elgar’s enigmas festival partner · elgar’s enigmas there’s a reason why this concert is sold...

SEASON 2008

ENERGYAUSTRALIA MASTER SERIES

ELGAR FESTIVAL

ELGAR’S ENIGMAS

Wednesday 12 November | 8pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductorJames Ehnes violin

EDWARD ELGAR (1857–1934)

Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61

AllegroAndanteAllegro molto

INTERVAL

Pomp and Circumstance – Military Marches, Op.39

No.1 in D majorNo.2 in A minor

Variations on an original theme, Op.36 (Enigma)

See page 13 for a list of the variations

Wednesday night’s performancewill be broadcast live across

Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9.

Pre-concert talk by FelicityGlennie-Holmes at 7.15pm in the

Northern Foyer.Visit sydneysymphony.com/talk-

bios for speaker biographies.

Estimated timings:48 minutes, 20-minute interval,

8 minutes, 30 minutes

The concert will conclude atapproximately 9.55pm.

PRESENTING PARTNER

FESTIVAL PARTNER

Last year EnergyAustralia Master Series audiences enjoyed VladimirAshkenazy’s deeply felt performances of Rachmaninov’s music – in a festivalthat was one of the highlights of the season. Tonight we’re excited to be again experiencing the musical insight of our incoming Principal Conductoras he leads the Sydney Symphony in the music of Edward Elgar.

After the Pomp and Circumstance marches, the Enigma Variations is one of Elgar’s most recognised works. It was the piece that really established his career, in mid life, and its marvellous melodies and lovingcharacterisations of his friends have kept it at the forefront of the repertoire.The Violin Concerto gave Elgar another chance to represent a personality in emotional and romantic music, but he leaves that soul unidentified. It’s another of Elgar’s mysteries, but there’s no mystery about the power andbeauty of this wonderful music.

EnergyAustralia is one of Australia’s leading energy companies, with morethan 1.4 million customers in NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Queensland.

With one of the most recognised names in the energy industry, we are proudto be associated with the Sydney Symphony, and we’re very excited to belinked to the Orchestra’s flagship Master Series.

We trust that you will enjoy tonight’s performance and hope you also have achance to experience future concerts in the EnergyAustralia Master Series.

George MaltabarowManaging Director

SUPPORTING PARTNER

SEASON 2008

THURSDAY AFTERNOON SYMPHONY

SUPPORTED BY TRUST

ELGAR FESTIVAL

ELGAR’S ENIGMAS

Thursday 13 November | 1.30pm

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductorJames Ehnes violin

EDWARD ELGAR (1857–1934)



INTERVAL

Pomp and Circumstance – Military Marches, Op.39


Variations on an original theme, Op.36 (Enigma)

See page 13 for a list of the variations

Wednesday night’s performancewill be broadcast live across

Australia on ABC Classic FM 92.9.

Pre-concert talk by FelicityGlennie-Holmes at 12.45pm in

the Northern Foyer.Visit sydneysymphony.com/talk-

bios for speaker biographies.

Estimated timings:48 minutes, 20-minute interval,

8 minutes, 30 minutes

The concert will conclude atapproximately 3.25pm.

FESTIVAL PARTNER

Trust is proud of its long standing partnership with the SydneySymphony and is delighted to bring you the Thursday AfternoonSymphony series in 2008.

The series offers perfect afternoons with some of the best-lovedcomposers – Ravel, Bernstein, Elgar, Mozart, Stravinsky, and manyothers. These concerts bring together some of the world’s mosttalented conductors and soloists – you’re in for a truly delightfulexperience.

Just like the Sydney Symphony, which has been the sound of thecity for more than 75 years, entertaining hundreds of thousands of people each year, Trust has been supporting Australians for over 120 years.

Whether it be in administering an estate or charity, managingsomeone’s affairs or looking after their interests via estate planning,financial planning or funds management, people come to Trustbecause of our personal service and commitment to ensuring theirinterests are being looked after.

We hope you enjoy a delightful Thursday afternoon with the Sydney Symphony.

Jonathan SweeneyManaging DirectorTrust Company Limited

Elgar Festival III:

Elgar’s Enigmas

There’s a reason why this concert is sold out – or as goodas. The program gives us a passionate Elgar, a popularElgar, and an affectionate Elgar. Above all, it includes theorchestral work that made his name and which remainstoday one of his best-loved works: the Enigma Variations.Vladimir Ashkenazy himself is unabashed in declaring his love for the Variations.

Ultimately the fondness music lovers hold for theEnigma Variations comes down to the music, imbued with gentle humour and insightful characterisations. The way Elgar depicts his friends ‘within’ reflects thesincerity and deep emotion to be found in all his bestmusic. The ‘enigma’ part of the Variations is the ‘darksaying’ that Elgar left us to guess (or rather, which he said ‘must be left unguessed’) and the ‘larger theme’ that‘goes’ through the whole work ‘but is not played’. It’s been discussed for more than a century and remainsunsolved.

The Violin Concerto offers its own enigma, thededication tells us that it enshrines a soul, but leavesellipses where a name would be. Here the possibilities are narrower and generally more plausible than thenumerous theories that have been raised about theVariations. But whichever view you hold – could it beElgar himself? – there’s no ignoring the ardent andimpassioned character of the ‘soul’ enshrined in thismost romantic of concertos.

The Pomp and Circumstance marches offer no mysteryat all. In this concert they represent the Elgar who wasnot afraid of a good tune or music’s capacity to inspire,even as he composed with his characteristic richness ofmusical ideas and inventive craftsmanship.

INTRODUCTION

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7 | Sydney Symphony

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Keynotes

ELGAR

Born Broadheath, 1857 Died Worcester, 1934

Edward Elgar was arguably

the first major British composer

after Henry Purcell in the

17th century. His masterpieces

include The Dream ofGerontius, the finest oratorio

by an English-born composer,

as well as the cello and

violin concertos. These,

along with his two completed

symphonies, are powerful

and inventive works that

combine a very personal

outlook on life with the

technique and musical vision

of his European peers. But

he was 42 years old before he

achieved deserved fame with

the Enigma Variations in 1899.

VIOLIN CONCERTO

The Violin Concerto was

composed in 1910. Intended

for Fritz Kreisler, it was Elgar’s

first major work for soloist

and orchestra. It adopts a

classical structure, with three

distinct movements (fast –

slow – fast). Each movement

in turn follows traditional

forms, allowing Elgar to

sustain the elaborate

conception of this long work

(nearly 20 minutes longer

than the Enigma Variations).

So much for navigation – the

effect of the concerto is one

of great sumptuousness and

beauty, deeply felt music

to tug at the heartstrings.

It contains a mystery in its

‘dedication’ and, as with all

Elgar’s best music, a sense

of personal confession.

This impassioned concerto

sets any idea of Edwardian

inhibition on its ear.

Edward Elgar



James Ehnes violin

In 1910, the young W.H. (Billy) Reed had just becomeleader of the London Symphony Orchestra, a position he would hold with distinction for many years thereafter. A slightly built, likeable young man, Reed was knownboth for his personal modesty and his dedication to themusic he performed.

On this particular day in May, Reed was walking down London’s Regent Street when he encountered theunmistakeable figure of one Edward Elgar, the 52-year-old doyen of English composers who throughout theprevious decade had stunned the world with hisimmortal orchestral works, the Enigma Variations, theFirst Symphony and the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius.Elgar greeted him warmly and the self-effacing Reed wasthrilled that such a great man should not only recognisehim but actually deign to speak with him. Elgar wanted to know if Reed had any spare time, because, as Reedsubsequently described it, ‘he was sketching outsomething for the fiddle, and wanted to settle, in his own mind, some question of bowing and certainintricacies in the passage-work.’ That ‘something for the fiddle’ was in fact a concerto which was being writtenfor Fritz Kreisler – one of the many European admirers of The Dream of Gerontius.

Reed seized on the opportunity to become the firstperson to play through the sketches of Elgar’s ViolinConcerto, a work destined to achieve a reputation as oneof the great concertos for the instrument after those ofBeethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. Buthe didn’t quite get what he expected. On his arrival thenext day at Elgar’s temporary London flat on New CavendishRoad, Reed found the composer pacing the room, layingout sheets of manuscript paper wherever he could findroom – pasted to walls, resting on the mantelpiece,pinned to the backs of chairs. Almost architecturally,Elgar was laying out the plan of his masterpiece.

While Elgar kept a suitably stiff upper lip during mostof the morning’s work with Reed, one passage particularly

8 | Sydney Symphony

thrilled him – the violin’s entry in the first movement,coming as it did (and still does) with the second, not thefirst, half of the principal subject. ‘The novelty of thisidea so pleased his fancy that I had to play that unusualopening many times with him, he thundering out thefirst two bars on the piano as if issuing a challenge to the solo violin to come in and see what he could make for it,’ Reed wrote later. The two men met again the nextday, and the next after that. They were destined to becomefirm friends and regular cycling partners.

By 2 June 1910 – Elgar’s 53rd birthday – the piano score of the work was virtually complete. Only theorchestration remained.

While the Violin Concerto was Elgar’s first maturework for solo instrument and orchestra, comingcomparatively late in his career, in a sense it waspredestined that he would write such a work. He was,after all, an accomplished violinist himself, had madesketches for a violin concerto as early as 1890 (beforeabandoning the project), and the excellence of his stringwriting had been a feature of all the works which hadestablished his reputation since the sensationalemergence of the Enigma Variations in 1899.

And there was more than a hint of an ‘enigma’ aboutthe Violin Concerto as well. It too bore traces of Elgar’sfriends and relations – of his wife, of his friend AliceStuart-Wortley, of Reed himself. But most of all, like the Variations, the Violin Concerto contains a crypticinscription facing the title page: ‘Aquí está encerrada elalma de…..’ (‘Herein lies enshrined the soul of…..’).

Elgar had found the Spanish text in the preface to thenovel Gil Blas by Alain-René Lesage (1668–1747). In thenovel, the inscription appears on a poet’s tomb, but in his own adaptation of it Elgar pointedly left the nameblank. Subsequent commentators have speculated on theidentity of the person whose ‘soul is enshrined’ withinthis, one of Elgar’s own favourite works.

The most plausible candidate is Alice Stuart-Wortley,the amateur pianist whose friendship with Elgar isdocumented in more than 400 letters written between1909 and 1931. Within that correspondence, Elgarconsistently referred to the Violin Concerto as ‘ourconcerto’ and he sent her a handwritten copy of thequotation from Lesage. His private name for her was‘Windflower’ and Elgar described the work as containing

In 1932 Elgar recorded the Violin

Concerto with the young Yehudi

Menuhin – just 16 years old – as

soloist.

9 | Sydney Symphony

‘It’s good! Awfully

emotional! Too emotional

but I love it!’

ELGAR

more than one ‘Windflower’ theme. But Elgar liked tocomplicate his enigmas, and later in his life he confidedto his friend Ivor Atkins that the inspiration for theconcerto had actually been his former fiancée HelenWeaver, a fine violinist in her own right.

No matter who the unknown inspiration was, the‘subject’ of the concerto, as always, remains Elgar himself.‘I have written out my soul,’ Elgar wrote to Stuart-Wortleyshortly after its completion. ‘This concerto is full ofromantic feeling,’ he assured his friend Frank Schuster.And to another friend he announced, ‘It’s good! Awfullyemotional! Too emotional but I love it!’

When Fritz Kreisler was shown the short score on 1July 1910, he exclaimed, ‘It will shake Queen’s Hall!’ andword soon got around that Elgar had another majortriumph looming. The London orchestras fought to givethe premiere, with the Philharmonic Society winning the right to have the work’s dedicatee Kreisler perform it twice, the composer conducting, in November 1910.

Before that could happen, Elgar had to finish theorchestration, a task he completed by August, and Kreislerand the composer had to work through the piece inprivate performances – which were often marred by Elgarsinging along at the piano when he ran out of fingers toachieve the desired orchestral sonority.

Billy Reed had a go at it too, in a semi-publicperformance at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester. ‘I felt a little overwhelmed at being asked to play the solopart at what would actually be the very first performancebefore an audience,’ Reed said. And Kreisler told aninterviewer at the time, ‘From the player’s point of viewit is perhaps the most difficult of all concertos forendurance.’ Certainly it’s a test of technique, with thesoloist called upon to range widely through difficultpassagework while maintaining the essentially poeticspirit of the work as a whole.

Listening Guide

The Concerto’s three movements are separated bypauses but there are clear thematic links between them(in his later Cello Concerto, Elgar would run the firsttwo movements together). The initial movement of thetheme is upwards by a semitone, and then falling, as ifrepresenting some kind of nostalgic sigh, whose secondhalf is elaborated by the soloist on entry. But it takes

some time for that entry to arrive, for Elgar follows thetradition of Beethoven and Brahms by providing a heftyorchestral ritornello before the star of the show appears.The sublime, semplice melody for the soloist representsElgar at his lyrical best and that distinctive ‘Windflower’theme undergoes some majestic transformations as the movement proceeds, ending back in the home key,B minor.

For all his conservative political affiliations, Elgar wasnever averse to the occasional radical post-Wagnerianharmonic leap. He begins the slow movement, forinstance, in the comparatively distant key of B flat major,with, again, a small upward leap getting the themeunderway and the violin introducing new material in keysas diverse as E and D flat. It’s an elegy of uncommonbeauty and here, surely, we come closest to the musicaldepiction of ‘the soul of…..’

The march-like last movement is substantial and,in its cadenza, contains one of the most extraordinaryinstrumental effects in all of Elgar’s music. The soloist’svirtuoso extravaganza is accompanied by the orchestralstring players ‘thrumming’ with the soft part of theirfingers, as if playing guitars. Elsewhere, themes from the previous movements are recalled, the mood lurchesbetween joy and nostalgia, the keys of B minor and major struggle for supremacy, before a brilliant flourishannounces the conclusion.

MARTIN BUZACOTT ©2001

The orchestra for Elgar’s Violin Concerto calls for pairs of flutes,oboes, clarinets and bassoons, and optional contrabassoon; fourhorns, two trumpets, three trombones and optional tuba; timpaniand strings.

The Sydney Symphony first performed the concerto in 1942 withconductor Bernard Heinze and soloist Thomas Matthews, and mostrecently in 2001 with Edo de Waart and violinist Nigel Kennedy.

10 | Sydney Symphony

The sublime melody for

the soloist represents

Elgar at his lyrical best…


Keynotes

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Composed in 1901, Elgar’s

first two military marches

contain a ‘once in a lifetime’

tune and embody his belief

that wanting to ‘inspire

people with a song’ was

nothing to be ashamed about.

Land of Hope and Glory,Mother of the Free,How shall we extol thee,Who are born of thee?Wider still and widerShall thy bounds be set;God, who made thee mighty,Make thee mightier yet.

ARTHUR C. BENSON

The appearance of the familiar‘Land of Hope and Glory’theme marks the trio sectionof the first Pomp andCircumstance march.

Edward Elgar

Pomp and Circumstance – Military Marches


For most people there is only one Pomp and CircumstanceMarch – No.1 in D major, with the stirringly patrioticmelody of the trio section, to which was later set thepoem ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.

The first march was composed in May 1901 – part of apair. ‘I’ve got a tune that will knock ’em – knock ’em flat,’Elgar declared, and he was right. At its first Londonperformance, conductor Henry Wood had to play it threetimes before the audience would let him get on with theconcert! (It was the first time such a thing had happenedin the history of the Proms.)

Elgar was immune to the lines drawn by the criticsbetween serious music and ‘popular’ appeal, regarding‘the composer’s vocation as the old troubadours and

Visit YouTube to watch rarefootage of Elgar introducingthen conducting the trio fromMarch No.1 in 1931. He saysto the orchestra: ‘Morning,gentlemen. Glad to see you all. Very light programthis morning. Please playthis tune as though you’venever heard it before.’http://tinyurl.com/5mu8keElgar in court dress, with the Order of Merit (Photo by Histed, 1911)


bards did. In those days it was no disgrace to a man to beturned on to step in front of an army and inspire peoplewith song…’ His military marches embraced ceremonyand pageantry, and he ‘did not see why the ordinary quickmarch should not be treated on a large scale in the waythat the waltz, the old-fashioned slow march and even thepolka have been treated by the great composers; yet allmarches on the symphonic scale are so slow that peoplecan’t march to them. I have some of the soldier instinctin me and so I have written two marches of which, so farfrom being ashamed, I am proud.’

The second of the original pair of marches was No.2 in A minor, gracious and lyrical but with what DianaMcVeagh calls ‘uneasy undertones’. Where the firstmarch gives us that ‘once in a lifetime’ tune, the secondhighlights Elgar’s instinct for orchestral sound andimaginative colours.

The title for the set is drawn from Shakespeare, thescene where a distraught Othello bids farewell to ‘…thespirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, The Royalbanner and all quality, Pride, Pomp and Circumstance ofglorious war!’

SYMPHONY AUSTRALIA / SYDNEY SYMPHONY ©2008

The Pomp and Circumstance marches call for pairs of flutes,piccolos, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, bass clarinet andcontrabassoon; four horns, two trumpets, two cornets, threetrombones and tuba; timpani and percussion (bass drum, cymbals,glockenspiel, snare drum, sleigh bells, tambourine, triangle); andstrings. The first march also requires two harps and organ.

The Sydney Symphony gave its first Sydney performances ofMarches No.1 and 2 in Young People’s Concerts conducted byBernard Heinze in 1940 and 1939 respectively. Both marches wereperformed most recently in a summer concert conducted by OlaRudner in 2002, and the first march was performed again later thatyear in The Spirit of Britain concert conducted by Sir WilliamSouthgate.

‘I have some of the

soldier instinct in me…’

ELGAR


Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

Variations on an original theme, Op. 36 (Enigma)

‘Dedicated to my friends pictured within,’ and dated fromMalvern, 1899, this work brought Elgar international fame. It consists of an ‘Enigma’ and fourteen variations. ‘The EnigmaI will not explain,’ said the composer; ‘its dark saying must beleft unguessed.’ Many guesses have been made but no one sofar has been able to explain the enigma. Each variation isheaded by initials or by a nickname belonging to a friend or toElgar’s wife or himself.

ThemeI (C.A.E.) Caroline Alice Elgar, the composer’s wifeII (H.D.S.-P) Hew David Steuart-Powell, pianist in

Elgar’s trioIII (R.B.T.) Richard Baxter Townshend, authorIV (W.M.B.) William Meath Baker, nicknamed ‘the

Squire’V (R.P.A.) Richard Penrose Arnold, son of Matthew

ArnoldVI (Ysobel) Isabel Fitton, viola playerVII (Troyte) Arthur Troyte Griffith, architectVIII (W.N.) Winifred NorburyIX (Nimrod) August Johannes Jaeger, reader for the

publisher Novello & Co.X (Dorabella) Intermezzo. Dora Penny, later Mrs Richard

PowellXI (G.R.S.) Dr G.R. Sinclair, organist of Hereford

CathedralXII (B.G.N.) Basil G. Nevison, cellist in Elgar’s trioXIII (***) Romanza. Lady Mary Lygon, later TrefusisXIV (E.D.U.) Finale. Elgar himself (‘Edu’ being his

nickname)

One evening in October 1898 Elgar, exhausted by a day ofteaching, sat down at the piano as he often did and beganto fashion the tune later known as ‘Enigma’. It is an oddlyhesitant theme; in its first and last parts each bar beginswith a rest, and the melody is typically angular and full of melancholy which is only partly dispelled by the warmfeeling of the middle four bars. It is indeed an enigmathat such a gloomy theme should give rise to a successionof such brilliant and for the most part cheerful portraits – Elgar’s portrait of himself being the most festive andmagnificent of all! The Enigma theme seems to represent

Keynotes

ENIGMA VARIATIONS

The phenomenal success

of the Enigma Variations

in 1899 followed years of

frustration, disappointment

and compromise as Elgar

pursued his ambitions as

a symphonic composer.

The spark was purely

musical: a good tune that

caught the ear of his wife,

Alice. This became his

theme, and in a spirit of fun

– urged on by Alice – he

began playing it in the

‘manner’ of his friends,

capturing the quirks of their

personalities. From this

lighthearted beginning the

work continued ‘in deep

seriousness’, emerging as

fourteen affectionate

variations, sympathetic and

sincere in their humour.

At first Elgar identified his

friends only by initials

and nicknames, but these

‘mysteries’ were quickly and

easily solved. The enigma

of the title refers to the

theme itself and remains

unsolved.

the composer in a mood of the deepest depression whichhis friends, coming in one after another, do their utmostto dispel – and succeed in doing so.

Having worked out his theme, Elgar then began toimagine what various acquaintances of his might havedone with it ‘if they were asses enough to compose’ (atypical piece of self-deprecation). Jotting down the names,a set of variations took shape, each in some way revealingthe personality of a friend. This was a congenial task,and less than four months later the score was completed;the first performance took place in London under HansRichter on 19 June 1899.

Listening Guide

The first variation leads straight out of the theme, andreveals the gracious personality of the future Lady Elgar.No.2 attempts the almost impossible – an orchestralrendering of a light scampering piano scherzo. No.3 is acaricature of an amiable eccentric, cycling around Oxfordon his tricycle. No.4 is noisy and assertive. No.5 is aperson of two different moods – introspective anddistinctly gloomy (string melody), but also given tosomewhat inconsequential chattering and laughter(woodwind phrases). ‘Ysobel’ is as elegant and refined as‘Troyte’ is brusque and argumentative.

‘W.N.’ (No.8) lived in a fine half-timbered house,standing in its own spacious garden at the foot of theMalvern Hills. We get a feeling of the glorious expanse ofthe countryside. Elgar also preserves for us W.N.’s ‘littletrilly laugh’, which is heard on the oboe. ‘Nimrod’ is a playon the name of Jaeger (German for ‘hunter’); it is a wisecomposer who so honours his publisher, and the music is a noble tribute to the man who more than any otherwas responsible for Elgar’s success.

The Intermezzo, ‘Dorabella’, alias Dora Penny, was a very close friend of Elgar, and so she has the central placeamong the Variations. It was perhaps rather cruel ofElgar to include in this dainty, fluttering and decidedlysentimental portrait Dora’s slight stammer, which issomewhat more noticeable than the soulful viola solo. As Mrs Richard Powell, ‘Dorabella’ wrote charmingly andinformatively of the ‘friends within’ in her Edward Elgar:Memories of a variation (1937).

No. 11 (G.R.S.) shows Elgar rather more interested inDr Sinclair’s bulldog than in his organ-playing. Elgar had


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Elgar’s wife, Alice

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August Jaeger, Elgar’s great friend

and publisher-editor


a great affection for dogs, and on one occasion at least washeard to address his dog at the conclusion of a broadcasttalk: ‘Good night, everyone…good night, Marco!’ No.12 isself-explanatory. No.13, Romanza, has a quotation fromMendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, heard twiceon the clarinet and once on the trumpets and trombones– alluding to a voyage taken by the lady referred to as Lady Mary Lygon, later Trefusis.

Lastly, the Finale – one could guess the composer was a violinist and a conductor, and also an organist. TheEnigma theme now rises to its full stature; Elgar does nothesitate to give the music a strong flavour of Pomp andCircumstance. A mysterious quiet episode in the middleshows another side of his character, and the rich,sonorous peroration makes a truly Elgarian conclusion.

Altogether, the Enigma Variations are remarkablysuccessful as portraits, and they are equally good as puremusic. Elgar’s gift for melody-writing of all sorts, hiscommand of the orchestra, and his resourcefulness indevising variations make this a memorable work quiteapart from considerations of portraiture.

© DONALD PEART

Donald Peart (1909–1981) was an English music administrator andfrom 1947 to 1974 held the Chair of Music at Sydney University.

The orchestra for the Enigma Variations calls for two flutes (onedoubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons andcontrabassoon; four horns, three trumpets, three trombones andtuba; timpani and percussion (side drum, triangle, cymbals, bassdrum); organ (in the finale); and strings

The Sydney Symphony first performed the Variations in 1939 underMalcolm Sargent, and most recently in 2006 with Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducting.

…the Enigma Variations

are remarkably successful

as portraits, and they

are equally good as pure

music.

Seated from left: George Sinclair, Dan

the bulldog, and Elgar

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Elgar’s Enigma

For more than a century the ‘enigma’ of Elgar’s Variations has kept musicians and music-loversintrigued. As recently as 1999, Julian Rushton, in his Cambridge Music Handbook on the EnigmaVariations, devoted a chapter to the many ingenious solutions that have been proposed, whileobserving, ‘since interest in the question shows no signs of abating, I expect to be out of dateon publication’. Rarely has a musical work prompted so much speculation. But first, the facts:

‘The Enigma I will not explain – its ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that theconnexion between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, throughand over the whole set another and larger theme ‘goes’, but is not played…’ (From the program note for the first performance)

From Elgar’s comments Rushton concludes that any solution must both unveil the ‘dark saying’and find ‘another and larger theme’ that goes ‘through and over’ the whole set.

In the 1930s Dora Powell, Dorabella of the Variations, wrote that ‘the notion that it could beanything other than a tune is relatively modern…Elgar made it perfectly clear to us when thework was being written that the Enigma was concerned with a tune.’ This would seem to ruleout non-musical ‘themes’ such as the ‘theme of friendship’, even though for many musiciansthis is a plausible and satisfying option for a ‘larger theme’ that goes ‘through and over’ thewhole set. Elgar had also told her, ‘It is so well known that it is extraordinary no-one hasspotted it’, and that he thought she ‘of all people’ would guess it.

This gives Rushton two additional criteria: that any solution must involve well-known music, ‘or at least something well known’, and that it must be evident why Dora ‘of all people’ shouldguess it. As he points out, very few solutions even try to meet all these criteria.

Those who interpret the ‘enigma’ as a tune that will ‘go’ with the Theme (if not the individualvariations) have precedent on their side. Elgar enjoyed challenges of this type, and had evensuperimposed the National Anthem on the 5/4 waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony.

Troyte Griffith (Var. VII) offered God Save the Queen early on, only to be told by the composer ‘Of course not’. Rule Brittania has supporters – until 1970 Brittania appeared on the tail-side ofthe British penny and Dora’s maiden name was Penny. The first published solution, within afew months of Elgar’s death, was Auld lang syne. It has also been suggested that the Theme isan inversion of a simple five-finger exercise. Those looking for more sophisticated solutionshave suggested Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata and Mozart’sPrague Symphony.

Others have drawn on Elgar’s fondness for musical ciphers and note-spelling, includingconductor Christopher Seaman, who, by including the bass notes when the violins are resting,reads the Theme as a dedication to Elgar’s daughter, A. Carice. Michael Kennedy made aconnection between the rhythm and phrasing of the Theme and the composer’s name: Ed-wardEhhhl’gaaar; its melodic shape has been likened to the contours of the Malvern Hills nearwhere Elgar lived.

There is no artistic need for a solution to be found, but clearly Elgar’s enigma touches apsychological nerve. Indeed, it is tempting to stop and ask whether Elgar was simply playing atremendous joke, just as one of Tom Stoppard’s characters responds to Fermat’s last theorem:‘There is no proof… The thing that is perfectly obvious is that the note in the margin was a joketo make you all mad.’ (Arcadia)

We can go mad trying to solve Elgar’s ‘enigma’ – he has taken its secret to the grave – but wedo know that Elgar believed the Variations ‘should stand simply as a “piece” of music’. And itdoes stand – as one of the best-loved pieces in the orchestral repertoire.

YVONNE FRINDLE ©SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2006


MUSICIAN SNAPSHOT

Fenella Gill – going her own way

Fenella Gill, cellist with the SydneySymphony, is joined by her six-year-olddaughter Audrey on the day of this‘snapshot’ interview. Audrey is home fromschool, her left hand firmly swathed inbandages following a close encounter with a glass door. No permanent damagefortunately, but it does raise an interestingquestion: what if it were Fenella’s ownhand sporting a similar fresh dressing? ‘I think it would be extremely challenging,and probably a bit miserable andfrustrating if I couldn’t play.’

Fenella grew up in a musical household.‘My mother would often wake us up on theweekend by playing a record of a Mozartviolin concerto, or the Elgar cello concerto,perhaps to drop the hint that we [Fenellaand her three sisters] should get up andpractise?’ Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) inher late teens threatened to put a stop toFenella’s aspirations of becoming aprofessional musician. ‘I was practisingincredible hours every day, and it wasn’thealthy, obviously. I overcame it with a lotof physical exercise; a lot of bike-ridingand swimming backstroke; doing theopposite movements to sitting playing thecello all day.’

Thankfully, Fenella recovered to fullhealth. ‘It’s very hard psychologically to not be able to do something that you reallywant to do. But I think it’s made me a lotstronger. I really believe you will alwaysend up finding your own way to play. Somuch of what we do is positive thinking.Maturity comes when you learn to trustyourself, to let go of how you think youshould play and to experiment; to be able to play with conviction and believe that’swhat you’re doing. I’m also very aware now in the orchestra of how my bodyis feeling.’

Jacqueline du Pré, the cellistsynonymous with the Elgar cello concerto,was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis atthe age of 26, prematurely ending herperforming career. ‘Du Pré’s recording ofthe Elgar was the first one I ever owned andI had lessons on the same concerto withher teacher, William Pleeth. And though du Pré was English, and the piece isEnglish, it’s not the stereotype that youmight think. She was incredibly expressive.’

Du Pré’s association with other artistslike Pinchas Zuckerman, Itzhak Perlmanand Daniel Barenboim put her in a class of ‘untouchables’ in Fenella’s mind. ‘Theseare names I grew up with. They wereperformers who achieved legendary status.I think it’s really exciting to haveAshkenazy, who was also a part of thatgroup, as our Principal Conductor. It’s likea direct link to the good old days.’

GENEVIEVE LANG ©2008

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MORE MUSIC

VIOLIN CONCERTO

James Ehnes’s recent recording of the Elgar’s ViolinConcerto, made with Andrew Davis conducting thePhilharmonia Orchestra, was nominated Editor’sChoice by Gramophone magazine, which praised it as‘thrillingly combustible, imaginative and involving’.ONYX 4025

One of the most memorable performances of the ViolinConcerto in Sydney in recent years was given by NigelKennedy in 2001. He recorded the concerto with thelate Vernon Handley and the London PhilharmonicOrchestra, and more recently with Simon Rattle andthe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Theearlier one has now taken its place in EMI’s GreatRecordings of the Century series. EMI CLASSICS 45793 OR 345792 (LPO)EMI CLASSICS 56413 (CBSO)

GLOSSARY

CADENZA – a virtuoso passage, traditionallyinserted towards the end of a sonata-formconcerto movement and marking the final ‘cadence’. Originally cadenzas wereimprovised, but with Beethoven’s EmperorConcerto composers began writing outthe cadenzas, reacting to those soloists whoplayed excessively long or stylistically andthematically unrelated cadenzas in a bid toshow off. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concertointroduced the idea that the cadenza couldbe played at other points in the music and since then cadenzas have been muchmore freely used.

ORCHESTRAL RITORNELLO – literally ‘a little return’, a ritornello is a recurringinstrumental passage or refrain. In Baroqueconcertos the ‘orchestral ritornello’ denotesa passage without the soloist(s). Composerssuch as Mozart tried to reconcile theritornello form (beginning with anorchestral ritornello followed by a soloepisode) with the newly emerging sonataform and its repeated exposition. The result was the separate orchestral and soloexpositions to be found in most Classicalconcertos.

ORCHESTRATION – the way in which anorchestral work employs the differentinstruments and sections of the ensemble;to orchestrate a work is to take the draft(often written out for piano) and assign the musical ideas to individual orchestralinstruments.

SEMITONE – the smallest interval of pitchavailable in the conventional Western tonalsystem; a descending semitone, with thehigher note falling to the immediatelyadjacent lower note, can sound like amusical ‘sigh’.

SEMPLICE – simple, simply.

In much of the classical repertoire, movementtitles are taken from the Italian words thatindicate the tempo and mood. A selection ofterms from this program is included here.

Allegro – fastAndante – at an easy walking paceAllegro molto – very fast

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.

Yehudi Menuhin recorded the concerto in 1932 whenhe was 16, with Elgar himself conducting the LondonSymphony Orchestra. Also included in the GreatRecordings series.EMI CLASSICS 66994

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Elgar completed five Pomp and Circumstance marches(there is a sixth, unfinished march, recently completedby Anthony Payne). You can hear all five in definitiveperformances by John Barbirolli and the PhilharmoniaOrchestra in EMI’s excellent 5-CD box set, Elgar:Orchestral Works.EMI 67198

Selected Discography


NOVEMBER–DECEMBER

ELGAR FESTIVAL BROADCASTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor

12 November, 8pmJames Ehnes violinViolin Concerto, Enigma Variations, Pomp and Circumstance Marches

20 November, 8pmLilli Paasikivi, Mark Tucker, David Wilson-Johnson vocal soloistsSydney Philharmonia Choirs

The Dream of Gerontius

22 November, 12.05pmSTRAUSS, SAINT-SAËNS & SIBELIUS

Thomas Dausgaard conductorSimon Trpceski piano

5 December, 8pmVIENNESE CLASSICS

Lothar Zagrosek conductorDiana Doherty oboeBeethoven, Mozart, Schubert

Broadcast Diary

sydneysymphony.com

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

Selected Sydney Symphony concerts are recorded forwebcast by BigPond and are available On Demand.Visit: sydneysymphony.bigpondmusic.com

Current webcast:GELMETTI’S FAREWELL

Available On Demand

Webcast Diary

ENIGMA VARIATIONS

The EMI box set also includes the Enigma Variations,again with Barbirolli and the Philharmonia. VernonHandley’s recording with the LPO has been releasedwith the Serenade for strings, and music by VaughanWilliams.CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE 74880

Between 2005 and 2007 the London SymphonyOrchestra’s LSO Live label released several recordingsof Elgar’s orchestral works in celebration of the 150thanniversary of his birth (1857). Colin Davis is theconductor in the Enigma Variations, paired with theIntroduction and Allegro for string quartet and stringorchestra.LSO LIVE 109 (609 SACD)

VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY

RECENT RELEASE

Rachmaninov: Complete Symphonies and

Orchestral Works

Ashkenazy conducts the Sydney Symphony in liverecordings from the 2007 Rachmaninov Festival.EXTON EXCL-00018

JAMES EHNES

In addition to his recording of the Elgar ViolinConcerto, this year James Ehnes has releasedrecordings of the Bach unaccompanied sonatas andpartitas and sonatas for violin and harpsichord (twodiscs on the Canadian Analekta label), and a disc withBruch’s three violin concertos and the Scottish Fantasyrecorded with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra(conducting shared by Charles Dutoit and MarioBernardi).CBC SM 5000 SERIES 5245

His recording of the Dvorák concerto with the BBCPhilharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda was released onthe Chandos label.CHANDOS 10309

15 December, 8pmSTRAVINSKY’S PETRUSHKA

Lothar Zagrosek conductorMichele Campanella pianoMozart, Franck, Stravinsky27 December, 8pmCRIME TIME

Frank Strobel conductorClive James presenterWaxman, Tiomkin, Goldsmith, Williams and others

2MBS-FM 102.5

SYDNEY SYMPHONY 2009

12 January, 6pm

What’s on in concerts, with interviews and music.


ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor

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AIn 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 he was Music Director of the NHK Symphony Orchestra inTokyo from 2004 to 2007. He will take up the position ofPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the SydneySymphony 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 hetoured and later developed into a TV documentary) andRachmaninoff Revisited 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. He maintains stronglinks with a number of other major orchestras, includingthe Cleveland Orchestra (where he was formerlyPrincipal Guest Conductor), San Francisco Symphony,and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin (ChiefConductor and Music Director 1988–96), and last yearreturned to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic.

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 Rachmaninov transcriptions.His latest releases are recordings of Bach’s WohltemperierteKlavier and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations.

A regular visitor to Sydney over many years, he hasconducted subscription concerts and composer festivalsfor the Sydney Symphony, with his five-programRachmaninov Festival forming a highlight of the 75th Anniversary Season in 2007. Vladimir Ashkenazy’sfuture artistic role with the Orchestra will includecollaborations on composer festivals, major recordingprojects and international touring activities.


James Ehnes violin

Born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canadian violinistJames Ehnes has rapidly established a pre-eminentreputation among young concert artists. He has performedwith major orchestras such as the Boston, Chicago andPittsburgh symphony orchestras, the Philadelphia Orchestra,and the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic orchestras,as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, PhilharmoniaOrchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, DSOBerlin and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. He has workedwith leading conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy,Marin Alsop, Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Ivan Fischer,Paavo Järvi, Lorin Maazel, Charles Mackerras, DavidRobertson, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Christian Thielemann.

In the 2008/09 season he will make his debuts with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Brahms DoubleConcerto with cellist Truls Mørk), the Gürzenich Orchester,the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and the GothenburgSymphony. He also returns to the Rotterdam PhilharmonicOrchestra, as well as many UK orchestras, and will appearagain with the New York Philharmonic. Highlights ofthe 2007/08 season included concerts with the New YorkPhilharmonic and Maazel, and in Europe an appearance at the Prague Autumn Festival with the BBC ScottishSymphony Orchestra and Ilan Volkov.

James Ehnes maintains a busy festival and recitalschedule, and last year he gave his debut Wigmore Hallrecital and premiered a new work for violin and piano by Aaron Jay Kernis at the BBC Proms. As a chambermusician, he has collaborated with pianists Leif OveAndsnes and Louis Lortie, and cellists Jan Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma. He is the Associate Artistic Director of theSeattle Chamber Music Society.

His discography includes a live recording of the ElgarViolin Concerto with Andrew Davis and the PhilharmoniaOrchestra, and his recording of the Korngold, Barber andWalton violin concertos (Vancouver Symphony Orchestraand Bramwell Tovey) won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra.

Jame Ehnes became a protégé of Canadian violinistFrancis Chaplin aged nine, made his debut with theOrchestre Symphonique de Montréal aged 13, andgraduated from the Juilliard School in 1997. He plays the ‘Ex Marsick’ Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefullyacknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.


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. Last year theOrchestra celebrated its 75th anniversaryand the milestone achievements during itsdistinguished history.

Resident at the iconic Sydney OperaHouse, where it gives more than 100performances each year, the SydneySymphony also performs concerts in avariety of venues around Sydney andregional New South Wales. Internationaltours to Europe, Asia and the USA haveearned the Orchestra world-widerecognition for artistic excellence.

Critical to the success of the SydneySymphony has been the leadership givenby its former Chief Conductors including:Sir Eugene Goossens, Nicolai Malko,Dean Dixon, Willem van Otterloo, LouisFrémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, StuartChallender 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 fifth and finalyear as Chief Conductor and ArtisticDirector of the Sydney Symphony, aposition he holds in tandem with thatof Music Director at Rome Opera. As partof his farewell season, he recently led theOrchestra on a tour of Italy, with concertsin eight cities.

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 Symphonyalso maintains an active commissioningprogram promoting the work of Australiancomposers, and recent premieres haveincluded major works by Ross Edwards and Brett Dean, as well as Liza Lim, whowas composer-in-residence from 2004 to 2006.

In 2009 Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazywill begin his three-year tenure asPrincipal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

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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 14

01Second Violins

02 03 04 05 06 07

08 09 10 11 12 13

First Violins

01 Sun YiAssociate Concertmaster

02 Kirsten WilliamsAssociate Concertmaster

03 Kirsty HiltonAssistant Concertmaster

04 Fiona ZieglerAssistant Concertmaster

05 Julie Batty06 Sophie Cole07 Amber Gunther08 Rosalind Horton09 Jennifer Hoy10 Jennifer Johnson11 Georges Lentz12 Nicola Lewis13 Alexandra Mitchell

Moon Design Chair of Violin14 Léone Ziegler

Marriane Broadfoot

Second Violins

01 Marina MarsdenPrincipal

02 Emma WestA/Associate Principal

03 Shuti HuangA/Assistant Principal

04 Susan DobbiePrincipal Emeritus

05 Pieter Bersée06 Maria Durek07 Emma Hayes08 Stan W Kornel09 Benjamin Li10 Nicole Masters11 Philippa Paige12 Biyana Rozenblit13 Maja Verunica

Guest Musicians

Carl Pini Principal First Violin

Emily Long First Violin#

Leigh MiddenwayFirst Violin

Emily Qin First Violin#

Martin Silverton First Violin

Alexandra D’Elia Second Violin#

Thomas Dethlefs Second Violin

Alexander Norton Second Violin#

Jacqueline Cronin Viola#

Jennifer Curl Viola#

Nicole Forsyth Viola

Ruediger Clauss Principal Cello

Rowena Crouch Cello#

Gordon Hill Double Bass#

Kate Lawson Flute†

Robert Llewellyn Bassoon#

Saul Lewis Horn

Alexander Love Horn

Brian Nixon Timpani#

John Douglas Percussion

Alison Pratt Percussion

Philip South Percussion

Owen Torr Harp

David Drury Organ

# = Contract Musician† = Sydney Symphony

Fellow

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

Harp01 Flutes

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 Tony and Fran Meagher Chair of Principal Cello

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 Neil BrawleyPrincipal Emeritus

04 David Campbell05 Steven Larson06 Richard Lynn07 David Murray

Gordon Hill(contract, courtesy Auckland Philharmonia)

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

Noriko ShimadaPrincipal

Horns

01 Robert JohnsonPrincipal

02 Ben JacksPrincipal

03 Geoff O’ReillyPrincipal 3rd

04 Lee Bracegirdle05 Euan Harvey06 Marnie Sebire

Trumpets

01 Daniel Mendelow Principal

02 Paul Goodchild The Hansen Family Chair of Associate Principal Trumpet

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 ByrneRogenSi International Chair of Trombone

Bass Trombone

Christopher Harris Trust Foundation Chair of Principal Bass Trombone

Tuba

Steve RosséPrincipal

Timpani

Richard MillerPrincipal

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 06 01Trumpets

02 03 04

01Trombones

02 03Bass Trombone Tuba Timpani

01Percussion

02Piano

MUSICIANS


PRINCIPAL PARTNER

GOLD PARTNERS

The Company is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW

SALUTE

PLATINUM PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

REGIONAL TOUR PARTNERS

ITALIAN TOUR 2008 PARTNERS


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

BRONZE PARTNERS MARKETING PARTNERS PATRONS

Australia Post

Austrian National Tourist Office

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 links Australia’s top performers in the executive andmusical worlds. For information about the Directors’ Chairs program, please callCaroline Sharpen on (02) 8215 4619.

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DIRECTORS’ CHAIRS

01Mulpha Australia Chair of Principal Harp, Louise Johnson

02Mr Harcourt Gough Chair ofAssociate Principal Flute, Emma Sholl

03Sandra and Paul SalteriChair of Artistic DirectorEducation, 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 DoubleBass, Kees Boersma

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

08Gerald Tapper, Managing Director RogenSi withRogenSi Chair of Trombone, Nick Byrne

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

10Andrew Kaldor and RenataKaldor AO Chair of PrincipalOboe, Diana Doherty

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11Andrew Turner and VivianChang Chair of PrincipalViola and Artistic Director,Fellowship Program, Roger Benedict

12The Hansen Family Chair ofAssociate Principal Trumpet,Paul Goodchild

13 Tony and Fran Meagher Chair of Principal Cello,Catherine Hewgill

Mr John C Conde AO – ChairmanMr Peter Weiss AM – Founding President,

Maestro’s Circle

Mr Geoff & Mrs Vicki AinsworthMs Ashley Dawson-DamerIn memory of Hetty & Egon Gordon

Mr Andrew Kaldor & Mrs Renata Kaldor AO

Mrs Penelope SeidlerWestfield Group

MAESTRO’S CIRCLE


Mrs Catherine Gaskin Cornberg§Jen Cornish °Mr Stan Costigan AO &

Mrs Mary Costigan °*Mr Michael Crouch AO *M Danos °Lisa & Miro Davis *Joan De Hamel °Mr Peter & Mrs Mary Doyle °*Mr Colin DraperMrs Francine J Epstein °Mr and Mrs David Feetham Mr Steve GillettIn memory of Angelica Green §Dr & Mrs C Goldschmidt §Beth Harpley *Mr Ken Hawkings °*Intertravel Lindfield °Mrs Greta James *Mr Stephen Jenkins *Dr Michael Joel AM &

Mrs Anna Joel °Doctor Faith M Jones §Mr Noel Keen *Mrs Jannette King *Iven & Sylvia Klineberg *Dr Barry LandaDr & Mrs Leo Leader °Margaret Lederman §Ms A Le Marchant *Mr Joseph Lipski °*Mrs A Lohan *Mr James McCarthy *Mr Matthew McInnes §Ms Julie Manfredi-HughesMs J Millard *‡Helen Morgan *Mr Walter B Norris °Miss C O’Connor *Mrs Rachel O’Conor °Mr R A Oppen §Mrs S D O’TooleMrs Roslyn Packer AO °Mr Tom PascarellaDr Kevin Pedemont *Mr & Mrs Michael Potts Mr John Reid AO Catherine Remond °Mr John &

Mrs Lynn Carol Reid §Mr M D Salamon §In memory of H St P Scarlett §Mr John Scott °William Sewell *‡Dr John Sivewright &

Ms Kerrie Kemp ‡Margaret Suthers °Mrs Elizabeth F Tocque °*Mr & Mrs Richard Toltz °Mr Andrew & Mrs Isolde TornyaRonald Walledge °Louise Walsh & David Jordan °Mrs Lucille Warth ‡Mrs Christine WenkartA Willmers & R Pal °‡Dr Richard Wing §Mr Robert Woods *Jill WranMiss Jenny Wu Mrs R Yabsley °§Anonymous (31)

PLAYING YOUR PART

MaestriBrian Abel & the late

Ben Gannon AO °Geoff & Vicki Ainsworth *Mrs Antoinette Albert §Mr Robert O Albert AO *‡Mr Terrey & Mrs Anne Arcus §†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 §Eric Dodd†Penny Edwards °*Mr J O Fairfax AO *Fred P Archer Charitable Trust §Dr Bruno & Mrs Rhonda Giuffre*In memory of Hetty Gordon §Mr Harcourt Gough §Mr James Gragam AM &

Mrs Helen Graham †Mr David Greatorex AO &

Mrs Deirdre Greatorex §The Hansen Family §Mr Stephen Johns §†Mr Andrew Kaldor &

Mrs Renata Kaldor AO §H Kallinikos Pty Ltd §Mrs Joan MacKenzie §Mrs T Merewether OAM & the

late Mr E J Merewether Mr James & Mrs Elsie Moore °Mr B G O’Conor °§The Paramor Family *The Ian Potter Foundation °Miss Rosemary Pryor *Bruce & Joy Reid Foundation*Dr John Roarty in memory of

Mrs June RoartyRodney Rosenblum AM &

Sylvia Rosenblum *Mr Paul & Mrs Sandra Salteri °†David Smithers AM & Family °§Mrs Joyce Sproat &

Mrs Janet Cooke §Andrew Turner & Vivian ChangMr Brian & Mrs Rosemary White§Anonymous (2) *

VirtuosiMr Roger Allen &

Mrs Maggie GrayMr Charles Barran §Ms Jan Bowen °§Mr Robert & Mrs L Alison Carr §Mrs Emily Chang §Mr Bob & Mrs Julie Clampett °§Mr Greg Daniel Ian Dickson & Reg Holloway°

Mr Ross Grant †Mr & Mrs Paul Hoult Irwin Imhof in memory of

Herta Imhof °‡Mr & Mrs Gilles T Kryger °§Ms Ann Lewis AM Helen Lynch AM & Helen Bauer°Mr & Mrs David Milman §The Perini Family FoundationMrs Helen Selle §Ms Ann Sherry AO °Ms Gabrielle Trainor °In memory of Dr William &

Mrs Helen Webb ‡Michael & Mary Whelan Trust §Anonymous (1)

SoliMr David Barnes °Mr Anthony Berg AMMr Alexander &

Mrs Vera Boyarsky §Mr Peter Coates Ms Elise Fairbairn-SmithMr Robert Gay §Hilmer Family Trust §Ms Ann Hoban °Mr Paul Hotz §Mr Philip Isaacs OAM °§Mr Bob Longwell Mrs Judith McKernan °§Miss Margaret N MacLaren °*‡§Mr David Maloney §Mrs Alexandra Martin & the

late Mr Lloyd Martin AM §Mrs Mora Maxwell °§Mr and Mrs John van OgtropMs Robin Potter °§Ms Julie Taylor ‡Mr Geoff Wood &

Ms Melissa Waites †Ray Wilson OAM & the late

James Agapitos OAM*Anonymous (6)

TuttiRichard Ackland °Mr C R Adamson §Mr Henri W Aram OAM §Mrs Joan Barnes °Doug & Alison Battersby °Mr Stephen J Bell *‡Mr Phil Bennett Nicole Berger *Mr Mark BethwaiteGabrielle Blackstock °‡Mr David S Brett *§Mr Maximo Buch *Mrs Lenore P Buckle §A I Butchart °*Debby Cramer & Bill Caukill §Joan Connery OAM °§Mr & Mrs R Constable °‡Mr John Cunningham SCM &

Mrs Margaret Cunningham °§Mrs Ashley Dawson-Damer °Mr & Mrs J B Fairfax AM §Mr Russell Farr Mr Ian Fenwicke &

Prof Neville Wills §Anthony Gregg & Deanne

Whittleston ‡Mrs Akiko Gregory °Miss Janette Hamilton °‡Mr Charles Hanna †Rev H & Mrs M Herbert °*Mr A & Mrs L Heyko-Porebski°

Dr & Mrs Michael Hunter §Ms Judy JoyeMr & Mrs E Katz §Mrs Margaret Keogh °*Miss Anna-Lisa Klettenberg §Mr Andrew Korda &

Ms Susan Pearson Mr Justin Lam §Dr Garth Leslie °*Erna & Gerry Levy AM §Mrs Belinda Lim & Mr Arti Ortis §Mr Gary Linnane °§Mr & Mrs S C Lloyd °Mr Andrew & Mrs Amanda Love Mrs Carolyn A Lowry OAM °Mr & Mrs R Maple-Brown §Mr Robert & Mrs Renee Markovic °§Wendy McCarthy AO °Mr Ian & Mrs Pam McGaw *Mrs Barbara McNulty OBE §Kate & Peter Mason °†Justice Jane Mathews §Ms Margaret Moore &

Dr Paul Hutchins *Mr Robert Orrell °Mrs Jill Pain ‡Timothy & Eva Pascoe §Ms Patricia Payn °§Mrs Almitt PiattiMr Adrian & Mrs Dairneen Pilton Mr L T & Mrs L M Priddle *Mrs B Raghavan °Mr Ernest & Mrs Judith Rapee §Dr K D Reeve AM °Mrs Patricia H Reid §Pamela Rogers °‡Mr Brian Russell &

Mrs Irina SinglemanMs Juliana Schaeffer §Robyn Smiles §The Hon. Warwick SmithDerek & Patricia Smith §Catherine Stephen §Mr Fred & Mrs Dorothy Street ‡§Mr Michael &

Mrs Georgina SuttorMr Georges &

Mrs MarlieseTeitler §Dr Heng & Mrs Cilla Tey §Mr Ken Tribe AC &

Mrs Joan Tribe §Mr John E Tuckey °Mrs Merle Turkington °Mrs Kathleen Tutton §Ms Mary Vallentine AO §Henry & Ruth WeinbergAudrey & Michael Wilson °Anonymous (14)

Supporters over $500Ms Madeleine AdamsPTW Architects §Mr John Azarias Mr Chris & Mrs Mary Barrett °Ms Wendy BlackBlack CommunicationsMr G D Bolton °Dr & Mrs Hannes Boshoff §M BulmerHugh & Hilary Cairns *Ms C Cathels °Marty Cameron §Hon. Justice J C &

Mrs Campbell °*Mr Brian CaseyMr B & Mrs M Coles °Dr Malcolm Colley °

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 call(02) 8215 4619.

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

Sydney Symphony Council

Geoff AinsworthAndrew Andersons AO

Michael Baume AO*Christine BishopDeeta ColvinGreg Daniel AM

John Della Bosca MLC

Alan FangErin FlahertyDr Stephen FreibergRichard Gill OAM

Donald Hazelwood AO OBE*Dr Michael Joel AM

Simon Johnson Judy JoyeYvonne Kenny AM

Gary LinnaneAmanda LoveThe Hon. Ian Macdonald MLC*Joan MacKenzieSir Charles Mackerras CH AC CBE

David MaloneyDavid MaloufJulie Manfredi-HughesDeborah MarrThe Hon. Justice Jane Mathews AO*Danny MayWendy McCarthy AO

John MorschelGreg ParamorDr Timothy Pascoe AM

Stephen Pearse

Jerome RowleyPaul SalteriSandra SalteriJacqueline SamuelsJulianna SchaefferLeo Schofield AM

Ivan UngarJohn van Ogtrop*Justus Veeneklaas*Peter Weiss AM

Anthony Whelan MBE

Rosemary WhiteKim Williams AM

* Regional Touring Committee member

Sydney Symphony Regional Touring Committee

The Hon. Ian Macdonald MLC

Minister for Primary Industries, Energy, MineralResources and State Development

Dr Richard Sheldrake Director-General, Department of Primary Industries

Mark Duffy Director-General, Department of Water and Energy

Colin Bloomfield Illawarra Coal BHPBilliton

Stephen David Caroona Project, BHPBilliton

Romy Meerkin Regional Express Airlines

Peter Freyberg Xstrata

Tony McPaul Cadia Valley Operations

Terry Charlton Snowy Hydro

Sivea Pascale St.George Bank

Paul Mitchell Telstra

John Azarias Deloitte Foundation

Greg Jones

Peter King Royal Agricultural Society

Gerard Lawson Sunrice

Grant Cochrane The Land

Sydney Symphony Staff

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Libby ChristieEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Eva-Marie Alis

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING

Peter Czornyj

Artistic Administration

ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Raff WilsonARTIST LIAISON MANAGER

Ilmar LeetbergADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT

Catherine Wyburn

Education Programs

EDUCATION MANAGER

Margaret MooreARTIST DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Bernie Heard

Library

LIBRARIAN

Anna CernikLIBRARY ASSISTANT

Victoria GrantLIBRARY ASSISTANT

Mary-Ann Mead

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Rory Jeffes

Development

HEAD OF CORPORATE RELATIONS

Leann MeiersCORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Julia OwensCORPORATE RELATIONS EXECUTIVE

Seleena SemosHEAD OF PHILANTHROPY

Caroline SharpenDEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE

Kylie AnaniaEVENTS COORDINATOR

Lisa Davies-Galli

Publications

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR AND MUSIC PRESENTATION MANAGER

Yvonne Frindle

Public Relations

PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER

Yvonne ZammitPUBLICIST

Stuart Fyfe

SALES AND MARKETING

DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

Mark J ElliottMANAGER OF SUBSCRIPTIONS

Rebecca MacFarlingMANAGER OF CLASSICAL SALES

Simon Crossley-MeatesMANAGER OF COMMERCIAL SALES

Penny EvansONLINE MANAGER

Kate TaylorMEDIA SERVICES COORDINATOR

Antonia FarrugiaGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Christie HutchinsonDATA ANALYST

Varsha Karnik

Box Office

ACTING MANAGER OF TICKETING &CUSTOMER SERVICE

Paul HansonBOX OFFICE COORDINATOR

Peter GahanCUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES

Michael DowlingErich GockelNatasha Purkiss

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAMANAGEMENT

Aernout KerbertACTING DEPUTY ORCHESTRAMANAGER

Greg LowACTING ORCHESTRAL COORDINATOR

Stephanie MirowOPERATIONS MANAGER

Kerry-Anne CookTECHNICAL MANAGER

Derek CouttsPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tim DaymanPRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Ian Spence

BUSINESS SERVICES

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

John HornFINANCE MANAGER

Ruth TolentinoACCOUNTS ASSISTANT

Li LiOFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Rebecca WhittingtonPAYROLL OFFICER

Usef Hoosney

HUMAN RESOURCES

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Ian Arnold

COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES

COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES MANAGER

David PrattRECORDING ENTERPRISES EXECUTIVE

Philip Powers


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

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Ms Sue Nattrass AO

Mr Leo Schofield AM

Ms Barbara WardMr Evan Williams AM

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