PROGRAM Handel’s Messiah Fri 7 December 2018, 7.30pm & Sat 8 December 2018, 2pm Perth Concert Hall The West Australian Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Elders of the Indigenous Nations across Western Australia on whose Lands we work. SPECIAL EVENT Handel’s Messiah HANDEL Messiah (120 mins) There will be an interval of 20 minutes during this performance. Christian Curnyn conductor Sara Macliver soprano Fiona Campbell mezzo soprano Henry Choo tenor Morgan Pearse baritone WASO Chorus Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert Talks Find out more about the music in tonight’s concert with this week’s speaker, Ashley Smith. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 6.45pm Friday and 1.15pm Saturday in the Terrace Level Foyer. 2 WASO On Stage VIOLIN VIOLA DOUBLE BASS TRUMPET Laurence Jackson Benjamin Caddy Caitlin Bass° Brent Grapes Concertmaster A/Assoc Principal Viola Louise Elaerts Chair partnered by NAB Semra Lee-Smith Kierstan Arkleysmith Peter Miller A/Assoc Concertmaster Alison Hall OBOE TIMPANI Graeme Norris Helen Tuckey Liz Chee A/Assistant A/Principal Oboe Alex Timcke Concertmaster CELLO ORGAN/ Zak Rowntree* Louise McKay COR ANGLAIS Principal 2nd Violin Chair partnered by Leanne Glover CONTINUO Sarah Blackman Penrhos College Chair partnered by Stewart Smith^ Sam & Leanne Walsh Beth Hebert Shigeru Komatsu Jonathan Bradley^ Sunmi Jung Eve Silver* BASSOON Christina Katsimbardis Fotis Skordas Jane Kircher-Lindner Lucas O’Brien Chair partnered by Sue & Ron Wooller Jolanta Schenk Jane Serrangeli Bao Di Tang Cerys Tooby Teresa Vinci° *Instruments used by these musicians are on loan from Janet Holmes à Court AC. Principal Associate Principal Assistant Principal Contract Player˚ Guest Musician^ 3 WASO Chorus Formed in 1988, the WASO Chorus brings together auditioned singers who volunteer their time and talents to perform under the WASO banner. The Chorus is led by Chorus Director Christopher van Tuinen and Vocal Coach Andrew Foote. For more information visit waso.com.au Christopher van Tuinen Andrew Foote Lea Hayward Chorus Director Chorus Vocal Coach Accompanist SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS Valerie Bannan Janet Baxter Allan Griffiths Justin Audcent Anna Börner Llewela Benn David Lancaster Charlie Bond Alinta Carroll Patsy Brown John Murphy Bertel Bulten Penelope Colgan Sue Coleson Jay Reso Ken Gasmier Clara Connor Catherine Dunn Chris Ryland Benjamin Lee Charmaine de Witt Kaye Fairbairn Arthur Tideswell Andrew Lynch Ceridwen Dumergue Louise Gillett Stephen Turley Tony Marrion Nike Titilola Etim Louise Hayes Malcolm Vernon Benjamin Martis Kath Goodman Gaylene Kelso Brad Wake Peter Ormond Lesley Goodwin Kate Lewis Jim Rhoads Ro Gorell Diana MacCallum Mark Richardson Sue Hingston Tina McDonald Steve Sherwood Michelle John Debra McNeil Christopher Smith Elena Mavrofridis Lynne Naylor Robert Turnbull Elysia Murphy Deborah Pearson Andrew Wong Rochelle Rabel Deborah Piesse Elizabeth Reid Fiona Robson Lucy Sheppard Neb Ryland Sarah Shneier Olga Ward Alicia Walter Moira Westmore Margo Warburton Jacquie Wright 4 About The Artists Photo: Rhydian Lewis Rhydian Photo: Christian Curnyn Sara Macliver Conductor Soprano Christian Curnyn is Founder and Music Sara Macliver is one of Australia’s most Director of the Early Opera Company. popular and versatile artists, and is He has conducted notable Handel regarded as one of the leading exponents performances such as Orlando for the of Baroque repertoire. South Bank Centre Early Music Festival, Partenope for the Buxton and Aldeburgh Sara is a regular performer with all the Festivals and national tours of Flavio Australian symphony orchestras as well and Susanna. Other productions have as the Perth, Melbourne and Sydney included Britten’s Beggar’s Opera for the Festivals, Pinchgut Opera, the Australian Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Chamber Orchestra and Australian productions for Opera North, Scottish Brandenburg Orchestra, Musica Viva, and Opera, Grange Park Opera and Opera a number of international companies. Theatre, Dublin. Recently Sara has sung for the Sydney, Repertoire in recent years has included The Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Magic Flute, Monteverdi’s The Return of Orchestras, West Australian Opera, the Ulysses, Handel’s Solomon and Rameau’s Australian String Quartet, Auckland Zaroastre. In the US, Christian Curnyn Philharmonic, Australia Ensemble, has conducted for New York City Opera, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Glimmerglass, and Chicago Opera Theater. Australian Haydn Ensemble, St George’s Cathedral, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Christian Curnyn has conducted Southern Cross soloists and with the the Bournemouth Symphony, Ulster Bangalow Festival. Sara has recently Orchestra and others. Among his released a CD of Calvin Bowman songs. recordings, Semele won numerous awards including Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Sara has been awarded an honorary Magazine and the 2008 Stanley Sadie doctorate from the University of Western Handel Prize. Australia and records for ABC Classics with more than 35 CDs and many awards to her credit. 5 About The Artists Fiona Campbell Henry Choo Mezzo Soprano Tenor Fiona Campbell is one of Australia’s most Regarded as one of Australia’s finest versatile and beloved classical singers lyric tenors, Henry has performed to - a producer and guest ABC presenter, international acclaim with major opera accomplished international performer, companies and symphony orchestras, at recitalist and recording artist. Fiona was home and across the globe. the winner of the national Limelight Award His diverse operatic repertoire includes for Best Solo Performance 2011 and vocal leading roles with Opera Australia, New winner of the ABC Young Performer of the Zealand Opera, Melbourne Opera, Year Award and the ASC Opera Awards. Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Fiona sings regularly as a principal Australia and West Australian Opera; as artist with all of the major ensembles well as international festival performances and orchestras in Australia and with at Edinburgh, Macau and Auckland. Opera Australia, Opera Queensland Equally versatile and engaging in concert, and WA Opera. Her international Henry regularly features as a soloist in collaborators have included the oratorio, symphonic works, recitals and Brodsky Quartet, Tokyo Philharmonic, opera events. Manchester Camerata, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Henry is a multiple Green Room Award Glyndebourne Festival Opera. nominee. Many of his performances have been broadcast on television and radio, Career highlights include several and he also appears in a number of CD concerts with the legendary tenor José and DVD recordings. Carreras in Japan, Korea and Australia. She made debuts at Suntory Hall in 2018 sees the release of BRIGHT POET, Tokyo and Cadogan Hall in London with Henry’s debut solo album that showcases the renowned international soprano the radiant beauty of his voice through Barbara Bonney. operatic aria and song, recorded in New © Patrick Togher Artists’ Management 2018 Zealand with Orchestra Wellington. fionacampbellmusic.com henrychoo.com 6 Morgan Pearse Baritone From Sydney, Morgan Pearse is one of the most exciting and talented baritones of his generation. His 2017-18 season saw a return to English National Opera to sing Figaro in The Barber of Seville, a role he sang there in 2015-16. Other performances included Alceste in Brescianello’s Tisbe at the Buxton Festival, Belcore in New Zealand Opera’s Elixir of Love, his first solo recital at Wigmore Hall with pianist Simon Lepper, Apollo in Handel’s Apollo and Daphne with Moscow’s Musica Viva Orchestra, Mozart’s Morgan won the prestigious Cesti Requiem with the Netherlands Radio Competition in 2016 and the prestigious Philharmonic, The Magic Flute’s Papageno Lies Askonas prize in 2014. He was gold in Karlsruhe and the world premiere of medallist in the Royal Overseas League’s Andrew Ford’s song-cycle The Drowners at Music Competition in 2013. King’s College, London. morganpearse.co.uk Home to Gourmet Traveller Wine 2018 Winemaker of the Year Janice McDonald Margaret River Cellar Door 543 Miamup Road, Cowaramup Open 10am - 5pm daily www.howardparkwines.com.au 7 About The Music George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Messiah A Sacred Oratorio Messiah, Handel’s most enduringly popular oratorio, was composed in just over three weeks, during the summer of 1741. It appeared at a crucial point in the composer’s career. He had written his first oratorios during his time in Italy over 30 years earlier; however, aside from a handful of English oratorios (Esther, Deborah, Athalia, Saul and Israel in Egypt), the main focus of his career after settling in However, the initial London performances London in 1712 had been Italian opera. in 1743 were greeted with less enthusiasm, In February 1741 he produced his last and it was only when Handel began to opera, Deidamia. Having no sympathy perform the work in association with with the direction opera was taking in the Foundling Hospital at Lincoln’s Inn London, and disillusioned with the public’s (of which he was a governor) from 1750 waning interest in the genre, he accepted onwards, that it became a favourite in an invitation from the Lord Lieutenant of London and began to assume its modern Ireland to produce a concert season in iconic status. During the intervening Dublin from late 1741 until Easter 1742, for years Handel produced a new oratorio which Messiah was to be the highlight. each concert season; he found they were It was premiered on Tuesday 13 April at less