SEASON 2018 GREAT PASSIONS SEASON 2018 Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. Denis Diderot French Philosopher 1 SEASON 2018 So what does MSO’s Season 2018 mean for you? Extraordinary concerts from one of the world's greatest orchestras. And to those who say, 'We're used to that!' I reply, 'You ain't heard nothin' yet!' Cover Michelle Wood, cello Photography Peter Tarasiuk Sir Andrew Davis Chief Conductor Styling Kimberly Gardner, Karinda Mutabazi Hair and makeup Claire Leighton 2 SEASON 2018 Contents Season Opening Gala 5 The Masters Series 6 The Great Classics Series 10 Melbourne Town Hall Series 14 The Choral Series 16 Bernstein Celebration 18 East meets West 20 Mid Season Gala 21 NEW! MSO Mornings Series 22 MSO Chamber Series 24 The Recital Centre Series 26 Opera in Concert 28 Season Finale Gala 29 MSO Monash Series 30 MSO Geelong Series 32 Sidney Myer Free Concerts 34 Metropolis New Music Festival 35 Ears Wide Open Series 36 The Proms 38 MSO at the Movies 39 Messiah 41 MSO Family 42 The Orchestra 44 MSO Supporters 46 Subscriber rewards 49 Create Your Own Series – 3 easy steps 50 How to subscribe 51 Add-on concert prices for subscribers 52 Booking form 53 Our partners 55 Connect with us 56 Concert calendar 57 Cover Michelle Wood, cello Photography Peter Tarasiuk Styling Kimberly Gardner, Karinda Mutabazi Hair and makeup Claire Leighton 3 SEASON 2018 Every Sunday and Tuesday nights be transported with the best orchestral music from around the world. Check your Foxtel guide for more details. foxtelarts.com.au @FoxtelArts 4 SPECIAL EVENT Nelson Freire DAVIS | FREIRE | SKELTON Season Saturday 3 March | 7.30pm Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall Sir Andrew Davis conductor Opening Nelson Freire piano Stuart Skelton tenor Vine Symphony No.1 Microsymphony ∆ Gala Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 Emperor Beethoven Fidelio: Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! Wagner Götterdämmerung: Morgendämmerung and Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt Wagner Die Walküre: Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond Verdi Otello: Ballabile Verdi Otello: Niun mi tema Join us as we celebrate our season opening with two fantastic guest artists. Highlights include Beethoven’s stirring Emperor Concerto, the dungeon scene from Fidelio and Verdi’s amazing nale from Otello. It is extraordinary to have Wagner and Verdi, born in the same year, together on the program. Juxtaposed with these classical icons is Carl Vine’s Microsymphony, a work encompassing the dramatic features one expects from a symphony, compressed into just 12 minutes — intriguing! – Sir Andrew Davis, Chief Conductor ∆ Composer in Residence 5 THE MASTERS SERIES Sir Andrew Davis (Photo Dario Acosta) The Masters Series One of the tasks I relish most as MSO's Chief Conductor is planning a season in which all guest artists are matched with repertoire for which they have a special affinity. In this year's Masters Series I believe I have achieved this goal with particular success. – Sir Andrew Davis, Chief Conductor Pre-concert talks recorded for podcast Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall 6 matinee or 8 evening performances 6 THE MASTERS SERIES 1 2 THE DREAM DEBUSSY OF GERONTIUS AND BRAHMS Thursday 8 March | 7.30pm Thursday 5 April | 7.30pm Saturday 10 March | 2pm Sir Andrew Davis conductor Jun Märkl conductor Catherine Wyn-Rogers mezzo-soprano Christopher Moore viola Stuart Skelton tenor David Berlin cello Nathan Berg bass Ladies of the MSO Chorus MSO Chorus Debussy Nocturnes Elgar The Dream of Gerontius Finsterer Double Concerto ▯ Brahms Symphony No.4 I rst heard this work at the age of 14 and it made the deepest impression on If you ask me which Brahms symphony me. Though it is a profoundly religious is my favourite, the answer would piece, tracing the soul’s progress probably be the one I’m conducting through death and beyond, it carries a right now. But I do believe that the message of ecstatic hope that will move Fourth is truly my favourite. It has a you whatever your beliefs. It’s with great grandeur and a sweep to it like no joy that I bring it to the MSO. other. Debussy can always be relied upon to paint the most vivid pictures — here clouds, festival celebrations and dangerously alluring sirens! 3 4 BEETHOVEN’S THOMAS HAMPSON EROICA SINGS MAHLER Thursday 10 May | 7.30pm Thursday 7 June | 7.30pm Saturday 12 May | 2pm Sir Andrew Davis conductor Andrea Molino conductor Moye Chen piano Thomas Hampson baritone Vine Concerto for Orchestra ∆ Mahler Totenfeier Liszt Piano Concerto No.1 Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Beethoven Symphony No.3 Eroica Messiaen Le Tombeau resplendissant R. Strauss Tod und Verklärung Beethoven originally dedicated his Heroic Symphony (Eroica is Italian for My friend Thomas Hampson sings heroic) to Napoleon but erased his Mahler’s beautiful songs of a love-lorn name from the title page when the wanderer, Messiaen evokes the glory Corsican revealed his feet were of clay of stained glass windows, and Strauss, (clearly an Englishman’s perspective!). like Elgar, takes us through death to nal The symphony was of a scale never transguration. An inspiring evening! before attempted and remains one of the great triumphs in music. ▯ World premiere ∆ Composer in Residence East meets West 7 THE MASTERS SERIES 5 6 SIMONE YOUNG HOLST'S KOLJA BLACHER THE PLANETS Thursday 5 July | 7.30pm Thursday 30 August | 7.30pm Saturday 7 July | 2pm Saturday 1 September | 2pm Simone Young conductor Sir Andrew Davis conductor Kolja Blacher violin Ladies of the MSO Chorus Britten Violin Concerto Vine Symphony No.8 ▯ ∆ Bruckner Symphony No.6 Holst The Planets After her recent triumph with Bruckner’s An exciting evening awaits with the Ninth Symphony, Simone Young, one of latest symphony by our Composer in Australia’s most distinguished artists who Residence Carl Vine. And then one of enjoys the greatest international renown, the most popular works of all time, brings her extraordinary insights to his Holst’s masterpiece The Planets which glorious Sixth. Benjamin Britten’s early has the ability to take you to infinity Violin Concerto, a piece demanding and beyond! great virtuosity and expressiveness, is in the best of hands with the ever-popular Kolja Blacher. 7 8 $50 BONUS CONCERT* STRAVINSKY’S BEETHOVEN 5 NEW WORLD FIREBIRD SYMPHONY Page 12 Thursday 25 October | 7.30pm Thursday 15 November | 7.30pm Saturday 27 October | 2pm Saturday 17 November | 2pm 8 CONCERT SUBSCRIPTION conductor Karina Canellakis conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste THURSDAY Adult Conc. piano Mayu Kishima violin ○ Dejan Lazić Premium $996 $916 Stravinsky Funeral Song Dvořák The Noon Witch A Reserve $828 $748 Bartók Piano Concerto No.3 Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 B Reserve $712 $672 Stravinsky The Firebird Beethoven Symphony No.5 C Reserve $568 $528 D Reserve $424 $424 I’m delighted that my esteemed Beethoven’s Fifth needs no introduction friend Jukka-Pekka Saraste will lead a but its originality always astonishes performance of the complete Firebird me no matter how many times I hear 6 CONCERT SUBSCRIPTION it. The Noon Witch is one of Dvořák’s ballet. I heard him conduct it a few SATURDAY MATINEE years ago and my hair stood on end. too seldom performed tone poems Premium $642 $582 Bartók's last Piano Concerto is his most — discovering new pieces by familiar A Reserve $534 $474 tender, and as always, there’s plenty of composers is, I think, one of the joys of B Reserve $480 $450 excitement along the way! concert-going. Shostakovich was afraid C Reserve $426 $396 his violin concerto would o¥end the D Reserve $318 $318 Soviet authorities and hid it in a drawer for several years. Thank goodness he Includes free pre-concert talk. ▯ World premiere changed his mind! * Conditions apply. See page 49. ∆ Composer in Residence East meets West ○ Winner of the inaugural Shanghai – Words by Sir Andrew Davis, Isaac Stern International Violin Competition Chief Conductor 8 THE MASTERS SERIES (Clockwise from top left) Thomas Hampson baritone (Photo Dario Acosta) Simone Young conductor (Photo Berthold Fabricius) Dejan Lazić piano (Photo Lin Gothoni) Mayu Kishima violin (Photo Keiichi Suto) 9 THE GREAT CLASSICS SERIES Xian Zhang The Great Classics Series A Melbourne favourite. Enjoy great symphonic repertoire showcasing a mix of international and Australian guest artists. Pre-concert talks recorded for podcast Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall 6 evening performances 10 THE GREAT CLASSICS SERIES 1 2 MAHLER 9 TCHAIKOVSKY 5 Friday 16 March | 7.30pm Friday 13 April | 7.30pm Saturday 17 March | 7.30pm Saturday 14 April | 7.30pm Monday 19 March | 6.30pm Monday 16 April | 6.30pm Sir Andrew Davis conductor Muhai Tang conductor James Ehnes violin Mahler Symphony No.9 Brahms Tragic Overture ‘A symphony must be like a world Kernis Violin Concerto ** — it must contain everything.’ The Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 Ninth, Mahler’s last complete and most ambiguous symphony, is as much Meet Muhai Tang, the charismatic about our fragmenting world, as volatile Chinese-born conductor renowned Europe at the end of Mahler’s life. for delivering edge-of-your-seat It can be conducted as a love-song performances. He is also a fearless to life, a hymn to death, or both. new music champion so I predict this Whatever path Sir Andrew Davis takes, Australian premiere by Pulitzer Prize- it will leave you changed, with more winning Aaron Jay Kernis will be a questions than answers. white heat experience. Kernis wrote it for James Ehnes’ beautiful, lyrical tone and jaw-dropping virtuoso technique, promising poetry and reworks before you even get to the Tchaikovsky. 3 4 L’ENFANCE