Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall Maxim Vengerov Conductor Juhee Yang Violin Charlie Westhoff Violin Aleem Kandour Violin RCM Philharmonic

ORCHESTRAL MASTERCLASS WITH MAXIM VENGEROV Monday 14 January 2019 7pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall Maxim Vengerov conductor Juhee Yang violin Charlie Westhoff violin Aleem Kandour violin RCM Philharmonic

MORE MUSIC INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF MUSIC

Our More Music development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our campus.

New state-of-the-art facilities at the heart of our building will complement our existing spaces and heritage.

Our plans include:

 two new performance spaces  additional practice rooms for students  a new Royal College of Music Museum  a new café/ restaurant and courtyard area with improved access  a new organ

Over the next few months, some instruments and equipment may be visible on the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall stage and access routes around the College may vary. Wayfinding signage will be regularly updated to reflect changes. We ask for your patience and understanding as we transform our campus.

To find out more or to help us realise our vision please visit www.rcm.ac.uk/moremusic

If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

ORCHESTRAL MASTERCLASS WITH MAXIM VENGEROV Monday 14 January 2019, 7pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

Maxim Vengerov (Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin) conductor Juhee Yang, Charlie Westhoff & Aleem Kandour violins RCM Philharmonic

Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor op 47 (1865–1957) i Allegro moderato Juhee Yang violin

INTERVAL

ii Adagio di molto Charlie Westhoff violin iii Allegro, ma non tanto Aleem Kandour violin

Jean Sibelius lived during Finland’s struggle for independence from Russia and works such as the 1899 Finlandia became synonymous with Finnish national identity. Although he would complete seven symphonies, the violin concerto would be his only concerto for any instrument.

Famed equally for its beauty and its technical challenge, the concerto is now amongst the most recorded of violin concertos. However, it had not always enjoyed such success. Much like Beethoven’s great Violin Concerto, it had a disastrous premiere in 1904. Sibelius retracted and revised it immediately, with the second version premiered in 1905. The original version had been unknown until 1991, and Maxim Vengerov gave its southern hemisphere premiere in Australia in 2015 – only its third ever performance permitted by Sibelius’s heirs. Amongst other things, the revised version freed the first movement’s semiquaver cadenza from the awkward constraint of a regular timpani beat, while tutti sections were shortened with the soloist’s role removed.

For a violinist, Sibelius’s concerto is wonderfully suited to the instrument. The first movement starts as a soaring song, whose lyricism is continued by the second subject – a luscious tune in sixths that the revision developed to its full potential. Unusually, the extended violin cadenza forms the movement’s development section. The second movement explores the violin’s deepest tones. A passage double-stopped with an accompanying line of triplets crotchets (a result of revision) introduces the middle section which, through a sublime passage of quietly split octaves, grows into a majestic climax. The last movement is driven by a dotted- rhythm engine serving as the basis for a plethora of virtuosic flourishes. The second subject is equally rhythmically powerful – an energetic waltz. The movement showcases techniques such as double-stopped tenths, consecutive triple stopping and artificial harmonics, all masterfully employed by a composer deeply familiar with the mechanics of the violin.

Hailed as one of the world’s finest musicians, Grammy award winner Maxim Vengerov also enjoys international acclaim as a conductor and is one of the most in-demand soloists.

Born in 1974, he began his career as a solo violinist at the age of five, won the Wieniawski and Carl Flesch international competitions, studied with Galina Tourchaninova and Zakhar Bron, made his first recording at the age of ten, and went on to record extensively for labels including Melodia, Teldec and EMI, earning Grammy and Gramophone artist of the year awards.

In 2010 he was appointed the first chief conductor of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. June 2014 saw Mr Vengerov graduate with a Diploma of Excellence from the Moscow Institute of Ippolitov-Ivanov with professor Yuri Simonov and he has since finished a further two-year programme of opera conducting.

In 2016/17 Mr Vengerov opened the season of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conducted the season finale of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, with whom he was also Artist in Residence that year. Further guest conducting engagements included the RTE Orchestra Dublin, Munich Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony orchestras.

In 2017/18 Mr Vengerov returned to Carnegie Hall with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and premiered a new concerto at the Beijing Music Festival written by Qigang Chen. He also conducted the Orchestre National de France.

Highlights of 2018/19 will see Mr Vengerov opening the season of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala with Maestro Chailly, a residence with Monte Carlo Philharmonic and the Philharmonie in Paris and numerous recitals in the US, China and Europe.

Mr Vengerov has held various teaching positions around the world and is currently Professor at the Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland. Since September 2016 he is also the Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music in London, the UK’s leading conservatoire.

In 1997 Mr Vengerov became the first classical musician to be appointed International Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF.

He plays the ex-Kreutzer Stradivari (1727). Juhee Yang

Juhee Yang was born in South Korea and moved to England at the age of three. She has given solo and chamber performances at Wigmore, Cadogan, Queen Elizabeth and Royal Festival halls. Juhee has won awards and competitions from the Korea Festival Chamber Orchestra, CBS Music and Haneum Music in Seoul. Juhee was invited to perform at the Leeds International Concert Season and the annual Young Artist Concert in Seoul. After starting violin at the age of seven with Natasha Boyarsky, Juhee was awarded a full scholarship at the Purcell School of Music. She then attended the Yewon School in Seoul before returning to the UK to continue her studies with Itzhak Rashkovsky. She is currently studying at the RCM with Mark Messenger. She is grateful for the generous support of the Soiree d’Or Scholar Foundation. Juhee plays an Italian violin on loan from the RCM collection.

Charlie Westhoff

Charlie Westhoff is an Australian violinist studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky at the Royal College of Music, where he is a Neville Wathen scholar. Charlie has won a number of awards including the Wenkart Foundation Junior Violin Award, Alf and Pearl Pollard Award for performance excellence, and The Marcus Edwards Prize for Violin. Charlie is a graduate of the Keshet Eilon mastercourse and has received lessons from Mischa Maisky, Nicolas Alstaedt, Richard Tognetti, Vadim Gluzman, Vesa Matti Lepanen and members of the London based Doric String Quartet and Australia’s Goldner String Quartet. During the past two years Charlie has been a featured soloist with the Melbourne Philharmonia Project. Charlie plays a 1724 'Abergavenny' Stradivarius violin kindly on loan from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.

Aleem Kandour

Russian born British violinist Aleem Kandour has performed at venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and Buckingham Palace. He is currently undertaking his postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music as a Derek Butler Scholar. In summer 2018, Aleem played second violin to Vasko Vassilev for TriOperas for a celebration of International Women’s Day. Aleem represented the United Kingdom at the Peace Concert of Hiroshima organised by the UN in April 2013. He has taken part in masterclasses with violinists such as Zakhar Bron, Sergei Khachaturian, Lutsia Ibragimova and Itzhak Rashkovsky. Aleem enjoys playing chamber music with the Kandour Quartet and was awarded the Boconnoc Music Award in 2018. Aleem is currently studying with Radu Blidar and Mark Messenger. Aleem plays a French violin made by Frédéric Chaudière in 2012.

RCM Philharmonic

The RCM Philharmonic plays a central part in the orchestral training at the College. It performs a rich diversity of repertoire from classics of the repertoire to world premieres of works by RCM student composers. The orchestra, constituted anew for each project, comprises students from all years of study and will enhance and develop their performance and technical skills in preparation for the professional world. During the past few years the RCM Philharmonic has been led by conductors including Martin André, Mike Seal, Martyn Brabbins and RCM conducting professors Peter Stark and Howard Williams. Preparations for concerts include intensive sectional and tutti rehearsals, usually led by principal players from the London orchestras. The orchestra also regularly performs concerts for schools as part of the RCM Sparks programme.

Founded in 1882, the RCM moved to its present site on Prince Consort Road in 1894. Illustrious alumni include Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Dame Joan Sutherland, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Colin Davis, John Wilson, Alina Ibragimova, Gerald Finley and Dame Sarah Connolly. In addition to its 800 full time students, the College engages dynamically with a wider and more diverse community of children and adults through a dedicated range of creative activities delivered by RCM Sparks’ education and participation projects, RCM Junior Department programme and the Creative Careers Centre. A further development is the growing schedule of live-streamed concerts and masterclasses which can be viewed on www.rcm.ac.uk.

The RCM would like to thank the following orchestral coaches:

David Juritz (violin) Martyn Brabbins & David Juritz (tutti strings) Simon Channing (woodwind) Nigel Black (brass) Martyn Brabbins (tutti orchestra) Violin I Cello Horn Mathilde Gheorghiu Silvestrs Kalnins Remi Faggiani Emily Turkanik Samuel Ng Leo Glenister Asier Merino Blanco Max Calver Andrew Angelos Winnie Law Olivia Chuang Georgia Dawson Ines Delgado Nicola Siagri Kristina Yumerska Claire Edwards Carys Hall Esther Park Tim Burton Trumpet Elif Cansever Niki Moosavi Christopher Bowman Auguste Janonyte Ruby Barber Lena Segal Bass Olivia Ziani Daniel Tancredi Trombone Vera Beumer Jon Mendiguchia Alistair Welsh Maxence Bretel Danny Cleave William Barnes-McCallum Thibaut Pesnel Dan Laurie Edward Curtis (bass) Phoebe Clarke Violin II Sam Grade Timpani Haim Choi Sam Howes Anaïs Boyadjieva Flute Karolina Sutt Lucy Pond Rosina Acosta Maria Filippova Personnel correct at the David Horvat time of going to print. Xingchen Guo Oboe Hanna Thiesen Izy Cheesman Italics denote section Elvina Auh Robert Schina principals. Eliza Nagle Miguel Suay Clarinet Birgit Born Elliot Gresty Amy Birse Idony Perrett

Viola Bassoon Otoha Tabata Petr Sedlak Susie Choi Blair Shepperd Tilly Chester Toby Warr Charis Morgan Zimon Huldt Jesse Francis Nakyung Park Lisa Bucknell

ORCHESTRAL MASTERWORKS: TCHAIKOVSKY AND CHAMINADE Thursday 7 February 2019, 6.15pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

Holly Mathieson conductor Sirius Chau flute RCM Philharmonic

Chaminade Flute Concertino op 107 Tchaikovsky Symphony no 5 in E minor op 64

Award-winning conductor Holly Mathieson returns to the RCM to direct an evening of late-Romantic music, featuring solo flute performances from RCM Concerto Competition winner Sirius Chau. The highlight of the programme is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no 5, an elaborate composition that moves masterfully from funereal to triumphant as it gathers pace.

Tickets: £5, £8

ORCHESTRAL MASTERWORKS: CZECH SHOWPIECES Thursday 7 March 2019, 6.15pm | Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall

Peter Stark, Christopher McMullen-Laird and Vicente Chavarria conductors RCM Philharmonic

Dvořák The Noonday Witch Smetana Ma vlast no 2: Vltava Janáček Taras Bulba

Experience the full orchestral sound of the RCM Philharmonic as they perform three symphonic masterpieces from Czech composers Janaček, Dvořak and Smetana. The programme begins with Dvořak's darkly dramatic tone poem, The Noonday Witch, followed by Smetana's Vltava, the most popular of his Má Vlast (My Country) symphonic poem collection. Janaček's tripartite orchestral rhapsody, Taras Bulba, provides an energetic conclusion to the night.

SMART NOTES: Enjoy enhanced listening with real-time digital programmes notes during this performance.

Tickets: £5, £8

RCM Box Office 020 7591 4314 | www.rcm.ac.uk/events ORCHESTRAL MASTERWORKS SERIES DISCOUNT Book for two or more concerts and save up to 20%