and is in demand as a conductor, vocal coach and accompanist. He was the Assistant Chorusmaster for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs from 2004 till 2006, and conducted Vox, Sydney Philharmonia s youth choir. As a conductor he has worked with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Cantillation, The Song Company, Sydney Children s Choir, Gondwana Voices, the Australian Youth Choir, Knox Grammar Gallery Choir, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus (USA), and the Ochsenhausen Vocal Ensemble (Germany). David Russell sings with the Choir of Christ Church St Laurence, where he is also Assistant Conductor. He appeared as soloist and conducted in Westminster Abbey and in cathedrals and churches in Germany, France, Italy and America as part of the Choir s tours in 2002/03 and 2006/07, and appears on the Choir s recordings as conductor and soloist. In 2006 he was awarded the Sydney Choral Symposium Foundation National Choral Conducting Scholarship, which allowed him to attend masterclasses and summer courses in the USA and Europe. He has studied conducting with Helmuth Rilling, David Hill, James O Donnell, Simon Halsey, Gary Graden and Neil McEwan, and singing with Jane Edwards and Maree Ryan. 21 Sydney Symphony

21 THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CBO, Governor of New South Wales JOHN MARMARAS Founded in 1932, the Sydney Symphony 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 the Sydney Symphony gives more than 100 performances each year, the Orchestra also performs concerts in a variety of venues around Sydney and regional New South Wales. International tours to Europe, Asia and the USA have earned the Orchestra world-wide recognition for artistic excellence. Critical to the success of the Sydney Symphony has been the leadership given by its former Chief Conductors including: Sir Eugene Goossens, Nikolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Stuart Challender and Edo de Waart. Also contributing to the outstanding success of the Orchestra have been collaborations with legendary figures such as George Szell, Sir Thomas Beecham, Otto Klemperer and Igor Stravinsky. Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti, whose appointment followed a ten-year relationship with the Orchestra as Guest Conductor, is now in his fourth year as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony, a position he holds in tandem with that of Music Director at the prestigious Rome Opera. The Sydney Symphony is reaping the rewards of Maestro Gelmetti s directorship through the quality of sound, intensity of playing and flexibility between styles. His particularly strong rapport with French and German repertoire is complemented by his innovative programming in the Shock of the New concerts and performances of contemporary Australian music. The Sydney Symphony s award-winning Education Program is central to the Orchestra s commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developing audiences and engaging the participation of young people. The Sydney Symphony maintains an active commissioning program promoting the work of Australian composers and in 2005 Liza Lim was appointed Composer-in-Residence for three years. In 2007, the Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary and the milestone achievements during its distinguished history. 22 Sydney Symphony

22 MUSICIANS Gianluigi Gelmetti Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Michael Dauth Chair of Concertmaster supported by the Sydney Symphony Board and Council Dene Olding Chair of Concertmaster supported by the Sydney Symphony Board and Council First Violins Second Violins First Violins 01 Kirsten Williams Associate Concertmaster Sun Yi Associate Concertmaster 02 Fiona Ziegler Ian & Jennifer Burton Chair of Assistant Concertmaster 03 Julie Batty 04 Gu Chen 05 Amber Davis 06 Rosalind Horton 07 Jennifer Hoy 08 Jennifer Johnson 09 Georges Lentz 10 Nicola Lewis 11 Alexandra Mitchell Moon Design Chair of Violin 12 Léone Ziegler Sophie Cole 23 Sydney Symphony Second Violins 01 Marina Marsden 02 Susan Dobbie Associate 03 Emma West Assistant 04 Pieter Bersée 05 Maria Durek 06 Emma Hayes 07 Shuti Huang 08 Stan Kornel 09 Benjamin Li 10 Nicole Masters 11 Philippa Paige 12 Biyana Rozenblit 13 Maja Verunica Guest Musicians Dimity Hall First Violin Emily Qin First Violin # Emily Long First Violin # Martin Silverton First Violin Alexander Norton Second Violin # Felicity Armytage Second Violin Deborah Sholem Second Violin Jennifer Curl Viola # Rosemary Curtin Viola Shelley Jamison Viola Vera Marcu Viola Rowena Crouch Cello # Patrick Murphy Cello # Minah Choe Cello Jospehine Costantino Cello Anna Rex Cello Janine Ryan Cello Jennifer Druery Double Bass # Maxime Bibeau Double Bass Lauren Brandon Double Bass Peter McLean Double Bass Kiri Birtles Flute Michael Hallit Flute Lamorna Nightingale Flute Elizabeth Chee Oboe # Alexandra Carson Clarinet Robert Llewellyn Bassoon Euan Harvey Horn * Casey Rippon Horn Andrew Evans Trumpet Joshua Davis Trombone # Kevin Man Percussion Brian Nixon Percussion Key: # Contract Musician * Courtesy of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra