music director patron sponsors Lan Shui a standing ovation for our corporate partners official official official official official airline hotel radio station postage sponsor outdoor media partners Schumann Symphony Spectacular Symphonic Fantasy LEE FOUNDATION 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 All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore For song title, key in 924 and SMS to 72346. Each SMS costs 30 cents. Service provided by MediaCorp Pte Ltd, 6877 7132. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Sat, 30 Jan 10 Schumann Symphony Spectacular Symphonic Fantasy 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 All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 03 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. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Okko Kamu conductor 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. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore Dang Thai Son piano 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. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 06 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