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Supported by various corporate sponsors and individual donors, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and registered under the Charities Order.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra 11 Empress Place, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore 179558 Sat, 30 Jan 10 Company registration no: 197801125M Phone +65 6338 1230 (main) Fax +65 6336 6382 Esplanade Concert Hall E-mail [email protected] Website www.sso.org.sg Performing Home of the SSO

Singapore Symphony Orchestra Okko Kamu conductor Dang Thai Son piano

Robert Schumann Manfred: Overture, Op. 115 12’00

Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 39’00

Intermission 20’00 Dang Thai Son will sign autographs at the stall foyer

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 28’00

Concert Duration: 1 hr 50 min All Timings Indicated Are Approximate.

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore “Today it unquestionably ranks among the world’s best… A world-class orchestra that can switch between such radically divergent styles with virtuosic ease.”

American Record Guide March/April 2007

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

A premier Asian orchestra gaining recognition around the world, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) aims to enrich the local cultural scene, serving as a bridge between the musical traditions of Asia and the West, and providing artistic inspiration, entertainment and education.

A full-time professional orchestra with 96 members, the SSO now makes its performing home at the Esplanade Concert Hall, and also performs regularly at the Victoria Concert Hall and at other venues. Established in 1979, the SSO performs over 50 symphonic programmes a year. Its versatile repertoire spans the all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres, with Asian and Singaporean musicians and composers featuring prominently in the concert season. The SSO has toured America, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Since Maestro Lan Shui assumed the position of Music Director in 1997, the SSO has been distinguished by a high level of excellence and a rising international proﬁ le. Choo Hoey, who was Music Director from 1979 to 1996, is credited for developing the SSO with his diverse programming.

Among the SSO’s recordings under BIS are a number of CDs which have earned international acclaim, including a Seascapes album and the ﬁ rst-ever cycle of Tcherepnin’s six piano concertos and four symphonies. The SSO has also recorded the music of Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng and Richard Yardumian, collaborating with such great artists as Gil Shaham, Evelyn Glennie, Cho-Liang Lin, Noriko Ogawa, Sharon Bezaly, Claude Delangle, Christian Lindberg and Martin Fröst.

Okko Kamu (b. 1946) started to play the violin at the age of two, as a pupil of Väinö Arjava. From 1952 onwards he continued his studies under Onni Suhonen at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he also studied piano playing. He became the leader of the Suhonen Quartet in 1964, and the following year he began his professional career as a member of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1966 he was appointed leader of the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, and the following year he started to conduct there. In 1969 Kamu became guest conductor of the Royal Swedish Opera, and later that year he won ﬁ rst prize in the international Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in Berlin, which launched his international career.

Known for his versatility as a musician, Kamu has conducted almost all of the world´s foremost orchestras. He has served as Principal Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish National Opera, Stockholm Sinfonietta, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and as Principal Guest Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

As an opera conductor, Kamu has appeared at such venues as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Okko Kamu´s international recording career began on the Deutsche Grammophon label, where he shared a cycle of Sibelius symphonies with Herbert von Karajan. Since then he has made more than a hundred recordings for such companies as Deutsche Grammophon, BIS, Ondine and Naxos. One of his most recent recording is Crusell — The Three Clarinet Concertos with Martin Fröst and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Okko Kamu was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1994.

Dang Thai Son is the Gold Medal winner at the Tenth International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1980. In 2005, he returned to the competition as a member of the jury and soloist for its inaugural concert.

Born in Hanoi in 1958, Dang Thai Son studied with his mother at the Hanoi Music School, and later at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitry Bashkirov. His career has taken him to over forty-ﬁ ve countries, performing at Lincoln Center (New York), Jordan Hall (Boston), Barbican Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Herculessaal (Munich), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Opera House (Sydney) and Suntory Hall (Tokyo). He has performed with the Montreal Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Leningrad Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, City of Birmingham Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Prague Symphony, NHK Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic and Russian National Symphony under the baton of conductors including Sir Neville Marriner, Pinchas Zukerman, Mariss Jansons, Ivan Fischer, Vladimir Spivakov, Dimitri Kitaenko, John Nelson, Jiri Belohlávek, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Pavel Kogan and Jerzy Maksymiuk.

He has been invited as a guest soloist by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, and played at festivals including Aix-en- Provence and Floraisons Musicales in France, and Kirishma in Japan. He was also invited to perform in Isaac Stern’s last festival in Miyazaki, Japan in 2001. On New Year’s Day in 1995, Dang Thai Son, Yo-Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa, Kathleen Battle and Mstislav Rostropovich starred in a major international broadcast produced by the Japanese television NHK.

Dang Thai Son has recorded on Deutsche Grammophon, Melodiya, Polskie Nagrania, CBS, Sony, Victor JVC and Analekta.

He currently lives in both Paris and Montreal. Since 1987, he has been a visiting Professor at the Kunitachi Music College in Tokyo and currently teaches at the Université de Montreal in Canada.

SSO Musicians

MUSIC DIRECTOR • Lan Shui RESIDENT CONDUCTOR/MUSIC DIRECTOR of SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS • Lim Yau CONDUCTOR EMERITUS • Choo Hoey PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR • Okko Kamu YOUNG ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR • Darrell Ang

FIRST VIOLIN VIOLA FLUTE BASSOON BASS TROMBONE LEADER PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Alexander Souptel* Zhang Manchin Jin Ta Zhang Jin Min ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL CO-LEADER ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE Shannon Pittaway Lynnette Seah PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL TUBA Guan Qi Evgueni Brokmiller Liu Chang ASSISTANT LEADER PRINCIPAL Kong Zhao Hui* FIXED CHAIR Roberto Alvarez Christoph Wichert Hidehiro Fujita Luo Biao Lee Kee Hoi Zhao Ying Xue TIMPANI FIXED CHAIR PICCOLO CONTRA Chan Yoong Han Jiri Heger PRINCIPAL BASSOON Jiang Han Song* ASSISTANT Jonathan Fox Chen Da Wei Marietta Ku PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT Duan Yu Ling Liu Hao Yu Roberto Alvarez PRINCIPAL Grzegorz Markiewicz Foo Say Ming Shui Bing Zhao Ying Xue OBOE PERCUSSION Gu Wen Li Tan Wee Hsin HORN Jin Li Tong Yi Ping PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Cindy Lee Yang Shi Li Rachel Walker PRINCIPAL Jonathan Fox Lim Shue Churn CELLO Han Chang Chou Seow Jin Chong ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE Sui Jing Jing PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Karen Tan Yu Jing* Pan Yun PRINCIPAL Mark Suter William Tan Gao Jian Wei Zhe FIXED CHAIR Carolyn Sonderegger Jamie Hersch Mark De Souza Elaine Yeo Marc-Antoine Lim Meng Keh SECOND Guo Hao* Robillard Grzegorz Markiewicz VIOLIN COR ANGLAIS Chan Wei Shing* HARP PRINCIPAL Ding Xiao Feng ASSOCIATE Wang Min Zhang Zhen Shan PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Li Cheng TRUMPET Song Woon Teng Elaine Yeo Gulnara Mashurova ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Elizabeth Tan* CLARINET PRINCIPAL Wang Yan Laurence Gargan Michael Loh Zhao Yu Er PRINCIPAL Ma Yue ASSOCIATE FIXED CHAIR DOUBLE BASS PRINCIPAL Hai-Won Kwok PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE David Smith Guennadi Mouzyka PRINCIPAL Nikolai Koval* Li Xin Ikebe Jun Ling Yun Zhi^ ASSOCIATE Yap Thien Soo Priscilla Neo PRINCIPAL Liu Yoko TROMBONE Andrea Oey*^ Yang Zheng Yi Tang Xiao Ping Margit Saur PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET Shao Tao Tao FIXED CHAIR Allen Meek Wu Man Yun* Karen Yeo ASSISTANT Xu Jue Yi* PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE Ye Lin* Olga Alexandrova Tang Xiao Ping PRINCIPAL Yeo Teow Meng Ma Li Ming Fredi Sonderegger Yin Shu Zhan* Jacek Mirucki Zhang Si Jing* Wang Xu Damian Patti

Musicians (listed alphabetically by family name) rotate their seats on a per programme basis * With deep appreciation to Mr & Mrs Rin Kei Mei for their generous loan of string instruments from the Rin Collection ** SSO musician on leave ^ Musician(s) on temporary contract

Musicians’ Chair

To continue to be one of the most outstanding orchestras in the region, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra needs to recruit and maintain its pool of talented musicians. We would like to thank the following corporation for supporting our Musicians’ Chair Programme:

singapore petroleum company limited Musician’s Seat

Corporate Seats

$20,000 and above Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd

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Allow your corporation to play an active role in the life of the Orchestra by supporting the Musicians’ Chair Programme and Corporate Seat Scheme. For more details, please contact the Development & Sponsorship Team at 6837 0998 or [email protected].

$200,000 and above Becton Dickinson And Company BNP Paribas Tote Board Chong Yoon Chou Conrad Centennial Singapore Tan Puay Hiang DBS Bank Ltd $100,000 and above Dilhan Pillay Hong Leong Foundation BSI Bank Ltd, Singapore Jopie Ong Hie Koan FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd Lan Shui Keppel Corporation Ltd LGT Bank In Liechtenstein (Singapore) Ltd Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd Philips Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd Lee Foundation, Singapore Prima Limited Rubina Watch Co Pte Ltd $50,000 and above United Overseas Bank Ltd Yong Ying-I Singapore Airlines Ltd The Swatch Group S.E.A. (S) Pte Ltd Singapore Petroleum Company Limited $5,000 and above Singapore Press Holdings Ltd Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Joseph Grimberg CapitaLand Limited Capital International Christopher Ho & Rosy Ho David Colvin Scott Allen & Gledhill LLP $20,000 and above Asia Paciﬁ c Breweries Foundation Jean-Pierre Bernard NSL Ltd Ricardo Castro Ernst & Young LLP Catherine Ong Associates Pte Ltd Estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat Cheng Kim Loke Foundation Far East Organization Centre Pte Ltd Choo Chiau Beng JCCI Singapore Foundation Ltd Frank Benjamin Miele Private Limited Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin Monconcept Investments Pte Ltd Hsieh Fu Hua Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd Hsieh Tsun Yan Peter Lim Eng Hock Jay Gee Enterprises (Pte) Ltd Sincere Watch Ltd Kuok (Singapore) Limited Singapore Institute of Management Lee Boon Yang Interlocal Exim Pte Ltd Anonymous Lee Hsien Loong New Funnels (S) Pte Ltd Lippo Group Ong & Ong Pte Ltd Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore Pte Ltd Orchard 290 Ltd Rotary Engineering Limited Parkway Group Healthcare Pte Ltd Yong Pung How PSA International Pte Ltd Sat Pal Khattar Seah Quee Choo $10,000 and above Siemens Pte Ltd Dorothy Chan Wearne Brothers Services Pte Ltd Leon Lui Yuen Leung Wing Tai Holdings Ltd

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore $1,000 and above Harvey Morton Schwartz In Loving Memory of Mrs Raj Jackson Yap Kishori Bhatti Janek Schergen Cham Tao Soon Janet Tang Woon Joo Donna Meyer Jean Marie Foulley Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Jewels Defred Pte Ltd Lee Kuan Yew Jiang Zilin Tay Teck Seng Johanna Frederika Makkink Ronald P Stride Kang Tze Yong Abdulaziz Aladwani Karen Fawcett Bank Julius Baer & Co Ltd Khor Cheng Kian David Philbrick Conner Kris Taenar Wiluan Eugene Paul Lai Chin Look Lau Leok Yee Gerard Saliot Lee Suan Yew Gralf Sieghold Lee Teng Fei Kingﬁ sher Automotive Pte Ltd Link Boutique Pte Ltd Lawrence Basapa Loh Pong Tuan Marie Elaine Teo Luis Rincones Robert Khan & Co Pte Ltd Manju Vangal Tong Moi Eng Marco Antonio Luisito V Sardillo III United Caoutchouc Trading Co Pte Ltd Mark Edward Hansen Vernon Oh Min Sen Mark Seielstad Odile Benjamin Matthew G Johnson Robert Sinclair Matthew Latham DCA Architects Pte Ltd Maureen Derooij Richard Logan Mavis Lim Geck Chin Ho Jin Yong Michael Wong Pakshong Alice Cheng Beukers Mori Takashi Andreas Ruschkowski Ng Seng Chuan Arthur Lim Siew Ming Pauline Ang Hooi Yeong Baez Martell De Joosse Kyra Raj Rajkumar Bao Zhiming Richard Brown Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Robin Ian Rawlings Bernard Cheong Wei Kok Ronald Zung Bei Fan Bernard Jean Sabrier Ryan Tham Ming Loong Brian Gambrill Sky Pilates Pte Ltd Calvin Chan Heang Kng Anonymous Catherine Tan Suat Wah Tan Tatt Si Cheng Wei Teng Foong Meng Christopher Ho Siow Soong Thean Lip Ping Creative Eateries Pte Ltd Timothy Barnes Derek Tay Yew Keng Tommy Koh Elisabeth Hebdige Victor Mills Esther Jane De Rozario Willem Mark Nabarro Francis Leong Willi Hess Frank Cintamani William H Hernstadt Fried Rice Paradise Entertainment Pte Ltd Geir Eik Giulio Dorrucci Goh Chiu Gak Gul B Chotrani

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Hanoi's Rising Son

An Interview with Dang Thai Son

He was the ﬁ rst Asian ever to win the Gold Medal and sweep all the special prizes at the Chopin International Piano Competition in 1980, making headlines in the international music scene and becoming the hometown hero of Hanoi, Vietnam.

The young pianist Dang Thai Son, then 22, was feted for his resounding success by an entire nation. “It was a humbling experience and feeling. I became the youngest Vietnamese to receive the ‘People’s Artist’ title, the highest honour in Vietnam.”

An extensive international career quickly followed, and Dang went on to perform with many of the world’s foremost orchestras in the world’s major arts centres including New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s Barbican Hall, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Through it all, the 52-year-old pianist has remained faithful to his art, a rare and cherished quality often compromised with overnight fame. His philosophy towards life and music is simple yet admirable, “Stay modest and be open-minded because there are always new things to learn.”

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Like mother, like son One is tempted to think that music runs in his genes. After all, Dang’s mother Thai Thi Lien was an established Czech-trained pianist and his ﬁ rst piano teacher, introducing him to the world and music of Chopin.

“In 1970 she was invited as an honorary guest to the Chopin Competition in Poland and brought home a comprehensive collection of Chopin’s music and recordings. I got a chance to listen to her playing and teaching music to her students. That’s when I knew I had a very special connection with Chopin.”

And she made no concessions when it came to teaching her son; she expected all her students to work hard and Dang was no different. “I didn’t think she was stricter with me than with her other students. In fact I think she enjoyed teaching me and was pleased at my speedy improvement.”

Helping deserving musicians Dang Thai Son ﬁ rst studied with his mother at the Hanoi Music School, and later at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitri Ashkirov. Growing up he remembers the years of the Vietnam War before he moved to Moscow at the age of 19, “The war shaped me and changed my life forever.”

He now calls Montreal home, and enjoys taking long nature walks in his free time to unwind. He also ﬁ nds great joy in teaching, and has students at the Montreal University as well as private students. But he ﬁ nds even greater satisfaction when helping deserving but underprivileged musicians. “You can work your whole life but if you don’t get a chance to rise or to stand out, your entire dream is over. So I would like to help by giving the deserving ones that chance.”

Reproduced from BraviSSimO! January 2010

music director Lan Shui

Fri, 5 Feb 10 Transfiguration

Okko Kamu conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin

BRAHMS Tragic Overture, Op. 81 SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77

Celebrated violin virtuoso Leonidas Kavakos makes his Singapore debut in Brahms’ ever-popular Violin Concerto. Originally scored for string sextet and inspired by a Richard Dehmel poem, Verklärte Nacht (“Transﬁ gured Night”) is Schoenberg’s most seductive creation and one of the peaks of late Romanticism.

This concert is not available for birthday voucher redemption.

Morning Mix on Symphony 92.4FM (Sat & Sun, 10am to 12pm) Get closure from Morning Mix as we play complete works by the great masters. Listen to symphonies, concertos and chamber music played from the ﬁ rst to the last movement. For more information, visit www.symphony.sg.

Thu, 11 Feb 10 Schumann Symphony Spectacular Musical Journeys

Lim Yau conductor Lim Yan piano Rebecca Chellappah mezzo-soprano

WEBER Der Freischütz: Overture KELLY TANG Concerto for Piano & Orchestra MAHLER Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen SCHUMANN Symphony No. 1 in B-ﬂ at major, Op. 38 ‘Spring’

Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer were the result of a creative surge following a period of depression caused by an unrequited love. This concert also features Mahler’s orchestration of Schumann’s cheery First Symphony, a work inspired by the poetic notions of spring.

PRE-CONCERT TALK 66.30pm.30pm – LLibrary@Esplanadeibrary@Esplanade

Sun, 28 Feb 10, 5pm, Victoria Concert Hall VCH Chamber Series: Cho-Liang Lin • Bach to Mozart

Musicians from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Cho-Liang Lin conductor / violin

J.S. BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048 HAYDN Violin Concerto in C major, Hob. Vlla:1 GRIEG Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34 MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201

The SSO’s Artist-in-Residence Cho-Liang Lin joins the musicians of the SSO for a delightful evening of chamber masterpieces – from the lively exuberance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach to the alluring cadenza and witty ﬁ nale of Haydn’s C major Concerto. The elegant Symphony No. 29 is one of Mozart’s most popular orchestral works, closing with an energetic ﬁ nale.

COFFEE, CAKE AND A CONCERT! Show your ticket at Victoria Cafe from 4-5pm to enjoy a free cup of coffee/tea, and a slice of cake.

Manfred: Overture, Op. 115 12’00

• Born Zwickau, Germany, 8 June 1810; died 29 July 1856 at Düsseldorf.

• Son of a bookseller and publisher, he retained a strong interest in literature throughout his life.

• Held posts as teacher and music critic in Leipzig (1840-1844), Dresden (1845-1850) and Düsseldorf (1850-1856).

Among the more potent literary inﬂ uences on music of the Romantic era was the English poet, Lord Byron (1788-1824). His ﬁ rst major work to achieve international recognition, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, inspired Berlioz to compose his symphony for viola and orchestra, Harold in Italy, in 1834, and over the next 50 years somewhere in the region of 20 major works, including 12 operas, inspired by both Byron’s writings and the poet himself appeared from such composers as Liszt, Mendelssohn, Donizetti, Verdi, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Manfred, written in 1816, inspired several various pieces including a symphony from Tchaikovsky in 1886 and an overture and incidental music by Schumann written during 1848 and 1849.

Byron’s Manfred tells of a nobleman who is racked with a guilty secret concerning the death of his beloved. He summons seven spirits from whom he seeks forgetfulness, but while these spirits control events in the world of men, they hold no sway over the past so are unable to help Manfred. He wanders through the Alps attempting to escape his guilt through suicide, and eventually dies defying the temptations placed in his way by the Christian belief in redemption. It was a story which had a powerful effect on Schumann, and as early as 1829 he wrote in his diary about how he had suffered a “terrible night” after reading Manfred before going to bed, while a colleague recalled how, whenever he read aloud from Byron’s Manfred “his voice suddenly failed him, tears started from his eyes, and he was so overcome that he could read no further”.

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Schumann had fi rst set Byron’s words to music in 1827 when he had composed a song (Die Weinende). He returned to Byron again in 1840 with one of the songs in the song- cycle Myrthen and four years later made his fi rst attempt at writing an opera, basing it on Byron’s The Corsair in 1844. That was never completed, but on 4 August 1848 he fi nished his fi rst full-length opera, Genoveva (based on a story by Friedrich Hebbel) and the very next day he started work on incidental music for a stage production of Manfred. He was fi red with enthusiasm for the project, commenting that he had never approached “with such love and outlay of force to any composition as to that of Manfred”. He completed the Overture on 19 October, the music for the fi rst act on 6 November and the remainder of score a little over a fortnight later, and the Overture was given its fi rst performance in Leipzig on 25 June 1850. (The entire score had to wait until 1852 for a performance, when Liszt directed it at Weimar.)

The Overture effectively disproves the often-stated view that Schumann had neither talent for drama or for orchestration. It opens briskly with three urgent, off-beat chords, and continues with great economy of scoring and unerringly-paced musical drama, to cast a spell all of its own and effectively setting the scene for the dark and unsettling drama which follows.

Marc Rochester

Suggested Recordings

Philharmonia Orchestra/Christian Thielemann DG 453 482-2

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Johannes Wildner Naxos 8.550608

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini DG 447 444-2

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Hermann Abendroth Tahra TAH106/7

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 39’00

Allegro maestoso Romanze (Larghetto) Rondo (Vivace)

• Born 1 March 1810, Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw; died 17 October 1849 Paris.

• Made his ﬁ rst public appearance as a pianist in 1818, going on to become one of the most important ﬁ gures in the instrument’s history.

• Composed 168 works all involving the piano, including 19 songs with piano accompaniment, ﬁ ve pieces for piano with other instruments and six works, including two concertos, for piano and orchestra.

The concept of a solo piano recital had yet to become established (it was Liszt, towards the end of the 1830s, who made the solo piano recital popular with audiences) and the only way in which Chopin could display his talents on a public platform was through concert performances with orchestras. All six of the pieces he wrote for piano with orchestra were composed in the fi ve years from 1827, when he was fi nishing his studies at the Warsaw Conservatoire and embarking on a career as a performer. They were designed not only to display his undeniably precocious gifts as a pianist but to promote his less obvious skills as a composer. Chopin had achieved remarkable success with the fi rst of his piano concertos premiered in Warsaw in March 1830 – it had immediately spawned a whole host of light works based on its catchy themes – but rather than continue to perform it on his forthcoming European tour, he set to work on a second which he completed in August of the same year. It was given its fi rst public performance on 11 October 1830.

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Attentive readers may by now be thoroughly confused. Are we talking of the “ﬁ rst” or the “second” concerto? Tonight we are hearing the second concerto Chopin composed (the one premiered in October 1830), but since problems over the orchestration delayed publication of the earlier concerto, the second was published ﬁ rst (in 1833) and has been called, ever since, Chopin’s “First” Piano Concerto. The composer dedicated the published score to Friedrich Kalkbrenner, a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire.

The concert on 11 October, at which Chopin was the soloist, was his last public performance in Poland. Three weeks later he left for France via Austria and Germany (where news reached him of the violent suppression of the Polish popular uprising by the Russians) and was never to see Poland again. As he wrote “I feel that I am leaving home only to die – and how awful it must be to die far away from where one has lived! How frightful it will be for me to see some cold-hearted doctor or servant by my deathbed instead of my family.” Morbid thoughts for a 20-year-old, but Chopin was fervently nationalistic and the Concerto expresses in as strong a way as any music can his love for his homeland.

The custom in concerts at that time was to intersperse a different piece between the fi rst and second movements of a concerto – which explains why the fi rst movement is virtually the same length as the other two put together – and at this Concerto’s fi rst performance a choral work by Carlo Soliva (the conductor of the concert) was introduced. Nevertheless the entire Concerto was met with “deafening applause”. The press reported: “Chopin’s new Concerto was regarded by connoisseurs as one of the most sublime of all musical works.”

The ﬁ rst movement opens with a heroic, sturdy orchestral introduction, which gives way to a more lyrical theme – typical of Chopin in his more tuneful vein – which in turn is abruptly silenced by the explosive ﬁ rst appearance of the piano, some four minutes into the Concerto. From then on the piano dominates switching between these two themes, the one representing the Polish peoples’ struggle against oppression, the other their yearning for a peaceful homeland.

Chopin himself described the deeply felt second movement as “giving the impression of someone looking gently towards a place which calls to mind a thousand happy memories”. A gentle upward-moving idea from the violins is neatly turned by a pair of horns as the piano enters in deeply reﬂ ective mood.

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Strong unison strings pave the way for the exuberant entry of the piano in the third movement. Based on a traditional Polish dance, a krakowiak, which was frequently played in exile by Chopin as a way of demonstrating his Polish-ness (Schumann saw these nationalistic devices wrapped up in such lovely music as “guns buried in roses”), the music offers a dazzling display of pianistic virtuosity.

Marc Rochester

Suggested Recordings

Krystian Zimerman/Polish Festival Orchestra DG 459 684-2

Martha Argerich/Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit EMI 7243 5 56798 2

Murray Perahia/Israel Philharmonic Orchestra/Zubin Mehta Sony SK44922

Artur Rubinstein/New Symphony Orchestra/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski RCA RD85612

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore NSL Ltd, a leading industrial group in Asia Pacific, The Group is widely recognised as an extensive has key businesses in Chemicals, Engineering and user of technology to provide innovative solutions Construction Products. The Group has operations to industry. It partners eminent local industry and joint ventures in 8 countries and has been and tertiary institutions to develop industrial best listed on the Singapore Exchange since 1964. practices and leading technologies in its fields.

NSL Ltd (formerly known as NATSTEEL Ltd) 77 Robinson Road #27-00 SIA Building Singapore 068896. Tel: 6536 1000 Fax: 6536 1008 www.nsl.com.sg

Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 28’00

Ziemlich langsam – Lebhaft Romanze (Ziemlich Langsam) Scherzo (Lebhaft) – Trio Lebhaft

• Early promise as a piano virtuoso thwarted by partial paralysis of his right hand in 1832.

• Attempts to establish himself as a conductor ended in disaster due to his complete inability to control an orchestra.

• Regarded primarily as a composer of songs and piano music, his orchestral output – including four symphonies – is often wrongly dismissed as showing ineptitude in handling orchestral textures.

If there seems to be some confusion over the numbering of Chopin’s piano concertos, that is nothing compared to the chaos which surrounds the numerical sequence of Schumann’s symphonies. The ﬁ rst two he wrote (in 1833 and 1841) were not given numbers at all so his “First” Symphony was actually the third he wrote. He wrote another in 1841, but that was not published until 1853, by which time two further symphonies had appeared in 1847 and 1851 respectively. These last two (the ﬁ fth and sixth he had composed) were published as Nos. 2 and 3, so the symphony we hear today, written in 1841, was published as Symphony No. 4. (And just to add to the muddle, while it doesn’t follow the correct chronological sequence, this was actually the fourth symphony Schumann composed.)

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Such a careless attitude to the numbering of symphonies might seem strange given that many composers after Beethoven were at pains to keep a close tally on their symphonic output to avoid tempting fate by exceeding the magical number of nine. But Schumann had only ever looked at the symphony in a half-hearted sort of way. He was, fi rst and foremost, a pianist and for the fi rst 10 years of his composing career he wrote only for that instrument; out of almost 150 published works less than 20 do not involve the piano in some way or another. Schumann had designs on becoming a concert pianist but even after it became manifestly obvious that he would never achieve this ambition, he continued with his piano lessons. He was spurred on by love for his piano teacher’s daughter, Clara Weick, who was nine years his junior. Clara’s father objected strongly to any liaison between his daughter and the young Schumann, even to the extent of taking the matter to law. Nevertheless after 10 years of acrimony Schumann eventually got his way and married Clara in 1840. He celebrated this with a great burst of composing activity and the production of his fi rst music for orchestra. In the fi rst nine months of 1841 (during which Clara gave birth to the fi rst of the couple’s eight children) Schumann completed three symphonies and the greater part of his piano concerto.

It was in March 1841, hot on the heels of the huge success of the premiere of Symphony No. 1 that Schumann began to plan this next symphony. He intended at that stage to give it a title, Clara, and, as he told his wife, “I will portray you with fl utes, oboes and harps.” Whether or not the work as it exists in its fi nal published form portrays Clara in any way – there are certainly no harps – it did break new ground in the traditional design of a symphony. It was the fi rst major orchestral work to have movement titles in German rather than the usual Italian, its four movements run almost without a break and it is entirely based on just a handful of themes all heard in the opening section. So puzzled was the Leipzig audience at the work’s premiere that Schumann renamed the work a “Symphonic Fantasy”. However in preparing it for its eventual publication he made several changes and decided to revert to the original title of Symphony.

Marc Rochester

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/David Zinman Telarc CD-80230

Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra/David Zinman Arte Nova 82876 57743-2

Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard BIS-SACD-1519

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Vow renewal is a meaningful milestone in any marriage. Perhaps you’ve made it through 10, 25 or 50 years together. Or you just want to reafﬁrm your commitment to the relationship. Or simply, a desire to put romance back into the marriage. Many reasons, all of them good. Now, we give you even more reasons to renew your vow. Re:newing Vows by Silver Lining offers a memorable experience of an outdoor renewal ceremony set in the lush greenery of the renowned Laguna National Golf & Country Club. Programme Fashion show by Anna Tseng in support of Mother and Child Project • Talks by renowned Family Life Coach Simon Sim and Clinical Sexologist Dr Martha Lee • High tea spread • Lucky draw with attractive prizes to be won Give yourself and your spouse a treat. Sign up today! Only $138 per couple! (including goodie bag worth $200) Share your marriage testimonies with us and stand to win event admission and many more prizes. Find out more from www.renewingvows.com.sg today! For more details, call 6848 4669 or email to [email protected]

Laguna National Golf & Country Club 10 April 2010 (Sat) 2.00 pm to 6.30 pm

Organiser Venue Sponsor

Board of Directors & Management

Patron Finance and Management Senior Development & Human Resource Dr Goh Keng Swee General Manager Sponsorship Manager Committee Mr Freddie Low Honorary Chairman Mr Chng Kai Jin Chairman Mr Tan Boon Teik Ms Yong Ying-I Orchestra Manager Assistant Manager, Ms Sharon Son Development & Board of Directors Mr Goh Yew Lin Sponsorship Mrs Elizabeth Martin Chairman Acting Orchestra Mr Anthony Chng Mrs Winnifred Ooi Ai Choo Prof Cham Tao Soon Manager Community Mr Adrian Chiang Finance & Accounts Deputy Chairman Outreach Manager Mr Goh Yew Lin Committee Orchestra Executive Mr Rick Ong Mr Khor Chin Yang Directors Chairman Finance & Accounts Mrs Odile Benjamin Prof Lim Seh Chun Programme Manager Executive Mr Alan Ong Mr Hans-Dieter Bott Mr Richard Adams Ms Kua Li Leng Mrs Dorothy Chan Mr Chan Tze Law Human Resources & Mr Heinrich Grafe Dr Chang Tou Liang Programme Executive Administration Manager Mr Liew Choon Boon Dr Eugene Dairianathan Ms Teo Chew Yen Ms Wee Puay Cheng Ms Lim Mei Mrs Jessie Ho-Tan Prof Lim Seh Chun Mr Lee Suan Hiang Choral Executive Concert Hall & Facilities Mrs Gretchen Liu Ms Rebecca Ng Ms Toh Ying Ling Manager Prof Bernard Tan Prof Bernard Tan Mr Collin Tan Ms Tan Choo Leng Prof Aline Wong Senior Librarian Mr Wong Nang Jang Mr Lim Yeow Siang Ms Yong Ying-I Marketing Ofﬁ cers Committee Assistant Librarian Concert Hall Operations Nominating and Mr Chia Jit Min Mr Ansari bin Hamid Chairman Executive Committee Marican Mrs Gretchen Liu Chairman Community Outreach Mr Ramayah Elango Prof Cham Tao Soon Mr Hans-Dieter Bott Executive Mr Abiden bin Mohd Said Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Charlyn Too Mr Abdul Wahab bin Sakir Mr Goh Yew Lin Mr Kenneth Tan Mr Mhd Zailani bin Mr Wong Nang Jang Marketing Mhd Said Ms Yong Ying-I SSO Ladies’ League Communications Mr Radin Sulaiman bin Ali Manager Chairlady Endowment Fund Mr Foo Chen Loong Hall Booking Committee Mrs Odile Benjamin Mdm Nyan Chiou Fong Mrs Celeste Basapa Assistant Manager, Chairman Ticketing Mr Goh Geok Khim Mrs Viviana Bernard Marketing Mrs Gabriele Bott Communications Ms Rose Chew Mr Anthony Teo Mrs Rosy Ho Ms Cindy Lim Manager, ABRSM Ofﬁ ce Mr Wong Nang Jang Prof Annie Koh Ms Hay Su-San Ms Yong Ying-I Mrs Alice Lee-Seah Marketing Dr Julie Lo Communications Assistant Examinations Artistic Committee Mrs Kwan Lui Executives Manager Chairman Mrs Clarinda Martin Ms Koh Mui Leng Ms Patricia Yee Mr Goh Yew Lin Mrs Donna Meyer Mr Sean Tan Mrs Cindy Tay Dr Chang Tou Liang Ms Manju Vangal Ms Marina Tan Harper Mr Lan Shui Mr Bernard Lanskey Ms Lim Mei Prof Lim Seh Chun Prof Bernard Tan

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Sea Pictures Photography by SSO musician William Tan All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Encounters with dolphins are always delightful experiences. After a dawn dive swimming beside hammerhead sharks, we chanced upon on this pod of dolphins on our way back to the resort. Even after every camera’s ﬁ lm frames and memory card capacity had been depleted, we were still reluctant to leave these playful dolphins. Breakfast and coffee at the resort would have to wait. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore