Love, Carmen and Mozart

LOVE, CARMEN AND MOZART YE-EUN CHOI PLAYS MOZART 27 & 28 AUG 2021 ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL

MO Z A RT I N M AJOR | 14 & 15 MA Y 2021

LOVE, CA RM EN AN D M O Z A R T 27 & 28 Aug 2021 Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore Symphony Orchestra Hans Graf Chief Conductor Ye-Eun Choi violin

MO ZART

Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219 “Turkish”

31 mins

B IZET / S HC H E D RI N

Carmen Suite

44 mins

Concert Duration: 1 hr 30 mins (with no intermission)

T Watch our online Pre-Concert Talk on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

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.

In July 2021, the SSO was nominated for the prestigious Orchestra of the Year Award

by Gramophone.

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 673-seat 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 second performance at the Berlin Philharmonie.

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 2020, the SSO appointed renowned Austrian conductor Hans Graf as its Chief Conductor. In a time greatly disrupted by COVID-19, the SSO continued to keep music alive and lift spirits up through a multitude of digital concerts and videos, which crossed a million views in six months.

The SSO has released more than 50 recordings in its 40-year history, with more than 30 on the BIS label. The most recent critically acclaimed albums include a Rachmaninoff box set (2021), Richard Strauss’ “Rosenkavalier and Other Works” (2020), and three Debussy discs “La Mer”, “Jeux” and “Nocturnes”. The orchestra has also released albums of contemporary works linked to East Asia, including works by Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bright Sheng, Alexander Tcherepnin, and others.

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.

H ANS G RAF Chief Conductor The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and the VCHpresents chamber music series, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition.

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.

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LO V E, CA RMEN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 A U G 2021

H A N S G RAF Chief Conductor The Austrian conductor Hans Graf is the Chief Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from the 2020/21 concert season.

© BRYAN VAN DER BEEK

He held the role of Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra 2001–2013, making him the longest-serving Music Director in the orchestra’s 100 year history.

Prior to this, he was Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic and of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. He has also held the post of Music Director at the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg and the Basque National Orchestra.

Hans Graf’s discography includes all symphonies of Mozart and Schubert, the complete orchestral works by Henri Dutilleux and the world premiere recording of Zemlinsky’s opera Es war einmal. His recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck with the Houston Symphony won the ECHO Klassik 2017 award and the Grammy 2018 for Best Opera Recording.

Hans Graf is a frequent guest with major orchestras around the world including with the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, the Seoul, Hong Kong and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras.

Hans Graf has been made Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Government (2002) and was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour of the Republic of Austria (2007). He is also Professor Emeritus for Orchestral Conducting at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg.

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LO V E, CA RMEN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 A U G 2021

YE- EU N CH O I violin

© NA-YOUNG LEE

Violinist Ye-Eun Choi is defined by her dynamic sound, rich with vibrant timbre, sensitivity and nuance. Her colourful, expressive lyricism and virtuosity has earned her acclaim for her engagements as both a soloist and a chamber musician. She was discovered and mentored by Anne-Sophie Mutter at age 16 in 2005. Ms Mutter has since said: “She is a musician who looks to express herself in her own individual way; who has a distinguished, recognizable sound and commands an excellent, instinctive feel for the music. This is precisely what is naturally required from a soloist: someone who does not just perform a piece, but makes it her own. She ranks among the most talented of violinists.”

recent seasons are concerts with Orchestre National De France under Riccardo Muti, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Jiri Belohlavek, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and HMT München under Mariss Jansons, Bamberger Symphoniker under Christoph Eschenbach, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden.

As one of the world’s most in-demand soloists, Ye-Eun Choi continues to develop and reach new audiences every season.

She regularly works together with the world’s leading conductors including: Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andre Previn, Jirí Belohlávek, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jaap van Zweden, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Manfred Honeck, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yuri Bashmet, Neeme Järvi, Alan Gilbert, Kent Nagano, Andrew Manze, Stéphane Denève among others. Highlights of the

A long-standing relationship connects Choi and Mutter, two artists who often share the stage as they will do this next season performing chamber music throughout Europe, US, and Asia, together with cellists Daniel Müller Schott and Kian Soltani, as well as viola player Vladimir Babeshko.

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SEC O N D V IOL IN

T HE ORC HE S T R A HANS GRAF Chief Conductor ANDREW LITTON Principal Guest Conductor CHOO HOEY Conductor Emeritus LAN SHUI Conductor Laureate EUDENICE PALARUAN Choral Director WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster

Michael Loh Associate Principal Nikolai Koval* Hai-Won Kwok Chikako Sasaki* Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Wu Man Yun* Xu Jueyi* Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan* Zhao Tian* VIO L A Manchin Zhang Principal Guan Qi Associate Principal Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Janice Tsai Dandan Wang Yang Shi Li

FIRS T VI OL I N

C EL L O

(Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair Kong Zhao Hui1 Associate Concertmaster Chan Yoong-Han2 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*

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

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 TR O M B O N E

PICCOLO 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 COR ANGL AI S Elaine Yeo Associate Principal CLARINET Ma Yue Principal Li Xin Associate Principal Liu Yoko Tang Xiao Ping BAS S CL AR I NE T Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal BAS S OON

B A SS T R O MBONE Wang Wei Assistant Principal TU B A Tomoki Natsume Principal TIM P A N I Christian Schiøler Principal P ER CU SSIO N Jonathan Fox Principal Mark Suter Associate Principal Mario Choo Lim Meng Keh H A RP Gulnara Mashurova Principal

Liu Chang Associate Principal Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue CONTRAB AS 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.

1 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.

2 Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700 donated by Mr Goh Yew Lin. Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.

L OV E, C AR M EN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 2 8 AUG 2 0 2 1

Musicians LOVE, CA RMEN A N D M OZA RT | 2 7 & 2 8 A UG 2 0 2 1

FIRST VIOLIN Kong Zhao Hui Acting Concertmaster/ Associate Concertmaster Kong Xianlong Cao Can Karen Tan William Tan Jin Li SECOND VIOLIN Ye Lin Zhao Tian Chikako Sasaki Wu Man Yun Hai-Won Kwok

OBOE Rachel Walker Carolyn Hollier HORN Jamie Hersch Hoang Van Hoc TIMPANI Christian Schiøler PERCUSSION Jonathan Fox Mark Suter Mario Choo Lim Meng Keh

VIOLA Manchin Zhang Gu Bing Jie Janice Tsai Yang Shi Li Julia Park CELLO Yu Jing Guo Hao Chan Wei Shing Song Woon Teng DOUBLE BASS Yang Zheng Yi Wang Xu Jacek Mirucki

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I II III

Allegro aperto Adagio Rondeau. Tempo di Menuetto

Despite being the son of Leopold Mozart, an influential figure in the history of the violin, Mozart never performed significantly on the violin after adulthood. The younger Mozart wrote five violin concerti in total, completing the last four in 1775 at the age of 19 and never returned to the genre, surely disappointing his father, who saw much potential in him, which must have been true if the younger Mozart performed the solos himself.

Scored for solo violin, two oboes, two horns, and strings, the Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219 “Turkish” begins with the standard allegro orchestral introduction before the solo enters and Mozart surprises our ears with an unexpected and captivating six-bar adagio before returning to the allegro. Mozart has taken us where no man has gone before (or has gone since). The E major adagio is lyrical and contemplative, with sighing themes passing between the strings and soloist. Melancholy and graceful, the ABA form ends with a cadenza for the soloist.

Schwetzingen Mosque, designed in 1779–1791 by Nicolas de Pigage.

The mosque is situated in the summer palace belonging to Charles IV Theodore, a proponent of the Orientalist movement.

It is the rondo third movement that gives the work its nickname “Turkish”. During Mozart’s time, anything from the East was fashionable – Turkish coffee, fabrics, and fashions, as well as chinoiserie. In the middle of a graceful minuet, Mozart transports us to Ottoman lands as he changes metre and switches to a minor mode allegro as violin and orchestra take

photo: Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten BadenWürttemberg, Thomas Wagner

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LO V E, CA RMEN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 A U G 2021

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219 “Turkish” (1775)

L OV E, C AR M EN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 AUG 2 0 2 1

up a wild gypsy-like theme intended to represent Turkish music. Without drums, cymbals, and jingles for colourful touches, Mozart here gives us strong accents, exotic chromatic scales, sudden crescendi, and a percussive drone from the celli and basses striking their strings with the bow stick (col legno). As suddenly as it began, the wildness disappears and we return by transporter to end amidst the poise and gilded mirrors of 18th-century Vienna as Mozart gives us a wink worthy of Captain Kirk.

Instrumentation solo violin, 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings World Premiere Unknown First performed by SSO 10 Apr 1981 (Pavel Prantl, violin)

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I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII

LO V E, CA RMEN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 A U G 2021

RODION SHCHEDRIN (b. 1932) Carmen Suite (1967, after Bizet's opera) Introduction Dance First Intermezzo Changing of the Guard Carmen’s Entrance and Habañera Scene Second Intermezzo Bolero Torero Torero and Carmen Adagio Fortune-Telling Finale

Bizet’s opera Carmen is full of melodies recognisable even by people not otherwise familiar with classical music. The tale of Carmen, immoral gypsy seductress, and her lover Don José, has captivated the creative imaginations of composers and Broadway producers alike. In 1967, Carmen fever hit the Russian composer Rodion Konstaninovich Shchedrin.

Shchedrin attended the Moscow Choral School and the Moscow Conservatory, and wrote his Carmen Suite as a one-act ballet for his wife, prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya, who had been previously turned down by Shostakovich and Khachaturian.

Shchedrin reorchestrates with generous use of percussion, particularly South American percussion, possibly a nod to the ballet’s Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso, giving a radical take on Bizet’s tunes, one that might perhaps be nicknamed ‘Carmen in the Carribean’.

Illustration published in Journal Amusant (1875)

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L OV E, C AR M EN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 AUG 2 0 2 1

SSO's production of Carmen in 2016, conducted by Lan Shui, with Christine Rice as Carmen and Andrea Carè as Don Jose.

strings. The vibrant Dance that follows is based on Bizet’s overture. The First Intermezzo gives a pastoral mood but ominous drum strokes bring in the ‘Fate’ motif. The Changing of the Guard makes ample use of percussion, playing around with Bizet’s rhythms before Carmen’s Entrance and Habañera, in which the strings carry the sultry melody of seduction.

Bubbling seduction boils over in the Scene, the longest in the Suite, where Carmen seduces Don José, followed by the Second Intermezzo.

Shchedrin scores for a standard string orchestra supplemented by timpani and four percussionists who play a dizzying variety of instruments – a deliberate move to ensure distance from Bizet’s scoring. After the premiere, the ballet was banned by the Soviet Minister of Culture as it was seen as ‘insulting’ to Bizet’s opera. ‘We cannot allow them to make a whore out of Carmen’ – ironic given Carmen’s unabashed sexpot character. It took a personal intervention by Shostakovich to save it.

The work begins with an Introduction wherein the tubular bells evocatively play one of the themes supported by mysterious

The bullfighter Escamillo enters in the Bolero and Torero sections, and Shchedrin cheekily 20

LO V E, CA RMEN AND M OZ AR T | 27 & 28 A U G 2021

has the melody drop out occasionally, with just the accompaniment playing – allowing the famous Toreador Song melody to play in the minds of the listeners. Torero and Carmen depict the couple together, before Don José’s Flower Song appears in the Adagio to plead for her return. The intense Fortune-Telling recounts Carmen’s Tarotcard reading wherein her death is foretold.

The Suite concludes with the Finale, where melodies are twisted, given unexpectedly to exotic percussion, mercilessly crushed and juxtaposing the busy bullfight arena with Carmen’s death, with a result that is much like Carmen herself – a hot mess.

Programme notes by Edward C. Yong

Instrumentation timpani, strings, Percussion 1: marimba, vibraphone, castanet, 3 cowbells, 4 bongos, chimes, snare drum, güiro

Design for Bizet’s opera Carmen

by Pyotr Konchalovsky (1944)

Percussion 2: vibraphone, marimba, field drum, tambourine, 2 wood blocks, claves, triangle, güiro Percussion 3: glockenspiel, crotales, maracas, whip, snare drum, cabasa, güiro, 3 temple blocks, bass drum, tam-tam, tenor drum, triangle Percussion 4: cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, hi-hat, triangle, tambourine, 5 tom-toms World Premiere 20 Apr 1967, Moscow First performed by SSO 19 Sep 1986 21

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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.