Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony Friday 22 April at 7:30pm Melbourne Town Hall WHAT’S ON APRIL – JUNE 2016 BACH SUITES METROPOLIS NEW PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO Thursday 28 April MUSIC FESTIVAL AND JULIET Friday 29 April Saturday 14 May Friday 3 June Saturday 30 April Wednesday 18 May Saturday 4 June Saturday 21 May Monday 6 June Two of the most popular suites of the Baroque period, featuring the The 2016 Metropolis New Music Diego Matheuz returns with this famous Badinerie and Air in D major, Festival is especially metropolitan in program of three Russian classics, are paired with two of Haydn’s finest content and spirit. Its theme, Music including Rachmaninov’s beloved symphonies: ‘La Passione’, so-called of the City, will examine all facets Piano Concerto No.2, with Korean because of the fierce intensity of the of city life, through time, place and pianist Joyce Yang, and Mussorgsky’s music, and the ‘Oxford’, considered history. The director of Metropolis ominous Night on Bald Mountain. one of the pinnacles of Haydn’s 2016 is dynamic American conductor, It concludes with excerpts from symphonic output. pianist and composer Robert Spano. Prokofiev’s ingenious and complex ballet score Romeo and Juliet. BRAHMS’ FOURTH MENDELSSOHN’S RACHMANINOV’S SYMPHONY VIOLIN CONCERTO PAGANINI RHAPSODY Friday 27 May Thursday 9 June Thursday 16 June Saturday 28 May Friday 10 June Friday 17 June Saturday 11 June German conductor Christoph Music of three distinct ages and König directs a program of three MSO Concertmaster Eoin styles – Haydn’s Symphony No.6, Le masterpieces. Ravel’s Le tombeau Andersen directs the Orchestra in matin, is followed by Rachmaninov’s de Couperin is followed by Bartók’s Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella famous Rhapsody on a Theme of rarely performed Viola Concerto and Brett Dean’s arrangement of Till Paganini, with the spectacular with British virtuoso Lawrence Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. Also on French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Power. Brahms’ Symphony No.4 the program is Strauss’ Serenade for Then, a work Sir Andrew Davis completes the program. Winds and Mendelssohn’s evergreen believes is one of the greatest of the Violin Concerto. 20th century – Ives’ Symphony No.4. 2 WELCOME TO SCHUBERT’S UNFINISHED SYMPHONY Welcome back to Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for this wonderful program of works by Benjamin Northey conductor Schubert and Fauré. Jacqueline Porter soprano Tonight’s program opens with something James Clayton bass of a rarity, Schubert’s choral work for Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus male voices and lower strings: Gesang der Anthony Pasquill chorus master Geister über den Wassern. The Orchestra then takes on the composer’s Symphony No.8 – famously left unfinished. Often called the Schubert first ‘Romantic’ symphony, this is music well Gesang der Geister über den Wassern ahead of its time so I hope you enjoy this remarkable piece. – Our final work this evening is Fauré’s Schubert heavenly Requiem, for which we are joined Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’ by stellar Australian soloists Jacqueline – Porter and James Clayton, as well as the Interval Melbourne Symphony Chorus in all their glory. – Fauré Requiem Benjamin Northey Patricia Riordan Associate Conductor Chair This concert has a duration of approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. This performance will be recorded for broadcast on ABC Classic FM on Thursday 5 May at 8pm. Pre-Concert Recital 6:30pm, Friday 22 April, Melbourne Town Hall The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we perform – Ticket-holders are invited to attend a free pre-concert The Kulin Nation – and would like to pay our respects recital by Dr Calvin Bowman, on the Melbourne Town to their Elders and Community both past and present. Hall grand organ. 3 MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) was The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus has built established in 1906 and is Australia’s oldest orchestra. an international reputation for the highest standards It currently performs live to more than 250,000 people and for bold artistic planning. Known as the Melbourne annually, in concerts ranging from subscription Chorale until 2008, it has since then been integrated performances at its home, Hamer Hall at Arts Centre with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and in 2015, Melbourne, to its annual free concerts at Melbourne’s celebrated its 50th anniversary. largest outdoor venue, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The Chorus sings with the finest conductors, The Orchestra also delivers innovative and engaging including Sir Andrew Davis, Edward Gardner, Mark programs to audiences of all ages through its Education Wigglesworth, Bernard Labadie, Stephen Layton, and Outreach initiatives. Vladimir Ashkenazy, Masaaki Suzuki and Manfred Sir Andrew Davis gave his inaugural concerts as the Honeck. Recent highlights include Britten’s War MSO’s Chief Conductor in 2013, having made his debut Requiem, Kancheli’s Styx, Brett Dean’s The Last Days of with the Orchestra in 2009. Highlights of his tenure Socrates, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Rachmaninov’s have included collaborations with artists such as Bryn The Bells, and Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. Terfel, Emanuel Ax, Truls Mørk and Renée Fleming, and The Chorus is committed to developing and the Orchestra’s European Tour in 2014 which included performing new Australian and international choral appearances at the Edinburgh Festival, the Amsterdam repertoire. Commissions include Brett Dean’s Katz und Concertgebouw, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival Spatz (commissioned with the Swedish Radio Choir), and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Concert Hall. Further current Ross Edwards’ Mountain Chant (commissioned with and future highlights with Sir Andrew Davis include a Cantillation), Paul Stanhope’s Exile Lamentations complete cycle of the Mahler symphonies. Sir Andrew (commissioned with Sydney Chamber Choir and will maintain the role of Chief Conductor until the end London’s Elysian Singers), and Gabriel Jackson’s To of 2019. the Field of Stars (commissioned with the Netherlands The MSO also works with Associate Conductor Chamber Choir and Stockholm’s St Jacob’s Chamber Benjamin Northey and the Melbourne Symphony Choir). Orchestra Chorus, as well as with such eminent recent The Chorus has also premiered works by many guest conductors as Thomas Adès, John Adams, Tan composers including James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt, Dun, Charles Dutoit, Jakub Hrůša, Mark Wigglesworth, Hans Werner Henze, Alfred Schnittke, Gavin Bryars, Markus Stenz and Simone Young. It has also Valentyn Silvestrov, Arturs Maskats, Thierry Machuel collaborated with non-classical musicians including and Pēteris Vasks, and others. The Chorus has made Burt Bacharach, Nick Cave, Sting, Tim Minchin, Ben critically acclaimed recordings for Chandos and for Folds, DJ Jeff Mills and Flight Facilities. ABC Classics. It has performed across Brazil and at the The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra reaches a wider Cultura Inglese Festival in Sao Paolo, in Kuala Lumpur audience through regular radio broadcasts, recordings with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, with The and CD releases, which include recent discs of Strauss’ Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, West Four Last Songs, Don Juan and Also sprach Zarathustra Australian Symphony Orchestra, Barbra Streisand, with Sir Andrew Davis and Erin Wall on ABC Classics. at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, at the On the Chandos label the MSO has recently released 2011 AFL Grand Final, and the Sydney Olympic Arts Berlioz’ Harold en Italie with James Ehnes and Ives’ Festival. Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2, both led by Sir Andrew Davis. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is funded principally by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and is generously supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The MSO is also funded by the City of Melbourne, its Principal Partner, Emirates, corporate sponsors and individual donors, trusts and foundations. 4 Unfinished Projects From stamps to sandpits: MSO’s Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey is determined to complete a project from start to finish, but first he must conquer Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. What is your unfinished project? Even for works which we have performed many I keep promising to alphabetise and catalogue my times, we always need to build them again and large collection of orchestral and operatic scores…it’s a explore possibilities in rehearsal. Energy levels need disaster really. I never know where anything is. to be considered to ensure we are all primed for the performance. I usually arrive at the venue early, making If you could start all over again and finish a project sure to eat and hydrate well (chocolate comes in handy from start to finish, what would you do? too!). I think music is nearly always performed better I would absolutely build a two-level fort style cubby in a state of relaxed confidence, alertness and focus. house in the backyard for my kids, with a sand pit Winding down afterwards can be a long process, underneath and a nice little ladder to climb. I’m sometimes even days long. thinking treated pine, but open to suggestions. How do you prepare for Schubert? What were you obsessed with as a kid? Like any masterpiece, a large amount of time spent As well as music, I LOVED cricket and had a pretty studying the score is required. Schubert occupies a serious stamp collection. special sound world which informs the approach to this Are you from a musical family? symphony. Schubert was able to look forward to the My mum Wendy is a fine pianist and my dad Bob played romantic period and back to the classical masters. It’s guitar and sang to us a lot. My younger brother Blaise too much of a simplification to say his greatest strength sang and played the clarinet and my older sister Emma was in melodic invention.