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MASTERFUL

Classic Remix & Morning Mix on Symphony 92.4FM (Sat & Sun, 8am to 12pm) MENDELSSOHN For a healthy mix of cross-over music, movie soundtracks and the great classics, join us for Classic Remix every Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 10am. From 10am to noon, get closure from Morning Mix. We play complete works by the great composers from different eras – from symphonies to concertos to chamber music. For more information, visit www.symphony.sg.

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, Ground Floor, Singapore 179558 Sat, 17 May 08 Company registration no.: 197801125M Esplanade Concert Hall Phone +65 6338 1230 (main) Fax +65 6336 6382 (main) E-mail [email protected] Website www.sso.org.sg PERFORMING HOME OF THE SSO

Sat, 17 May 08 MASTERFUL 1 MENDELSSOHN

Ari Rasilainen conductor Daniel Hope violin

SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 ‘Classical’ 15’00

FELIX MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 26’00

Intermission 20’00 Daniel Hope will autograph CDs at the stall foyer

JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 38’00

All timings indicated are approximate

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 3 has been distinguished by a high level of excellence and a rising international profile. 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 first-ever symphony cycle of Tcherepnin. Since its release in May 2007, Seascapes, a compilation of sea-themed music by Debussy, Frank Bridge, Glazunov and Zhou Long, has garnered glowing reviews in various publications including BBC Music Magazine and American Record Guide. The SSO has also recorded the music of Chen Yi, 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.

“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

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ARI RASILAINEN conductor

Ari Rasilainen, born in 1959, is in the top category 5 of young successful Scandinavian conductors. He studied conducting at Jorma Panula’s conducting class at the Sibelius Academy and also under the late Arvid Jansons (conducting) and Aleksander Labko (violin) in Berlin.

In 1989, Rasilainen won second prize in the International Nicolai Malko Conducting Competition in Copenhagen, and subsequently became a frequent guest conductor with the Danish orchestras. From 1985 to 1989, he was Chief Conductor of the Lappeenranta City Orchestra (Finland), and thereafter Principal Guest Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1994, Rasilainen was appointed Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Oslo. Rasilainen also performed in the United States and in various countries in Europe, more recently with the BRTN Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Opera North (Leeds), the Frankfurt, Leipzig and Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestras and the Hanover Radio Philharmonic. In 1994 he conducted Lohengrin, in 1998 The Magic Flute and in 2001 Tosca at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.

In May 2000, Rasilainen conducted the NDR-Radio-Philharmonic Hanover in the opening concert of the EXPO featuring José Carreras as soloist. In a live broadcast by ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) from the Schauspielhaus Berlin, he conducted the Berlin Radio Symphony in the annual concert of the ‘ECHO- KLASSIK’ award on 22 October 2000.

Ari Rasilainen’s recordings with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra appear exclusively on the Finlandia Records label. Further contracts include the recording of the complete Symphonies by Kurt Atterberg for the CPO label. In mid 2002, he was appointed the new GMD of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the State of Rheinland- Pfalz (Germany). Starting on 1 January 2002, he took over the artistic directorship, and from the beginning of the 2002/2003 concert season, serves as the orchestra’s Principal Chief Conductor. From August 2002 to December 2005, Ari Rasilainen was Principal Guest Conductor of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark.

DANIEL HOPE violin

6 Daniel Hope is renowned the world over for his musical vitality and creativity and has won important record prizes for classical music in the Western music scene. He has toured and performed in major music centres and festivals, appearing regularly with major orchestras and renowned conductors worldwide. Hope’s dedication to 20th century and contemporary music is highlighted through his close contacts with several eminent composers. Daniel Hope devotes a portion of his time to conceptual projects, such as his award-winning project East Meets West which features works for violin composed by Ravi Shankar. A close association with the actor Klaus Maria Brandauer has also led to a series of highly successful projects such as In Search For Freedom (War and Pieces) and Mozart Unplugged!. Other performances combining words and music created by Hope include An Audience With Beethoven with Mia Farrow, Forbidden Not Forgotten with chamber music and poetry from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, and Music To Die For!, a play written by Christopher Hope, featuring music performed by Hope and jazz pianist Uri Caine, directed by Jonathan Moore.

In 2007 Daniel Hope signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, with whom he records a variety of projects like the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and a Theresienstadt project with Anne Sofie von Otter and Christian Gerhaher. From 2004 to 2006 Hope made a total of eight award-winning recordings for Warner Classics: the Berg Violin Concerto and Britten Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Paul Watkins, John Fould’s Apotheosis – in memoriam Joseph Joachim with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo, Mozart’s Sonata for Violin and Piano K.379 and Violin and Piano Concerto K.56 (315f) with Sebastian Knauer, Camerata Salzburg and Sir Roger Norrington, East Meets West with Gaurav Mazumdar and friends, Shostakovich’s Concertos No. 1 and 2 with BBC Symphony Orchestra and Maxim Shostakovich, and Bach’s Violin Concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Daniel Hope was a student of the Russian pedagogue, Zakhar Bron and graduated 7 from the Royal Academy of Music in London. At the age of ten he appeared on British television with double bass player Gary Karr. Yehudi Menuhin was one of his mentors with whom he performed over sixty concerts together, including Lord Menuhin’s final concert on 7 March 1999 in Düsseldorf, where Hope performed the Schnittke Violin Concerto.

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MUSIC DIRECTOR Lan Shui RESIDENT CONDUCTOR / MUSIC DIRECTOR of SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS Lim Yau 8 CONDUCTOR EMERITUS Choo Hoey PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR Okko Kamu

FIRST VIOLIN VIOLA FLUTE BASSOON TROMBONE LEADER PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Alexander Souptel Zhang Manchin Jin Ta Zhang Jin Min Allen Meek CO-LEADER ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE ASSOCIATE Lynnette Seah PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Guan Qi Evgueni Brokmiller Liu Chang Fredi Sonderegger ASSISTANT LEADER FIXED CHAIR Roberto Alvarez Gao Quan* Benjamin Marks* Kong Zhao Hui† Luo Biao Lee Kee Hoi Zhao Ying Xue BASS TROMBONE FIXED CHAIR Chen Ge PICCOLO CONTRA ASSISTANT Chan Yoong Han Jiri Heger ASSISTANT BASSOON PRINCIPAL Marietta Ku PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT Shannon Pittaway Chen Da Wei† Jiang Han Song* Roberto Alvarez PRINCIPAL Duan Yu Ling Gu Bing Jie* Zhao Ying Xue TUBA Foo Say Ming Liu Hao Yu OBOE PRINCIPAL Gu Wen Li Shui Bing PRINCIPAL HORN Jason Doherty* Jin Li Tan Wee Hsin** Rachel Walker PRINCIPAL Cindy Lee Tong Yi Ping Han Chang Chou TIMPANI Lim Shue Churn Yang Shi Li ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Seow Jin Chong PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE Jonathan Fox Sui Jing Jing CELLO Pan Yun PRINCIPAL Karen Tan PRINCIPAL Gao Jian Grzegorz Markiewicz William Tan Nella Hunkins Carolyn Sonderegger Jamie Hersch Wei Zhe Elaine Yeo Marc Antoine Robillard PERCUSSION ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL SECOND VIOLIN PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS Hoang Van Hoc** Jonathan Fox PRINCIPAL Yu Jing ASSOCIATE Gerd Seifert* Zhang Zhen Shan PRINCIPAL Wang Min ASSOCIATE Chan Wei Shing† Elaine Yeo PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE Ding Xiao Feng TRUMPET Mark Suter PRINCIPAL Guo Hao† CLARINET PRINCIPAL Michael Loh Li Cheng PRINCIPAL Laurence Gargan Mark De Souza Song Woon Teng Ma Yue Lim Meng Keh FIXED CHAIR Wang Yan ASSOCIATE Grzegorz Markiewicz Hai-Won Kwok Zhao Yu Er Gabor Varga* PRINCIPAL Zhou Mi* David Smith HARP Nikolai Koval† Liu Yoko PRINCIPAL Priscilla Neo DOUBLE BASS Tang Xiao Ping Ikebe Jun Gulnara Mashurova Andrea Oey*† PRINCIPAL Yap Thien Soo Margit Saur Guennadi Mouzyka BASS CLARINET Shao Tao Tao ASSISTANT Joshua Tan Kang Ming** ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Qiang Xiaoxiao* PRINCIPAL Tang Xiao Ping Wu Man Yun† Yang Zheng Yi Xu Jue Yi† Yeo Teow Meng FIXED CHAIR Yin Shu Zhan† Karen Yeo Zhang Si Jing Olga Alexandrova Yuri Lomeiko* Musicians (listed alphabetically by family name) Ma Li Ming rotate their seats on a per programme basis Jacek Mirucki Wang Xu * Musician(s) on temporary contract ** SSO Musician on leave † With deep appreciation to Mr & Mrs Rin Kei Mei for their generous loan of string instruments from the Rin Collection

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 9 Musicians’ Chair Programme:

SINGAPORE PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED Musician’s Seat

CORPORATE SEATS

$20,000 and above Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Singapore Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte) Ltd

$10,000 and above BD Hong Leong Foundation Lippo Limited Prima Limited

Allow your corporation to play an active role in the life of the Orchestra by supporting the Corporate Seat Scheme. For more details, please contact the Development & Sponsorship Team at 68370998 or [email protected].

DONATIONS RECEIVED FROM APR 2007 – MAR 2008 ($1,000 AND ABOVE)

10 $200,000 and above Citibank N.A. Bengawan Solo Pte Ltd Singapore Totalisator Board Singapore Institute of Ong Eng Keang CIMB-GK Securities Pte Ltd Management Wee Joo Yeow Siemens Pte Ltd Wearne Brothers Services Allen & Gledhill LLP Lee Foundation, Singapore Pte Ltd Bakri Trading Co (Asia) Conrad Centennial F J Benjamin (Singapore) Pte Ltd Singapore Pte Ltd Bernard Cheong Wei Kok Hong Leong Foundation Allan Yap Capitaland Retail Chartered Asset Asia Pacific Breweries Management Pte Ltd Management Pte Ltd Foundation Cheng Kim Loke Foundation Anonymous Chan Wing Cheng Chiu Teng Enterprises JCCI Singapore Foundation Pte Ltd $100,000 and above Ltd Chua Siok Lin Singapore Petroleum Petrochemical Corporation Dystar Singapore Pte Ltd Company Limited of Singapore Pte Ltd Emirates National Oil NatSteel Ltd Sincere Watch Ltd Company (S) Pte Ltd Philips Electronics Singapore Unico Trading Pte Ltd Grand Hyatt Singapore Pte Ltd Yong Pung How Great Malaysia Textile Anonymous Investments Pte Ltd Tan Sri Wan Azmi Hamzah $10,000 and above Ho Bee Developments BNP Paribas Pte Ltd $50,000 and above DaimlerChrysler South East KPMG SMRT Corporation Ltd Asia Pte Ltd Larry Jewelry (S) Pte Ltd Far East Organization Wing Tai Holdings Ltd Lee Kim Tah Holdings Swarovski Singapore Trading Lim Bee Tin Limited Pte Ltd Becton Dickinson and Linda Irawaty Lim Lippo Limited Company Ong & Ong Pte Ltd Aberdeen Asset Boeing International PACC Ship Managers Pte Ltd Management Asia Ltd Corporation Raiffeisen Zentralbank AR Capital Pte Ltd Composers and Authors Oesterreich AG Christopher Ho Society of Singapore Ltd Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd Dorothy Chan Hong Leong Holdings Ltd Sng Teck Kong Ng San Tiong Julie Lo Lai Wan Unicorn International Olivia Lum Ooi Lin Anonymous Pte Ltd Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Prima Limited Wong Ai Ai Nee Tang Anonymous STT Communications Ltd Tan Kong Piat (Pte) Ltd $1,000 and above $20,000 and above United Overseas Bank Ltd Lee Kim Poo Ernst & Young Aviation & Electronics Interlocal Exim Pte Ltd $5,000 and above Support Pte Ltd Anonymous Oversea-Chinese Banking Chang Ming Sing Singapore Airlines Ltd Corporation Ltd Chang Ming Yu

Sky Pilates Pte Ltd Club 392 Pte Ltd Robin Ann Rheaume 11 Leon Lui Yuen Leung ComfortDelGro Royal Norwegian Embassy Chang Tou Choong Corporation Limited Ryan Tham Ming Loong Adeline Mah Li Ting Ding Yew Teik Sam Schwartz Caroline Low Bee Leng Edmund N S Tie Seah Quee Choo Chang Tou Liang Ena Su Shi Ka Yee Choo Eng Chuan Eric Tan Tzy Shiun Shih Chih Lung Donna Meyer Evelyn Chua Kin Neo Sun Tony Ho Lee Hock Chin Frances Cheang Chin Neo Tan Hsiao Wei Lei Garden Restaurant Frank Messer Tan Tatt Si Pte Ltd Gan Kok Koon Thean Lip Ping New Funnels (S) Pte Ltd Geir Eik Thomas Lukens Phan Swee Kim Gerrit Klaus Gunther Tommy Koh QAF Limited Kruger Veronica Toh Chan Hin Robert Dale Whitehead Goh Chiu Gak Vertu Pte Ltd Robert Khan & Co Pte Ltd Gretchen Liu Wee Kim Choo Simon Yeo Seng Chong Ho Soo Foo Willem Mark Nabarro Tan Ser Kiat Hour Glass Ltd Willi Hess Tong Moi Eng International Answering William H Hernstadt Tony Chew Leong Chee Service Pte Ltd William & Lois Lydens United Caoutchouc Trading Jean Marie Foulley Wong Choon Wah Co Pte Ltd Juergen Kremb David Philbrick Conner Kang Tze Yong T H Cher Matthias Karen Fawcett Alexander Sieber Lee Kuan Yew Chan Wai Leong Leong Keng Hong Gul B Chotrani LGT Bank in Liechtenstein Ronald P Stride (Singapore) Ltd Andreas Ruschkowski Lim Kam Ming Andrey Berzins Lloyd Holdings Pte Ltd Annie Yap Loh Pong Tuan Belinda Koh Yuh Ling Mark Seielstad Cei Contract Manufacturing Mary Rajkumar Limited Mavis Lim Geck Chin Cemex Asia Pte Ltd Michael Wong Pakshong Chang Ming Chun Nancy Evans Miller Chang Ming Wen Nicholas A Roos Charles P Cousins One Seven Pte Ltd Chiang Yu Lan Pauline Ang Hooi Yeong Christopher Ho Siow Soong Pontiac Land Pte Ltd Christopher J Fussner Raffles Medical Group Ltd Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi Robert Sinclair

Sat Gala – Gennady Rozhdestvensky: 24 May 08 Daydreams in G minor

Gennady Rozhdestvensky conductor Victoria Postnikova piano

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 ‘Winter Daydreams’ Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Schnittke The Dead Souls Register: Suite from the incidental music (orch. G. Rozhdestvensky)

Husband and wife team Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Victoria Postnikova join forces in presenting a Russian spectacular, featuring Rachmaninov’s evergreen Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra – a series of 24 variations on the last of Paganini’s Caprices for solo violin. Experience winter in Russia with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, nicknamed “Winter Daydreams”, the final movement bringing to mind a winter carnival with sunshine sparkling on the snow.

Fri Philips Gala – Leila Josefowicz: 30 May 08 The Beauty of Beethoven

Eri Klas conductor Leila Josefowicz violin

Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus: Overture Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Leila Josefowicz is as famous for being the face of Chanel's Allure perfume as for being a violin virtuoso. In this all-Beethoven programme, she takes on the sunny and effervescent Violin Concerto, a work which Beethoven wrote for a violinist friend’s benefit concert. And though the Symphony No. 7 was written when Beethoven’s deafness was far advanced, it is so full of exuberant, dance-like themes that early audiences were confused by the work’s sheer high spirits.

UPCOMING EVENTS Lan Shui music director

AN EXCITING NEW SSO 08/09 SEASON

Tickets go on sale for the SSO’s 08/09 Season from May 22, with a 20% early bird discount till Jun 4. Book your tickets from SISTIC now!

Pick up a copy of our new season brochure at the stalls foyer or visit our website www.sso.org.sg for more details.

Fri, 27 Jun 08 CIMB-SSO Gala Concert: Emanuel Ax Plays Chopin

Fri, 11 Jul 08 President’s Young Performers Concert

Thu, 17 Jul 08 Prize Premieres: Sharon Bezaly

All concerts at 7.30 pm, Esplanade Concert Hall unless otherwise stated

SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)

Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 ‘Classical’ 15’00 Allegro con brio 14 Larghetto Gavotte (Non troppo allegro) Finale (Molto vivace)

As a student at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, Prokofiev took vicarious Born Sontsovka, Ukraine 23 April pleasure in shocking his tutors by 1891; died Moscow 5 March 1953. flaunting his originality in a series of A child prodigy as pianist and acidic, harsh and dissonant compositions. composer, but obliged to spend Indeed, one of his tutors, the eminent the years 1918-1933 in exile composer Glazunov, ostentatiously following the Bolshevik Revolution. walked out of a performance of Output includes operas, ballet Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite. However, it scores, piano and chamber works, was Glazunov’s assertion that Prokofiev concertos and seven symphonies. was incapable of writing “real music” or to compose according to the rules that directly led to the creation of his first and most enduring masterpiece, the First Symphony.

Prompted by Glazunov’s comments, Prokofiev deliberately set out to write a symphony strictly along the lines of one of Haydn’s, using the same size orchestra, with movements of the same length, using the same keys and adhering to the same rigid structure. Prokofiev himself called it his “Classical Symphony” because, as he wrote, “It seemed to me that had Haydn lived to our day he would have retained his own style while accepting something of the new at the same time. This was the kind of Symphony I wanted to write.”

As an only son Prokofiev was excused from military service during the First World War. He had settled in a small village not far from St Petersburg by 1917 and managed to avoid the Revolutionary ferment into which all of Russia was plunged by the Bolsheviks in February that year. So 1916 and 1917 were particularly peaceful years for Prokofiev and gave him time to think, meditate and go for long walks in the country. “I composed my “Classical” Symphony while walking through the fields,” he wrote, and there is certainly more than a breath of fresh air blowing through this delightful music. One American critic described it as an “orgy of discordant sounds” but another gave a much more affectionate

description: “The Classical Symphony is the picture of a modern man sauntering through old-world streets where a new generation lives behind ornamental house fronts. There are the sounds of the modern time coming dimly from the 15 highways somewhere in the neighbourhood, but still the puttos over the doorways are smiling at a changed world and the scent of a capricious age hangs over the narrow winding lanes.”

The Symphony’s premiere was given on 8 April 1918 in the newly-renamed city of Petrograd (formerly, and again presently, St Petersburg).

Marc Rochester Royal Scottish National Orchestra/ Neeme Järvi Chandos CHAN 8931/4 Chamber Orchestra of Europe/ Claudio Abbado DG 429-396-2 SUGGESTED Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/ RECORDINGS Yoel Levi Telarc CD 80289 USSR State Symphony Orchestra/ Yevgeny Svetlanov BBC BBCL4345-2

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 26’00 Allegro molto appassionato 16 Andante Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

Mendelssohn’s close association with the violin went back to the age of ten Born Hamburg 3 February 1809; when he began lessons on the died Leipzig 4 November 1847. instrument. By then he had already Prodigiously gifted child brought impressed Berlin’s cultural elite with his up in a distinguished intellectual, piano playing, and whilst it was as a artistic and banking family. pianist that he first made a name for Composed concertos, five himself, he had such a natural ability as symphonies, three major oratorios, a violinist that he quickly established numerous stage works and a great himself as a first-rate violinist too. deal of orchestral, chamber, However, Mendelssohn’s true musical instrumental, vocal and religious music. genius was as a composer and his first compositions appeared in 1820, when he was just 11 years old. Naturally enough the piano and violin featured prominently in these and within two years he had composed his first concertos – one each for violin and piano – while 1823 saw the composition of two double concertos, one for violin and piano and one for two pianos. Altogether he wrote a total of eight concertos – three for piano, two for two pianos, two for violin and one for violin and piano – but it is generally accepted that the Violin Concerto in E minor composed in 1844 is the finest of them all.

1844 was a very busy year for Mendelssohn. For several months he had been building up the new academy of music in Leipzig while at the same time working as conductor of the city’s Gewandhaus Orchestra. He was, however, living in Berlin where he was cathedral organist, choirmaster and co-conductor of the Berlin Symphony Concerts. As if such frequent commuting between two cities almost 150km apart was not enough, between May and July, when there was something of a respite from musical activity in Germany, Mendelssohn paid his eighth visit to England where he conducted six concerts of his own music with the Royal Philharmonic Society. Exhausted by all this musical activity, as well as from so much travelling, Mendelssohn took time off once back in Germany to recuperate in the countryside near Frankfurt. It was here on 16 September that he wrote his last purely orchestral work, the Violin Concerto in E minor.

The Concerto’s premiere was given in Leipzig on 13 March 1845 by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Niels Gade. Ferdinand David, the orchestra’s concert-master and a close friend of Mendelssohn, was the soloist. From the 17 very start of the Concerto, as the solo violin soars gracefully above the subdued orchestra, the reasons for the work’s popularity are obvious. It is full of rich, lyrical melodies, none more so than the exquisite theme of the second movement. The playful, buoyant finale is strongly reminiscent of the light, bubbly scherzo movements which characterise Mendelssohn’s youthful works. The inclusion of the cadenza in the very middle of the first movement as well as the linking of the first two movements so that they run without a break were innovations introduced by Mendelssohn, but otherwise this is a concerto firmly in the Romantic tradition as perfected by Beethoven and Brahms, alongside whose violin concertos Mendelssohn’s ranks in terms of popularity.

Marc Rochester Daniel Hope/ Chamber Orchestra of Europe/ Thomas Hengelbrock DG 477 6634 Hilary Hahn/ Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra/

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RECORDINGS Sony SK89921 Maxim Vengerov/ Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/ Kurt Masur Teldec 4509-90875-2 Jascha Heifetz/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Thomas Beecham EMI CDH5 65191-2

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JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957)

Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 38’00 Andante, ma non troppo – Allegro Energico Andante (ma non troppo lento) 19 Scherzo (Allegro) Finale (Quasi una Fantasia): Andante – Allegro molto

On 26 April 1899 a large audience gathered in Helsinki to attend a concert Born 8 December 1865 in which the 33-year-old Sibelius Hämmeenlinna, Finland; died 20 conducted a programme of his own September 1957 Järvenpää. works, the orchestral tone poem The After a brief period spent overseas Wood Nymph, a brief work for male returned to Finland and became voice chorus and orchestra The Song indelibly associated with the of the Athenians, and the first musical voice of Finnish nationalism. performance of the Symphony No.1. Sibelius was by that time well known Early successes were with overtly not only as a composer but also as a patriotic works, but subsequent importance lies in his work as one figurehead in the Finnish Nationalist of the 20th century’s leading movement, and what had attracted the symphonists. crowd was the prospect of hearing the first performance of The Song of the Athenians, billed as Sibelius’ response to Czar Nicholas II’s so-called “February Manifesto” in which the autonomous rights enjoyed by Finland since 1809 were severely curtailed and an autocratic Governor-General, Nikolai Bobrikov, appointed to ensure Finland toed the Russian line. The Helsinki audience, despite their obvious enthusiasm for the Symphony – they applauded each individual movement – were largely unaware of the significance of the event.

Not only were they present at the last premiere of a major symphony to take place during the 19th century – a century which had begun with the first performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony – but they were witnessing the birth of a great symphonic career. Sibelius was to compose seven symphonies over the course of the next 25 years in which he made, in the words of one commentator, “his most unique contribution to music and produced one of the most significant bodies of symphonic literature after Beethoven”.

It was a performance of another great 19th century symphony, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, which he had heard in Berlin during February 1898, that inspired 20 Sibelius to start work on his first symphony. Both in Berlin and back in Helsinki, Sibelius found the temptation of various bars and hostelries too much of a distraction to his composing. So he moved in with, first, his mother-in-law and, later, his brother and sister, in order to work on the Symphony. The birth of his third child in November 1898 must also have provided a certain distraction, but the Symphony was completed in March 1899. For all his anti-Russian political sentiments, as a symphonist Sibelius certainly began very much in the Russian mould and many have pointed to the strong influences of two Russian composers – Borodin and Tchaikovsky – in his First Symphony.

Indeed the first movement opens with a melancholic clarinet solo above gently rumbling timpani which bears a striking resemblance to a similar passage in Borodin’s First Symphony; linguistic experts have, however, argued that this melody is actually inspired by the speech rhythms of the Finnish language. Be that as it may, this not only makes for an intensely beautiful opening to the Symphony, but also provides the basic melodic material of the entire work; most subsequent themes are in some way or another derived from it, including the sparkling little theme from the flutes with the glittering accompaniment of an icy harp which seems to prove the frequently-made comment on Sibelius’ music that it “encapsulates the landscape of Finland”.

The second movement opens with a passage clearly inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony which Sibelius had heard in Helsinki in 1897, while the third movement is very obviously inspired not by a Russian composer, but by the great Austrian symphonist Bruckner. The central Trio section has the unmistakeable stamp of Sibelius, but in the end the movement again reverts strongly to the style of Bruckner.

The fourth movement opens with a tragic statement of the opening clarinet theme played here by the violins. After this has been echoed more gently by the woodwinds, the theme plays no further part in the Symphony. Instead, the remainder of the movement is given over to what one commentator has described as “thrilling orchestral detail, sudden and vivid dynamic contrasts, impetuous and declamatory outbursts of rhetoric”.

Marc Rochester

Lahti Symphony Orchestra/ Osmo Vänskä BIS BIS-CD-861 21 London Symphony Orchestra/ Colin Davis RCA 09026 68183-2 SUGGESTED Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/ RECORDINGS Paavo Berglund EMI CZS5 68643-2 Philharmonia Orchestra/ Vladimir Ashkenazy Decca 455 402-2

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF

PATRON ARTISTIC AND SSO LADIES’ Assistant Manager, Dr Goh Keng Swee MARKETING LEAGUE Marketing COMMITTEE Communications HONORARY Chairlady Ms Cindy Lim 24 CHAIRMAN Chairman Mrs Odile Benjamin Mr Tan Boon Teik Mr Goh Yew Lin Marketing Mrs Celeste Basapa Communications BOARD OF Dr Chang Tou Liang Mrs Viviana Bernard Executives DIRECTORS Ms Marina Tan Harper Mrs Gabriele Bott Ms Koh Mui Leng Mr Lan Shui Mrs Selina Conner Mr Sean Tan Chairman Mr Bernard Lanskey Mrs Rosy Ho Prof Cham Tao Soon Ms Lim Mei Mrs Irene Lee Senior Mr Lim Yau Mrs Alice Lee-Seah Development & Deputy Chairman Mr Kenneth Tan Dr Julie Lo Sponsorship Mr Goh Yew Lin Mrs Kwan Lui Manager FINANCE AND Mrs Clarinda Martin Mr Freddie Low Directors HUMAN Mrs Heike Meyer Mrs Dorothy Chan RESOURCE Mrs Nancy Miller Assistant Manager, Dr Chang Tou Liang COMMITTEE Mrs Cindy Tay Development & Mr Choo Thiam Siew Ms Manju Vangal Sponsorship Mr Lee Suan Hiang Chairman Mr Anthony Chng Ms Lim Mei Ms Yong Ying-l MANAGEMENT Mrs Gretchen Liu Development & Mr Mourad Mankarios Mr Choo Thiam Siew General Manager Sponsorship Executives Prof Bernard Tan Mr Warren Fernandez Mr Chng Kai Jin Ms Jean Ong Dr Aline Wong Mr Goh Yew Lin Ms Teo Chew Yen Mr Wong Nang Jang Mrs Elizabeth Martin Orchestra Manager Ms Yong Ying-I Ms Sharon Son Finance & Accounts DEVELOPMENT Manager Secretary COMMITTEE Orchestra Executive Mr Rick Ong Mr Chng Kai Jin Mr Khor Chin Yang Chairman Finance & Accounts NOMINATING Mr Mourad Mankarios Programme Executive AND EXECUTIVE Manager Mr Alan Ong COMMITTEE Mrs Odile Benjamin Ms Kua Li Leng Ms Madeleine Lee Human Resources & Chairman Mrs Gretchen Liu Programme Administration Prof Cham Tao Soon Mr Phillip Overmyer Executive Manager Ms Jane Lim Ms Wee Puay Cheng Mr Goh Yew Lin AUDIENCE Mr Wong Nang Jang DEVELOPMENT & Assistant Manager Concert Hall & Ms Yong Ying-l OUTREACH (Choral) Facilities Manager COMMITTEE Mr Adrian Chiang Mr Collin Tan ENDOWMENT FUND COMMITTEE Chairman Senior Librarian Officers Prof Bernard Tan Mr Lim Yeow Siang Concert Hall Operations Chairman Mr Ansari bin Hamid Mr Goh Geok Khim Mr Richard Adams Assistant Librarian Marican Mr Chan Tze Law Mr Chia Jit Min Mr Ramayah Elango Members Dr Chang Tou Liang Mr Abiden bin Mohd Said Ms Jennie Chua Dr Eugene Dairianathan Audience Mr Mohamed Zailani bin Mr Anthony Teo Mrs Jessie Ho-Tan Development & Mohamed Said Mr Wong Nang Jang Mr Lee Suan Hiang Outreach Manager Mr Abdul Wahab bin Sakir Ms Yong Ying-I Ms Rebecca Ng Ms Jenny Ting Mr Radin Sulaiman Bin Ali Dr Aline Wong Audience Hall Booking Development & Mdm Nyan Chiou Fong Outreach Executive Ms Charlyn Too Ticketing Ms Rose Chew Marketing Communications Manager, Manager ABRSM Office Mr Foo Chen Loong Ms Hay Su-San Assistant Examinations Manager Ms Patricia Yee