Cover_14Jan06 1/11/06 10:48 AM Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K LAN SHUI & SSO TO 10 MORE GOOD YEARS! MUSIC DIRECTOR LAN SHUI A STANDING OVATION TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS Official Airline Official Hotel Official Radio Station Official Postage Sponsor Partners THE RETURN OF Popular Classics on Symphony 92.4FM (Mon-Fri, 9am to 12pm & 2pm to 5pm) A CHINESE LEGEND Whether you're at work or at home, tune in to Popular Classics on Symphony 92.4FM for your favourite blend of classical favourites. We keep you fresh and alert all day with colourful sounds from the Baroque to the Modern. You can also keep abreast of What's On in the local arts scene, and glean lifestyle tips on aspiring to The Good Life. For more information, please log on to: www.symphony.sg Sat 14 Jan 06 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. Esplanade Concert Hall SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 11 Empress Place, Victoria Concert Hall, Ground Floor, Singapore 179558 PERFORMING HOME OF THE SSO Company registration no.: 197801125M Phone +65 6338 1230 (main) Fax +65 6336 6382 (main) E-mail [email protected] Website www.sso.org.sg All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 1 Sat, 14 Jan 06 Singapore Symphony Orchestra Lan Shui conductor Fou Ts’ong piano THE RETURN OF A CHINESE LEGEND JEAN SIBELIUS The Tempest: Suite No. 2 12’00 PROGRAMME WOLFGANG Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat AMADEUS MOZART major, K. 595 32’00 31 Allegro Larghetto Allegro Intermission 20’00 Fou Ts’ong will sign autographs at the stall foyer FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 BARTHOLDY ‘Scottish’ 40’00 Andante con moto – Allegro un poco agitato – Assai animato – Tempo 1 Vivace non troppo Adagio Allegro vivacissimo Allegro maestoso assai All timings indicated are approximate All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 2 SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ABOUT THE SSO 2 A premier Asian orchestra gradually 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 other venues, including outdoor concert platforms. Performing over 50 symphonic concerts a year, its versatile repertoire spans the all-time favourites and masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres. In support of Singaporean talent, local musicians and composers feature prominently in the concert season. Since its inception in 1979, the SSO has toured America, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 3 “The Singapore Symphony under Lan Shui plays with world-class polish and loads of excitement…” American Record Guide Since Maestro Lan Shui assumed the position of Music Director in 1997, he has raised the Orchestra’s level of excellence, and has been distinguished by his dedication to the performance of new Asian ABOUT THE SSO compositions. Choo Hoey, who was Music Director 3 from 1979 to 1996, is credited for developing the Orchestra with his diverse programming. Winning acclaim were the SSO’s recordings of the first-ever complete symphony cycle of Alexander Tcherepnin. The SSO has also recorded the music of Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng and Richard Yardumian under an exclusive recording contract with the BIS label. Artists heard on SSO recordings include Evelyn Glennie, Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Noriko Ogawa, Christian Lindberg and Martin Fröst. Highlights of the current season include appearances with conductors Claus Peter Flor and James Judd, pianists Simon Trpceski and Artur Pizarro, as well as violinist Pinchas Zukerman. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 4 All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 5 Lan Shui joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Music Director in 1997. Under his direction, the SSO started recording under the international label BIS, and he has led the Orchestra on several successful tours. Strongly supportive of Asian-influenced works, Lan Shui is passionate about premiering and commissioning works by Asian and Singaporean composers. Currently dividing his time between the SSO, his post as Principal Guest Conductor of Denmark’s Aalborg Symphony, and engagements with other orchestras, conductor Lan Shui has conducted the Baltimore Symphony, Berlin Lan Shui Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, conductor Gothenburg Symphony, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles LAN SHUI Philharmonic, Malmö Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, 5 Munich Chamber Orchestra and Tampere Philharmonic, amongst others. He has performed at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Bravo! Vail Valley, Round Top, Eastern Music, the National Orchestra Institute and Casals Festivals. Born in China, Lan Shui made his professional conducting debut with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing in 1986 and was later appointed conductor of the Beijing Symphony. In 1990 he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Summer Festival, where he came to the attention of David Zinman, who invited him to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Conducting Affiliate in 1992. From 1994 to 1997, he was Associate Conductor to Neeme Järvi at the Detroit Symphony. In the same period he assisted Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic and conducted the Cleveland Orchestra in Paris as part of Boulez’s young conductors’ project. Lan Shui is the recipient of several international awards, amongst them awards from the Beijing Arts Festival, New York Tcherepnin Society, 37th Besançon Conductors Competition in France and Boston University Distinguished Alumni Award. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 6 Natsteel AD All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 7 Born in Shanghai in 1934, Fou Ts’ong is widely considered the first Chinese musician to have established himself in the West. Son of the famous scholar and philosopher Fou Lei, Fou Ts’ong grew up in the intellectual surrounding of old China. He first studied with Mario Paci, an Italian pianist in Shanghai, and then later with Ada Bronstein. In 1953 he was a prize winner at the Bucharest and Chopin competitions and was awarded the Mazurka prize in Poland and also a scholarship to study with piano Zbigniew Drzewicki in Warsaw. He began performing widely in Eastern Europe and in 1959, made his debut Fou Ts’ong at the Royal Albert Hall in London under the baton piano of Carl Maria Guilini. Since then, Fou Ts’ong has made FOU TS’ONG London his home. 7 He has made recordings of works by Scarlatti, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann and Debussy, sat on juries for international competitions such as the Leeds, Queen Elisabeth, Santander and Geneva competitions, gives masterclasses and teaches every year at the International Piano Foundation for Young Pianists at Como. More recently Fou Ts’ong has returned to the Shanghai Conservatory on a regular basis. He has inspired and helped many young pianist along on their way, and Time magazine has called him ‘the greatest Chinese musician alive today.’ All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 8 Symphony AD All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore 14 Jan 2006 Booklet 1/12/06 11:41 AM Page 9 SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSIC DIRECTOR Lan Shui RESIDENT CONDUCTOR / MUSIC DIRECTOR of SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS Lim Yau CONDUCTOR EMERITUS Choo Hoey PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR Okko Kamu FIRST VIOLIN VIOLA Xu Li LEADER PRINCIPAL FLUTE CONTRA- PERCUSSION Souptel, Alexander Zhang Manchin PRINCIPAL BASSOON PRINCIPAL Jin Ta Donev, Anani* Fox, Jonathan CO-LEADER ASSOCIATE Seah, Lynnette PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE HORN De Souza, Mark Guan Qi PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL Lim Meng Keh SSO MUSICIANS ASSISTANT LEADER Brokmiller, Evgueni Han Chang Chou Markiewicz, Grzegorz Kong Zhao Hui FIXED CHAIR Seifert, Gerd* Luo Biao Goh Tiong Eng HARP 9 FIXED CHAIR Lee Kee Hoi ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Chan Yoong Han Chen Ge PRINCIPAL Mashurova, Gulnara Heger, Jiri PICCOLO Gao Jian Huang Yu Hsin* Chen Da Wei Ku, Marietta Lee Kee Hoi Hersch, Jamie Duan Yu Ling** Liu Hao Yu Musicians listed Foo Say Ming Shui Bing OBOE Hoang Van Hoc** alphabetically rotate their Gao, Anita* Tan Wee Hsin, Ernie** PRINCIPAL Wang Min seats on a per Gu Wen Li Tarasova, Irina Walker, Rachel programme basis. Jin Li Tong Yi Ping TRUMPET Lee, Cindy Xia Bing* ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Lim Shue Churn Yang Shi Li PRINCIPAL Gargan, Laurence Seow Jin Chong Pan Yun Sui Jing Jing CELLO ASSOCIATE Tan, Karen PRINCIPAL Sonderegger, Carolyn PRINCIPAL Tan, William Hunkins, Nella Yeo, Elaine Hyken, Samuel Wang Rui Tong* Wei Zhe ASSOCIATE COR ANGLAIS Ikebe Jun** PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE Jensen, Karsten* SECOND VIOLIN Yu Jing PRINCIPAL Yap Thien Soo PRINCIPAL Yeo, Elaine Zhang Zhen Shan FIXED CHAIR TROMBONE Choi Sang-ung, CLARINET PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATE Robert PRINCIPAL Meek, Allen