Martha Argerich and Friends Programme Booklet

7-9 NOVEMBER 2022 ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

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ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL FEATURING Martha Argerich Dario Alejandro Ntaca Lyda Chen Argerich David Chen Yunchan Lim Orchestra of the Music Makers

MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM

WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM

CHAMBER MUSIC

ROMANTICS

GENERATIONS

14

PG

18

PG

24

PG

CONCERT PIANOS SPONSORED BY

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ALTENBURG ARTS Altenburg Arts Pte Ltd was founded by Lionel Choi in Singapore in 2018 as a diversified arts consultancy firm, with a focus on classical music. In the area of concert production, it aspires to be a premier presenter of world-class, highquality classical music productions and projects. As an independent promoter, it aims to attract talented artists from around the world to perform in Singapore and in the region, particularly, but not exclusively, in non-orchestral settings such as solo recitals and chamber music.

I​n addition to concerts, Altenburg Arts engages in music education projects, as well as artist management on a general, regional and project basis.

ITS MISSION →

To engage, inspire, educate and entertain communities through the arts, particularly classical music

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To enliven the artistic and cultural calendar of Singapore

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To contribute to high-quality local and international classical music programming in Singapore

In its inaugural 2019/20 season, Altenburg Arts presented two concerts by the legendary pianist Martha Argerich in Shanghai at the Shanghai Grand Theater. On home ground in Singapore, it presented recitals by such internationally renowned names as pianists Yevgeny Sudbin and Kun-Woo Paik, violinist Yao Jue and the Hong Kong String Orchestra, and rising star baritone Zhou Zhengzhong.

Following widespread cancellations arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Altenburg Arts made a triumphant return to the concert hall with an all-Bach recital by cellist Qin Li-Wei in January 2021 at the Esplanade, followed by an all-Beethoven recital with Qin and pianist Albert Tiu. From June to early November, Altenburg Arts presented the first and only solo piano recitals by visiting international artists since the start of the pandemic, featuring pianists Haiou Zhang, Kate Liu, Chiyan Wong and Zlata Chochieva.

For 2022, Altenburg Arts' line-up includes soprano Sumi Jo, violinist Hyeyoon Park, and pianists Martha Argerich, Eric Lu, Arnaldo Cohen, Kun-Woo Paik, Benjamin Grosvenor, Pietro de Maria, Kit Armstrong, Juho Pohjonen, Lucas Debargue, Anton Gerzenberg and Yunchan Lim. www.altenburg-arts.com

ALTENBURG ARTS DIRECTORS JIMMY QI AND LIONEL CHOI, BACKSTAGE WITH LYDA CHEN ARGERICH, DARIO NTACA AND MARTHA ARGERICH, IN SHANGHAI, 2019

ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS “WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS, AND WE ARE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS.” ARTHUR O’SHAUGHNESSY, “ODE ”

The Orchestra of the Music Makers (OMM) is a Singapore-based symphony orchestra established in 2008, comprising over 140 highly-trained volunteer musicians. Although many have chosen careers outside of music, our musicians are dedicated to the high standards of music-making and community work which OMM stands for. Under the mentorship of Chan Tze Law, a leading Singaporean conductor and Vice-Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, OMM has become an integral part of Singapore’s classical music scene and has gained international repute.

Over the years, OMM has continued to challenge expectations by taking on works of epic proportions. Following the successful performances of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Bernstein’ s Mass in 2017 and 2018 respectively, OMM presented the long overdue Singapore Premiere of

Wagner’s Die Walküre in January 2020 to critical acclaim.

OMM was among the most active arts groups in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic, organising a wide array of digital productions, live performances, and outreach events between August 2020 to December 2021. Recordings of these digital productions have also been featured at the Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as on the Singapore Airlines Inflight Entertainment System.

Orchestra of the Music Makers Ltd. is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

Website: www.orchestra.sg Facebook: @OrchMusicMakers Instagram: @omm.sg

PHOTO: YONG JUNYI

MARTHA ARGERICH

PHOTO: ADRIANO HEITMAN

PIANO

Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina). She began her first piano lessons at the age of five with Vincenzo Scaramuzza.

Considered a child prodigy, she soon performed in public. In 1955, she moved to Europe and continued her studies in London, Vienna and in Switzerland with Seidlhofer, Gulda, Magaloff, Mrs Lipatti and Stefan Askenase. In 1957, she won the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions, and in 1965 the Warsaw International Chopin Competition. Since then, she has been one of the most prominent pianists in the world, both in popularity and ability.

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

Martha Argerich has been rated highly for her performance of the virtuoso piano literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Her large repertoire includes Bach, Bartók, Beethoven and Messiaen, as well as Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, Franck, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Though she is permanently invited by the most prestigious orchestras, conductors and music festivals in Europe, Japan, America and Israel (with Zubin Mehta and Lahav Shani), chamber music occupies a significant place of her musical life.

She regularly played and recorded with the late

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Nelson Freire and Alexandre Rabinovitch, and continues her long partnership with Mischa Maisky, Gidon Kremer and Daniel Barenboim. “This harmony within a group of people gives me a strong and peaceful feeling," she once said.

Martha Argerich has recorded for EMI, Sony, Philips, Teldec, DGG and many of her performances were broadcasted on television worldwide. She has received many awards: “Grammy Award” for Bartók and Prokofiev Concertos, “Gramophone – Artist of the Year”, “Best Piano Concerto Recording of the Year” for Chopin concertos, “Choc” of the Monde de la Musique for her Amsterdam recital, “Künstler des Jahres Deutscher Schallplatten Kritik”, “Grammy Award” for Prokofiev’s Cinderella with Mikhail Pletnev and a “Grammy Award” for

Beethoven Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Claudio Abbado (DGG / Best Instrumental Soloist Performance), “Sunday Times – Record of the Year” and “BBC Music Magazine Award” for her Shostakovich recording (EMI – 2007). Among her most recent recordings are Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Seiji Ozawa (Decca), Mozart concertos K. 466 and K. 503 with Orchestra Mozart and Claudio Abbado, and duo recitals with Daniel Barenboim (Deutsche Grammophon).

Since 1998. she has been the Artistic Director of the Beppu Festival in Japan; in 1999 she created the International Piano Competition and Festival Martha Argerich in Buenos Aires; in June 2002 the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano; and in 2018 the Martha Argerich Festival in Hamburg.

​MARTHA ARGERICH HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS DISTINCTIONS: → → → → → →

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“Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” in 1996 and “Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres ” in 2004 by the French Government “Accademica di Santa Cecilia” in Rome in 1997 “Musician of the Year” by Musical America 2001 « The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette » by the Japanese Emperor and the prestigious « Praemium Imperiale » by the Japan Art Association in 2005 Kennedy Center Honors by Barack Obama in December 2019 Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by Sergio Mattarella in October 2018

DARÍO ALEJANDRO NTACA

PHOTO: ALTENBURG ARTS

CONDUCTOR/ PIANO

“DARÍO NTACA IS AN EXCELLENT PIANIST AND SEARCHING MUSICIAN...

HIS INTERPRETATION OF RACHMANINOV’S WORKS SHOW VERY HIGH STANDARDS.” MARTHA ARGERICH ​ The eldest son of the late piano pedagogue Alejandro Ntaca, Darío A. Ntaca began his piano lessons with his mother, Marta Rossi, and then furthered his studies under his father’s intensive guidance. He also studied orchestral conducting at The Juilliard School with Vincent La Selva and is a graduate of the State University of New York where he studied with Claudio Arrau's assistant, Germán Diez. When he was 14, Dario had the privilege to meet the legendary Earl Wild, whose pianistic influence as “The Last Romantic” has been vital in his development.

Mr. Ntaca has performed solo recitals in cities such as Paris, Belgrade, Bucharest, Los Angeles, Tokyo and New York. In 1985, The New York Times praised his performance at Carnegie Recital Hall. He has served as Music Director at the Guild for International Piano Competitions, being subsequently invited to be a juror at the Palm Beach International Piano Competition from 1991 until 2001. Besides a successful career as a virtuoso pianist and conductor, Mr. Ntaca also gave masterclasses in piano and chamber music at the Universidade Federal de Brasilia, National Conservatory of Romania, Guarnerius Art Centre in Serbia, California State University, New England Conservatory in Boston, Florida Atlantic University and the prestigious McGill University in Montréal.

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

Besides his international engagements, Mr. Ntaca is the founder of the Sinfonietta Argerich, and has been its Music Director since its creation in 2004. He has toured with the Orchestra in Argentina with Martha Argerich as soloist. In addition, Ms. Argerich and Mr. Ntaca have also appeared in many occasions as a piano duo, performing regularly at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the home for the annual Martha Argerich International Festival.

Mr. Ntaca has been Music Director of the San Luis Orchestra (SLO) in Argentina from 1990 to 1996. His most remarkable activities with the SLO include a US tour in 1992 performing throughout Vermont, Massachusetts and Florida where he played and conducted from the keyboard. Mr. Ntaca has also appeared as pianist and conductor with the Sinfonietta de Paris, Burgas and Singapore Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Moravian, Russe, Varna and Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestras.

His piano repertoire includes all the works for piano and orchestra by Rachmaninov which he has performed in major centres throughout the Americas and at the Berlin Philharmonie. These performances were acclaimed unanimously by critics and distinguished artists like Martha Argerich and Alexis Weissenberg in 1990. For his performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, he received the “1983 Concert Award” from the State University of New York and in 1985 he won the Silver Medal at the Mozart International Competition in Colorado.

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LYDA CHEN ARGERICH VIOLA

Born in Geneva, Lyda Chen Argerich first studied violin in the Geneva Music Conservatory with Ayla Erduran.

She then took classes with Professor Lin Yaoji at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. On her return from China, she began to study law and humanities at the Geneva University and obtained a law degree.

Later she found many affinities with the viola and its repertoire. Mostly self-taught in the instrument, she started to perform in different groups, followed string quartet class of Gabor Takács and received a diploma of chamber music at the Geneva Music Conservatory. She perfected her studies with Professor Mariet-Françoise Pallot fromthe Boulogne Conservatory.

Some musical encounters with her mother Martha Argerich opened the way to further experience in music performing with many fantastic performers. She played at Verbier Festival, La Roque D’Antheron, Viviers, les Folles Journées de Nantes, Chambery, Salzburg Festspielen and Progetto Argerich in Lugano. She

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played chamber music concerts in Tokyo Triphony and Sumida Halls, Teatro Colon, Salle Pleyel, Salzburg Mozarteum and played as soloist in the Zürich Tonhalle, the Teatros del Circulo and San Juan in Argentina.

She has enjoyed playing as invited guest in various orchestras such as Japan New Philharmonic Orchestra della RSI, China All Star Orchestra, West Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Since 2014 she has been playing as soloist and conducting professional orchestras in France and China. She was invited to play recitals and give viola and chamber music masterclasses for music schools and Conservatories in Spain, China, Argentina, Switzerland, Bolivia and Kazakhstan.

EMI recordings from the Lugano Festival include Beethoven, Dvorak, Schumann, Faure quartets, Franck and Chostakovich quintets with partners such as Ivry Gitlis, Mischa Maisky, Martha Argerich, Renaud and Gautier Capuçon and Gabriela Montero.

YUNCHAN LIM PHOTO: LISA-MARIE MAZZUCCO / THE CLIBURN

PIANO

In June 2022, Yunchan Lim became the youngest person ever to win gold at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; his performances throughout showcased a “magical ability” and a “natural, instinctive quality” (La Scena) that astounded listeners around the world.

prize and the audience prize, and was provided the opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra.

The next year, 2019, brought more accolades, when, at the age of 15, he was the youngest to win Korea’s IsangYun International Competition, also taking home two special prizes.

Just 18 years old, Yunchan’s ascent to international stardom has been meteoric. His audacious Cliburn Semifinal Round performance of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes “created a buzz throughout the international piano community”—his “intelligent virtuosity and total immersion into Liszt’s idiom truly defined transcendental” (Gramophone). And his final Cliburn Competition appearance with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 delivered the defining moment of the three-week event; as one critic noted: “The applause that followed was endless: a star had emerged before our eyes” (Seen and Heard International).

Yunchan has since performed across South Korea—including with the Korean Orchestra Festival, Korea Symphony, Suwon Philharmonic, and Busan Philharmonic Orchestras, among others—as well as in Madrid, at the invitation of the Korea Cultural Center in Spain. He also participated in the recording of “2020 Young Musicians of Korea,” organized by the Korean Broadcasting System and released that November. His 2022–2023 inaugural tour as Cliburn winner will take him across four continents. Also coming soon: the release of his debut studio recording on the Steinway label.

Born in Siheung, Korea, Yunchan Lim began piano lessons at age. He entered the Music Academy of the Seoul Arts Center the next year and quickly became immersed in his musical studies. He auditioned for and was accepted into the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts at age 13, where he met his teacher and mentor, Minsoo Sohn. Yunchan entered the international music stage a year later, in 2018, winning second prize and the Chopin Special Award in his first-ever competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. Also that year, he stood out as the youngest participant in the Cooper International Competition, where he won both third

Speaking at a press conference after the Competition, Yunchan said, “I made up my mind that I will live my life only for the sake of music, and I decided that I will give up everything for music… I wanted my music to become deeper, and if that desire reached the audience, I’m satisfied.”

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

He is currently in his second year at the Korea National University of Arts, where he continues to study with Mr. Sohn. cliburn.org/yunchan-lim/ 10

DAVID CHEN PIANO

David Chen was born in 2008 in a family of musicians.

His father is the pianist and composer Vladimir Sverdlov-Ashkenazy, his mother is Lyda Chen Argerich who is a viola player and a lawyer, and his two grandmothers are Professor Elena Ashkenazy and the celebrated pianist Martha Argerich.

Already at a young age, David Chen is a winner of piano competitions such as the "Karl Adler Jugend Musikwettbewerb" in Germany 2018 in which he received the First Prize with distinction and the First Prize with distinction at the "Swiss Youth Music Competition" in piano and piano duo in 2019. David has

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participated in many festivals such as the "Progetto Martha Argerich" in Lugano, Switzerland in 2016 where he performed four-hands pieces together with his grandmother, Martha Argerich. In 2019 David Chen performed at “Argerich's Meeting Point" in Beppu, Japan and at the "Martha Argerich Festival" in Hamburg, Germany in 2019.

David Chen currently lives in Geneva and studies in the advanced musical programme of the Geneva Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Professor Serguei Milstein.

Kalaa Utsavam

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a k h s u Ano ar k n a Sh MM O h t i wng Manu Delago

A musical collaboration for the ages

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19 & 20 Nov 2022, Sat & Sun, 7.30pm • Esplanade Concert Hall Catch the masterful sitarist for the first time in Kalaa Utsavam for a truly transcendent performance, conducted by Singapore’s Joshua Tan! Anoushka will be joined by her long-term collaborator Manu Delago as well as Orchestra of the Music Makers, one of Singapore’s leading symphony orchestras.

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Information correct at time of print.

Esplanade Presents

"Intrigues as much as he captivates!"

(Le Figaro)

LUCAS DEBARGUE (piano)

Plays MOZART, CHOPIN, RAVEL & LISZT

FRIDAY 16 DECEMBER 2022 VICTORIA CONCERT HALL, 7:30PM TICKETS FROM $25 AT SISTIC

CHAMBER MUSIC MONDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

CLARA SCHUMANN

THREE ROMANCES, OP. 22 LYDA CHEN ARGERICH, VIOLA MARTHA ARGERICH, PIANO FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

FANTAISIE-IMPROMPTU IN C-SHARP MINOR, OP. 66 DAVID CHEN, PIANO MAURICE RAVEL

MA MÈRE L’OYE (MOTHER GOOSE) MARTHA ARGERICH, PIANO DAVID CHEN, PIANO SERGEI RACHMANINOV

SYMPHONIC DANCES, OP. 45 DARÍO ALEJANDRO NTACA, PIANO MARTHA ARGERICH, PIANO

PHOTO: ALTENBURG ARTS

PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE ARTISTS’ DISCRETION

CLARA SCHUMANN (1819–1896)

THREE ROMANCES, OP. 22 (1853) I. II. III.

ANDANTE MOLTO ALLEGRETTO: MIT ZARTEM VORTRAGE LEIDENSCHAFTLICH SCHNELL

Clara Schumann (née Wieck) was regarded as one of the greatest pianists of her generation. Together with Liszt, she was one of the first performers to give solo recitals and perform entirely from memory. She also performed regularly with the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim, to whom the Three Romances were dedicated. The demands of domestic life and raising eight children with her husband, the composer Robert Schumann, while also maintaining an active performing career meant that Clara had little time to compose. Her Romances, which were originally composed originally for the violin and later adapted for the viola, were among the last compositions Clara wrote and published.

The First Romance contains some heart-achingly beautiful melodic writing and extraordinarily bold harmonic shading. The music sighs and smoulders with Romantic ardour, revealing Clara’s remarkable, unique voice as a composer. In the Second Romance, the plaintive outer sections in G minor contrast with the sunny middle section in G major, with shimmering trills and playful leaps. The Final Romance features soaring lyricism in the viola with a rippling and nimble accompaniment in the piano part, which testifies to Clara’s exceptional skills at the instrument.

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810–1849)

FANTAISIE-IMPROMPTU IN C-SHARP MINOR, OP. 66 (1834) If Schubert should be credited for creating the first credible Impromptus, Chopin, then, must be the first to come up with the hybrid Fantasy-Impromptu, whatever the difference might be. The hugely-popular Fantaisie-Impromptu was written as early as 1835 but was only published, in 1855, six years after Chopin’s death. Its intensely florid outer sections frame a central Largo in D-flat major with a lovely singing melody.

PORTRAIT OF FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN

BY EUGÈNE DELACROIX / CC BY

The critics of Chopin’s day raved about his pianism, writing “it appears impossible that just two hands can create effects of swiftness so charming and so natural.”

As a composer too, Chopin demonstrated a prodigious talent that was remarkably innate, the surface beauties of his music often obscuring the many extraordinary technical innovations.

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CHAMBER MUSIC

MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)

MA MÈRE L’OYE (MOTHER GOOSE) SUITE (1910)

I. II. III. IV. V.

PAVANE DE LA BELLE AU BOIS DORMANT PAVANE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTY PETIT POUCET LITTLE POUCET LAIDERONNETTE, IMPÉRATRICE DES PAGODES LITTLE UGLY GIRL, EMPRESS OF THE PAGODAS LES ENTRETIENS DE LA BELLE ET DE LA BÊTE CONVERSATION OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST LE JARDIN FÉERIQUE THE FAIRY GARDEN

In 1908, while visiting his friends Cyprian and Ida Godebski, Ravel brought a short piano four-hands duet for their young children, Mimi and Jean.

Entitled “Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty”, it became the first in a Suite of five movements named “Mother Goose”, completed in 1910. Each inspired by a fairy tale, these “children’s pieces” are not technically challenging. Nonetheless, they capture (in Ravel’s own words) “the poetry of childhood”.

Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas is filled with black key melodies (resulting in the Chinese-sounding pentatonic scale), representing a sprightly performance by a troupe of “pagodas” (an archaic term for Chinese porcelain nodding-dolls). The Conversation of Beauty and the Beast begins with Beauty’s lilting waltz, followed by the Beast’s awkward response (chromatic triplets in the low register). The two characters intertwine, often clashing dissonantly, but eventually resolve together.

While the Pavane’s gentle accompaniment creates a restful mood for the Sleeping Beauty, the second movement’s constant flow of quavers and shifting metres capture Little Poucet’s anxious wandering in the woods. Alas, his trail of breadcrumbs has been devoured by birds, whose chirping is quietly suggested in the music.

The Fairy Garden depicts Sleeping Beauty’s awakening, bringing the Suite full circle. The music blooms into a majestic ending complete with brilliant glissandi. Finally out of her slumber, she can now live happily ever after.

LITTLE UGLY GIRL, EMPRESS OF THE PAGODAS DRESSAGE COSTUME FOR MA MÈRE L’OYE BALLET MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

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SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)

SYMPHONIC DANCES, OP. 45 (1940) NON ALLEGRO ANDANTE CON MOTO (TEMPO DI VALSE) LENTO ASSAI – ALLEGRO VIVACE

PHOTO: KUBEY-REMBRANDT STUDIOS / CC BY

I. II. III.

“MUSIC IS AS MUCH A PART OF MY LIVING AS BREATHING AND EATING. I COMPOSE MUSIC BECAUSE I MUST GIVE EXPRESSION TO MY FEELING, JUST AS I TALK BECAUSE I MUST GIVE UTTERANCE TO MY THOUGHTS.” While not a prolific composer, the artless ease with which Rachmaninov writes is certainly more appreciable in his more ‘mature’ output than in the earlier efforts, the Second Piano Concerto being more or less the pivotal point in his composing career when the musical inspiration rarely, if ever, produced fruit that seemed anything less than second nature.

Being Rachmaninov’s very final work, it is little wonder that the Symphonic Dances of 1940 sound so disarmingly well-conceived and utterly Rachmaninovian in its utterance from the first bar to the last. It is full of those lush, sumptuous harmonies that were his calling card to popularity, and a perfect hand-in-glove affinity for the dance idiom of these colourful pieces.

Rachmaninov composed the two pianos version of the Symphonic Dances concurrently with the more famous orchestral version. It was also his only work written wholly while living in the United States, containing nostalgic callbacks to his younger days in Russia, and featuring his lifelong fascination with ecclesiastical chants.

The first movement has a rhythmic intensity that is utterly compelling, with a contrasting lyrical middle section of much tenderness. The second movement is a lilting and mysterious waltz in 6/8, full of the same heady inspiration found in Ravel’s La Valse from about two decades earlier.

The final movement has a telling Spanish flavour, as well as a prominent quotation of the Dies Irae, an apocalyptic Catholic reference which contrasts appreciably with the use of the uplifting Russian orthodox chant at the end – a suggestion, perhaps, of hope after death? Rachmaninov may not have been an incredibly religious man, but what, then, can one make of the inscription “I thank Thee, Lord” at the end of the original manuscript?

In any case, it was not until nearly three years later that the composer succumbed quickly to cancer in his home in Beverly Hills.

PROGRAMME NOTES BY ABIGAIL SIN (SCHUMANN), ISAAC TAH (RAVEL), LIONEL CHOI (CHOPIN AND RACHMANINOV)

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CHAMBER MUSIC

ROMANTICS TUESDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS DARÍO ALEJANDRO NTACA, CONDUCTOR DAVID CHEN, PIANO* MARTHA ARGERICH, PIANO**

RICHARD WAGNER

LOHENGRIN: PRELUDE TO ACT III LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN C MAJOR, OP. 15* JOHANNES BRAHMS

TRAGIC OVERTURE ROBERT SCHUMANN

PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR, OP. 54**

PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE ARTISTS’ DISCRETION

PHOTO: ADRIANO HEITMANN

RICHARD WAGNER (1813–1883)

LOHENGRIN: PRELUDE TO ACT III (1848)

Set in the early Middle Ages, the story of Lohengrin revolves around the love between Lohengrin, Knight of the Holy Grail – and Elsa, daughter of the Duke of Brabant (a region around Antwerp). Elsa is accused of murdering her brother Gottfried, so as to claim the Dukedom for herself. When no local nobleman will defend her honour in a trial of arms, Lohengrin

appears, guided by a white swan, and proves her innocence. Lohengrin prevails in combat, and they prepare to wed.

The electrifying and uplifting music of the Prelude to Act III sets the celebratory tone for the impending marriage of Lohengrin and Elsa. In the opera, this Prelude leads directly into the famous Bridal Chorus, but in tonight’s performance, a concert ending written by conductor Arturo Toscanini foreshadows some trouble ahead, before concluding the Prelude in a blaze of glory.

LOHENGRIN BY FERDINAND LEEKE / CC BY

Richard Wagner certainly stood as a Colossus in his ego, ambition and his impact on European culture and thought. An immense fascination with drama drew the self-taught composer and conductor towards opera, and in 1894, Wagner wrote Lohengrin, which is the last of his more conventional operatic works.

He spent the next dozen years in exile after supporting a failed anarchist uprising, and developed his dream of a unified form of music drama, which came to fruition in his operatic quadrilogy: The Ring of the Nibelung.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN C MAJOR, OP. 15 (1795, REV. 1800) I. II. III.

ALLEGRO CON BRIO LARGO RONDO: ALLEGRO SCHERZANDO

In 1795, the 25-year-old Beethoven premiered his Piano Concerto in C major. Although he had completed another concerto earlier, this would be the first to be published, thus granting it the title “No. 1”.

Three years before the premiere, he had moved to Vienna to study under Joseph Haydn. Unfortunately, their relationship proved unsatisfying for Beethoven, who later declared, “I never learned anything from him”.

Nonetheless, the move immersed him in a cultural centre bustling with musical activity, and he would emerge from these initial years well-acquainted with the established styles of the masters like Haydn and Mozart.

In many ways, this concerto is a representation of the young Beethoven establishing himself in Vienna.

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

As a vehicle for his powerful piano playing (not yet hindered by his deafness, which would only set in some years later), it showcases Beethoven the virtuoso.

Its formal structure, which mirrors Mozart’s piano concertos, reflects Beethoven’s assimilation of his predecessors’ music. But we can also hear Beethoven’s distinctive voice in his use of unconventional modulations and melodic ideas.

Four C major chords, one long and three short, announce the beginning of the first movement. The proud rhythm of these opening chords is peppered throughout the movement, sometimes hidden in the orchestra, or peeking out from amongst dazzling piano figurations. At the end of the movement, Beethoven would have improvised his own cadenza, as a final show 20

of virtuosity. However, he also penned down 3 different cadenzas, with the second one performed this evening.

This piano concerto was part of Martha Argerich’s debut programme (alongside Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20) when she was just 8 years old.

The second movement begins with a gentle piano melody padded by strings.

Most of the orchestra is stripped away for this quiet movement, leaving just strings and a few wind instruments. The clarinet becomes the highest sounding wind instrument, often carrying the melody and engaging in duets with the piano.

Overall, the mood of this movement foreshadows many of his later slow movements.

(One reprise of the theme is accompanied by triplet figurations, bringing to mind the Adagio from his Pathétique sonata.)

In stark contrast, the boisterous third movement begins with a jaunty dance by the solo piano, made slightly unpredictable with its uneven phrase lengths. This sense of humour fills the entire movement. The next theme’s melodic flow is broken up by unnatural off-beat accents, while the middle section flip flops between gentle contrapuntal phrases and a rhythmic dance theme. The music is propelled towards its end when suddenly, the texture thins and the music dissipates. All alone, the piano mimics distant horn calls, before a pair of oboes seem to start a quiet epilogue. Abruptly, Beethoven whisks us off with the whole orchestra for one final phrase - a thrilling rush to the end.

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897)

TRAGIC OVERTURE (1880) Written in the summer of 1880 while on a bucolic getaway in the Austrian town of Bad Ischl, Brahms conceived of the Tragic Overture as an emotional antithesis to the ebullient and frolicking Academic Festival Overture which he had composed shortly before. Much debate amongst critics has raged around the possible programmatic intent of the piece.

Brahms’s biographer Max Kelbeck speculated that it was specifically written with a potential commission for the staging of Goethe’s Faust in mind.

The Overture begins with an intense and muscular first theme that channels the entire might of orchestral forces. Prefaced by a sorrowful oboe solo, the second theme then explores darker and warmer sonorities, while the third features punchy and martial violin

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melodies over a churning bass. The woodwinds lead a steady march into a more subdued section characterised by crushing loneliness and an unsettling atmosphere, affording the listener no reprieve.

A magnificent reprise of the opening themes is interrupted by a pensive woodwind interlude, before a violently tempestuous coda ends in a series of crashing, fatal, yet paradoxically victorious chords.

The music critic Hermann Dieters wrote of the Tragic Overture: “we see a strong hero battling with an iron and relentless fate; passing hopes of victory cannot alter an impending destiny.” Regardless of any programmatic inspiration, Brahms’ symphonic masterpiece remains a timeless listening experience that speaks powerfully to man’s transcendental struggle with irrevocable fate.

ROMANTICS

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810–1856)

PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR, OP. 54 (1845) ALLEGRO AFFETTUOSO INTERMEZZO: ANDANTINO GRAZIOSO ALLEGRO VIVACE

ROBERT AND CLARA SCHUMANN (WIEK).

LITHOGRAPH BY EDUARD KAISER / CC BY

I. II. III.

Robert Schumann’s troubled life began with hopes of becoming a piano virtuoso. These were dashed by injury to his fingers but it was his young wife, pianist Clara Wieck who became his muse and greatest champion.

It was Clara who also gave the first performance of his only Piano Concerto, a work that started as a single movement Fantasy in 1841. For this Fantasy, Schumann looked to combine elements from various forms, writing that it “is a compromise between a symphony, a concerto and a huge sonata.”

Two further movements, an Intermezzo and Finale, were added in 1845, forming a conventional three-movement concerto, which has become one of the most often performed and recorded Piano Concertos in the entire repertory.

The First Movement opens with an ear-catching cascade of chords, before the first theme – which binds the structure of the movement together – is introduced by the oboe. Its plaintive quality is balanced by the impassioned surges of subsequent themes. The role of the solo pianist morphs from dramatic protagonist to sensitive accompanist and back again, blending superbly with woodwind solos and the orchestra as a

whole to make for great chamber music. Schumann’s cadenza is suitably virtuosic, before the first theme, now transformed into a march, brings the movement to a thunderous close.

The short Intermezzo begins with scherzo-like lightness, contrasted with yearning moments led by the cellos. The first movement’s opening theme is briefly referenced before launching headlong into the celebratory Finale. Here is Schumann at his happiest and most ebullient: a glorious and sparkling waltz movement, with tricky syncopations and a fugato section to keep things interesting. The movement is far more difficult than it sounds, with the soloist engaging in finger-twisting pyrotechnics, while the conductor and orchestra navigate infamously treacherous rhythms, clothed in the guise of a deceptively innocent, lilting dance. (Mendelssohn reportedly had great difficulty conducting this at the premiere!) Schumann brings the concerto to a close by launching the buoyant waltz into the pianistic stratosphere with a cascade of glorious chords.

Unfortunately, with Schumann, nothing is as it seems.

Within eight years, he was committed to an insane asylum, later dying in agony and seclusion.

PROGRAMME NOTES BY CHRISTOPHER CHEONG (WAGNER), ISAAC TAH (BEETHOVEN), JOEL HOE (BRAHMS), CHOPIN SOCIETY OF HONG KONG (SCHUMANN)

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

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THE MUSIC MAKERS (8 NOV)

CHAN TZE LAW, MUSIC DIRECTOR SEOW YIBIN, ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR

VIOLIN Wilford Goh, CONCERTMASTER Zhao Tian, ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER Kimberlyn Wu, 2ND VIOLIN PRINCIPAL Yvonne Lee, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Ang Dun Jie Tess Julia Charng Foo Yue Ning Chloe Goh Jennifer Goh Goh Ying Xiang Ho Yin Shan Joel Hoe Emer Hoong Keong Jo Hsi Kim Min Hye Jaslyn Lee Pauline Lee Loi Si Xian Tsumugu Misugi Maximilian Neo Andre Ng Sarah Ng Poh Jer Lin Jorim Sim Natalie Tan Adele Wee Ethan Wong Natalie Wong Zhang Mingying Zheng Kai

VIOLA Yeo Jan Wea, PRINCIPAL Benedict Ng, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Cao Yun Shannon Chan Christopher Cheong Joan Fun Thantakorn Lakanasirorat Lam Hoyan Ng Tze Yang Aaron Soh Toh Xue Qian

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CELLO James Ng, PRINCIPAL Trinh Ha Linh, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Sharon Ham Lydia Lu Peh Xiang Hong Isaac Tah Tang Ya Yun Joel Tay Tobias Teo Ophelia Toh

FRENCH HORN Benedict Chua, PRINCIPAL Bryan Chong, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Xavier Tan Lewis Lim

TRUMPET Lau Wenrong, PRINCIPAL Lee Jinjun Lim Jitxin

TROMBONE DOUBLE BASS Julian Li, PRINCIPAL Kuek Jia Xin Kenrick Lam Lee Mian Jun Alvin Liew Richmond Lip Alwyn Loy

FLUTE Cheryl Lim, PRINCIPAL Jasper Goh, PRINCIPAL Alvin Chan

PICCOLO Alvin Chan

Don Kow, PRINCIPAL Toh Chang Hui

BASS TROMBONE Jasper Tan

TUBA Tan Yaocong, PRINCIPAL

TIMPANI Joachim Theodore Lim, PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION Thanaphat Pratjaroenwanit Adam Sharawi Tan Sheng Rong

OBOE Tay Kai Tze, PRINCIPAL Seow Yibin Chan Chen

CLARINET Vincent Goh, PRINCIPAL Benjamin Wong Miao Kaiwen

BASSOON Lim Tee Heong, PRINCIPAL Tan Kuo Cheang Emerald Chee

ROMANTICS

GENERATIONS WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2022, 8.15PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS DARÍO ALEJANDRO NTACA, CONDUCTOR LYDA CHEN ARGERICH. VIOLA* YUNCHAN LIM, PIANO**

PAUL HINDEMITH

TRAUERMUSIK (FUNERAL MUSIC)* NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

SCHEHERAZADE, OP. 35 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 73 “EMPEROR”**

PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE ARTISTS’ DISCRETION

PAUL HINDEMITH (1895 – 1963)

TRAUERMUSIK (FUNERAL MUSIC) (1936) LANGSAM - RUHIG BEWEGT - LEBHAFT - CHORALE “FUR DEINEN THRON TRET’ ICH HIERMIT” (HERE I STAND BEFORE THY THRONE) - SEHR LANGSAM

This musical gem comprises 4 brief, interconnected movements, each of distinctly varied moods.

In Langsam, the string orchestra crafts a bed of solemnly meditative sonority over which the heartrending viola soars. After a fleeting call and response section (Ruhig Bewegt), the tempo picks up abruptly, leading us into a stormier and more agitated Lebhaft. The fourth and final movement (Chorale) is set to Bach’s Für deinen Thron tret ich hiermit (Thus I stand before your throne) - also known as “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” or the Doxology in more traditional church settings. This was the tune which Hindemith regarded as a fitting conclusion to this homage to a recently departed monarch.

PAUL HINDEMITH WITH VIOLA BY RUDOLF HEINISCH / CC BY

In January 1936, Hindemith arrived in London for the highly anticipated British premiere of his viola concerto Der Schwanendreher (The Swan Turner) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. As fate would have it, however, an ailing King George V passed away 2 days before the concert, leaving an entire nation in mourning and a memorial broadcast scheduled instead. With the jaunty, folk-inspired character of Der Schwanendreher deemed too inappropriate for the occasion, Hindemith readily agreed to specially compose a new piece at short notice. Between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. the day before the concert, he churned out Trauermusik (Music of Mourning) for solo viola and small string orchestra in a BBC studio.

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GENERATIONS

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844–1908)

SCHEHERAZADE, OP. 35 (1888) I. II. III. IV.

THE SEA AND SINBAD’S SHIP THE TALE OF THE KALENDER PRINCE THE YOUNG PRINCE AND PRINCESS THE FESTIVAL OF BAGHDAD – THE SEA – THE SHIP BREAKS AGAINST A CLIFF SURMOUNTED

BY A BRONZE HORSEMAN – CONCLUSION

The Sultan Shahriar, convinced of the falsehood and inconstancy of all women [he had had his first wife executed for her unfaithfulness], had sworn an oath to put to death each of his wives after the first night.

However, the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by arousing his interest in the tales which she told during the thousand and one nights. Driven by curiosity, the Sultan postponed her execution from day to day and at last abandoned his sanguinary design.

“ALLAH UPON THEE, O MY SISTER, RECITE TO US SOME NEW STORY, DELIGHTSOME AND DELECTABLE, WHEREWITH TO WHILE AWAY THE WAKING HOURS OF OUR LATTER NIGHT." With these words, Dunyazade (the fictional younger sister of Queen Scheherazade) began her sister’s retelling of the ‘Thousand and One Nights’ of Arabian folklore that, according to Robert Louis Stevenson, “captivate in childhood and still delight in age”.

Little would the now-anonymous Arab scholars who first dreamt these tales guess that equally inspired by the work were musical greats Johann Strauss II (in his waltz Tausend und eine nacht) and Maurice Ravel (in his song cycle Shéhérazade). Yet probably the most popular and enchanting of them all is this immortal work by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Scheherazade is a classic Rimsky-Korsakov souvenir, wrapping episodes from these tales in the composer’s passion for folk motifs and a lasting gift in orchestration.

Merely using a standard romantic-period sized orchestra, the work is in itself a textbook of musical MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

characterization – every theme, carried by different instruments in turn, sings with its unique oriental voice.

Though the piece and its inspiration do not share obvious thematic materials (Rimsky-Korsakov even did away with the titles of the movements in a later edition), the musical identities of the two main characters – Sultan and Scheherazade – are immediately evident.

After a theatrical and charged introduction – representing the enraged Sultan – swirling woodwinds introduce Scheherazade in a swishing of muslin curtains. The sensuous queen is none other than an operatic solo violin, who will be our guide through the piece. Rimsky-Korsakov transforms the Sultan’s theme into the raging cry of a murky ocean, as he paints, with orchestral colour, an affecting picture of a surging Sea. Yet there is a sudden suspenseful peace in the eye of the storm, as the solo violin takes over in a duet with the solo cello aboard Sinbad’s Ship. Both passages are elaborated upon, and the story winds its way into the following night.

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Scheherazade then introduces us to The Tale of the Kalender Prince, as it leaps into movement with a strongly oriental rhythm, first breathed by a solo bassoon, continued on the oboe, and then later taken on by the solo clarinet above pizzicato strings (the drumming of regal hoofbeats, perhaps?). Suddenly, tense reports break the peace. Tossed once again among parts, from the stern trumpets to the shrill piccolos, they are only interrupted temporarily by a memory of the opening theme on the clarinet. A return to the Prince’s eastern song, followed by agitated strings, ends the narrative.

Taking on a much more romantic tone and possibly alluding to her own love for the sultan, Scheherazade tells the next tale, of The Young Prince and Princess, slowly, drawing first on sweet strings and then on the rippling of the clarinet. It is also this clarinet that speaks later in the second theme, adding brushstrokes of colour on a playful dancing tableau. Embracing simultaneously the mystery of a first love and the bittersweet commentary of a first heartbreak, the curtains fall quietly on the pair.

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SCHEHERAZADE AND SHAHRYAR BY MARIE-ÉLÉONORE GODEFROID / CC BY

“O KING OF THE TIME AND UNIQUE ONE OF THE AGE AND THE TIDE, I AM THINE HANDMAID, AND THESE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT HAVE I ENTERTAINED THEE…”

It is almost as if Scheherazade knows that her time to please the sultan is running short as the music takes on a desperate character. The high-octane excitement of a Festival in Baghdad is conjured by the ever-scurrying strings, solid brass chords and a piccolo flitter in the distance. Themes from the previous movements are recalled and woven impeccably into a flying Arabic carpet, while false peace is bred and shattered, as Scheherazade strives to plot a cohesive fairytale that spans time and space – even casting us back into the maelstrom of Sinbad’s chapter. These strands are pulled together into an awe inspiring climax, as Sinbad’s Ship Breaks against a Cliff Surmounted by a Bronze Horseman.

Her role fulfilled, Scheherazade’s voice fades into the proverbial happy ever after, the Sultan’s murderous rage permanently alleviated, as a final whisper of her opening theme and a whimsical indication that she has had the last laugh.

GENERATIONS

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 73 “EMPEROR” (1809) I. II. III.

ALLEGRO ADAGIO UN POCO MOSSO RONDO: ALLEGRO MA NON TROPPO

Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto was written while the French army sieged Vienna, during which Beethoven suffered immensely. He hid in his brother’s house, covering his head with pillows in an attempt to preserve what was left of his hearing while the French artillery shelled the city. He wrote to his publisher that “The whole course of events has affected my body and soul. What a disturbing, wild life around me; nothing but drums, cannons, men, misery of all sorts.” When the victorious French army occupied Vienna, Beethoven was reported to have shouted to a French officer, with his fist clenched, “If I were a general and knew as much about strategy as I know about counterpoint, I’d give you fellows something to think about!”

Yet, against this tumultuous background, Beethoven wrote this Concerto, one of the most heroic and beautiful works of all time. It is said to have derived its English nickname, “Emperor”, from a French soldier jumping to his feet after hearing the work and exclaiming “L’empereur!” Beethoven would certainly not have sanctioned this, as he thoroughly disapproved of the French leader’s actions by that time.

The Allegro opens with three orchestral chords, each of which is responded to by the piano, with what Michael Steinberg aptly described as “fountains and cascades of broken chords, trills and scales”. Beethoven displays his masterful creative

invention, and builds the entire movement from these “fountains”. Two main themes encompass the movement; the first is overtly heroic and filled with power, and the second is introduced with a slight lilt but quickly imbued with noble grace by the horns. Dazzling piano writing is tempered by quiet, sweet reflection, and at the point where a cadenza is traditionally introduced, Beethoven wrote, “there is no cadenza, instead, proceed directly with the following”, as the horns steal in and lead the movement to its bravura denouement.

In contrast, the Adagio’s expansive, longing song tranquilly undulates and unwinds across two variations on its main string-led chorale with utmost beauty.

Its beguiling lyricism led Leonard Bernstein to later set the words “there’s a place for us” to one of the movement’s most yearning phrases in West Side Story’s “Somewhere”.

With a subtle harmonic shift, the pianist muses on fragments of an arpeggio, and the Rondo suddenly bursts into life. The exuberant theme dances through the movement, as Beethoven weaves in several reflective moments, while travelling to distant harmonic lands. Near the end, the movement winds down to reveal a surprisingly quiet duet between the solo piano and timpani, but that too quickly passes as the Concerto concludes with brilliant flourish.

PROGRAMME NOTES BY JOEL HOE (HINDEMITH), CHRISTOPHER CHEONG AND THEOPHILUS KWEK (RIMSKY-KORSAKOV), CHRISTOPHER CHEONG (BEETHOVEN)

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

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PHOTO: RALPH LAUER / THE CLIBURN

THE MUSIC MAKERS (9 NOV)

CHAN TZE LAW, MUSIC DIRECTOR SEOW YIBIN, ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR

VIOLIN Zhao Tian, CONCERTMASTER* Wilford Goh, CONCERTMASTER Kimberlyn Wu, 2ND VIOLIN PRINCIPAL Yvonne Lee, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Ang Dun Jie Tess Julia Charng Foo Yue Ning Chloe Goh Jennifer Goh Goh Ying Xiang Ho Yin Shan Joel Hoe Emer Hoong Keong Jo Hsi Kim Min Hye Jaslyn Lee Pauline Lee Loi Si Xian Tsumugu Misugi Maximilian Neo Andre Ng Sarah Ng Poh Jer Lin Jorim Sim Natalie Tan Adele Wee Ethan Wong Natalie Wong Zhang Mingying Zheng Kai

VIOLA Yeo Jan Wea, PRINCIPAL Benedict Ng, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Cao Yun Shannon Chan Christopher Cheong Joan Fun Thantakorn Lakanasirorat Lam Hoyan Ng Tze Yang Aaron Soh Toh Xue Qian

MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

CELLO James Ng, PRINCIPAL Trinh Ha Linh, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Sharon Ham Lydia Lu Peh Xiang Hong Isaac Tah Tang Ya Yun Joel Tay Tobias Teo Ophelia Toh

DOUBLE BASS Julian Li, PRINCIPAL Kuek Jia Xin Kenrick Lam Lee Mian Jun Alvin Liew Richmond Lip Alwyn Loy

FRENCH HORN Benedict Chua, PRINCIPAL Bryan Chong, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Xavier Tan Lewis Lim Christopher Shen

TRUMPET Lau Wenrong, PRINCIPAL Lee Jinjun Lim Jitxin

TROMBONE Don Kow, PRINCIPAL Toh Chang Hui

BASS TROMBONE Jasper Tan

TUBA Tan Yaocong, PRINCIPAL

FLUTE Cheryl Lim, PRINCIPAL Alvin Chan Jasper Goh

TIMPANI Joachim Theodore Lim, PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION PICCOLO Alvin Chan Jasper Goh

OBOE Tay Kai Tze, PRINCIPAL Seow Yibin Leow Ruiqing

Thanaphat Pratjaroenwanit Adam Sharawi Orathai Singhaart Putra Syahril Tan Sheng Rong

HARP Charity Kiew, PRINCIPAL

ENGLISH HORN Leow Ruiqing

CLARINET Vincent Goh, PRINCIPAL Benjamin Wong

* Scheherazade

BASSOON Lim Tee Heong, PRINCIPAL Tan Kuo Cheang 30

PRESENTED BY ESPLANADE - THEATRES BY THE BAY

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR WITH OMM, FEATURING MANU DELAGO SAT 19 & SUN 20 NOV 2022, 7.30PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL RAVI SHANKAR – Sitar Concerto No. 3 ANOUSHKA SHANKAR – Between Us Joshua Kangming Tan, conductor Anoushka Shankar, sitar Manu Delago, percussion

ORCHESTRA CAMP SHOWCASE ERIC COATES – The Three Bears FRANCIS POULENC – Concerto for Two Pianos, FP. 61 VASILY KALINNIKOV – Symphony No. 1 in G Minor Francis Tan, conductor Cheryl Pandora, piano Viona Sanjaya, piano PERFORMED BY THE 2022 CAMP ORCHESTRA. CHERYL AND VIONA ARE THE WINNERS OF THE 2022 YST CONCERTO COMPETITION.

OMM GOES TO THE MOVIES IV SAT 13 & SUN 14 JAN 2023, 7.30PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

Featuring music from Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Avengers: Endgame, E.T, Out of Africa, Beauty and the Beast and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Premiering music from Tatsumeeko, an upcoming MMORPG written by Tsumugu Misugi.

Chan Tze Law, conductor Voices of Singapore ILLUSTRATION BY LAM YUN EN

DAS RHEINGOLD

SAT 8 JULY 2023, 7.30PM ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL RICHARD WAGNER – Das Rheingold Joshua Kangming Tan, conductor Tang Xinxin, director Teng Xiang Ting (Woglinde), Victoria Songwei Li (Wellgunde), Anna Harvey (Floßhilde and Erda), Peter Sidhom (Alberich), Caitlin Hulcup (Fricka), Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Anita Watson (Freia), Peixin Chen (Fasolt), Florian Thomas (Froh), Michael Lam (Donner), Tuomas Katajala (Loge), Adrian Dwyer (Mime) PHOTO: YONG JUNYI

OMM’S UPCOMING CONCERTS

SUN 11 DEC 2022. 7.30PM SOTA CONCERT HALL

MANAGEMENT ALTENBURG ARTS Lionel Choi, DIRECTOR Jimmy Qi, DIRECTOR

ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC MAKERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lee Guan Wei Daniel, CHAIRMAN Jenny Ang Assoc. Prof Chan Tze Law Chay Choong Christopher Cheong Susan Loh Tan Peng Chin Toh Xue Qian Prof Bernard Tan, ADVISOR

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SPONSORSHIP

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Christopher Cheong, HEAD Nathanael Goh Joel Hoe Michael Huang Lee Jinjun Miao Kaiwen Oliver Tan

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Andre Ng, HEAD Benedict Ng

Chay Choong, HEAD Christopher Cheong Rei Lim Edward Neo Rayner Tan

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AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE Toh Xue Qian, HEAD Lam Hoyan Jorim Jireh Sim

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TECHNOLOGY Chay Choong, HEAD Lam Yun En Tasya Rukmana MARTHA ARGERICH AND FRIENDS

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ACKNOWLEGEMENTS We are indebted to Bechstein Music World and Extraordinary Studio for providing to the artists the use of their facilities and their pianos for their practice.

We are also very grateful to our various benefactors for their belief in, and their generous support of, our work, in particular:

SUMMIT PLANNERS PTE LTD NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL SCHOOL OF THE ARTS SINGAPORE SINGAPORE CHINESE ORCHESTRA HSBC YAMAHA MUSIC (ASIA) VOICES OF SINGAPORE FURAMA HOTEL INTERNATIONAL SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION

We are also grateful to Chio Jia Le, Andren Koh and Clarence Lee for being our rehearsal soloists for the various concertos.

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CMY

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SEIKA ISHIDA PLAYS MOZART Wed 30 Nov, 7:30PM Thu 01 Dec, 7:30PM Victoria Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Andrew Litton conductor Seika Ishida piano Jin Ta flute

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