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e have great pleasure in welcoming you to an outstanding evening of the 2007 Veuve ClicquotSeries.

Since 1999, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin has proudly partnered the Sydney Symphony to bringtogether a series of concerts for lovers of great music, to add a little sparkle to Monday nights.

Since the foundation of our great Champagne house in 1772, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin hasbecome synonymous with elegance, refinement, seduction and celebration.

We believe that creating truly great champagne is the collaboration of many individuals, along withthe finest selection of great vintage wines (over 50 wines comprise our Yellow Label Brut), whichtogether produce a singular sensation for the senses – much like the incredible talents anddedication of the members of the Sydney Symphony.

The aim of our involvement is to enhance your pleasure from these superb musical experiences,through providing our flagship champagne, Yellow Label Brut, in all of the bars at the SydneyOpera House Concert Hall for the Sydney Symphony performances.

We hope that you enjoy the artistic talents of the Sydney Symphony this evening, and take pleasurein a glass of the passion of our labours at interval.

A votre santé!

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PRESENTING PARTNER

SEASON 2007

THE VEUVE CLICQUOT SERIES

RACHMANINOV’S THIRD SYMPHONY AND THE RHAPSODY ON A THEMEOF PAGANINI

Monday 12 November | 7pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductorLukás Vondrácek piano

SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)

The Isle of the Dead – Symphonic Poem, Op.29

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43

INTERVAL

Symphony No.3 in A minor, Op.44

Lento – Allegro moderatoAdagio ma non troppo – Allegro vivaceAllegro

This concert will be broadcast live across Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9.

Pre-concert talk by Phillip Sametzat 6.15pm in the Northern Foyer.

Visit www.sydneysymphony.com/talk-bios for biographies of pre-concert speakers.

Estimated timings:20 minutes, 22 minutes, 20-minute interval, 39 minutesThe performance will conclude at approximately 8.55pm.

Cover images: see page 30 forcaptions

Artist biographies begin page 20

This program will be webcast byBigPond. Available On Demandfrom late November. Visit: sydneysymphony.bigpondmusic.com

Trust is proud of its long standing partnership with theSydney Symphony and is delighted to bring you theThursday Afternoon Symphony Series in 2007.

In this 75th anniversary season, the Series offers perfectafternoons with some of the best-loved composers – from Beethoven to Wagner. With these concerts bringingtogether leading conductors and soloists, you’re in for atruly delightful experience.

Just like the Sydney Symphony which has been the soundof the city for 75 years, entertaining hundreds of thousandsof people each year, Trust has been supporting publicworks for over 120 years.

Whether it be in administering an estate or charity,managing someone’s affairs or looking after their interestsvia financial planning, superannuation or fundsmanagement, people come to Trust because of ourindependence, personalised service and commitment to ensuring their interests are being looked after.

We hope that you enjoy a delightful Thursday afternoonwith the Sydney Symphony.

Jonathan SweeneyManaging DirectorTrust Company Limited

SEASON 2007

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

PRESENTED BY TRUST

RACHMANINOV’S THIRD SYMPHONY AND THE RHAPSODY ON A THEMEOF PAGANINI

Thursday 15 November | 1.30pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductorLukás Vondrácek piano

SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)



INTERVAL



This concert has been recorded for broadcast across Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9.

Pre-concert talk by Phillip Sametzat 12.45pm in the Northern Foyer.

Visit www.sydneysymphony.com/talk-bios for biographies of pre-concert speakers.

Estimated timings:20 minutes, 22 minutes, 20-minute interval, 39 minutesThe performance will conclude at approximately 3.25pm.

Cover images: see page 30 for captions

Artist biographies begin page 20

PRESENTING PARTNER

5 | Sydney Symphony

INTRODUCTION

Rachmaninov – Rhapsody

In 1917 Rachmaninov fled the October Revolution inRussia and settled in the West. After the terrible premiereof his First Symphony, this was perhaps the mosttraumatic event of his life. He was forced to abandon not only his beloved home but his Russian assets, andfrom this emerged a major shift in his musical priorities.Having established himself as a composer and conductor– who also happened to be a piano virtuoso – at the ageof 45 he had to set about acquiring the repertoire andstamina of a touring concert pianist.

But his success as a performer and his freedom as acreative artist had a price: Rachmaninov missed Russiakeenly and his performing activities prevented him from devoting his time to composing. When his friendNicolas Medtner – also a composer and pianist – askedhim in 1924 why he was no longer writing music,Rachmaninov’s intriguing response was: ‘How can I compose without melody?’ But as the biographer Barrie Martyn suggests, perhaps Medtner’s question wasenough to sting the composer into action, because in1925/26 Rachmaninov created a composing ‘sabbatical’for himself and between 1926 and 1940 completed fournew orchestral works.

Two of these were composed in the mid-1930s, andthey offer a vivid contrast in audience response. TheRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was completed in 1934and its immediate success gave Rachmaninov the boosthe needed to embark on his boldly conceived ThirdSymphony, with its new rhythmic vitality and clarity oforchestral colour.

The concert begins with Rachmaninov’s most strikingsymphonic poem – music inspired by a powerful andgloomy vision of the ‘Isle of the Dead’. Composed in1909, this masterpiece of ‘musical painting’ representsRachmaninov’s Russian period and a very 19th-centuryRomantic preoccupation with macabre and mysticalthemes.

7 | Sydney Symphony

Sergei Rachmaninov


Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem takes its title from apainting by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901), and itis the only mature work for which Rachmaninov admitteda literary or pictorial stimulus.

Böcklin’s painting depicts Charon, the ferryman of thedead in Greek mythology, rowing a wrapped corpse acrossthe Underworld river of Styx. Possibly inspired by anisland off Corfu or perhaps Naples, Böcklin’s vision of theisle of the dead is a lonely island landscape with mournfulcypresses surrounded by high cliffs. So powerful was thevision that Böcklin painted it five times between 1880 and1886 – but he never gave it a title; that was the legacy ofa contemporary art dealer.

Rachmaninov came across the painting in 1907 – orrather, he saw a black and white reproduction of one ofthe paintings, possibly in Dresden where he was living,possibly in Paris. The following winter (1907–08) hesought out an original in Leipzig or Berlin; the music wasbegun by early 1909 and it was premiered in Moscow inApril, the composer conducting.

The gloomy mood of the painting – especially in itsmonochrome version – stirred Rachmaninov’s imaginationgreatly. He was subject to a persistent melancholia –traceable perhaps to the trauma that accompanied thefailure of his First Symphony – but we should notunderestimate the 19th century’s fascination with deathand commemoration. Much of Rachmaninov’s work canbe thought of as an end-of-century amplification of the19th century’s typically morbid concerns.

Listening Guide

Böcklin said that his painting was meant to achieve adream-like quality, an effect of stillness, and Rachmaninovbrilliantly achieves a similar effect at the beginning ofhis tone poem: the five-note motif introduced by cellos is suggestive of a boat slowly plying through waters orwaves lapping at its sides. The effect is enhanced by theunusual use of an uneasy five-beat pulse – sustainedthrough the first half of the piece and returning at the end.Long brass tones emerge from this music. By reference to the painting one can imagine the cliffs looming over

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Keynotes

RACHMANINOV

Born Oneg (Novgorodregion), 1873Died Beverly Hills CA, 1943

Before leaving Russia for

good in 1917, Rachmaninov

had composed two

symphonies, three piano

concertos, and three

substantial orchestral works:

The Rock, the Capriccio on

Gypsy Themes and The Isleof the Dead, as well as the

much-loved Vocalise. In

short, most of the music

heard in this month’s festival.

After settling in the West,

Rachmaninov shifted his

attention to building a career

as a concert pianist, and

composed much less. The

Rhapsody on a Theme of

Paganini and the Third

Symphony both date from

this period. The symphony

was not warmly received,

but the rhapsody appealed

immediately and ranks as

the most admired of

Rachmaninov’s later works.

THE ISLE OF THE DEAD

The Isle of the Dead takes its

inspiration from a powerful

and gloomy image created

by the Swiss painter Böcklin.

The scenario reflects a

19th-century obsession with

death and the macabre, and

Rachmaninov discreetly

quotes the ‘Dies irae’ (Day

of wrath) chant from the

mass for the dead. The most

striking feature of The Isle

of the Dead is its use of a

five-beat pulse – unusual and

hypnotic – which is thought

to represent the dip of

Charon’s oars as he rows

across the Styx.

8 | Sydney Symphony

the approaching cargo. There is the occasional tragiccountermelody.

Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem describes a simpledynamic pattern, building a couple of times to climaxes,the last perhaps expressive of the soul’s grief at partingfrom the world, before finally subsiding quietly into theirresistible mood of the opening. One of Rachmaninov’smost typical features, the quoting of the ‘Dies irae’melody from the Latin Mass for the Dead, is heard invarious guises throughout, never in full, but perhaps most noticeably after the main climax, where it is heardabove a plodding funereal accompaniment. What isremarkable, considering that the ‘Dies irae’ is never heardcomplete, is that the whole of this work is imbued withthe effect of lamentation such that we could divine thesubject matter even without benefit of a title.

ADAPTED FROM A NOTE BY GORDON K. WILLIAMSSYMPHONY AUSTRALIA ©1997

The Isle of the Dead calls for three flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoonsand contrabassoon; six horns, three trumpets, three trombone andtuba; timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbal); harp and strings.

The Sydney Symphony gave the first Australian performance of The Isle of the Dead in a 1952 Contemporary Music Festival withBernard Heinze conducting. The most recent performance was in1997 with Edo de Waart.

Arnold Böcklin’s Isle of the Dead. This black and white reproduction of the third

of the paintings (1883) conveys something of Rachmaninov’s initial experience

of the work. The composer seems to have been affected more by the

reproduction than by the coloured original that he later saw.

‘The massive

architecture and the

mystic message of the

painting made a marked

impression on me, and

the tone poem was the

outcome…If I had seen

the original first, I might

not have composed

[the work].’

RACHMANINOV,in an interview for Musical Observer(1927)

9 | Sydney Symphony

Keynotes

THE ‘RACH PAG’

Together with the Second

and Third piano concertos,

Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on

a Theme of Paganini is one

of his most popular works

for piano and orchestra.

The Rhapsody is a set of

24 variations on a theme

by the 19th-century violin

virtuoso, Paganini. (The

theme is heard after the first

variation.) These variations

are played continuously

without pause, but they also

fall naturally into groups:

some commentators hear

three groups, corresponding

to the first, slow and finale

movements of a traditional

concerto; others hear four

groups, as outlined by Phillip

Sametz in his program note.

The Rhapsody was completed

in 1934 – effectively making it

Rachmaninov’s final ‘concerto’,

although he revised his

Fourth Piano Concerto

some years later. It found an

instant place in the repertoire

– admired by audiences and

musicians for its charm, wit

and satisfying showmanship.

Rachmaninov


Lukás Vondrácek piano

On leaving Russia for good in 1917, Rachmaninov descendedinto a composerly silence. While he busied himself with hisself-appointed task of acquiring a concert pianist’s repertoire,so that he could earn a steady income, he ceased composingaltogether.

After deciding to settle in the USA, he gave 40 concerts in four months during his first concert season there. But heeventually reduced his concert commitments and, in 1925/26,took nine months off to compose. During this sabbatical hecomposed his first post-Russian pieces: Three Russian Songsfor orchestra and chorus, which were well received, and theFourth Piano Concerto, which was greeted with widespreadindifference. Rachmaninov was so dismayed at the work’sfailure that he withdrew it until he could re-examine itthoroughly, which he was not able to do until 1941.

Rachmaninov was always sensitive about his own music,and his eagerness to bring a new concerto into his repertoirehad been seriously rebuffed by the Fourth Concerto’s failureafter its 1927 debut. He did not produce another originalwork for four years.

When the Variations on a Theme of Corelli for solo pianoappeared in 1931, they not only signalled a more astringentapproach to harmonic language and musical texture – whatFrancis Crociata called ‘a kind of personal neo-classicism’ –but indicated that a large-scale variation structure mightserve Rachmaninov’s musical needs better than the moretraditional concerto structure in which success had sorecently eluded him.

So the Corelli Variations, still not particularly popular,might be thought of as the moodier, introspective dressrehearsal for the work that was to follow in 1934, the Rhapsodyon a Theme of Paganini. The Corelli ‘theme’ Rachmaninovhad chosen was actually not by Corelli at all, but was theBaroque popular tune La Folia, which forms the basis of amovement in Corelli’s violin sonata Op.5 No.12. It was toanother celebrated work for violin that Rachmaninov turnedfor the Rhapsody: the 24th Caprice of Paganini that hadalready been mined with distinguished results by Schumann,Liszt and Brahms, not to mention Paganini himself. Howconfident Rachmaninov must have felt about himself – aman so often pessimistic about his musical achievements –

What tune is that?

The 18th variation from the Rhapsody has becomeone of Rachmaninov’smost famous melodies,and it has turned up inmovies such as the 1995 remake of Sabrina,Groundhog Day where BillMurray learns to play it(1993), Dead Again (1991),Somewhere in Time (1980),and Rhapsody (1954).

to be exploring the theme yet further, in a big work forpiano and orchestra.

The Rhapsody is one of those works which attained aninstant popularity that has never waned. Rachmaninovfinally had a new ‘concerto’ to play, and was asked to do sofrequently. The work has wit, charm, shapeliness, a clearsense of colour, strong rhythmic impetus and a dashing,suitably fiendish solo part that translates Paganini’s legendaryvirtuosity into a completely different musical context.

Listening Guide

In the Rhapsody, Rachmaninov’s quicksilver musicalimagination seems to grasp the big picture and distil asense of unity, from variation to variation, that he does notachieve in the more extended forms of the Fourth Concerto.Yet the Rhapsody’s theme and 24 variations behave like afour-movement work. Variations 1 to 11 form a quick firstmovement with cadenza; Variations 12 to 15 supply theequivalent of a scherzo/minuet; Variations 16 to 18, the slowmovement; and the final six variations, the dashing finale.

We actually hear the first variation – a skeletal march thatevokes Paganini’s bony frame – before the theme itself. Theensuing variations are increasingly animated and decorativeuntil Variation 7 gives us a first stately glimpse, on the piano,of the ‘Dies irae’ plainchant, with the strings muttering thePaganini theme against it. This old funeral chant featuresprominently in Rachmaninov’s output. Sometimes, as in hisfinal work, the Symphonic Dances, he uses it without irony,but its appearances in the Rhapsody are essentially sardonic.

Variation 8 is a kind of demented ‘can-can’ which rushesheadlong into the even more helter-skelter Variation 9, inwhich the strings begin by playing with the wood of theirbows. Grimly glittering arpeggios are tossed between pianoand orchestra in Variation 10, in which the ‘Dies irae’ isheard in brazen octaves on the piano, with syncopated brass commentary.

With the cadenza-like Variation 11 forming a point oftransition, we move to the exquisite, gently regal minuet ofVariation 12. The drive, directness and power of Variation 14

are created with much bolder writing for wind and brassthan Rachmaninov employed in his earlier orchestral scores.The piano is given a very subsidiary role here, then comesinstantly to the fore in the dazzling, soloistic Variation 15.

After a pause, Variation 16 has an intimacy and exoticismthat evokes the Arabian Dance from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker,

10 | Sydney Symphony

The work has wit,

charm, shapeliness, a

clear sense of colour,

strong rhythmic impetus

and a dashing, suitably

fiendish solo part that

translates Paganini’s

legendary virtuosity

into a completely

different musical

context.


with short but telling solo phrases for oboe, horn, violin,clarinet and cor anglais. Variation 17 is more palpablymysterious, even sinister, and the only one where the themeseems to have vanished altogether, as Rachmaninov buriesit in the harmony. But we land on very deep shag-pile indeedwith the celebrated 18th Variation, in which Rachmaninovuses his sleight of hand to turn Paganini’s theme upsidedown and create a luxuriant, much admired (and muchimitated) melody of his own. Rachmaninov is reported tohave said of it: ‘This one is for my agent.’

As if being woken suddenly from a dream, the orchestracalls the soloist and the audience to attention for six finalvariations that evoke Paganini’s legendary left-handpizzicato playing (Variation 19) and the demonic aspects ofthe Paganini legend, with more references to the ‘Dies irae’and an increasing emphasis on pianistic and orchestralvirtuosity in the last two variations. Just as a final violentoutburst of the ‘Dies irae’ seems to be leading us to afurious crash-bang coda, we are left instead with a nudgeand a wink, as Rachmaninov’s final masterpiece for pianoand orchestra bids us a sly farewell.

ADAPTED FROM A NOTE BY PHILLIP SAMETZ ©2000

The orchestra for the Rhapsody calls for two flutes, piccolo, twooboes, cor anglais, two clarinets and two bassoons; four horns, two trumpets, three trombones and tuba; timpani and percussion(glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, snare drum, triangle, cymbal, bass drum); harp and strings.

The Rhapsody received its world premiere in Baltimore on 7 November1934. Rachmaninov was the soloist, and Leopold Stokowski conductedthe Philadelphia Orchestra. The Sydney Symphony gave the firstAustralian concert performance in March 1940 with conductor GeorgSchnéevoigt and soloist Eric Landerer. The most recent performancewas in a 2004 gala concert with Steven Mercurio conducting andpianist Simon Trpceski.

Pianist and Rachmaninovscholar Scott Davie hasexamined Rachmaninov’ssketch books in Moscowand points out that theinversion of the Paganinitheme in the famous 18th Variation is one ofthe first ideas thatRachmaninov had for theRhapsody.

In 1937 Rachmaninov approached the

choreographer Michel Fokine with a

ballet scenario based on the

Rhapsody: ‘Why not recreate the

legend of Paganini selling his soul to

the Evil Spirit for perfection in art and

also for a woman?’ Fokine’s response

was premiered at Covent Garden in

June 1939.

Fokine had created the ballet while

on tour in Australia in 1938–39, and it

received its Sydney premiere in

December 1939. Eric Landerer, who

later played the work with the SSO,

was the piano soloist.

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Rachmaninov



The Romantic melancholy that is supposed to pervadeRachmaninov’s music is not at all the over-riding emotionof his Third Symphony. Rather this, his first symphonicessay since 1908, is rhythmically taut, melodically suaveand, harmonically, relatively astringent.

It may be enough to say, in other words, that it does notinhabit the same lush world as that of, say, the SecondPiano Concerto. But that is to short-change both works.Any composer’s musical development is complex to trace:Rachmaninov’s was waylaid and irrevocably altered bypersonal upheaval and a major shift in his musical career.

The Op.39 Etudes tableaux of 1917, his last major workfor solo piano before leaving Russia, point the way towardsa newer style – inimitably rhapsodic, yes, but muchbroader in its emotional implications, particularly in fleet-footed musical settings, than in many of his earlierworks. A considerable span of years would elapse before he would follow this new direction more fully.

Now 44 years old, his decision to settle in the West –specifically, at least for the time being, the United States –meant a flight from his homeland with his family, the lossof his estate and Russian assets and a seismic career shiftfrom principally composer and conductor to concertpianist. The massive effort involved in the creation of anew life for himself was not conducive to the creation ofnew music. Through a combination of the new disciplinerequired to maintain his performing career, a freneticperformance schedule and the effort involved inacclimatising to a new culture while lamenting the one heleft behind, he also made it known that he was incapable of composition. ‘How can I compose without melody?’ hetold his friend, fellow composer Nicholas Medtner. To acorrespondent he wrote: ‘To begin something new seemsunattainably difficult.’

Yet beneath this facade of despair he never gave up on the idea of composing. Although his Fourth PianoConcerto (1926) and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli(1931) failed to find an audience, in 1934 he finally created apiece of great public and critical appeal, with his Rhapsody

Keynotes

SYMPHONY NO.3

Rachmaninov was convinced

that the Third Symphony

was ‘a good work’ – many

have gone further, to suggest

that it was one of his best

works, original and subtle.

But it was coolly received

at its first performances in

1936, perhaps because it

didn’t inhabit the ‘same lush

world’ as the wildly popular

Second Piano Concerto.

Only subsequently did

audiences gain an

appreciation for the way

in which Rachmaninov

combines passionate

expression with a new

transparency of sound.

The symphony is in three

movements rather than the

expected four, with the

central movement doing

duty as both a slow

movement and a lively

scherzo. The music is often

restless, especially in the

finale, in which the mood

changes frequently and

there is an overall sense of

rhythmic drive.


on a Theme of Paganini, and, on a rare compositional‘high’, began work on the Third Symphony in June 1935.

Listening Guide

Rachmaninov was described by Stravinsky as a ‘very old’composer. In the 1930s he was what might be called aprogressive conservative. Had he repeated himself – createdreplicas of his old pre-revolutionary ‘hits’ such as theSecond and Third Concertos and the Second Symphony –his American audiences would probably have beendelighted. But he re-thought his musical language in amanner that alienated both audiences and critics. The supple,gently pulsating melody which opens this symphony’s first

movement, for example, is a case study of the subtleties in the work that puzzled its first audiences and annoyedcritics. (Rachmaninov was a fine conductor, too, and, in hisrecording of this work, he brings to this theme a uniquely‘breathing’ rubato.)

The twin gods of contemporary music, Stravinsky andSchoenberg, had made the critical fraternity impatientwith a composer who used a highly chromatic tonal idiomto convey emotional expression, no matter how subtly. Thepassage that leads to the next major melodic idea suggeststhat we are going to be treated to a full-blown Romantic ‘lovetheme’. But the gently lyrical, artfully shaped theme we hearconfounds these expectations. The development sectionlikewise, with the thematic fragments darting hither andthither with great rhythmic freedom between the bassoons,the percussion, muted trumpets and the quick march forthe strings, is hardly the Rachmaninov of old. Still, nobodywas listening. The piece received reviews ranging from the hostile to the polite in the USA; then, after its Londonpremiere, the critic Richard Capell referred to Rachmaninovbuilding palaces that nobody wanted to live in.

Of course Rachmaninov was not interested in being ‘upto date’, and in fact expressed a general disdain for newmusic, but the Third Symphony illustrates that he had hisown internal impulses that made it impossible for him to stagnate. The first movement is constructed in a highlyconventional sonata form – there is even an expositionrepeat (not always observed). The innovations here lie inthe newer, subtler quality of his harmonic ideas, a muchgreater freedom in his writing for the woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, and the interplay he createsbetween them.

‘Personally, I’m

convinced that [the

Third Symphony] is a

good work. But…

sometimes composers

are mistaken too! Be

that as it may, I am

holding to my opinion

so far.’

RACHMANINOV, writing to hisfriend Vladimir Wilshaw in 1937


The second movement is a different matter. HereRachmaninov telescopes the idea of slow movementand scherzo together with great beauty and vividness,beginning with a rhapsodic succession of short lyricalideas – a Bardic transformation of the first movement’smain theme for solo horn with harp accompaniment,then the ‘slow’ movement’s main theme for solo violin,which is in turn given to the flute, to be worked outpassionately by the strings. It might appear at first hearingthat he divides the movement neatly in half, as a scurryingpassage on the strings introduces a figure of martialdemeanour (that actually alternates between duple andtriple metre). But the lyrical music returns by way of abrilliant tremolo passage. There is tremendous passionhere but scored with great clarity and precision. Thistransparency of sound, which now seems so captivating in Rachmaninov’s later music, seemed only to bewilderthe work’s first audiences.

The finale of the Second Symphony found Rachmaninovin unbuttoned mood and the Third Symphony’s finale

opens in the same spirit. But the succession of ideas israpid and restless, now epically Romantic (a gorgeouslyrical theme for strings divisi) now gently comic (acharacterful bassoon solo), now propulsive (a dashingfugue). It soon becomes clear that rhythmic drive andorchestral virtuosity are Rachmaninov’s greatest interestshere. In fact you might leave this concert rememberinghow much swiftly-moving music this symphony containsrelative to its length. Certainly, the third movement’s final pages, rhythmically scintillating and scored withenormous skill, are a superb demonstration of how vital acomposer Rachmaninov was in his 60s. It was his tragedyto be writing this piece at so unresponsive a historicalmoment – four years would pass before he could summonthe courage to bring another major work, his SymphonicDances, before the public.

ADAPTED FROM A NOTE BY PHILLIP SAMETZ ©2003

The Third Symphony calls for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, coranglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons and contrabassoon;four horns, two trumpets, alto trumpet, three trombones and tuba;timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbal, snare drum, triangle,tam-tam, xylophone); harp, celesta and strings.

The Sydney Symphony gave the first Australian performance ofRachmaninov’s Third Symphony in 1955, conducted by EugeneGoossens. The most recent performance was in 2002, conducted byLuke Dollman.

For the second movementof the Third Symphony,Rachmaninov transformsthe main theme from thefirst movement. This useof a musical motto to linksections or movementswas a unifying strategythat Rachmaninov hadadopted for all three of hissymphonies.


Rachmaninov? Rachmaninoff –

a spelling history

Would Rachmaninoff care how we spell his name? The young Sergei Vasil’yevich had already lost the final letter of his name (a hard symbol) in a reform ofCyrillic early in the 20th century when it changed from

to .Transliteration to European languages creates a number

of different spellings, and a scan of early editions of theEnglish Musical Times provides an interesting compendium.The first reference to the young composer occurred in1893, where the ‘Rachmaninow’ spelling was used, whilean announcement of the publication of his earliest pianopieces in 1894 heralded the first use of ‘Rachmaninoff ’. In 1899, when the 26 year old gave his first performancein London, his name was spelt ‘Rachmaninov’, a spellingthat gained increasing currency in England after thecomposer’s death (and which was adopted by the ABC andother cultural institutions here). Variations continued,with ‘Rakhmaninov’ in 1913, ‘Rakhmaninof ’ in 1915, and in 1920, ‘Rachmaninof ’. However, it is interesting that thevariant spellings have persisted, since the composer spentover a third of his life in the West.

Indeed, a decision may have been made as early as 1892,when ‘S. Rachmaninoff ’ appeared on one of his earlymanuscripts. The original publications of his music mostfrequently used this spelling (the exception appears to be the use of ‘Rachmaninow’), and it was also seen on the records he released and on his concert programs.‘Rachmaninoff ’ was how his name appeared on hisidentification papers, and the spelling can be noted on histombstone in New York state. It is also used by his heirs tothis day. While the respected Grove Dictionary of Music andMusicians for years used the authoritative Library ofCongress Transliteration System spelling ‘Rakhmaninov’,the composer’s preferred orthography – as seen in hischaracteristically elegant signature – is now more generallyfound in biographies and other academic literature.

SCOTT DAVIE ©2007

The composer’s characteristically

elegant signature

A longer discussion on this topic can be found at:sydneysymphony.com/Rachmaninov

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GLOSSARY

CADENZA – a virtuoso passage, traditionallyinserted towards the end of a sonata-formconcerto movement and marking the final‘cadence’.

CHROMATIC – in tonal music, chromaticismis the use of foreign notes and harmoniesthat do not belong to the key, together with atendency to frequent modulation to other keys.The impression is one of harmonic richness.

DIVISI – ‘divided’, used when a string group,such as the First Violins, splits into two ormore smaller groups, each with their ownnotes to play.

FUGUE – a musical form in which a shortmelody, the subject, is first sounded by onepart or instrument alone, and is then takenup in imitation by other parts or instrumentsone after the other. The Latin fuga is relatedto the idea of both ‘fleeing’ and ‘chasing’.

LEFT-HAND PIZZICATO – pizzicato is a stringtechnique in which the player plucks thestrings (with the right hand) instead ofsounding them with the bow. A virtuosoadaptation of this technique requires theplayer to pluck the strings with the left hand(above the fingerboard of the instrument)often while playing other notes with the bow.Paganini was the first composer to makeextensive use of left-hand pizzicato.

METRE – the way in which we experiencemusical time as organised in a hierarchy ofbars, beats and subdivisions of the beat. Waltztime, for example, is in three beats to the bar,or TRIPLE METRE; a polka requires two beatsto the bar, or DUPLE METRE.

MINUET – a French court dance from thebaroque period. During the 18th centuryit became a dance-like movement in amoderately fast triple time and a regularelement in the four-movement symphony.

RUBATO – literally ‘robbed’; a performanceusing rubato makes variations to rhythm andtempo for expressive ends.

SCHERZO – literally, a joke; generally referringto a movement in a fast, light triple time,

with whimsical, startling or playful elementsand a contrasting central section called a trio.

SONATA FORM – this term was conceived inthe 19th century to describe the harmonicallybased structure most classical composers had adopted for the first movements oftheir sonatas and symphonies. It involves the EXPOSITION, or presentation of themesand subjects: the first in the tonic or homekey, the second in a contrasting key. (The exposition is typically repeated.) The tension between the two keys isintensified in the DEVELOPMENT, where thethemes are manipulated and varied as themusic moves further and further away fromthe ultimate goal of the home key. Tension isresolved in the RECAPITULATION, where bothsubjects are restated in the tonic. Sometimesa CODA (‘tail’) is added to enhance the senseof finality.

SYMPHONIC POEM – (or TONE POEM) a genreof orchestral music that is symphonic inscope but adopts a freer structure in serviceof an extra-musical ‘program’ that providesthe narrative or scene.

TREMOLO – repeating the same note manytimes very quickly, to produce a ‘shaking’ or‘trembling’ effect. In string playing this isachieved by rapid back-and-forth strokes ofthe bow.

In much of the classical repertoire, movement titlesare taken from the Italian words that indicate thetempo and mood. A selection of terms from thisprogram is included here.

Adagio ma non troppo – slow, but not too much

Allegro – fastAllegro moderato – fast, moderatelyAllegro vivace – fast and livelyLento – slow

This glossary is intended only as a quick and easyguide, not as a set of comprehensive and absolutedefinitions. Most of these terms have many subtleshades of meaning which cannot be included forreasons of space.


75 YEARS: HISTORICAL SNAPSHOT

The Arts Club in Pitt Street was big enough to accommodate the 70-piece orchestra for

Sir Hamilton Harty, which was the ABC’s first major orchestral venture, in 1934.

Australian Chamber Orchestra). Too smalland in insalubrious surroundings, it was also no good for television, so in 1964 the SSO moved to a converted cinema inChatswood, the Arcadia. Still further fromthe Town Hall, but close to a railway station,shopping and (desideratum of increasinglyaffluent musicians) on-site parking, this wasto be the orchestra’s rehearsal home until1989. Many of the musicians bought homesin nearby suburbs.

In 1973 the Opera House opened and the orchestra moved in, rehearsing in theRecording Hall (now The Studio), which hadsimilar problems to those later experiencedin Ultimo. By 1974 the SSO was back inChatswood, but by 1989 the Arcadia had been sold and demolished. While waiting for the ABC Ultimo Centre to be finished,the orchestra spent a couple of years at theSydney Town Hall, ironically long after ithad ceased being their main performancevenue.

Spare a thought, as you grumble about thetraffic and the parking on your way to andfrom the concert, for the musicians of theSydney Symphony, who often do it twice, ona performance day! But they can hear thepoint, that this Concert Hall is where theyshould be for rehearsal and performance –and you’re hearing the benefits of theirhaving found, at last, the right home.

David Garrett, a historian and former programmerfor Australia’s symphony orchestras, is studying the history of the ABC as a musical organisation.

At Home

The Sydney Symphony spends more of itstime than any other Australian orchestra inthe public eye, giving concerts, but this is still only a fraction of its time together, thebulk of which is spent rehearsing. Where?Edo de Waart insisted, early in his time as theorchestra’s chief conductor, that more thanjust the final rehearsal should be in the ConcertHall. The SSO’s management persuaded theNSW Government and the Sydney OperaHouse Trust that the Sydney Opera Houseshould truly become – as Eugene Goossenshad imagined – the orchestra’s home, and soit has been since 1995.

Immediately before, the SSO had rehearsedin the purpose-built Eugene Goossens Hallin the ABC’s new Ultimo Centre, but spent onlya few years there – the over-generous acousticand the players’ difficulty in hearing eachother were problems obvious from the first.

As a broadcasting organisation growinglike topsy, the ABC had trouble over the yearsfinding where best to put its orchestra. Thefirst venue, in 1932, was in the now demolishedArts Club, in Pitt Street. It was small, butclose to ABC management, and to the SydneyTown Hall, where the orchestra performed.War anxiety about central Sydney prompted amove in late 1941 to another Arts Club building,in Burwood. It was too far from the TownHall, uncomfortable, and not designed forbroadcasts. So in 1946 the SSO took upresidence in a studio in Darlinghurst Rd,Kings Cross (occupied years later by the


MORE MUSIC

Selected Discography

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY

Ashkenazy’s Rachmaninov discography is extensive and includes recordings of the symphonies and otherorchestral works with the Royal ConcertgebouwOrchestra, and The Bells with the ConcertgebouwOrchestra and Chorus. He has recorded the pianoconcertos and the Rhapsody of a Theme of Paganiniwith the London Symphony Orchestra and AndréPrevin.These performances are available on a variety ofDecca releases, including a souvenir 6-CD set withall the symphonies, the concertos, SymphonicVariations, the Rhapsody, The Bells and the Isle of theDead, together with two solo piano works: the CorelliVariations and Piano Sonata No.2DECCA 480 0197

For smaller selections of the repertoire:

Rachmaninov: Symphonies 1–3

DECCA DOUBLE DECKER 448116

Rachmaninov: The Symphonies

With the Symphonic Dances, Isle of the Dead and The Bells in a 3-CD set.DECCA 455798

Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos

DECCA 455234

LUKÁS VONDRÁCEK

Lukás Vondrácek’s first commercial recording, Prodigy Debut, was released on the Japanese labelOctavia. It features music by Mendelssohn, Janácekand Donhnanyi, with Transcendental Studies and thefirst Mephisto Waltz of Liszt.OVCT00014

Available from www.hmv.co.jp (click for the Englishlanguage version of the site)

SERGEI RACHMANINOV

Those interested in hearing Rachmaninov’s owninterpretations should seek out:

Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff – the fourpiano concertos and the Rhapsody with thePhiladelphia Orchestra and conductors EugeneOrmandy and Leopold Stokowski.RCA VICTOR GOLD SEAL 61658

These performances are also available on theexcellent Naxos Historical label:

Piano Concertos No.2 (1929) and 3 (1940)

NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.110601

Piano Concertos No.1 (1939–40) and 4 (1941),

and the Rhapsody (1934)

NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.110602

NOVEMBER

14 November, 1.05pmCONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA

Hugh Wolff conductorMichael Dauth violinDean, Walton, Lutoslawski

RACHMANINOV FESTIVAL

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor

Mon 12 November, 7pm – LIVE

Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini; Symphony No.3Lukás Vondrácek piano

Tue 13 November, 8pmPiano Concerto No.2, Symphony No.1Cristina Ortiz piano

Thu 15 November, 8pm

Piano Concerto No.4, Symphony No.2Kazune Shimizu piano

Fri 16 November, 8pm – LIVE

Symphonic Dances, Piano Concerto No.3Garrick Ohlsson piano

26 November, 8pmNOBODY KNOWS DE TROUBLE I SEE

Hugh Wolff conductorHåkan Hardenberger trumpetHaydn, Zimmermann, Sibelius

Broadcast Diary

Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are recorded forwebcast by BigPond. Visit: www.sydneysymphony.bigpondmusic.comNovember webcast:RACHMANINOV RHAPSODY

Live on 12 November at 7pm. On Demand later in the month

sydneysymphony.com

Visit the Sydney Symphony online for concertinformation, podcasts, and to read the program book inadvance of the concert.

2MBS-FM 102.5SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2007

Tue 13 November, 6pmWhat’s on in concerts, with interviews and music, withSydney Symphony Trumpet John Foster as guest.Next program: Tue 8 January 2008

Webcast Diary


ABOUT THE ARTISTS

In the years since Vladimir Ashkenazy first came toprominence on the world stage in the 1955 ChopinCompetition in Warsaw, he has built an extraordinarycareer not only as one of the most renowned and reveredpianists of our times, but as an inspiring artist whosecreative life encompasses a vast range of activities.

Conducting has formed the largest part of his music-making for the past 20 years. He was Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic from 1998 to 2003, and tookup the position of Music Director of the NHK SymphonyOrchestra in Tokyo in 2004. He will take up the newposition of Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor tothe Sydney Symphony in 2009.

Alongside these roles, Vladimir Ashkenazy is alsoConductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra,with whom he has developed landmark projects such asProkofiev and Shostakovich Under Stalin (a project which healso took to Cologne, New York, Vienna and Moscow andlater developed into a TV documentary) and RachmaninoffRevisited at the Lincoln Center, New York.

He also holds the positions of Music Director of theEuropean Union Youth Orchestra and Conductor Laureateof the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and he maintainsstrong links with a number of other major orchestras,including the Cleveland Orchestra (of whom he is aformer Principal Guest Conductor), San FranciscoSymphony, and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin(Chief Conductor and Music Director 1988–96).

He continues to devote himself to the piano, buildinghis comprehensive recording catalogue with releases such as the 1999 Grammy award-winning ShostakovichPreludes and Fugues, Rautavaara’s Piano Concerto No.3 (which he commissioned), and Rachmaninovtranscriptions. His latest releases are recordings ofBach’s Wohltemperierte Klavier and Beethoven’s DiabelliVariations.

A regular visitor to Sydney over many years, VladimirAshkenazy’s most recent appearances with the SydneySymphony were in 2006, when he conducted an all-Rachmaninov concert featuring The Bells. His futureartistic role with the Orchestra will include collaborationson composer festivals, major recording projects andinternational touring activities.

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Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor


Although still in his late teens, Lukás Vondrácek isalready an experienced performer, having given his firstpublic concert at the age of four. Initially a student atthe Academy of Music in Katowice in Poland and at theVienna Hochschule, he is now continuing his studies atthe university in his home town of Ostrava in the CzechRepublic.

He made his debut with the Czech Philharmonicunder Ashkenazy in 2002 and he has appeared frequentlywith the orchestra since then. He has also worked withorchestras such as the St Petersburg Philharmonic, theFlemish Radio Orchestra, German Symphony Orchestra,Berlin, and the Iceland, Dallas and Cincinnati symphonyorchestras, and he has toured with the NHK Symphonyin Japan.

He has performed in various piano festivals and seriesin the USA, including the Gilmore Festival, the RaviniaRising Stars series and the New York International PianoSeries. He has given recitals at Paris La Cité, the Palaisdes Beaux Arts in Brussels and Auditorio Nacional inMadrid, and he made his London recital debut at theQueen Elizabeth Hall as the youngest pianist ever to be featured in that venue’s International Piano Series.Other UK performances have included recitals at theBuxton, Ryedale, Music at Oxford and HarrogateFestivals, and as a concerto soloist with the PhilharmoniaOrchestra.

Projects during the current season include his recitaldebut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, a return to theNHK Symphony and his debut with Vienna SymphonyOrchestra.

His first recording, a solo album featuring music byMendelssohn, Liszt, Janácek and Dohnányi, was releasedin 2004. This is Lukás Vondrácek’s Sydney Symphonydebut.

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Lukás Vondrácek piano


THE SYDNEY SYMPHONY

Founded in 1932, the Sydney Symphonyhas evolved into one of the world’s finestorchestras as Sydney has become one ofthe world’s great cities. Resident at theiconic Sydney Opera House where theSydney Symphony gives more than 100performances each year, the Orchestra alsoperforms concerts in a variety of venuesaround Sydney and regional New SouthWales. International tours to Europe, Asiaand the USA have earned the Orchestraworld-wide recognition for artisticexcellence.

Critical to the success of the SydneySymphony has been the leadership given by its former Chief Conductors including:Sir Eugene Goossens, Nicolai Malko,Dean Dixon, Willem van Otterloo, LouisFrémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Stuart

Challender and Edo de Waart. Alsocontributing to the outstanding success of the Orchestra have been collaborationswith legendary figures such as GeorgeSzell, Sir Thomas Beecham, OttoKlemperer and Igor Stravinsky.

Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti, whoseappointment followed a ten-yearrelationship with the Orchestra as GuestConductor, is now in his fourth year asChief Conductor and Artistic Director ofthe Sydney Symphony, a position he holdsin tandem with that of Music Director at the prestigious Rome Opera.

The Sydney Symphony is reaping therewards of Maestro Gelmetti’s directorshipthrough the quality of sound, intensityof playing and flexibility between styles. His particularly strong rapport withFrench and German repertoire iscomplemented by his innovativeprogramming in the Shock of the New concerts and performances ofcontemporary Australian music.

The Sydney Symphony’s award-winningEducation Program is central to theOrchestra’s commitment to the future of live symphonic music, developingaudiences and engaging the participationof young people. The Sydney Symphonymaintains an active commissioningprogram promoting the work of Australiancomposers and in 2005 Liza Lim wasappointed Composer-in-Residence forthree years.

In 2007, the Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary and the milestoneachievements during its distinguishedhistory.

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PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales


MUSICIANS

01First Violins

02 03 04 05 06 07

08 09 10 11 12 13

01Second Violins

02 03 04 05 06 07

08 09 10 11 12 13

First Violins

01 Sun YiAssociate Concertmaster

02 Kirsten WilliamsAssociate ConcertmasterKirsty HiltonAssistant Concertmaster

03 Fiona ZieglerIan & Jennifer Burton Chair of Assistant Concertmaster

04 Julie Batty05 Gu Chen06 Amber Gunther07 Rosalind Horton08 Jennifer Hoy09 Jennifer Johnson10 Georges Lentz11 Nicola Lewis12 Alexandra Mitchell

Moon Design Chair of Violin13 Léone Ziegler

Sophie Cole

Second Violins

01 Marina MarsdenPrincipal

02 Susan DobbieAssociate Principal

03 Emma WestAssistant Principal

04 Pieter Bersée05 Maria Durek06 Emma Hayes07 Shuti Huang08 Stan Kornel09 Benjamin Li10 Nicole Masters11 Philippa Paige12 Biyana Rozenblit13 Maja Verunica

Guest Musicians

Carl Pini Principal First Violin

Emily Long First Violin#

Emily Qin First Violin#

Martin Silverton First Violin

Alexandra D’Elia Second Violin#

Alexander Norton Second Violin#

Leigh Middenway Second Violin

Jacqueline Cronin Viola#

Jennifer Curl Viola#

Rosemary Curtin Viola

Nicole Forsyth Viola

Vera Marcu Viola

Rowena Crouch Cello#

Janine Ryan Cello#

Josephine Costantino Cello

Jennifer Druery Double Bass#

Lauren Brandon Double Bass

Kirsty McCahon Double Bass

Genevieve Lang Harp

Elizabeth Chee Oboe

Casey Rippon Horn#

Barry Tuckwell Horn

Joshua Davis Trombone#

Ian Cleworth Percussion

Brian Nixon Percussion

Key:

# Contract Musician

Gianluigi GelmettiChief Conductor andArtistic Director

Michael DauthChair of Concertmastersupported by the SydneySymphony Board and Council

Dene OldingChair of Concertmastersupported by the SydneySymphony Board and Council


08Cellos

09 10 11 01 02 03

01Violas

02 03 04 05 06 07

04 05 06 07 08 09

01Double Basses

02 03 04 05 06 07

08Harp

01Flutes

02 03Piccolo

MUSICIANS

Violas

01 Roger BenedictAndrew Turner and Vivian Chang Chair of Principal Viola

02 Anne Louise ComerfordAssociate Principal

03 Yvette GoodchildAssistant Principal

04 Robyn Brookfield05 Sandro Costantino06 Jane Hazelwood07 Graham Hennings08 Mary McVarish09 Justine Marsden10 Leonid Volovelsky11 Felicity Wyithe

Cellos

01 Catherine Hewgill Principal

02 Nathan Waks Principal

03 Leah LynnAssistant Principal

04 Kristy Conrau05 Fenella Gill06 Timothy Nankervis07 Elizabeth Neville08 Adrian Wallis09 David Wickham

Double Basses

01 Kees BoersmaBrian and Rosemary White Chair of Principal Double Bass

02 Alex HeneryPrincipal

03 Andrew RacitiAssociate Principal

04 Neil BrawleyPrincipal Emeritus

05 David Campbell06 Steven Larson07 Richard Lynn08 David Murray

Harp

Louise JohnsonMulpha Australia Chair of Principal Harp

Flutes

01 Janet Webb Principal

02 Emma ShollMr Harcourt Gough Chair of Associate Principal Flute

03 Carolyn Harris

Piccolo

Rosamund PlummerPrincipal


Cor Anglais Clarinets Bass Clarinet

Oboes

01 Diana Doherty Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor AO Chair of Principal Oboe

02 Shefali PryorAssociate Principal

Cor Anglais

Alexandre OgueyPrincipal

Clarinets

01 Lawrence Dobell Principal

02 Francesco CelataAssociate Principal

03 Christopher Tingay

Bass Clarinet

Craig WernickePrincipal

Bassoons

01 Matthew WilkiePrincipal

02 Roger BrookeAssociate Principal

03 Fiona McNamara

Contrabassoon

01 Noriko ShimadaPrincipal

Horns

01 Robert JohnsonPrincipal

02 Ben JacksPrincipal

03 Geoff O’ReillyPrincipal 3rd

04 Lee Bracegirdle05 Marnie Sebire

Trumpets

01 Daniel Mendelow Principal

02 Paul Goodchild Associate Principal

03 John Foster04 Anthony Heinrichs

Trombone

01 Ronald PrussingNSW Department of State and Regional Development Chair of Principal Trombone

02 Scott KinmontAssociate Principal

03 Nick ByrneRogen International Chair of Trombone

Bass Trombone

Christopher Harris Trust Foundation Chair of Principal Bass Trombone

Tuba

Steve RosséPrincipal

Timpani

01 Richard MillerPrincipalAdam JeffreyAssistant Principal Timpani/Tutti Percussion

Percussion

01 Rebecca LagosPrincipal

02 Colin Piper

Piano

Josephine AllanPrincipal (contract)

01Bassoons Contrabassoon Horns

02 03 01 02 03

01Oboes

02 01 02 03

04 05 01Trumpets

02 03 04

01Trombones

02 03Bass Trombone Tuba

01Timpani

01Percussion

02Piano

MUSICIANS

The Company is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW

SALUTE


PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS


The Sydney Symphony applauds the leadership role our Partners play and their commitment to excellence,innovation and creativity.

SILVER PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNERS

BRONZE PARTNERS MARKETING PARTNERS PATRONS

Australia Post

Beyond Technology Consulting

Bimbadgen Estate Wines

J. Boag & Son

Vittoria Coffee

Avant Card

Blue Arc Group

Lindsay Yates and Partners

2MBS 102.5 –Sydney’s Fine Music Station

The Sydney Symphony gratefullyacknowledges the many musiclovers who contribute to theOrchestra by becoming SymphonyPatrons. Every donation plays animportant part in the success of theSydney Symphony’s wide rangingprograms.

A leadership program which linksAustralia’s top performers in theexecutive and musical worlds.For information about the Directors’Chairs program, please contact Alan Watt on (02) 8215 4619.


01 02 03 04 05 06

07 08 09 10 11 12

DIRECTORS’ CHAIRS

01Mulpha Australia Chair ofPrincipal Harp, Louise Johnson

02Mr Harcourt Gough Chair ofAssociate Principal Flute, Emma Sholl

03Sandra and Paul Salteri Chair ofArtistic Director Education,Richard Gill OAM

04Jonathan Sweeney, Managing Director Trust withTrust Foundation Chair ofPrincipal Bass Trombone, Christopher Harris

05NSW Department of State and Regional Development Chair of Principal Trombone,Ronald Prussing

06Brian and Rosemary White Chair of Principal Double Bass,Kees Boersma

07Board and Council of theSydney Symphony supportsChairs of Concertmaster Michael Dauth and Dene Olding

08Gerald Tapper, Managing Director Rogen International withRogen International Chair of Trombone, Nick Byrne

09Stuart O’Brien, ManagingDirector Moon Design with Moon Design Chair of Violin,Alexandra Mitchell

10Ian and Jennifer Burton Chair of Assistant Concertmaster,Fiona Ziegler

11Andrew Kaldor and Renata Kaldor AO Chair ofPrincipal Oboe, Diana Doherty

12Andrew Turner and VivianChang Chair of Principal Violaand Artistic Director, FellowshipProgram, Roger Benedict

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Mr Steve GillettAnthony Gregg & Deanne

Whittleston ‡Dr & Mrs C GoldschmidtBeth Harpley *Rev H & Mrs M Herbert °*Ms Michelle Hilton-Vernon Dr & Mrs Michael Hunter §Mr Stephen Jenkins *Professor Faith M JonesMs Judy JoyeMr Noel Keen *Mrs Margaret Keogh °*Miss Anna-Lisa Klettenberg °§Iven & Sylvia Klineberg *Mrs Joan Langley °Mr & Mrs Pierre LastelleDr & Mrs Leo LeaderMs A Le Marchant *Mr & Mrs Ezzelino Leonardi §Barbara & Bernard Leser °Mrs Anita Levy °Erna & Gerry Levy AM §Mr & Mrs S C Lloyd °Mr James McCarthyMr Ian & Mrs Pam McGaw *Mr Matthew McInnes §Ms Julie Manfredi-HughesMs J Millard *‡Mr Andrew Nobbs Mr Graham NorthMr Stuart O’Brien Miss C O’Connor *Mrs Jill Pain °‡Dr Kevin PedemontMr Adrian & Mrs Dairneen

PittonMr & Mrs Michael Potts Mr L T & Mrs L M Priddle *Mrs B Raghavan °Mrs Caroline Ralphsmith Mr John Reid AO Mr John & Mrs Lynn Carol

Reid §Mr Brian Russell & Mrs Irina

SinglemanMr M D Salamon §In memory of H St P Scarlett °*Dr Agnes E SinclairDr John Sivewright & Ms

Kerrie Kemp ‡Dr Heng & Mrs Cilla Tey §Mrs Elizabeth F Tocque °*Mrs Merle Turkington °Ronald Walledge °Louise Walsh & David JordanDr Thomas Wenkart Dr Richard Wing §Mr Robert Woods *Mrs Lucille Wrath ‡Mrs R Yabsley °Anonymous (12)

PLAYING YOUR PART

Maestri

Brian Abel & the late Ben Gannon AO °

Geoff & Vicki Ainsworth *Mr Robert O Albert AO *‡Alan & Christine Bishop °§Sandra & Neil Burns *Mr Ian & Mrs Jennifer Burton Libby Christie & Peter James §The Clitheroe Foundation *Mr John C Conde AO §Mr John Curtis §Mr Greg Daniel AMPenny Edwards *Mr J O Fairfax AO *Dr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuffre*Mr Harcourt Gough §Mr David Greatorex AO &

Mrs Deirdre Greatorex §Mr Andrew Kaldor & Mrs

Renata Kaldor AO §H Kallinikos Pty Ltd §Mr B G O’Conor §The Paramor Family *The Ian Potter FoundationDr John Roarty in memory of

Mrs June RoartyMr Paul & Mrs Sandra Salteri°Mrs Joyce Sproat & Mrs Janet

Cooke §Andrew Turner & Vivian ChangMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary White§Anonymous (1) *

Virtuosi

Mrs Antoinette Albert §Mr Roger Allen & Mrs Maggie

GrayMr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr §Mr & Mrs Paul Hoult Irwin Imhof in memory of

Herta Imhof °‡Mr Stephen Johns §Mr & Mrs Gilles T Kryger °§Ms Ann Lewis AM Mr E J Merewether & Mrs T

Merewether OAM *Mr & Mrs David MilmanMiss Rosemary Pryor *Bruce & Joy Reid Foundation*

Rodney Rosenblum AM & Sylvia Rosenblum *

Mrs Helen Selle §David Smithers AM & Family §Dr William & Mrs Helen Webb ‡Michael & Mary Whelan Trust §Anonymous (1) §

SoliMr Anthony Berg AMMs Jan Bowen §Mr Chum Darvall §Hilmer Family Trust Ms Ann Hoban °Mr Paul Hotz §Mr Rory Jeffes Mrs Joan MacKenzie §Mrs Judith McKernan °§Miss Margaret N MacLaren °*‡§Mr David Maloney §Mr James & Mrs Elsie Moore °Ms Elizabeth ProustMs Gabrielle Trainor Mr Geoff Wood & Ms Melissa

Waites Anonymous (4) §

Tutti

Mr Henri W Aram OAM §Mr Terrey & Mrs Anne Arcus §Mr David Barnes °Mrs Joan Barnes °Mr Stephen J BellMr Alexander & Mrs Vera

Boyarsky §Mr Maximo Buch *Mrs F M Buckle °Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill §Mr Bob & Mrs Julie Clampett °§Mr John Cunningham SCM &

Mrs Margaret Cunningham§Mr & Mrs J B Fairfax AM §Mr Russell Farr Mr & Mrs David Feetham Mr Ian Fenwicke & Prof Neville

Wills §Mrs Dorit & Mr William

Franken °§Mr & Mrs J R W Furber §Mr Arshak & Ms Sophie

Galstaun §In memory of Hetty Gordon §Mrs Akiko Gregory §Miss Janette Hamilton °‡Mr A & Mrs L Heyko-Porebski°Mr Philip Isaacs OAM §Ms Judy Joye Mr & Mrs E Katz §Mr Andrew Korda & Ms Susan

Pearson Mr Justin Lam §Dr Paul A L Lancaster &

Dr Raema ProwseDr Barry LandaDr Garth Leslie °*

Mr Gary Linnane §Ms Karen Loblay §Mr Bob Longwell Mr Andrew & Mrs Amanda Love Mrs Carolyn A Lowry OAMMr & Mrs R Maple-Brown §Mr Robert & Mrs Renee

Markovic §Mrs Alexandra Martin & the

Late Mr Lloyd Martin AM §Justice Jane Mathews §Mrs Mora Maxwell °§Wendy McCarthy AO °Mrs Barbara McNulty OBE °§Ms Margaret Moore & Dr Paul

Hutchins *Mr R A Oppen §Mr Arti Ortis & Mrs Belinda

Lim §Timothy & Eva Pascoe §Ms Patricia Payn §Mr Adrian & Mrs Dairneen

Pilton Ms Robin Potter §Mr & Mrs Ernest Rapee §Dr K D Reeve AM °Mrs Patricia H Reid °Mr Brian Russell & Ms Irina

Singleman Ms Juliana Schaeffer §Derek & Patricia Smith §Catherine Stephen §Mr Fred & Mrs Dorothy Street ‡§Mr Georges & Mrs Marliese

Teitler §Mr Stephen Thatcher Ms Gabrielle TrainorMr Ken Tribe AC & Mrs Joan

Tribe §Mr John E Tuckey °Mrs Kathleen Tutton °Ms Mary Vallentine AO §Henry & Ruth Weinberg §Audrey & Michael Wilson °Jill Wran §Anonymous (8)

Supporters over $500

PTW ArchitectsMr C R Adamson °§Doug & Alison Battersby °Mr Phil Bennett Gabrielle Blackstock °‡Mr G D Bolton °Mr David S Brett *A I Butchart °*Mrs B E Cary §Mrs Catherine Gaskin

Cornberg§Mr Stan Costigan AO &

Mrs Mary Costigan *Mrs M A Coventry °Mr Michael Crouch AO *M Danos °Lisa & Miro Davis *Mrs Patricia Davis §

Patron Annual

Donations Levels

Maestri $10,000 and above Virtuosi $5000 to $9999 Soli $2500 to $4999 Tutti $1000 to $2499 Supporters $500 to $999

To discuss givingopportunities, please callAlan Watt on (02) 8215 4619.

° Allegro Program supporter* Emerging Artist Fund supporter‡ Stuart Challender Fund supporter§ Orchestra Fund supporter

The Sydney Symphony gratefully acknowledges the music lovers who donate to the Orchestra each year. Every gift plays an important part in ensuring ourcontinued artistic excellence and helping to sustain important education andregional touring programs. Because we are now offering free programs andspace is limited we are unable to list donors who give between $100 and $499 –please visit sydneysymphony.com for a list of all our patrons.


Sydney Symphony Board

BEHIND THE SCENES

CHAIRMAN

John Conde AO

Libby Christie John CurtisStephen JohnsAndrew KaldorGoetz RichterDavid Smithers AM

Gabrielle Trainor

What’s on the cover?During the 2007 season Sydney Symphony program covers will feature photos that celebrate the Orchestra’s history over the past 75 years. The photographs on the covers will change approximately once a month, and if you subscribe to one of our concert series you will be able to collect a set over the course of the year.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS (clockwise from top left): Ernest Llewellyn, former Concertmaster of the SSO, recording a half-hour recital for ABN-2in the early 1960s; piccolo part prepared for the first international tour in 1965; SSO PromConcert audience playing penny whistles in McCabe’s Mini Concerto for organ, orchestraand 485 penny whistles (17 February 1968); Principal Flute, Janet Webb with PrincipalOboe, Guy Henderson and second oboe, Carol Helmers; Vladimir Ashkenazy goes throughthe score with Principal Viola Roger Benedict (left) and Concertmaster Dene Olding (2004);Stravinsky, assisted by Robert Craft, rehearses for his concert with the SSO in 1961.


Sydney Symphony Staff

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Libby Christie

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Eva-Marie Alis

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Wolfgang Fink

Artistic Administration

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Raff Wilson

ARTIST LIAISON

Ilmar Leetberg

PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO THE

CHIEF CONDUCTOR

Lisa Davies-Galli

ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT,

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Catherine Wyburn

Education Programs

EDUCATION MANAGER

Margaret Moore

EDUCATION CO-ORDINATOR

Bernie Heard

Library

LIBRARIAN

Anna Cernik

LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Victoria Grant

LIBRARY ASSISTANT

Mary-Ann Mead

DEVELOPMENT

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Rory Jeffes

CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER

Leann Meiers

CORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Julia Owens

CORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Seleena Semos

PHILANTHROPY MANAGER

Alan Watt

MARKETING AND

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Julian Boram

Publicity

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Yvonne Zammit

PUBLICIST

Stuart Fyfe

Customer Relationship

Management

MARKETING MANAGER – CRM

Rebecca MacFarling

ONLINE & PUBLICATIONS MANAGER

Robert Murray

DATABASE ANALYST

Marko Lång

Marketing Communications

MULTICULTURAL MARKETING

MANAGER

Xing Jin

CONCERT PROGRAM EDITOR

Yvonne Frindle

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Antonia Farrugia

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NETWORK GROUP–SALES MANAGER

Simon Crossley-Meates

Box Office

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Lynn McLaughlin

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Anna Fraser

CUSTOMER SERVICE

REPRESENTATIVES

Wendy AugustineMichael Dowling

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA

MANAGEMENT

Aernout Kerbert

ACTING DEPUTY ORCHESTRA

MANAGER

Greg Low

ORCHESTRAL ASSISTANT

Angela Chilcott

OPERATIONS MANAGER

John Glenn

TECHNICAL MANAGER

Derek Coutts

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Tim Dayman

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Ian Spence

STAGE MANAGER

Marrianne Carter

COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS

DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL

PROGRAMMING

Baz Archer

RECORDING ENTERPRISES

RECORDING ENTERPRISES MANAGER

Aimee Paret

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

David O’Kane

EXECUTIVE PROJECT MANAGER

Rachel Hadfield

FINANCE MANAGER

Samuel Li

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Shelley Salmon

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MANAGER

Tim Graham

PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS

PAYABLE OFFICER

Caroline Hall

HUMAN RESOURCES

Ian Arnold

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SYMPHONY SERVICES AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Suite 3, Level 2, 561 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007GPO Box 9994, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8333 1651Facsimile (02) 8333 1678

www.symphony.net.au

Level 9, 35 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4644Facsimile (02) 8215 4646

Customer Services:GPO Box 4338, Sydney NSW 2001Telephone (02) 8215 4600Facsimile (02) 8215 4660

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All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing. The opinions expressed in thispublication do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the editor, publisher or any distributor of the programs. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of statements in this publication, we cannot acceptresponsibility for any errors or omissions, or for matters arising fromclerical or printers’ errors. Every effort has been made to securepermission for copyright material prior to printing.

Please address all correspondence to the Concert Program Editor, Sydney Symphony, GPO Box 4972, Sydney NSW 2001. Fax (02) 8215 4660. Email [email protected]

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TRUST

Mr Kim Williams AM (Chair)Mr John BallardMr Wesley EnochMs Renata Kaldor AO

Ms Jacqueline Kott Mr Robert Leece AM RFD

Ms Sue Nattrass AO (leave)Mr Leo Schofield AM

Ms Barbara WardMr Evan Williams AM

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sue Nattrass AO

DIRECTOR, FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul AkhurstDIRECTOR, FINANCE & SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Antaw DIRECTOR, MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . .Naomi GrabelDIRECTOR, PERFORMING ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rachel HealyDIRECTOR, PEOPLE & CULTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rick BrowningDIRECTOR, INFORMATION SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Claire SwaffieldDIRECTOR, TOURISM & VISITOR OPERATIONS . . . . . .Maria Sykes

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Bennelong PointGPO Box 4274, Sydney NSW 2001Administration (02) 9250 7111Box Office (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666Website sydneyoperahouse.com

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