Staatskapelle Dresden, Myung-Whun Chung & Yuja Wang Programme

INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SERIES 2019/2020

Staatskapelle Dresden Myung-Whun Chung conductor Yuja Wang piano WEDNESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2019

Welcome You are very welcome to the opening concert of our International Concert Series for 2019/20. This is always one of the milestones in the annual calendar at the National Concert Hall, so we are delighted to welcome this evening one of the world’s most distinguished orchestras – Staatskapelle Dresden. With it roots stretching back to the middle of the 16th century, this is also one of the oldest orchestras in the world. Over its long history many famous names have left their mark on this one-time court orchestra - previous directors include the composers Heinrich Schütz, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. The list of its Kappelmeisters over the last 100 years is equally impressive, including Fritz Reiner, Karl Böhm, Rudolf Kempe, Kurt Sanderling, Herbert Blomstedt, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Bernard Haitink, Fabio Luisi and, since the 2012 / 2013 season, Christian Thielemann.

The International Concert Series has long been the flagship of the NCH programme, bringing the finest international classical musicians, ensembles and orchestras to Irish audiences as well as showcasing our own leading artists.

Tonight’s concert sets the standard for an exciting season of concerts ahead.

Our thanks to our media partner The Irish Times for its ongoing support of the International Concert Series and to all our Friends, Corporate Associates, Patrons, sponsors and you, our audience. We hope you enjoy tonight’s performance and we look forward to welcoming you back to many more wonderful concerts in the season.

Maura McGrath Simon Taylor Chairman CEO Board Of Directors Maura McGrath Chair • James Cavanagh • Rebecca Gageby Gerard Gillen • Eleanor McEvoy • Máire O’Connor John Reynolds • Don Thornhill Patron Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland 1

Staatskapelle Dresden

This evening we are thrilled that the orchestra will be conducted by the great Korean maestro Myung-Whun Chung, who has been its Principal Guest Conductor since the 2012 / 2013 season. Johannes Brahms, whose Symphony No. 2 makes up the second half of the programme, appeared with the Staatskapelle Dresden several times, as both conductor and piano soloist. The latter role is filled this evening by the sensational Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, making her debut in Ireland with the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Rachmaninov, a work designed by the composer to showcase his own incredible virtuosity for his New York debut in 1909.

The depth of the Dresden string tone was outstanding and the brass a marvel of richness and splendour‌ Exhilarating The Guardian

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Programme

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909) INTERVAL

Brahms

Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 73

Staatskapelle Dresden

REMINDERS Mobile Devices Please ensure all mobile devices are switched off during the performance.

Camera, Video and Recording Equipment Camera, video and recording equipment are NOT permitted in the auditorium.

Intervals and Timings Interval will be 20 minutes. Latecomers will not be admitted until there is a suitable break in the performance.

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International Concert Series 2019/2020

Staatskapelle Dresden

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Founded by Prince Elector Moritz von Sachsen in 1548, the Staatskapelle Dresden is one of the oldest orchestras in the world and thus steeped in tradition.

©Matthias Creutziger

Staatskapelle Dresden

Over its long history many distinguished conductors and internationally celebrated instrumentalists have left their mark on this one-time court orchestra. Previous directors include Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner, who called the ensemble his miraculous harp. The list of prominent conductors of the last 100 years includes Ernst von Schuch, Fritz Reiner, Fritz Busch, Karl Böhm, Joseph Keilberth, Rudolf Kempe, Otmar Suitner, Kurt Sanderling, Herbert Blomstedt and Giuseppe Sinopoli. The orchestra was directed by Bernard Haitink from 2002 – 2004 and most recently by Fabio Luisi from 2007 – 2010. Their Principal Conductor since the 2012/2013 season has been Christian Thielemann. In May 2016 former Principal Conductor Herbert Blomstedt received the title Conductor Laureate. The only person to previously hold this title was Sir Colin Davis, from 1990 until his death in April 2013. Myung-Whun Chung has been Principal Guest Conductor since the 2012/2013 season.

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©Klaus Gigga

International Concert Series 2019/2020

“The Staatskapelle’s home is the Semperoper, where it performs around 260 operas and ballets each season”

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Richard Strauss and the Staatskapelle were closely linked for more than sixty years. Nine of the composer’s operas were premiered in Dresden, including “Salome”, “Elektra” and “Der Rosenkavalier”, while Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony” was dedicated to the orchestra.

Countless other famous composers have written works either dedicated to the orchestra or first performed in Dresden. In 2007 the Staatskapelle reaffirmed this tradition by introducing the annual position of “Capell-Compositeur”. Following on from Hans Werner Henze, Sofia Gubaidulina, Wolfgang Rihm, György Kurtág, Arvo Pärt and Peter Eötvös, the German composer Aribert Reimann will hold this title for the 2019 / 2020 season. As “Capell-Virtuosin” the cellist Sol Gabetta will take part in concerts in the Semperoper as well as on tour.

As one of the most celebrated and popular symphony orchestras, the Staatskapelle regularly travels abroad to the world’s leading classical venues. Since 2013 the Staatskapelle Dresden has been the resident orchestra of the Salzburg Easter Festival, whose Artistic Director is none other than Christian Thielemann.

As patron orchestra of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Staatskapelle supports the nurturing of young talent. Also active at the local level, the Kapelle is a partner of Meetingpoint Music Messiaen in the double city of Görlitz-Zgorzelec and, in 2010, helped found the International Shostakovich Festival in Gohrisch (Saxon Switzerland), which is the first annual event dedicated to the music and life of the composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

At a ceremony in Brussels in 2007 the Staatskapelle became the first – and so far only – orchestra to be awarded the “European Prize for the Preservation of the World’s Musical Heritage”.

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Staatskapelle Dresden

The Staatskapelle’s home is the Semperoper, where it performs around 260 operas and ballets each season. In addition, the ensemble presents another 50 symphonic and chamber concerts in the opera house, as well as playing at various musical events in Dresden’s iconic Frauenkirche.

©Matthias Creutziger

International Concert Series 2019/2020

Myung-Whun Chung

CONDUCTOR

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Myung-Whun Chung began his musical career as a pianist, winning second prize at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1974.

After his musical studies at the Mannes School and Juilliard School in New York, he was appointed Carlo Maria Giulini’s assistant in 1979 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and became Associate Conductor two years later.

Highlghts of the 2018/2019 season include productions of Macbeth and Otello at Teatro La Fenice, Otello at the Wiener Staatsoper and La Traviata at Teatro alla Scala. As well as conducting the New Year concerts at La Fenice he will make important returns to the Concertgebouw and Philadelphia orchestras and will continue his regular orchestral collaborations with the Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Filarmonica della Scala.

Myung-Whun Chung has conducted virtually all the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Wiener Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Filharmonica della Scala as well as all the major London and Parisian 9

Myung-Whun Chung

He was Music Director of the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1990, Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Firenze from 1987 to 1992 and Music Director of the Opéra de Paris-Bastille from 1989 to 1994. The year 2000 marked his return to Paris as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. His love for Italy has been the basis of his extensive work in that country for many years, including, from 1997 to 2005, his position as Principal Conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He also appears regularly at the Teatro La Fenice, recently conducting Madama Butterfly, Simon Boccanegra, Otello and Tristan und Isolde. Other recent opera engagements include La Traviata and Rigoletto at the Wiener Staatsoper. In Germany, he became Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden at the beginning of the 2012/2013 season, the first conductor to hold the post in the history of the orchestra. Outside Europe, he is increasingly committed to musical and social causes in Asia through his role as Honorary Conductor Laureate of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and previously as Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

orchestras. In the USA, he has collaborated with the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra.

An exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon since 1990, many of his numerous recordings have won international prizes and awards. Recent releases include Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony and Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with the Orchestre de l’Opéra Bastille, as well as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 9, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 Pathétique and a Beethoven disc, all with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

International Concert Series 2019/2020

Myung-Whun Chung has been the recipient of many honours and prizes for his artistic work, including the Premio Abbiati and the Arturo Toscanini prize in Italy and the Légion d’Honneur (1992) in France. In 1991, the Association of French Theatres and Music Critics named him Artist of the Year and in 1995 he won the Victoire de la Musique prize three times. He was named a Commandeur dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2011. In 2017, he was appointed as “Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia”.

Deeply sensitive to humanitarian and ecological problems of our age, Myung-Whun Chung has devoted an important part of his life to these causes. In 1994, he launched a series of musical and environmental projects in Korea for youth. He served as Ambassador for the Drug Control Program at the United Nations (UNDCP); in 1995, he was named Man of the year by UNESCO and also Most Distinguished Personality by the Korean press association. In 1996, he received the Kumkuan, the highest cultural award of the Korean government for his contribution to Korean musical life. Myung-Whun Chung now serves as Honorary Cultural Ambassador for Korea, the first in the Korean government’s history. In 2008, he was designated the first conductor named as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

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International Concert Series 2019/2020 Wed. 16 Oct. 2019, 8pm London Mozart Players Howard Shelley piano/ conductor Sun. 10 Nov. 2019, 8pm Christian Tetzlaff violin Lars Vogt piano Sat. 23 Nov. 2019, 8pm RIAS Kammerchor Justin Doyle chief conductor Bahar & Ufuk Dördüncü pianos Mon. 9 Dec. 2019, 8pm Joseph Calleja tenor Claudia Boyle soprano RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra Proinnsías Ó Duinn conductor

Wed. 22 Jan. 2020, 8pm English Chamber Orchestra José Serebrier conductor Natalie Clein cello Thurs. 20 Feb. 2020, 8pm Simon Trpčeski piano Mon. 9 Mar. 2020, 8pm Bach Collegium Japan Masaaki Suzuki conductor Sat. 4 Apr. 2020, 8pm Tenebrae Aurora Orchestra Mon. 20 Apr. 2020, 8pm Emanuel Ax piano

Wed. 13 May 2020, 8pm Camerata Ireland Barry Douglas piano/ conductor Lynn Harrell cello Dmitry Sitkovetsky violin Sat. 23 May 2020, 8pm Joyce DiDonato mezzo-soprano Il pomo d’oro Maxim Emelyanychev conductor/harpsichord Tue. 2 June 2020, 8pm The Hallé Sir Mark Elder conductor Benjamin Grosvenor piano

Thurs. 30 Apr. 2020, 8pm Vienna Chamber Orchestra Paul Lewis piano

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©Julia Wesely

International Concert Series 2019/2020

Yuja Wang

PIANO

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Critical superlatives and audience ovations have continuously followed Yuja Wang’s dazzling career. The Beijing-born pianist, celebrated for her charismatic artistry and captivating stage presence, is set to achieve new heights during the 2018/2019 season, which features recitals, concert series, as well as season residencies, and extensive tours with some of the world’s most venerated ensembles and conductors.

Yuja began the summer of 2018 with a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Andris Nelsons, followed by a tour with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Later engagements included an extensive recital tour to South America, as well as several concerts with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev throughout Asia in autumn.

Spring of 2019 saw Yuja embark on a tour of Los Angeles, Seoul, and Tokyo with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra to give the first-ever performances of John Adams’ newest piano concerto, as well as reuniting with cellist and frequent collaborator Gautier Capuçon for a vast US chamber tour.

Yuja was born into a musical family in Beijing. After childhood piano studies in China, she received advanced training in Canada and at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and recordings.

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Yuja Wang

Yuja featured as an Artist-in-Residence at three of the world’s premier series: New York’s Carnegie Hall with a season-long “Perspectives” series, the Wiener Konzerthaus with a “Portrait” series, and also at the Luxembourg Philharmonie. Engagement highlights include concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at Versailles, as well as the Summer Night Concert at the Schönbrunn Palace with Gustavo Dudamel. She also embarks on tours with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinyte˙-Tyla. Other notable appearances include concerts in Istanbul, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Kotor.

Programme Notes

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909)

International Concert Series 2019/2020

i. Allegro ma non tanto ii. Intermezzo: Adagio iii. Finale: Alla breve Sergei Rachmaninov was due to start his final concert tour of North America when he received his United States citizenship papers on 1 February 1943. On 17 February he gave what was to be his last concert in Knoxville, Tennessee. The tour was cancelled when he became seriously ill on his way by train to the next concert in Florida.

He returned to Los Angeles, where he died on 28 March, four days before his seventieth birthday.

Rachmaninov first came to America at the age of 36 for a concert tour in 1909-1910, hosted by the New York Symphony Society. He was booked for several recitals and concerto appearances with orchestras in Boston and New York, comprising 19 piano performances and seven conducting engagements. He was not looking forward to the strenuous journey and unfamiliar surroundings but intended to buy a large car with his earnings, something he had always wanted.

He also had to complete a new work for piano and orchestra and wrote to a friend: ‘I’m perpetually dissatisfied with myself. Nothing but continuous torture’.

The final date on the manuscript of the work, Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30, was 23 September. Rachmaninov set out for America on 15 October so there was no time to print the score and the orchestral parts. During the voyage he practised the solo piano part on a 14

‘dummy’ keyboard. The world premiere of the concerto was given on 28 November 1909, in the New Theatre, New York, by the New York Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Walter Damrosch, with the composer as soloist. It was repeated on 30 November in Carnegie Hall. The New York Sun music critic had some reservatons: ‘Sound, reasonable music…though not a great nor memorable proclamation.

The concerto was too long and lacked rhythmic and harmonic contrast between the first movement and the rest’.

The Russian premiere of Concerto No. 3 was subsequently given in Moscow, it was published there by Gutheil in 1910. It was dedicated to the Polish pianist, Josef Hofmann, but was never performed by him.

Other notable pianists who never played it included Moiseiwitsch and Richter. Horowitz claimed that it owed its position in the repertoire to his advocacy in the 1930s. The physical and musical demands for the soloist include vigorous stamina, massive chordal playing, flawless articulation and a wide range of pianistic colour. It was Rachmaninov’s favourite concerto, he played it 85 times during his career. After his death it was chosen for more memorial concerts in America than Concerto No. 2.

The artless opening theme of the first movement, Allegro ma non tanto, was, according to the composer, ‘borrowed neither from folksong forms nor church sources. It simply wrote itself’. The theme is repeated by violas accompanied by scintillating piano figurations until a dialogue between piano and orchestra transmutes into an achingly beautiful second theme on the piano, echoed by the orchestra. This leads to a climax with strings, woodwind and horns as the tempo increases and a piano cadenza is followed by another 15

Programme Notes

On 16 January 1910 the concerto was given a third performance by the New York Philharmonic with conductor Gustav Mahler.

Rachmaninov was very impressed by Mahler’s conducting and attention to detail, and commented: ‘Though the rehearsal was scheduled to end at 12.30 we played and played, far beyond this hour; and when Mahler announed that the first movement was to be rehearsed again I expected some protest or scene from the musicians, but I didn’t notice a single sign of annoyance’. According to one critic ‘The impression made at the earlier performances of the essential dignity and beauty of this music and of the composer’s playing was deepened’.

statement of the opening theme. The coalescence of familiar motifs, interspersed with haunting wind solos and brilliant piano passagework, continues throughout the expansive development until it reaches a climax and launches into another virtuosic cadenza. A lingering flute solo introduces a magical section in which the main themes are recalled by woodwind and piano, fading to a mysterious coda which brings the movement to a quiet end.

International Concert Series 2019/2020

The second movement, Intermezzo: Adagio, opens with a short string introduction and a plaintive oboe theme expanded by the orchestra, giving the pianist some respite. When the piano enters a series of variations ensues, reaching a climax with an impassioned version of the theme by piano and orchestra. The tempo, key and mood change in the waltz-like central section, with brilliant piano passages and a variant of the opening theme of the first movement by clarinet and bassoon. As the orchestra starts to play the sorrowful Adagio the piano suddenly erupts and two fortissimo chords by piano and orchestra lead without a break into the finale. The thematic material in the dazzling third movement, Finale : Alla breve, is closely linked to the first movement; the majority of the themes are interrelated. The movement is the ultimate in pianistic virtuosity but the soloist is firmly in control of the musical trajectory. The rhapsodic nature of the music is balanced by the composer’s unerring sense of direction, despite frequent changes of tempo. The energetic opening themes usher in a light-fingered scherzando section which ends with sweeping pianissimo arpeggios. As the tempo winds down a lyrical piano melody is followed by an expressive piano interlude. After a short breathing space Alla breve returns at breakneck speed, accelerating until an affirmative recapitulation and an exciting coda bring Rachmaninov’s most complex and technically challenging piano concerto to a triumphant conclusion.

INTERVAL

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 73 (1877) i. Allegro non troppo ii. Adagio non troppo iii. Allegro grazioso iv. Allegro con spirito

The barrier had been breached. Less than a year later Brahms began to compose Symphony No. 2 in D major during the summer months in Pörtschach, an idyllic lakeside resort in Austria, and he completed it in October 1877 at Lichenthal near Baden-Baden. The first performance on 30 December in Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted

by Hans Richter, was an unqualified success. Clara Schumann had predicted that being ‘so genial in mood and so skilfully worked out’ the second symphony would please the public even more than the first. It received such an enthusiastic reception at the premiere that the third movement was encored.

The symphony, mostly genial in character, has sometimes been termed Brahms’ ‘Pastoral’. All four movements are in a major key and although there are some darker aspects especially in the second movement, the overall atmosphere is optimistic. The expansive first movement opens with a 3-note motif or motto on cellos and basses, from which much of the thematic material of the symphony is derived, 17

Programme Notes

It is not surprising that Brahms was forty-three years of age before he composed his first symphony. Schumann’s prophecy that his protégé would become the leading symphonist of the age took a long time to be fulfilled. The shadow cast by his idol, Beethoven, for whom Brahms was seen as the natural successor, was an inevitable psychological barrier. In 1870 Brahms wrote to his friend, the conductor Hermann Levi, ‘I will never compose a symphony, you have no idea how it feels to hear the footsteps of a giant marching behind you’. However, in 1876, after fourteen years gestation, Brahms completed Symphony No. 1 in C minor and his confidence was boosted by its success. Even then the footsteps of a giant marched behind. The resemblance between the allegro tune in the finale and the ‘Ode to Joy’ theme in Beethoven’s Ninth symphony led some critics to label Symphony No. 1 as the ‘Tenth’ Symphony.

both melodically and as an accompaniment. A graceful horn melody, answered by woodwind, sets the scene until, after a darker moment of recollection, a flowing second theme is introduced by the violins leading to a cantando theme in lower strings. The sweeping melodies are fully explored in the development section with skilful orchestration and a profusion of melodic invention. As the beguiling main themes are revisited in the recapitulation the tranquil coda, beginning with solo horn and strings, seems to linger, as if reluctant to end the movement.

International Concert Series 2019/2020

The expressive opening cello theme of the second movement, Adagio non troppo, is combined with a countermelody by two bassoons. The theme is repeated and expanded by violins as cellos play the countermelody. Horn and woodwind continue the narrative until a lyrical new melody in the strings signals the middle section. The oboes enter with the main theme and violins play the countermelody.

After a short pause there is an explosive climax. Variations on the melodies follow, ending with blazing brass at the height of the storm and another interruption. A poignant fragment of the opening theme brings the movement to a close.

A solo oboe, accompanied by pizzicato cellos and woodwind choir, ushers in the piquant Scherzo: Allegretto grazioso based on the 3-note motto. Brahms uses the same motif for the Trio, disguising it by changing the triple metre of the Scherzo to duple for the Trio, and increasing the pace of the Trio to a headlong Presto. The repeat of the Scherzo is a free variation with only brief references to the original oboe melody.

The sotto voce opening bars in cellos and basses of the fourth movement, Allegro con spirito, are reminiscent of Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ symphony as they suddenly erupt into a mighty crash by the full orchestra. The 3-note motif is incorporated into the energetic opening theme. No time is wasted before the syncopated second theme is delivered softly by the strings. The unpredictable nature of the movement is soon evident. Brahms does not waste any time on a repeat of the exposition, but launches straight into the development with its sudden dynamic contrasts and unexpected key changes.

A mysterious tranquillo interlude precedes the recapitulation which features the second theme in the tonic key before the rousing trombones in the coda declare a brilliantly exciting ending.

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Symphony No. 2 was first performed in Dublin on 14 November 1899, two years after the death of Brahms, at a concert by the newly-formed Dublin Orchestral Society, conducted by Michele Esposito. There were mixed opinions about the work in the newspaper review next day: ‘Though considered in many quarters as the greatest symphony composer since the time of Beethoven’s wondrous compositions, the earlier movements might not find favour with all, owing to the severe and occasionally mystifying observance of technique. The finale, however, brightens up and rounds off the work with brilliancy and great vitality and the whole must certainly be voted a ponderous and impressive composition’.

(The Irish Times 15 November 1899)

Programme Notes by Ita Beausang

Programme Notes

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Staatskapelle Dresden

International Concert Series 2019/2020

Conductor Myung-Whun Chung Piano Yuja Wang 1st Violins Roland Straumer 1st Concertmaster Thomas Meining Federico Kasik Robert Lis Johanna Mittag Jörg Kettmann Barbara Meining Birgit Jahn Martina Groth Anja Krauß Anett Baumann Roland Knauth Anselm Telle Franz Schubert Ludovica Nardone Sunjoo Hong 2nd Violins Holger Grohs Concertmaster Lukas Stepp Concertmaster Matthias Meißner Annette Thiem Jens Metzner Olaf-Torsten Spies Beate Prasse Mechthild von Ryssel Elisabeta Schürer Emanuel Held Martin Fraustadt Robert Kusnyer Michael Schmid Ami Yumoto

Violas Thomas Michael Neuhaus Principal Viola Stephan Pätzold Anya Dambeck Jahn Uwe Ulrich Milatz Ralf Dietze Zsuzsanna Schmidt-Antal Susanne Neuhaus Milan Líkař Michael Horwath Florian Kapitza Fabian Lindner Cellos Norbert Anger 1st Concertmaster Cello Christian Dittmann Friedwart Simon Kalbhenn Tom Höhnerbach Bernward Gruner Jakob Andert Anke Heyn Matthias Wilde Titus Maack Boris Nedialkov Double Basses Andreas Wylezol Principal Double Bass Martin Knauer Torsten Hoppe Helmut Branny Fred Weiche Reimond Püschel Thomas Grosche Johannes Nalepa Flutes Sabine Kittel Principal Flute Rozália Szabó Principal Flute Bernhard Kury

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Oboes Bernd Schober Principal Oboe Céline Moinet Principal Oboe Sibylle Schreiber Clarinets Wolfram Große Principal Clarinet Robert Oberaigner Principal Clarinet Jan Seifert

French Horns Erich Markwart Principal French Horn Robert Langbein Principal French Horn David Harloff Harald Heim Julius Rönnebeck Klaus Gayer

Jan Nast Managing Director Alexandra MacDonald Assitant to the Managing Director Felicitas Böhm PR and Marketing Matthias Gries Stage Manager Stefan Other Stage Manager Steffen Tietz Stage Manager International Tour Management by Askonas Holt Ltd Donagh Collins Chief Executive Sergio Porto Bargiela Head of Tours and Projects Suzanne Doyle Senior Project Manager Esther Killisch Project Administrator

Staatskapelle Dresden

Bassoons Joachim Hans Principal Basoon Thomas Eberhardt Joachim Huschke Hannes Schirlitz

Percussion Christian Langer Jürgen May

Trumpets Matthias Schmutzler Principal Trumpet Tobias Willner Principal Trumpet Sven Barnkoth Trombones Jonathan Nuß Principal Trombone Jürgen Umbreit Frank van Nooy Tuba Jens-Peter Erbe Principal Tuba Timpani Thomas Käppler Principal Timpani 21

LET THE PERFORMANCE BEGIN Located in the heart of the city and close to Dublin’s most popular theatre and concert venues, The Saddle Room is the ideal place to dine before a show.

Pre-Theatre Menu served daily from 5.30pm - 6.45pm Two Course 32

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The Shelbourne, 27 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland, D02 K224. +353 1 663 4500

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A TREASURE CHEST OF OPERA with Professor Deirdre O’Grady Six Tuesdays, beginning 24 September – 29 October, 6.30 – 8pm National Concert Hall Join us for a journey through Opera, six lectures delivered by Emeritus Professor Deirdre O’Grady exploring the highlights of romantic and realistic Italian opera including the works of Verdi, Puccini, and others. The course will be illustrated with audio and visual media and is suitable for opera lovers and novices alike.

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Tickets €125 (Friends of NCH €100).

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Chamber Music Series 2019/2020 Highlights • Fifty New Irish Art Songs to be premiered as part of Irish Language Art Song Project • Resound: NCH/Sounding the Feminist Series featuring work of female composers • International Guitar Series featuring six recitals by leading International and Irish musicians • Young Artist Series: four concerts by young Irish prize-winners • Sunday String Quartet Series: eight recitals by leading ensembles • Beethoven 250th Anniversary: two distinct series by The Degani Piano Trio and Irish pianist Hugh Tinney And lots more.

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PATRONS AND JOHN FIELD SOCIETY Frank & Ivy Bannister, Tony Brown, Sharon Burke, Geraldine Byrne, Tom Carey, Denis & Gráinne Cremins, Veronica Dunne, Sir James & Lady Jeanne Galway, Bernadette Goggins, Diane Jamieson, Brian Kingham, Mary MacAodha, Brian McElroy, Dr. John O’Conor, Deirdre O’Grady, Rachel Patton, Beverly Sperry, Simon Taylor, Kieran Tobin, Stephen Vernon We also gratefully acknowledge those patrons who have requested to remain anonymous.

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