Divertissement: An Evening of French Music

DI V E R TI S S EM E NT : AN EV E N I N G OF FRE NCH MU SIC MUSIC IN THE MOONLIGHT 20 NOVEMBER 2020 W A T CH THE S TR EAM O N LIN E ON S I S TI C L I VE

AS PART O F VOIL AH! FR ANC E SING APORE F ESTIV AL 2020

S U P P OR T ED BY

D I V ERT I S S EM ENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC

MESSAGE FROM THE AMBASSADOR

The 2020 edition of the vOilah! France Singapore Festival continues tonight with a concert performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, featuring some of the best French classical composers.

This concert is one of many examples of the joint efforts between Singapore and France to present novel ways to celebrate our friendship and to strengthen partnerships between institutions from both our countries during these unprecedented times. It is extremely heartening to witness the versatility of our partners in this time, working out ways to produce exciting programmes for the community despite the restrictions.

The programme Divertissement: An Evening of French Music looks extremely exciting, with the featuring of composers from Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Jacques Ibert.

The concert will showcase one of Debussy’s greatest hits, Clair de lune; Ravel’s Mother Goose, which is inspired by characters from the Mother Goose fairytales, has the intention of awaking the poetry of childhood; and Ibert’s Divertissement, which embodies his eclecticism as a composer and demonstrates the diversity of classical music.

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Although the concert has to be held online this year due to the health crisis, I believe this actually presents an opportunity for more audience to attend and experience the concert and an opportunity to further spread the joy of French classical music.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Darrell Ang, probably the most “French” Singaporean conductor as he was the Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne from 2012 to 2015. I am particularly grateful for his contribution to the musical exchanges between our two countries.

My deepest gratitude goes out to all partners of the 2020 edition of vOilah! France Singapore Festival, with special thanks to BNP Paribas and the Singapore Symphony Group for their unwavering support in organizing this concert.

I wish all the audience an enjoyable concert.

Marc Abensour Ambassador of France to Singapore

A LITTLE MOZART WITH CHLOE CHUA CLASSICAL CHARM FRI 4 DEC 2020 8PM

WATCH THE STREAM ONLINE ON SISTIC LIVE

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHLOE CHUA VIOLIN HANS GRAF CHIEF CONDUCTOR

Singapore’s winsome darling of the violin, Chloe Chua, stars in Mozart’s lyrical Violin Concerto No. 2, accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra with Chief Conductor Hans Graf.

The second half of the programme features music of fiery impulse and all-consuming zeal: Beethoven’s unstoppable Seventh Symphony.

MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 2 IN D MAJOR, K.211 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN A MAJOR, OP. 92

TICKETS FROM $10

D IVERTIS S EM ENT: AN EVENING O F F R ENCH M US I C MUS IC IN THE MOONLIGHT 20 Nov 2020, 8pm (Online premiere on SISTIC Live) Viewable from 20 Nov to 4 Dec with valid tickets.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra Darrell Ang conductor

D EB USSY

Clair de lune (arr. Caplet)

R A VEL

Ma mère l’Oye (“Mother Goose”)

16 mins

IB ER T

Divertissement

15 mins

5 mins

Concert Duration: 45 mins T Watch our online Pre-Concert Talk on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Participate in our survey for a chance to win complimentary tickets to our upcoming online concerts. www.surveymonkey.com/r/RQYSJMW

SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Since its founding in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene in the cosmopolitan city-state.

In addition to its subscription series concerts, the orchestra is well-loved for its outdoor and community appearances, and its significant role educating the young people of Singapore. The SSO has also earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity, having garnered sterling reviews for its overseas tours and many successful recordings.

The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade Concert Hall.

More intimate works, as well as outreach and community performances take place at the 673seat Victoria Concert Hall, the home of the SSO. The orchestra performs over 60 concerts a year, and its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres. Bridging the musical traditions of East and West, Singaporean and Asian musicians and composers are regularly showcased in the concert season. This has been a core of the SSO’s programming philosophy from the very beginning under Choo Hoey, who was Music Director from 1979 to 1996.

Under the Music Directorship of Lan Shui from 1997 to 2019, the SSO has performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. In May 2016 the SSO was invited to perform at the Dresden Music Festival and the Prague Spring International Music Festival. This successful five‑city tour of Germany and Prague also included the SSO’s return to the Berlin Philharmonie after six years.

In 2014 the SSO’s debut at the 120th BBC Proms in London received critical acclaim in the major UK newspapers The Guardian and The Telegraph. The SSO has also performed in China on multiple occasions.

In the 2020/21 concert season, the SSO welcomes renowned maestro Hans Graf as its Chief Conductor.

Notable SSO releases on the BIS label include a Rachmaninoff series, a “Seascapes” album, three Debussy discs “La Mer”, “Jeux” and “Nocturnes”, and the first-ever cycle of Tcherepnin’s piano concertos and symphonies. The SSO has also collaborated with such great artists as Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Neeme Järvi, Gustavo Dudamel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Diana Damrau, Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham.

The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

The mission of the Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music.

Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.

H ANS G RAF Chief Conductor

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D A R R E L L AN G conductor

Born in Singapore, Ang studied composition with Leong Yoon Pin before studying in St. Petersburg with Leonid Korchmar, and Yale with Shinik Hahm. He became the Young Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (2008–2013) under the guidance of Music Director Lan Shui and also served as Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. He took all three top awards at the 50th Besançon International Young Conductors’ Competition in 2007, leading to the Music Directorship of the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne (2012–2015). With support from the Allianz Cultural Foundation, he took on residencies with the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestra, under the tutelage of Lorin Maazel and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of The Sichuan Orchestra of China (Sichuan Symphony), Grammy-nominated Darrell Ang last year opened the London Philharmonic’s season at Eastbourne, conducted Paris’s Orchestre de Lamoureux at the Théâtre du Champs-Elysées and made his debut with the Japan Philharmonic. In addition, he conducted Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra and released several recordings on the Naxos label to rave reviews. Recent appearances include with The Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, NHK Symphony 7

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One of Asia’s most sought-after conductors, Ang’s growing operatic profile includes performances of Don Giovanni and Rigoletto at the Mariinsky Theatre, Carmen at Estonian National Opera, Mozart operas in Bordeaux and Toulon, and Wagner in Singapore.

D I V ERT I S S EM ENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC

Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Chamber Orchestra.

SECO N D VIOL IN

T HE ORC HE S T R A

Michael Loh Associate Principal Hai-Won Kwok Fixed Chair Nikolai Koval* Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Wu Man Yun* Xu Jue Yi* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhao Tian*

HANS GRAF Chief Conductor JOSHUA TAN Associate Conductor ANDREW LITTON Principal Guest Conductor

VIO LA

CHOO HOEY Conductor Emeritus

Zhang Manchin Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Janice Tsai Wang Dandan Yang Shi Li

LAN SHUI Conductor Laureate EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster

CELL O Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair Yu Jing Associate Principal Guo Hao Fixed Chair Chan Wei Shing Jamshid Saydikarimov* Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao* Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er

FIRS T VI OL I N Kong Zhao Hui# Associate Concertmaster Chan Yoong-Han Acting Concertmaster/Fixed Chair Cao Can* Chen Da Wei Duan Yu Ling Foo Say Ming Jin Li Kong Xianlong Cindy Lee Karen Tan William Tan Wei Zhe Ye Lin* Zhang Si Jing*

D O U B LE BAS S Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal Karen Yeo Fixed Chair Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Guennadi Mouzyka Wang Xu

8

FLUTE

TR U M P ET

Jin Ta Principal Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal Roberto Alvarez Miao Shanshan

Jon Paul Dante Principal David Smith Associate Principal Lau Wen Rong Sergey Tyuteykin

PICCOLO

TR O M B O N E

Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal

Allen Meek Principal Damian Patti Associate Principal Samuel Armstrong

OBOE Rachel Walker Principal Pan Yun Associate Principal Carolyn Hollier Elaine Yeo

B A SS T R O MBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal TU B A

COR ANG L AI S

Tomoki Natsume Principal

Elaine Yeo Associate Principal TIM P A N I CLARINE T

Christian Schiøler Principal Jonathan Fox Associate Principal

Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping

P ER CU SSIO N

Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal

Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Mario Choo Lim Meng Keh

BAS S OON

H A RP

Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue

Gulnara Mashurova Principal

BAS S CL AR I NE T

C EL EST E/ PIANO Shane Thio^

CONTRABAS S OON Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal HORN Gao Jian Associate Principal Jamie Hersch Associate Principal Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal Hoang Van Hoc

* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. # Kong Zhao Hui performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation. ^ Musician on temporary contract.

Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.

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ONLY THE FINEST MUSIC

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| 20 NOV 2020 D IV E R TISSEM ENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862–1918) Clair de lune (1905 / arr. André Caplet, 1911) The Clair de lune is possibly Debussy’s most famous piece of music, and, in this orchestration by André Caplet, is cast in a very different light from the piano piece it originally is. Clair de lune, meaning “light of the moon” is based on the poem of the same name by the celebrated French poet, Paul Verlaine. Debussy’s use of colour, light, and shadow, only hinted at in the delicate piano figurations, is given full weight by Caplet’s lush orchestration. Imaginative touches in the instrumentation (especially the use of pizzicato viola and the solo violin in the reprise) betray a master’s hand, and indeed Caplet was well-known as a composer in his own right in the early 20th century, though he is today largely forgotten.

Debussy and Ravel are often lumped together in music history classes as being “Impressionists”. Debussy’s association with the term stemmed from the period after his initial Wagner obsession, when he disavowed “Germanic” chromatic harmony (along with its eschatological and philosophical concerns) to break away with his own ideas. But even that is an oversimplification, because it is possible to trace much of Debussy’s inspiration to Erik Satie and what he saw as a rivalry with Ravel.

Water Lilies and Reflections of a Willow (1916–1919) by Claude Monet Instrumentation 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, harp, strings First performed by SSO 18 Apr 1987 18

I II III IV V

Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant: Lent (“Pavane of Sleeping Beauty”) Petit Poucet: Très modéré (“Little Thumb / Hop-o'-My-Thumb”) Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes: Mouvt de marche (“Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas”) Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête: Mouvt de valse très modéré (“Conversation of Beauty and the Beast”) Le jardin féerique: Lent et grave (“The Fairy Garden”) attention paid to the harp and celesta.

Even the contrabassoon gets a big solo, playing the part of the Beast. The suite ends with Sleeping Beauty waking up from her enchanted sleep to a joyous and ringing C major finale.

The Mother Goose suite, or Ma mère l’Oye, began its life as a piano duet in 1910.

Ravel eventually produced an orchestration (and his friend Jacques Charlot made a solo piano arrangement), as well as a ballet which extended and re-ordered the five movements and interpolated extra music. This suite wears the “impressionist” label uneasily, being more closely related to the folkloric music from central and eastern Europe, and indeed, in their original small and unassuming scale, call to mind Tchaikovsky’s or Grieg’s little character pieces.

Instrumentation 2 flutes (1 doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes (1 doubling on cor anglais), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons (1 doubling on contrabassoon), 2 horns, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam, xylophone, keyboard glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, harp, celesta, strings

Sleeping Beauty makes an appearance here, as does Tom Thumb, as well as the Beauty and the Beast story. Ravel’s immense skill at orchestration is put on full display here, for the textures are always clear and transparent, with special

World Premiere 28 Jan 1912, Paris First performed by SSO 7 Oct 1983 19

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Ravel’s musical interests ultimately lay elsewhere from Debussy’s, and he drew inspiration from sources as diverse as the musical language of the French Baroque, Spanish and Basque dances, and the American jazz he heard in the inter-war period. The Boléro, his most-played piece, was to him an exercise in orchestral colours, and his Gaspard de la nuit for solo piano is a staple of virtuosos everywhere.

D I V ERT I S S EMENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC

MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937) Ma mère l’Oye (“Mother Goose”, orchestral suite composed in 1911)

| 20 NOV 2020 D IV E R TISSEM ENT: AN EV ENING OF FR ENC H M U SIC

JACQUES IBERT (1890–1962) Divertissement (1930) I II III IV V VI

Introduction Cortège Nocturne Valse Parade Finale

Jacques Ibert was something of a musical outlier in early 20th-century France. He did not ally himself with the Impressionists or with the Les Six coterie, and indeed, showed himself very capable of writing perfectly functional music of either sort should he have been so pleased.

Ibert being an eclectic does make his music difficult to describe in such a small space. He is perhaps best known today among flautists, though some orchestral works are still performed on occasion, like Escales (a big Romantic work) and today’s Divertissement. He shows his familiarity with the common trends and his skill at satire: the small orchestra recalls Poulenc’s Aubade for piano and 18 instruments, for example, and by quoting Mendelssohn’s wedding march in his own second movement Cortège, pokes fun at what was then a strong strand of Germanism in French music; the Waltz lies cheekily between Johann Strauss II and Richard Strauss while nodding in Ravel’s direction.

Divertissement 18th-century painting by unknown artist.

Source: nga.gov

Instrumentation Flute (doubling on piccolo), clarinet, bassoon (doubling on contrabassoon), horn, trumpet, trombone, timpani, bass drum, castenet, police whistle, side drum, suspended cymbal, tambourine, tam-tam, triangle, wood block, piano (doubling on celeste), strings

It does Ibert a disservice to reduce his music to a series of references to his peers, however, and the music has a genuine joy and charm as well as rollicking good humour. At the end of the piece, one can hear Ibert in his film-music mode, laughing at us and with us.

World Premiere 30 Nov 1930, Paris First performed by SSO 22 Feb 1991

Programme notes by Thomas Ang 20

BOA RD OF D IRE C T ORS & C OMMI T T E E S CHAIR Mr Goh Yew Lin SSO COUNCIL

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ms Yong Ying-I (Deputy Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Mr Chang Chee Pey Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Chng Kai Fong Mr Warren Fernandez Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Liew Wei Li Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Paul Tan Dr Kelly Tang Mr Geoffrey Wong Mr Yee Chen Fah NOMINATING AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer (Treasurer) Mr Paul Tan Ms Yong Ying-I

HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE Ms Yong Ying-I (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Yee Chen Fah Dr Kelly Tang INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Mr Geoffrey Wong (Chair) Mr David Goh Mr Sanjiv Misra AUDIT COMMITTEE Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chair) Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Lim Mei SNYO COMMITTEE Ms Liew Wei Li (Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Valarie Wilson

S S O M U S I C I A N S’ C O M M I T T E E Mr Jamie Hersch Mr Ng Pei-Sian Mr Mark Suter Mr Christoph Wichert Ms Elaine Yeo Mr Yeo Teow Meng

Prof Cham Tao Soon (Honorary Chair) Mr Alan Chan (Chair) Mrs Odile Benjamin Prof Chan Heng Chee Mr Choo Chiau Beng Dr Geh Min Mr Goh Geok Khim Mr Khoo Boon Hui Prof Tommy Koh Ms Lim Mei Mr JY Pillay Dr Stephen Riady Ms Priscylla Shaw Prof Gralf Sieghold Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Prof Bernard Tan Dr Tan Chin Nam Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Tan Soo Nan Mr Wee Ee Cheong S S O L A D I E S’ L E A G U E Mrs Odile Benjamin (Chair) Mrs Kwan Lui (Deputy Chair) Mrs Celeste Basapa Mrs Maisy Beh Mrs Kim Camacho Mrs Rosy Ho Ms Judy Hunt Prof Annie Koh Dr Julie Lo Mrs Clarinda TjiaDharmadi-Martin Ms Paige Parker Ms Kris Tan Ms Manju Vangal Mrs Grace Yeh

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The mission of the Singapore Symphony Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music.

Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. You can support us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate.