As it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018, the MPO remains steadfast in its mission to share the depth, power and beauty of great music.

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2 The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) gave its inaugural performance at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP) on 17th August The MPO today comprises musicians from 24 countries, including 7 from Malaysia, a remarkable example of harmony among different cultures and nationalities. A host of internationally-acclaimed musicians has worked with the MPO, including Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Yehudi Menuhin, Joshua Bell, Harry Connick Jr., José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli and Branford Marsalis, many of whom have praised the MPO for its fine musical qualities and vitality. With each new season, the MPO continues to present a varied programme of orchestral music drawn from over three centuries, as well as the crowd-pleasing concert series. Its versatility transcends genres, from classical masterpieces to film music, pop, jazz, contemporary and commissioned works. The MPO regularly performs at major cities of Malaysia. Internationally, it has showcased its virtuosity to audiences in Singapore (1999, 2001 and 2005), Korea (2001), Australia (2004), China (2006), Taiwan (2007), Japan (2001 and 2009) and Vietnam (2013). Its Education and Outreach Programme, ENCOUNTER, reaches beyond the concert platform to develop musical awareness, appreciation and skills through dedicated activities that include instrumental lessons, workshops and school concerts. ENCOUNTER also presents memorable events in such diverse venues as orphanages, hospitals, rehabilitation centres and community centres. The MPO s commitment to furthering musical interest in the nation led to the creation of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO). It gave its inaugural concert at DFP on 25 August 2007, followed by a tour in Peninsular Malaysia. It has performed in Sabah and Sarawak (2008), Singapore (2009) and Brisbane, Australia (2012). As it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018, the MPO remains steadfast in its mission to share the depth, power and beauty of great music. The MPO s main benefactor is PETRONAS and its patron is Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Haji Mohd Ali.

3 Sat 14 Oct 2017 at 8.30 pm Sun 15 Oct 2017 at 3.00 pm Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Mark Wigglesworth, conductor Mei Yi Foo, piano PROGRAMME SHOSTAKOVICH BEETHOVEN Festive Overture 7 mins Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor 34 mins INTERVAL 20 mins RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op mins All details are correct at time of printing. Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS reserves the right to vary without notice the artists and/or repertoire as necessary. Copyright 2017 by Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Co. No X). All rights reserved. No part of this programme may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owners.

4 Mark Wigglesworth conductor Recognised internationally as a masterly interpreter, Mark Wigglesworth creates performances of great sophistication and rare beauty. His highly detailed readings always possess a controlled pacing and a finely considered architectural structure. He has forged enduring relationships with many leading orchestras and opera houses across the world in repertoire ranging from Mozart to Tippett. Born in Sussex, England, Wigglesworth studied music at Manchester University and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1992, he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Other appointments included Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In addition to working with most of the UK s orchestras, Wigglesworth has guestconducted many of Europe s finest ensembles including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, La Scala Filarmonica, Milan, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome, Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He has been just as busy in North America, being invited to the Cleveland Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, and the Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston Symphonies. In Australia, he has worked regularly with the Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. Equally at home in the opera house, Wigglesworth started his operatic career with a period as Music Director of Opera Factory, London. Since then, he has worked regularly at Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, the Netherlands Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Sydney Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. In the studio, Wigglesworth s recordings have centred around a project with BIS Records to record all the symphonies of Shostakovich. This cycle has received critical acclaim throughout the world. Most recently, he has recorded the two Brahms Piano Concertos with Stephen Hough and the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra.

5 Mei Yi Foo piano Mei Yi Foo is the winner of the BBC Music Magazine Awards Best Newcomer in Her debut at the Lucerne Festival 2014 was voted Highlight of the Year by the Swiss Radio and Television SRF. Since winning the Maria Callas Grand Prix 08 in Athens, she has transformed from a pianist to watch (BBC Radio 3) to 'a rising star (International Piano Magazine). David Nice wrote her genius is now unquestionable in The Arts Desk. Foo s performances have captivated audiences worldwide at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Finlandia Hall, Wigmore Hall, Athens Megaron, Verona Filharmonica, Teatro Real Madrid, Salle Gaveau and the Barbican Centre. Working with conductors including Matthias Bamert, Martyn Brabbins, János Fürst, Antony Hermus, Kirill Karabits, Peter Rundel, John Storgårds and Benjamin Zander, she has appeared with the Philharmonia Orchestra, English and London Chamber Orchestras, Helsinki and Seoul Philharmonics, Bretagne Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony and Remix Ensemble. Following a season of international debuts at the Lucerne and Huddersfield Festivals, Hong Kong City Hall and Istanbul s CRR Concert Hall, her current season continues with performances with the Porto Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and at the Royal Festival Hall as Philharmonia Orchestra s featured artist for the series Music of Today. As a new music advocate, Foo works regularly with living composers including Dai Fujikura, Chris Harman and Unsuk Chin, appearing at Berlin s Ultraschall Festival, Punkt Festival (Norway), Schoenberg Centre, Southbank s Park Lane Group, Poznan Spring and Das Neue Werk (Hamburg). Her award winning album Musical Toys was featured in The Times, The Examiner, Neue Zurcher Zeitung, and garnered 5* reviews from the BBC Music Magazine and Germany s Klassik. An avid chamber music performer, she plays with Dimitri Ashkenazy, Nicolas Dautricourt, Shlomy Dobrinsky, Patricia Kopatchinskaya, Antti Siirala, Kathryn Stott, Hugo Ticciati and Matthew Trusler. Her latest chamber concerto CD ConNotations, recorded with the Britten Sinfonia, has been met with unanimous critical acclaim. A native of Malaysia, Foo resides in the UK after completing her studies at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music in London with Yonty Solomon, Chris Elton and Alexander Satz. Currently, she holds a teaching position at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She was awarded the medal of Setiawan Tuanku Muhriz for her contribution towards arts and music in her home country.

6 PROGRAMME NOTES A brilliant overture, a darkly dramatic concerto, and a lushly romantic symphony constitute Mark Wigglesworth s programme, all music guaranteed to satisfy virtually every concertgoer. Shostakovich s sparkling little overture was sweet music even to party officials, Beethoven himself considered his Third Piano Concerto his best up to that point, and Rachmaninoff s Third Symphony is sure to surprise listeners who know only the Second with its gorgeous orchestration and sweeping melodies. Much to enjoy here! DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH ( ) Festive Overture, Op.96 (1954) The Background The Festive Overture is a short but rousing concert opener, written in late 1954 to commemorate the 37 th anniversary of a momentous event in Soviet history: the October Revolution of For the occasion, the composer remarked that he wanted to convey the feelings of a man who has experienced the hardship of the war years and the enthusiasm of peaceful labour at the construction projects of the new five-year plan. These were sweet words to Party officials; furthermore, the Festive Overture contained precisely the kind of music they endorsed: uplifting, optimistic, tuneful, pertinent to an event in the nation s history, and capable of being enjoyed by every factory worker and government clerk. Much of Shostakovich s Party music is of historical interest only (cantatas and songs to patriotic texts, film scores, etc.) but the Festive Overture rises above these in the brilliance of its scoring, its fine craftsmanship and witty effects to claim a niche among the composer s most popular works on several continents. The Music There are three themes: the opening mock-heroic brass fanfare, a sparkling subject in the woodwinds that whirrs along at supersonic speed, and a broadly lyrical theme for strings. There is just enough time to insert a pseudo-balalaika episode (pizzicato strings) before the themes begin to return, all richly adorned with plenty of percussion. The overture ends with an unabashed appeal for applause.

7 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN ( ) Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op.37 (1803) I. Allegro con brio II. Largo III. Rondo: Allegro The Background Beethoven considered this work the best of his first three piano concertos, a judgement still maintained today by most listeners. Yet its premiere in Vienna on 5 April 1803, was hardly auspicious. It marked Beethoven s first public failure as performer and composer. The music was not appreciated and his playing of the solo part was criticized, perhaps understandably in light of the situation described by Beethoven s friend Ignaz von Seyfried, who turned pages: I saw almost nothing but empty leaves; at the most on one page or the other a few Egyptian hieroglyphs wholly unintelligible to me, scribbled down to serve as clues to him. He gave me a secret glance whenever he was at the end of one of the invisible passages, and my scarcely concealable anxiety not to miss the decisive moment amused him greatly. The Music Although laid out in the traditional three-movement format of fast-slow-fast, this concerto departs somewhat from previous concerto style, particularly in its emotional depth and drama (qualities always associated with the key of C minor for Beethoven), and in the intricacy of interaction between soloist and orchestra. The opening orchestral passage is the longest of any Beethoven concerto, and is outstanding for its urgency and sense of reserved power. A second theme in E flat major, lyrical and flowing, provides contrast of mood as well as of tonality. Both piano and orchestra develop these themes with considerable complexity. The second movement, in the remote key of E major, is characteristically slow, reflective and deeply moving. Soloist and orchestra are more often heard individually than together. In fact, aside from the central episode, where the piano has a purely accompanimental role to the dialogue between solo flute and bassoon, piano and orchestra join in fewer than twenty bars. The soloist announces the sublimely beautiful, hymn-like subject in a twelve-bar solo, which is then repeated by the orchestra in its richest sonorities. In the finale, Beethoven combines elements of both rondo and sonata form: rondo in the alternation of the initial theme with other material, sonata in the contrast of two tonal areas, C minor and E flat major, the latter presented as a descending scale to a merrily skipping rhythm. Startling harmonic sidesteps, a short fugal development, a brief cadenza and a presto coda all contribute to the sustained interest in this movement, one imbued throughout with verve, vigour and rhythmic energy.

8 SERGEI RACHMANINOFF ( ) Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op.44 ( ) I. Lento Allegro moderato II. Adagio ma non troppo III. Allegro The Background Rachmaninoff s three symphonies span nearly his entire creative life. The First was premiered in 1895 when the composer was 22. It was such a dismal failure that he forbade further performances during his lifetime. The Second was written ten years later and became an instant success whose popularity has never waned. Rachmaninoff vowed this would be his last symphony, but near the end of his life he produced a Third, whose public acceptance lies somewhere between the general rejection of the First and the enthusiastic embrace of the Second. Rachmaninoff wrote his Third Symphony in 1935 and 1936 while living in Switzerland. It is characterized by a profusion of those sweeping cantabile phrases darkened by moods of melancholy brooding and impassioned stress that are so typical of Rachmaninoff s music. Somber, lyrical, defiant, it is a work wholly representative of the Slavic genius and of Mr. Rachmaninoff in particular, wrote critic Lawrence Gilman. The first performance went to the orchestra Rachmaninoff had come to think of as his favourite Philadelphia, where he had made his American conducting debut in 1909 and where scarcely a year went by without his appearing there either at the piano or on the podium. Leopold Stokowski conducted the first performance of the Third Symphony on 6 November 1936.

9 The Music The symphony opens with a motto idea scarcely a theme as it merely oscillates gently among three notes but Rachmaninoff s mastery of orchestral colour throughout the symphony is manifest in these very opening bars: the unison combination of a single clarinet, a single cello muted and a single horn hand-stopped. The two principal subjects of the movement are both lyrical and flowing in Rachmaninoff s characteristic idiom, the first presented by woodwinds, the second by cellos in broadly sweeping phrases. Midway through the first movement we hear a new sonority, that of the xylophone, which is combined in its initial entry with piccolo and bassoon in a most striking blend of instrumental hues. The second movement combines elements of slow movement and scherzo. The aforementioned motto (solo horn) introduces the movement, which contains a wealth of melodic ideas. Another new sonority is heard in this movement, that of the celesta, which is used in only a few brief passages but to great effect. A rhythmically vigourous central section serves as a Scherzo, after which the nostalgic, lushly romantic material of the opening returns to end the movement quietly. The finale is a long, brash and vivacious movement packed with surprises, including an extended fugal section based on the movement s opening material, and a long coda containing additional ideas not used before in this symphony, including Rachmaninoff s old favourite, the Dies irae motif. Rhythmic vitality, instrumental virtuosity and brilliant orchestral effects are found throughout; the symphony ends in a blaze of dazzling colours.

10 MALAYSIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA RESIDENT CONDUCTOR Naohisa Furusawa FIRST VIOLIN Co-Concertmaster Peter Daniš Principal Ming Goh Zhenzhen Liang Runa Baagöe Maho Daniš Miroslav Daniš Evgeny Kaplan Martijn Noomen Sherwin Thia Marcel Andriesii Tan Ka Ming Petia Atanasova *Marco Roosink *Alexandru Radu *Marian Gaspar SECOND VIOLIN Timothy Peters *Barbora Kolářová Assistant Principal Luisa Hyams Catalina Alvarez Chia-Nan Hung Anastasia Kiseleva Stefan Kocsis Ling Yunzhi Ionut Mazareanu Yanbo Zhao Ai Jin Robert Kopelman Ikuko Takahashi *Veronique Serret *Branislava Tatic VIOLA Gábor Mokány Ong Lin Kern Sun Yuan Thian Aiwen Fan Ran Emil Csonka *Ida Kovács *Lucina Horner *Alfonso Noriega *Ringo Chan *Phyllis Yen *Gustáv Németh CELLO Csaba Körös Assistant Principal Steven Retallick Mátyás Major Gerald Davis Julie Dessureault Laurentiu Gherman Elizabeth Tan Suyin Sejla Simon *Iris Regev *Erika Kadi DOUBLE BASS Wolfgang Steike Raffael Bietenhader Jun-Hee Chae Naohisa Furusawa John Kennedy Foo Yin Hong Andreas Dehner *Peter Graf FLUTE *Lina Andonovska Yukako Yamamoto Rachel Jenkyns PICCOLO Principal Sonia Croucher OBOE Simon Emes Niels Dittmann COR ANGLAIS Principal *Jennifer Shark CLARINET Gonzalo Esteban *Petr Vasek Matthew Larsen BASS CLARINET Principal Chris Bosco BASSOON Alexandar Lenkov *Ignacio Soler Pérez *Kristian Petkov CONTRABASSOON Vladimir Stoyanov HORN s Grzegorz Curyla *Anton Schroeder James Schumacher Laurence Davies Assistant Principal Sim Chee Ghee TRUMPET *Matthew Baker William Theis Jeffrey Missal Assistant Principal *Matthew Dempsey TRombone *Masa Ohtake Fernando Borja *Michael Becker Bass Trombone Principal *Hakeem Bilal TUBA *Kevin Bock TIMPANI Matthew Thomas PERCUSSION Matthew Prendergast s Joshua Vonderheide *Sabela Garcia *Kyle Acuncius *Tan Su Yin *Edouard Beyens HARP Principal Tan Keng Hong *Bryan Lee CELESTE *Akiko Daniš CORPORATE SUITE CLUB MEMBER Note: Sectional string players are rotated within their sections. *Extra musician.

11 Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Nor Raina Yeong Abdullah BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Wan Yuzaini Wan Yahya At Ziafrizani Chek Pa Nurartikah Ilyas Kartini Ratna Sari Ahmat Adam Aishah Sarah Ismail Affendee MARKETING Yazmin Lim Abdullah Hisham Abdul Jalil Munshi Ariff Abu Hassan Farah Diyana Ismail Noor Sarul Intan Salim Muhammad Shahrir Aizat Ahmad Kusolehin Adha Kamaruddin CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Asmahan Abdullah Jalwati Mohd Noor Music TALENT DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT Soraya Mansor PLANNING, FINANCE & IT Mohd Hakimi Mohd Rosli Norhisham Abd Rahman Siti Nur Illyani Ahmad Fadzillah Nurfharah Farhana Hashimi PROCUREMENT & CONTRACT Logiswary Raman Norhaszilawati Zainudin HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION Sharhida Saad Muknoazlida Mukhadzim Zatil Ismah Azmi Nor Afidah Nordin Nik Nurul Nadia Nik Abdullah TECHNICAL OPERATIONS Firoz Khan Mohd Zamir Mohd Isa Yasheera Ishak Shahrul Rizal Mohd Ali Dayan Erwan Maharal Zolkarnain Sarman Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Nor Raina Yeong Abdullah general manager Timothy Tsukamoto gm's office Timmy Ong ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT Amy Yu Mei Ling Tham Ying Hui ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION Khor Chin Yang Sharon Francis Lihan MUSIC LIBRARY Ong Li-Huey Wong Seong Seong EDUCATION & OUTREACH Shafrin Sabri Shireen Jasin Mokhtar MALAYSIAN PHILHARMONIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA Ahmad Muriz Che Rose Fadilah Kamal Francis

12 Box Office: Ground Floor, Tower 2, PETRONAS Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur City Centre Kuala Lumpur Telephone: Online Tickets & Info: mpo.com.my malaysianphilharmonicorchestra DEWAN FILHARMONIK PETRONAS X MALAYSIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA H