Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen
24 Oct 2025
Rudolf Buchbinder in Recital
(Left to right: Sayuri Kuru Associate Principal 2nd Violin, Duan Yu Ling 1st Violin, Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal Contrabassoon, Christopher Mui cello)
20–30 Nov 2025
Witness first-hand the virtuosity of Singapore’s finest young musicians at the 15th National Piano & Violin Competition — Singapore’s most prestigious competition of its kind.
Enjoy free access to most rounds in person at the Victoria Concert Hall, or online via livestream on the Singapore Symphony YouTube channel. Ticket sales for the Artist Finals for both piano and violin, taking place on 29 and 30 November, will be launched on 2 October 2025
Learn more
SS O.ORG.SG / NP VC
SUPPORTED
Adrian Tang, First Prize Winner NPVC 2023 Piano (Senior Category)
This competition is generously supported by Christopher and Rosy Ho.
2025
26
Hans Graf & Pierre-Laurent Aimard
Thu, 16 Oct 2025
Esplanade Concert Hall
30
42
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf
Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen
Thu, 23 Oct 2025
Esplanade Concert Hall
Rudolf Buchbinder in Recital
Fri, 24 Oct 2025
School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA)
Concert Hall
For the enjoyment of all patrons during the concert:
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Go green. Digital programme books are available on www.sso.org.sg.
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The orchestra performs over 60 concerts a year, and its versatile repertoire spans alltime 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. The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade Concert Hall. More intimate works, as well as community performances take place at the 673-seat Victoria Concert Hall, the Home of the SSO.
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 with its 44week calendar of events.
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 through its school programmes. 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 2021, the SSO clinched third place in the prestigious Orchestra of the Year Award by Gramophone. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine named the SSO as one of the 23 best orchestras in the world.
From the 2026/27 season, the SSO will be led by Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, the fourth Music Director in the orchestra’s history after Choo Hoey (1979–1996), Lan Shui (1997–2019) and Hans Graf (2020–2026).
Beyond Singapore, the SSO has performed in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. In the 2024/25 season, the SSO performed to full houses at Asia Orchestra Week in Kyoto, Japan, and made its “dazzling – and true-blue – Down Under debut” (Limelight) in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 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 praise in major UK newspapers The Guardian and The Telegraph. The SSO has also performed in China on multiple occasions.
The SSO has released more than 50 recordings, with over 30 on the BIS label. Recent critically acclaimed albums include Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights (Chandos) and Scriabin – Poems of Ecstasy and Fire (BIS).
A complete Mozart Violin Concerto cycle with Singaporean violinist Chloe Chua conducted by Hans Graf is released in 2025 on Pentatone.
The SSO also leads the revival and recording of significant works such as Kozłowski’s Requiem, Ogerman’s Symbiosis (after Bill Evans) and violin concertos by Robert Russell Bennett and Vernon Duke.
The SSO has collaborated with such great artists as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Joe Hisaishi, Neeme Järvi, Lorin Maazel, Martha Argerich, Diana Damrau, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, Gil Shaham, Daniil Trifonov and Krystian Zimerman.
The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition.
The Group’s vision is to be a leading arts organization that engages, inspires and reflects Singapore through musical excellence. Our mission 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.
With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. Musician on annual contract.
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.
Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700, courtesy of Mr G K Goh. Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
Guest Musicians
Hans Graf & Pierre-Laurent Aimard 16 Oct 2025
First Violin
Andrew Beer Guest Concertmaster
Sayaka Kagei*
Second Violin
Michael Salm Guest Principal
Lim Shue Churn
Ikuko Takahashi
Viola
Ho Qian Hui
Yeo Jan Wea
Double Bass
Joan Perarnau Garriga Guest Principal
Olga Alexandrova
Tenor Saxophone
Samuel Phua
Horn
Jared Sanders
Percussion
Tan Pei Jie
Harp
Charmaine Teo
Celesta/Piano
Beatrice Lin
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen 23 Oct 2025
First Violin
Markus Tomasi Guest Concertmaster
Sayaka Kagei*
Second Violin
Bobur Eshpulatov
Yvonne Lee
Lim Shue Churn
Ikuko Takahashi
V iola
Ho Qian Hui
Patcharaphan Khumprakob
Tan Wei Wei
Yeo Jan Wea
Cello
Lin Juan
Double Bass
Guennadi Mouzyka
*Musician from Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Hans Graf conductor
Quantedge Music Director, Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Armed with a spirit of musical curiosity and discovery, creative programming and his commanding presence on stage, Austrian conductor Hans Graf has raised orchestras to new heights while winning audiences young and old alike. With Hans Graf, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has achieved “a brave new world of music-making under inspired direction” (The Straits Times) since his appointment as Chief Conductor in the 2020/21 season, followed by five outstanding seasons as Music Director. Hans Graf’s farewell season in 2025/26 celebrates his remarkable achievements with his being named the SSO’s first Quantedge Music Director.
Graf was formerly Music Director of the Houston Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Basque National Orchestra and Mozarteum
Orchestra Salzburg. He is a frequent guest with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide, receiving the Österreichischer Musiktheaterpreis award at the famed Vienna Volksoper in 2014.
Hans Graf’s discography includes extensive surveys of Mozart, Schubert and Dutilleux, as well as a GRAMMY and ECHO Klassik award-winning recording of Berg’s Wozzeck With the Singapore Symphony, Graf has recorded works by Paul von Klenau, Mozart, Stravinsky and his own edition of Kozłowski’s Requiem.
Hans Graf is Professor Emeritus at the Universität Mozarteum, Salzburg, and a recipient of the Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur (France) and the Grand Decoration of Honour (Austria).
“A brilliant musician and an extraordinary visionary” (Wall Street Journal), Pierre-Laurent Aimard is widely acclaimed as an authority on contemporary music while also recognized for shedding fresh light on music of the past.
In the 2025/26 season, Pierre-Laurent celebrates the 100th birthday of his longtime friend and collaborator György Kurtág with recitals at the Budapest Music Centre, Philharmonie Luxembourg, and as part of his residency at Madrid’s Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical.
J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Vol. 2 also forms a programme mainstay throughout the season, surrounding the release of the album in October 2025, which follows 11 years after the success of Vol. 1. Scheduled performances include Concertgebouw Amsterdam, London’s Southbank Centre, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Stockholm Konserthuset, Seattle Benaroya Hall, Chamber Music Detroit, and Boston Celebrity Series. Aimard’s extensive recital schedule further includes the Louvre, NTCH Taipei, NCPA Beijing, and Shanghai Concert Hall.
With orchestras, Aimard makes solo appearances across the season with the New York Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Stuttgart Kammerorchester, Hamburg Symphoniker, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Concerto Budapest, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Singapore Symphony, and Seoul Philharmonic.
Aimard has enjoyed close collaborations with leading composers including Helmut Lachenmann, Elliott Carter, Harrison Birtwistle, György Kurtág, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Marco Stroppa, and Olivier Messiaen. He has given many notable premieres, most recently DIVISIONS for four hands by George Benjamin at Berlin’s Boulez Saal, which he will perform again in the 2025/26 season at 92Y, the Library of Congress in Washington, and London’s Wigmore Hall.
PierreLaurent Aimard piano
In recent seasons, Michał Nesterowicz has consolidated his position as one of the most recognisable Polish conductors in the world. The recognition of orchestral players, music lovers and critics has led to engagements with the likes of Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Tonkunstler Orchestra in Vienna.
He was the winner of the Cadaqués Orchestra European Conducting Competition in 2008 and among the prizewinners of the sixth Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition in Katowice.
Nesterowicz has appeared on multiple occasions with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Münchner Philharmoniker, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also worked with WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana.
He was the First Guest Conductor of Sinfonieorchester Basel (2016-2020), Chief Conductor of Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife (20122016), Artistic Director of Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile (2008-2012) and Artistic Director of Gdańsk Philharmonic (2004-2008). He is currently holding the position of Principal Guest Conductor of Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź.
In the 2025/26 season, Nesterowicz debuts with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra del Teatro Reggio di Parma, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Danish National Philharmonic Orchestra and returns to Stuttgart Philharmonic, Euskadi Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Phion Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel as well as Hague Philharmonic and Musikalische Akademie des Nationaltheater-Orchesters in Mannheim.
Michał Nesterowicz conductor
RAJCHERT
Eudenice Palaruan
Choral Director
Eudenice Palaruan studied at the University of the Philippines College of Music, majoring in composition and choral conducting. He took further training in choral conducting at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule, Germany. He graduated doctor of musical arts at St. Paul University Manila.
He was a singer, resident composer/arranger, and assistant choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. In addition, he performed with the Berlin Spandauer Kantorei, the World Youth Choir, and sang countertenor with the Berlin Monteverdichor.
In addition, he was the principal conductor of the San Miguel Master Chorale. For years, he has been the resident conductor of the International Bamboo Organ Festival, where he performed and recorded significant selections of Latin-American baroque music. With his active involvement in the choralization of Philippine and other Asian indigenous music, he premiered a substantial volume of new Asian choral works. In addition, he was often invited to give lectures on non-Western vocal aesthetics.
Eudenice also arranges for the SSO choruses and the SSC community outreach programmes. In addition, the SSO choruses have premiered new choral works written by local composers and arrangers in Singapore under his direction.
He taught composition and choral conducting in institutions such as the University of the Philippines College of Music, the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music, and St. Paul University College of Music and the Performing Arts. In addition, he teaches at the Singapore Bible College School of Church Music and directs the SBC Chorale. Eudenice is often invited to adjudicate in international composition competitions and give masterclasses in choral conducting.
Wong Lai Foon has been a driving force behind the development and growth of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) since its inception in 2006. Appointed Choirmaster in 2015 and armed with a mission to nurture young voices and inspire choral excellence, she led in the expansion of the SSCC’s training programme to include six preparatory ensembles, as well as the formation of the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir in 2016.
With repertoire ranging from Baroque to opera to contemporary and popular music, she has directed the SSCC and SSYC in a wide array of concerts, often receiving praise for the choirs’ beautiful tone and sensitivity. She has prepared the choirs in collaborations with renowned conductors and performers such as Stephen Layton, The King’s Singers, and Sofi Jeanin and la Maîtrise de Radio France. The SSCC has also had the distinction of being invited to perform at state functions.
Wong has commissioned and premiered treble choir works by local composers and has also arranged for the SSCC and SSYC. Her efforts to educate and inspire singers extend into the community through workshops, talks, as well as adjudicator, chorus-master and guestconductor roles. Some ensembles that she has worked with include The Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Singapore Symphony Chorus, Singapore Lyric Opera, Hallelujah Singers, and Methodist Festival Choir. She holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College, USA.
Wong Lai Foon
Choirmaster
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder
SSO President’s Young Performers Concert 2026 Open for Auditions
Auditions will be held for shortlisted Singaporean instrumentalists performing concertos or concertante works written for their instrument and Singaporean vocalists performing any vocal work with orchestra.
Eligibility: Applicants must be Singapore citizens and 25 years old or younger as of 1 Jan 2026.
Application Deadline: Applicants are invited to submit their online application by 5 Dec 2025, with the following items:
1. Biography including their date of birth, musical background and contact information
2. A high-quality video featuring a recent performance of a complete concerto or concertante work with either piano or orchestra accompaniment, with composer name, duration of each movement and edition (if applicable) of the work clearly labelled.
For application enquiries, please contact: pypc@sso.org.sg
Scan to apply
Application deadline: 5 Dec 2025
2024 soloist Toby Tan Kai Rong piano
For 45 years, the Singapore Symphony Chorus (SSC) has brought together passionate choristers from varied backgrounds to create stirring symphonic music that transcends language and culture. More than a choir, the SSC is a vibrant community where lasting bonds are forged beyond the stage.
Committed to artistic excellence, its dedicated members rehearse weekly, performing at celebrated venues like the Esplanade and Victoria Concert Halls. Under the baton of world-class conductors such as Okko Kamu, Lan Shui, Lim Yau, Masaaki Suzuki, and Sofi Jeannin, the SSC has built a rich repertoire featuring masterpieces like Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum, Britten’s War Requiem, and Bach’s St John Passion
The chorus’s unwavering dedication to delivering outstanding performances makes the SSC a leading choral ensemble – a shining example of music’s power to unite people across generations and cultures.
Singapore Symphony Chorus
Celebrating Choral Excellence
Eudenice Palaruan Choral Director
Ellissa Sayampanathan Assistant Choral Conductor
Ng Sheh Feng Choral Associate
Wong Yang Kai Choral Associate
Shane Thio rehearsal pianist
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder
Singapore Symphony Youth Choir
Inspiring Choral Passion
Wong Lai Foon Choirmaster
Ellissa Sayampanathan Assistant Choral Conductor
Evelyn Handrisanto rehearsal pianist
Bursting with energy and passion, the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir (SSYC) is a lively group aged 17 to 28, who thrive on breaking artistic boundaries and growing as one. Beyond making harmonies, the SSYC is a buzzing community where young voices come together to dive into symphonic choral adventures with the national orchestra.
Performing regularly at the Esplanade and Victoria Concert Halls, the SSYC tackles some of the most exciting and challenging choral works across diverse styles and genres. The SSYC regularly collaborates with visionary conductors including Lan Shui, Hans Graf, and Stephen Layton. Their impressive repertoire features highlights like Scriabin’s Prometheus, Puccini’s La Bohème, Tallis’s Why Fumeth in Fight, and Faure’s Requiem, along with recordings of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
The SSYC offers an unparalleled chance to learn and create memories with the seasoned professionals – setting the stage for the future of symphonic choral music.
The Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) offers young voices a thrilling gateway into the world of professional music-making. Singing alongside the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and renowned conductors, children discover not only the joy of performance but the discipline, confidence, and creativity that come with it.
Through its nurturing environment, the SSCC develops young children both musically and personally. It’s a space where artistry, friendship, and deep love for music come to life in every rehearsal and performance. Based at the Victoria Concert Hall, the choir has performed under the direction of esteemed conductors like Lim Yau, Sofi Jeannin, François-Xavier Roth, and Stephen Layton, and has shared the stage with The King’s Singers.
The SSCC’s impact extends beyond the concert hall, with appearances at national events and international collaborations in Paris and Kuala Lumpur, championing local music by commissioning works from Singaporean composers including Darius Lim, Zechariah Goh and Kelly Tang. Passionate, polished, and proudly Singaporean, the SSCC is shaping the next generation of choral excellence.
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen 23 Oct 2025
Singapore Symphony Chorus
Soprano
Karen Aw
Josephine Budiana
Janice Chee
Alexis Chen
Chia Gin Gin
Elizabeth Daniel
Julie Demange Wodtke
Grace Goh
Vivien Heng
Kaitlyn Kim
Selina Kwek
Rachel Lam
Sun Lee
Jacqueline Liew
Aidah Lim
Liang Xinyu
Lin Wei
Ng Bee Kay
Ng Wing Kei Tracy
Shireen Sanbhani
Sarah Santhana
Bessie Segarra
Andrea Yenny Sjah
Nelia Soelistia
Stacey Wang Espera
Vivienne Tan
Sarah Tang
Sachiko Tomimori
Gladys Torrado
Wang Yu-Ann
Alto
Grace Angel
Chan Mei Yoke
Joy Chen
Chng Xin Bei
Marie Amelie McKeand
Joanna Deakin
Dieh Xin Xin
Truly Hutapea
Susan Kurniawati
Dorothy Lee-Teh
Wendy Lim
Shoumin Low
Sharon Low
H. Debbie Min
Sylwia Mirucka
Ng Beng Choo
Ng Sheh Feng*
Natividad Solaguren
Ena Su
Ratna Sutantio
Elsie Tan
Tan Seow Yen
Rina Ushioda
Wang Jiunwen
Nadine Yap
Elizabeth Yeo
Tenor
Jean-Michel Bardin
Jesse Cai
Chong Wei Sheng
Ivan De Jesus
Jonanthan Halliwell
Adrian Lim
Elton Lin
Jeroven Marquez
Ronald Ooi
Samuel Pažický
Rac Roldan
Ian Tan
Ben Wong
Yek Kwan
Bass
Ang Jian Zhong
Craig Chambers
Arthur Davis
Andy Jatmiko
Ethan Jerzak
Paul Kitamura
Justin Lee
Andrew Ng
Yen Phang
Teo Siak Hian
Michael Walsh
Wong Hin Yan
Wong Yang Kai*
*Choral Associate
Singapore Symphony Youth Choir
Soprano
Cham Li Teng
Halyn Cho
Goh Chen Xi
Jocelyne Harefa
Emily Hia
Rachael Jong
Laura Lee
Emma Lee-Goh
Melina Leong
Giselle Lim
Ng Yi Poh
Teryn Rim
Desiree Seng
Samyukta Sounderamann
Carine Tan
Christabelle Tan
Tan Caewyn
Janelle Tan
Jasmine Towndrow
Raeanne Wong
Chloe Zhou
Alto
Megan Fung
Elizabeth Goh
Trinetra Kumarasan
Zoe Li
Zachary Lim
Ong Sherlyn
Suri Rao
Emily Tan
Tan Yuqing
Tan Yulin
Tenor
Andre Ang
Hann Lyang
Alfonso Yuji Cortez
Jayden Moktan
Oscar Ociepka
Amos Pan
Seifer Ong
Stanley Yuan Chenye
Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir
Laurel Ang
Adele Chan
Lisa Chang
Samuel Chen
Elizabeth Chern
Paul Chong
Choo Yu En
Chua Jia Le
Deng Handing
Fu Yuqi
Graciella Gunawan
Nadia Hajadi
Callie Heng
Cloris Ho
Joshika Kandasamy
Ropheka Koo
Giselle Koh
Kok Xiu Yin
Athena Kong
Lucas Lee
Leong Zee Yen
Liew Ying En
Hebe Lim
Stephanie Lim
Eyzen Lim
Lu Yiche
Emma Mok
Lei Nakayasu
Ng Le Xi
Riann Ong
Ong Sze Ying
Pan Yueling
Marie Phua
Kaeshav Rajasekaran
Genevieve Seow
Siew Lok Yan
Allysa Tan
Ashley Tan
Brandon Tan
Caitlin Tan
Michael Tan
Gwynever Tanan
Bass
Leonard Buescher
Chai Chang Kai
Matthew Chiang
Liu Felix
Loy Sheng Rui
Tan Hee
Joshua Tan
Dominic Tang
Wong Zhen Wei
Yuna Tano
Shania Tay
Germaine Teo
Xavier Tng
Mika Tobita
Rosie Tu
Julian Werstuik
Caresse Wisantoso
Joelle Wong
Joylene Wongso
Joyce Wu
Gracie Xie
Jessica Xu
Evelyn Xue
Yan Xinni
Yan Yichen
Cammi Yeo
Yu Rahee
Felix Zhang
Zhang Kangni
Rudolf Buchbinder
piano
Rudolf Buchbinder is one of the legendary performers of our time. The authority of a career spanning 65 years is uniquely combined with esprit and spontaneity in his piano playing. Tradition and innovation, faithfulness and freedom, authenticity and open-mindedness merge in his reading of the great piano literature.
Buchbinder is an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, the Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the first soloist to be awarded the Golden Badge of Honor by the Staatskapelle Dresden.
His interpretations of the works of Ludwig van Beethoven in particular, are regarded as setting standards. Buchbinder was the first pianist to play all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas within one festival summer at the 2014 Salzburg Festival. The Salzburg cycle was recorded live for CD and DVD. His most recent recordings of Beethoven’s Complete Piano Concertos document a truly remarkable project. The Vienna Musikverein, for the first time in its history, gave a single pianist the honour of performing all five piano concertos by Beethoven in a specially created series.
Buchbinder was joined by five of the world’s finest conductors and orchestras, namely the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Andris Nelsons, the Vienna Philharmonic under Riccardo Muti and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and the Staatskapelle Dresden under Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev and Christian Thielemann, respectively.
As Artistic Director, he is responsible for the Grafenegg Festival, which has been one of the most influential orchestral festivals in Europe since its founding in 2007.
Frederikke Kampmann graduated from the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen and from the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna with Sylvia Greenberg. She also has a master’s degree from the Jutland Conservatory of Music.
Frederikke made her professional debut in 2008 as Euridice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Palace Opera at Valdemars Slot. She has performed as a soloist with all of the regional orchestras, including with the soprano part in Mozart’s Requiem with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Carmina Burana with the Sønderjylland Symphony Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah (in Mozart’s version) with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Odense Symphony Orchestra.
In Denmark, Frederikke has, among other things, sung at Den Juyske Opera, Den Ny Opera, Søholm Opera and Den Fynske Opera. In addition, she is also a frequent guest at the country’s many opera festivals, e.g. Copenhagen Opera Festival, where she sang the role of the angry caretaker Dorabella in the sensational opera Lisbon Floor.
Recent roles include Susanna (La nozze di Figaro) with Den Ny Opera, Violetta (La Traviata) with GuidOpera, Genovieffa (Suor Angelica) at the Copenhagen Opera Festival, Adina (L’Elisir d’amore) with Opera i Provinsen, Euridice (L’Orfeo) at Black/White and Barbarina (La nozze di Figaro) at Malmö Opera.
Her repertoire spans a wide range, and she performs in many different contexts with both opera, song and oratorio, but can also be experienced in lighter musical genres and has thus performed with prominent popular Danish artists such as Preben Kristensen, Birthe Kjær, Anders Blichfeldt, Stig Rossen and Maria Lucia Heiberg Rosenberg.
Frederikke Kampmann
soprano
MARTIN PAULSSON
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime
Anders Kampmann
tenor
The Danish tenor Anders Kampmann studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. He began his career performing baritone repertoire, but soon reshaped his instrument into a rich and sonorous tenor voice.
Recently Anders won the 3rd prize at the Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition.
He has sung roles such as Sándor Barinkay in Der Zigeunerbaron by Johann Strauss at Theater Magdeburg, Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, as well as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) at Elsinore Chamber Opera, the roles of Siegmund and Siegfried in The Ring in one evening (music by Richard Wagner) on the same stage and the role of Prince Jennaro in Hartmann’s Ravnen at Danish National Opera.
Anders is a frequent guest at The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen, where he has recently performed in Den Glade Enke 2.0 by Franz Lehar, King and Marshall (music by Heise) and Manualen by Louise Alenius. Anders is often appearing as a soloist in works such as Requiem (Verdi), Die Schöpfung (Haydn), The Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart) and Messa di Gloria (Puccini). He has worked with an array of orchestras including Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra and Sønderjylland Symphony Orchestra.
In season 2024/25 Anders can be heard as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly by Puccini and Count René de la Rochefocauld in Fête Galante by Schierbeck at Danish National Opera.
Steffen Bruun graduated in June 2005 after opera studies in Copenhagen and Sydney. Shortly after his graduation he had his stage debut as the Emperor in Stravinsky’s The Nightingale at The Funen Opera, and has later sung Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, the bass parts of Monteverdi’s operas, Leone in Handel’s Tamerlano, Don Inigo in Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole, Uberto in Pergolesis La Serva Padrona, Pimen in Mussorgsky’s Boris Gudonov, Osmin in Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail, Comte de Grieux in Massenet’s Manon, Il Re in Verdi’s Aida and Bass in Saariaho’s Only the Sound Remains at Teatro Real, Madrid.
He got his debut at the Royal Opera Copenhagen as Zuniga in Bizet’s Carmen in 2019 and has been associated since as a guest soloist. This season had Steffen sing Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Norando in Hartmann’s The Raven, both at the Danish National Opera, the first performance of HJEM at CPH Opera Festival and he has just returned touring Germany with yet another Aida. The season was crowned with a nomination as Singer of the Year 2023 in CPH Culture.
Recordings include a first performance of Klenau’s 9th Symphony with DR Symphony Orchestra, lieder by Poul Rovsing Olsen on Dacapo Records, Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade (as Vægteren), L’Orfeo (as Caronte) for Swedish BIS Records, Johann Johannson’s Drone Mass for Deutsche Grammophon and Hornemann’s Aladdin (as Genie) with DR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Schønwandt.
Steffen is a part of the Berlin-based Home Opera where he takes the role as MC as well as singer.
Wong Yang Kai’s journey into choral music began in secondary school, where he developed a profound interest in choral conducting and classical singing. He holds a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from LaSalle SIA College of the Arts.
Recently appointed Choral Associate with the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Yang Kai has performed as a soloist in various distinguished settings. He sung the role of Conte in Figaro in A Pocket, part of the SSO VCH Presents series, and was a soloist at the Morellino Classica Festival in Tuscany, Italy. Additionally, Yang Kai sings with the ROS (Resonance of Singapore) Singers, a homegrown professional choral ensemble, where he engages in both performance and educational programmes. He has also appeared as a soloist with several local choirs in concert performances.
As a choral conductor, Yang Kai is passionate about working with youths and people from all walks of life. He has committed himself to the local musical community, actively directing award-winning youth choirs in schools and churches, and inspiring the next generation’s appreciation for choral music.
Yang Kai’s musical endeavors have transcended borders. As a versatile multiinstrumentalist, he enjoys using his skills to contribute to and uplift his community.
Hans Graf & Pierre-Laurent Aimard
MacMillan, Bartók and Prokofiev
Thu, 16 Oct 2025
Esplanade Concert Hall
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hans Graf Quantedge Music Director
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano*
Andrew Beer Guest Concertmaster
James MacMillan
Concerto for Orchestra – Ghosts
25 mins ASIAN PREMIERE
Bartók
Piano Concerto No. 2*
28 mins
Intermission 20 mins
Prokofiev
Selections from Romeo & Juliet 32 mins
Concert Duration: approximately 2 hrs (including 20 mins intermission)
Check-in to tonight’s concert
Scan this QR code with the Singapore Symphony Mobile App.
James MacMillan
b. 1959
Concerto for Orchestra – Ghosts (2023)
My Concerto for Orchestra was written in 2023/24 and is in one continuous, throughcomposed movement, lasting about 25 minutes. It has a subtitle – Ghosts – as the music seems to be haunted by other, earlier musical spirits and memories. Right from the start of the opening section we can hear allusions to folk-dance forms, an eastern European hymn and Scottish traditional music.
Various chamber groups emerge from within the orchestral fabric and there is much deliberate focus on soloistic playing throughout. Duets and trios are important – the work opens with an eleven-note theme being thrown between two trombones, and later there are other duos for clarinets, piccolo and tuba, and two violas.
Trios are also prominent – three bassoons at one point, as well as a quotation from Beethoven’s Ghost Trio (which gives this work its subtitle), and allusions to the famous Debussy trio of flute, viola and harp. Also in the spotlight at various points is a string quartet, a wind quintet and a brass sextet.
The work has four main interlocking sections. The first is fast and presents most of the initially important materials. The second section is slow and elegiac, and operates like a two-part canon, presenting many different combinations of the two lines, sometimes fully orchestral, other times soloistic and in chamber dimensions.
The third section, a scherzo, is marked presto. Its main “refrain” is an energetic, rhythmic theme based on my memories of the dance forms my children used to listen to when they were teenagers… The episodes between these focus on some of the chamber groups mentioned above. Eventually we hear a brief moment from the Beethoven Ghost Trio, but the piano is replaced by a celesta. This is then smudged into the Debussy memory and finally a new trio (cor anglais, bass clarinet and vibraphone) joins, all forming a trio of trios.
The Concerto culminates in an Allegro finale, based on an unsettled and compulsive compound rhythm, containing nasal fanfares on horns and counter-rhythmic interjections on trumpets, piccolo and xylophone. The music eventually subsides to a more serene conclusion, where the hymnic theme (which has haunted the music throughout) is given its final statement.
The concerto is cast in three movements, reminiscent of the Baroque concerto grosso. In the Allegro, one can hear Bartók’s admiration for Stravinsky and his approach to neoclassicism. The strings remain silent until the recapitulation, lending a striking sharpness to the wind-and-percussion sonorities, and recalling Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Winds (1924). An allusion to Petrushka marks the trumpet’s opening gesture, which functions as a unifying motivic device throughout the concerto. An allusion to a Bach Two-Part Invention sneaks in midway through. In Bartók’s own words, this movement is “a carnival, fair, or circus. One ride and sideshow after another. Everything has to bounce!” Hans Graf & Pierre-Laurent
Amongst the most dazzling and athletic specimens of the genre, Bartók’s three piano concertos demand not just stamina but a kind of percussive brilliance. The First (1926) had been so unrelenting that many orchestras found it unapproachable. By 1930, Bartók set out to write a new concerto that would be more ingratiating than his First, but some critics still found it too extreme. When the concerto was suggested for Hungary’s Greguss Medal, the conservative Victor Papp rejected it outright in favour of his First Orchestral Suite from 1905. Bartók tartly replied that he would “never wear the medal, dead or alive”.
The second movement unfolds as a triptych, opening with a stark chorale for muted strings and timpani. For some, its severity recalls Greek tragedy, and Bartók heard in the repeated piano notes of the Adagio “Maria Callas in Medea, beating the earth with her fists to invoke the gods”. The central scherzo scurries forward with contrapuntal writing and dizzying piano figurations, before returning to the hushed opening material with the eerie shimmer of piano trills. With the full orchestra finally engaged, the Allegro molto is a rondo with folk-dance vitality and asymmetrical rhythms. The long tutti sets the stage for the climactic cadenza, where the piano and timpani collide in a spectacular display of virtuosity.
To be an artist in the Soviet Union in the time of Joseph Stalin was to live in constant fear of censors. Works on current themes praising the leadership were certain hits for the short term, but changes of leadership and party line were frequent and could result in the artist being purged for past works now deemed unacceptable. On the other hand, works on remoter themes from history and mythology were no safer—the artist could stand accused of reactionary counter-revolutionary sympathies or criticising the government by proxy and get a bullet in the head.
When the renowned dramaturge Adrian Piotrovsky suggested the subject of Romeo & Juliet in 1934, Prokofiev knew he had to tread carefully, drawing up a draft treatment in 1935. Piotrovsky was denounced in 1936 and shot in 1937, and his association with the unperformed work tainted it for some years. Prokofiev, seeing no point in wasting material, made from it three well-received Orchestral Suites (1936).
The Montagues and the Capulets is the opening masked ball hosted by the Capulets, where tensions between them and the Montagues simmer. Masks has Romeo and his boisterous friends arrive with youthful antics (the tambourine referencing Romeo’s mask) outside the Capulet residence before the ball. Juliet: The Young Girl shows the excited young Juliet preparing herself for the evening’s
Hans Graf & Pierre-Laurent Aimard | 16 Oct 2025
Dance
Dance of the Maids from the Antilles
Romeo at Juliet’s Grave
The Death of Tybalt
ball, finally seeing herself as a young lady in the mirror. Friar Laurence is a portrait of the peaceful man of God, reasonable and calm.
Romeo at the Fountain depicts a summer day at the fountain in the town square, as Romeo banters with friends. Dance is the dance of five couples at the ball. In Dance of the Maids from the Antilles, Prokofiev gives us a melancholy, graceful interlude before the drama to come in Romeo at Juliet’s Grave which plumbs the depths of sorrow, as Romeo, not realising Juliet is not truly dead, kills himself at her grave. The Death of Tybalt is the moment when after Mercutio is killed in a duel by Tybalt, Romeo avenges Mercutio’s death by killing Tybalt.
Notes by Edward C. Yong | A writer, editor, and teacher of dead languages, Edward plays lute and
guitars, sings bass, and runs
early music group. Like his dog, he is very much food-motivated.
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen
Thu, 23 Oct 2025
Esplanade Concert Hall
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Singapore Symphony Chorus
Bacewicz
Overture
Singapore Symphony Youth Choir
Singapore Symphony Children's Choir
Michał Nesterowicz conductor
Eudenice Palaruan Choral Director
Wong Lai Foon Choirmaster
Rudolf Buchbinder piano*
Frederikke Kampmann soprano
Anders Kampmann tenor
Steffen Bruun baritone/bass
Wong Yang Kai baritone
Markus Tomasi Guest Concertmaster
6 mins
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor”*
38 mins
Intermission
20 mins
Nielsen
Hymnus Amoris, Op. 12
24 mins
SSO PREMIERE
Springtime in Funen, Op. 42
19 mins
SSO PREMIERE
Concert Duration: approximately 2 hrs (including 20 mins intermission)
Check-in to tonight’s concert Scan this QR code with the Singapore Symphony Mobile App.
Grażyna Bacewicz
1909 – 1969
Overture (1943)
Bacewicz lived her life much like her music — propelled by an innate, robust rhythmic energy. Born two months premature, she liked to say she was powered by a hidden ‘engine’ that made her speak and work quickly and run rather than walk. After training as both violinist and composer at the Warsaw Conservatory, she continued her studies in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, absorbing the clarity and discipline of French Neoclassicism. Written in 1943 in occupied Warsaw, the Overture remains one of her most popular works, and among the most frequently performed pieces of 20th-century Polish music. At the premiere, Stefan Kisielewski described it as “sparkling with life and racing as if on the wings of a rhythmic temperament.”
The rhythm of the opening timpani motif symbolises the BBC’s ‘V for Victory’ wartime tuning signal, which in Morse code resembles the ‘fate motif’ of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Perhaps this motif held special significance for the Polish and their spirit of resistance, as Bacewicz’s compatriot Andrzej Panufnik had employed the same motif just two years earlier in his Tragic Overture. With this symbolism in place, the Allegro proceeds relentlessly with its effervescent strings and interjections from brass and woodwinds. The contemplative Andante, with its woven lyricism of winds and strings, offers a brief respite, though the ‘Victory’ motif lingers underneath in slow motion. With the Allegro energico, the frenzy which has so far been restrained is now fully unleashed, yet the music is always grounded in a sense of dignity with
its constant pulsation and clear orchestration which favours unisons. Bacewicz displays a masterclass in the power of ascending sequences to build tension, and fanfare-like motifs bring the overture to a triumphant close.
Notes by See Ning Hui | See Ning Hui is a pianist, researcher, and educator passionate about integrating underrepresented composers’ music. She is an adjunct lecturer at UAS-NAFA. Upcoming engagements
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in
Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 – 1827
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor” (1809)
Allegro
Rondo: Allegro I II III
Adagio un poco mosso
Beethoven – with his unkempt hair, his temperament, rudeness, slovenliness, and disregard for society and culture – was the unruly one in a balanced, ordered society of the early 1800s, a “mad genius” whose later music was teeming with dissonances; in it he personified heroes, triumph, a violent tempest, and even “fate knocking on the door”. People were wary of him, yet very much admired his music because he had struggled to overcome deafness and the challenges with it, composing great music for posterity. Beethoven was seen as a hero, a true artist who suffered for his art, and the first great Romantic who, in Berlioz’s words, “opened a new world” to them all. The artist was seen as a visionary, an exceptional figure, an ‘idol’ who, through passions and inner struggles, creates morally uplifting and beautiful works to inspire audiences.
While Beethoven was composing his Fifth Piano Concerto (later to be nicknamed “Emperor”) in 1809, his real-life soundtrack was the constant booming of cannons by the French army bombing Vienna, and later, the military music of victory. He spent a great deal of time in his brother Kaspar’s cellar, covering his head with pillows to drown out the noise. At this point, as he was trying to protect his deteriorating hearing, he could also have been, paradoxically, more sensitive to loud noises.
Writing to his publisher Breitkopf und Härtel, he complained, “The whole course of events has
affected me body and soul… What a disturbing, wild life around me; nothing but drums, cannons, men, misery of all sorts.”
Beethoven may have written all these sounds into his concerto, which he completed by the end of 1809. The German-American musicologist and author Alfred Einstein suggests in Chapter 20 of his Essays on Music that the Emperor Concerto is “the apotheosis of the military concept… a sister work of the Eroica (symphony): the heroic element in the guise of the military”.
This last-completed piano concerto of Beethoven’s is also the largest in scale – a dazzling display of full chordal textures with a virtuosity that looks forward to the pianism of Liszt and the like. The nickname “Emperor” was not given by Beethoven (anyone familiar with the story of the Eroica Symphony would know how Napoleon’s ratings in Beethoven’s eyes had dropped drastically after he proclaimed himself emperor of France); but different sources cite various reasons as to how the concerto came to be called “Emperor”.
The first movement opens with loud chords from the orchestra, answered by the piano in quasi-cadenzas before the main theme is introduced by the violins. A rich array of material is introduced, and the development section which ensues has “the fury of a hail-storm”, in musicologist Sir Donald Tovey’s words.
At the point the cadenza is supposed to begin, Beethoven scribbled “do not play a cadenza, but begin immediately what follows”, and supplied a written-out piano part that leads to the coda. This was Beethoven’s way of getting full control over what was played and not letting the soloist improvise (as was the usual practice), setting the trend that was to become a standard later on.
The second movement begins with a hymn-like chorale in the remote key of B major, the piano floating above the orchestral accompaniment in a quasi-nocturne of sorts, regal, majestic in its quiet beauty. A bounding ascent from the piano gently leads the music into the rollicking rondo finale, where episodes of different characters separate the return of the main theme. Drum taps (faraway cannons?), shimmering chords and a glittering scale brings the movement to an exuberant close.
When the concerto was finally premiered in 1811 in Leipzig, it was hailed by the press as “without doubt one of the most original, imaginative, most effective but also one of the most difficult of all concertos”.
First performed by SSO 24 Jan 1979 (Ong Lip Tat, piano)
Notes by Natalie Ng | Natalie Ng is a music history geek who plays music, dances to music, and tells stories about composers and their music in her writing.
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime
Emperor Concerto / Rudolf Buchbinder + Springtime in Funen | 23 Oct 2025
Carl Nielsen
1865 – 1931
Hymnus Amoris, Op. 12 (“Hymn of Love”, 1896)
Barndom (Childhood)
Ungdom (Youth)
Mandom (Manhood)
Alderdom (Old Age)
Composer, conductor, and violinist Carl August Nielsen is recognised as Denmark’s most prominent composer. The son of poor yet musically talented parents, he played in a military band before attending the Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 1889 he began a 16-year stint as a second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra, before taking a teaching post at the Royal Danish Academy, which he continued till his death. Taking Brahms and Grieg as early influences, he developed his own style, with his symphonies, concerti, and choral music now internationally acclaimed.
Honeymooning in Italy in 1891, Nielsen and his new wife, the sculptor Anne Marie Brodersen, were deeply struck by Titian’s painting The Miracle of a Jealous Husband in Padua. Both were inspired to create works of art dealing with love in all its shades—he, a choral work, while she, a frieze. He produced a draft text on love in various stages of life, which was then turned into Danish verse by literary historian Axel Olrik, and then later translated into Latin by Johan Ludvig Heiberg. Adding music, Nielsen produced his first choral work. Setting a venerable Latin text was not unusual—c.f. Orff’s setting of the mediæval Carmina Burana and classical poems of Catullus—but this set a new Latin text. Nielsen justified this unusual move by saying, “this
language is monumental and elevates one above over-lyrical or personal feelings which would be out of place where the object is to use a large polyphonic choir to describe such a universally human feeling as love.” This decision proved controversial, as some critics felt it pretentious to use a ‘dead language’. Nevertheless, the work proved a victory for him, even if, ironically, his marriage to Anne Marie was tumultuous and her intended frieze on Love was never executed.
Amor mihi vitam donat, adolesco in fasciis eius, et quotidie me gaudio saturat. Amor mihi vitam donat.
Mothers:
Amor tibi vitam dedit, adolescis in fasciis eius, et quotidie te gaudio saturat. Amor tibi vitam dedit.
Ungdom
Tenor, soprano and choir:
Amor est votum meum et desiderium, praelucet mihi instar sideris, plenitudinem eius semper quaero. Amor est votum meum et desiderium.
Mandom
Male choir:
Amor est fons meus, virtus super ripas eius floret, amor est robur meum.
Amor est fons meus.
Soprano (An unhappy woman):
Amor est dolor meus, nil me altius vulneravit, nil tamen carius.
Amor est dolor meus.
Choir:
Amor est fons meus, virtus super ripas eius floret, amor est robur meum.
Amor est fons meus.
Childhood
Choir, Children:
Love gives me life, I grow in its swaddling-cloths, And daily it fills me with joy. Love gives me life.
Mothers:
Love gave you life, You grew in its swaddling-cloths, And daily it fills you with joy. Love gave you life.
Youth
Tenor, soprano and choir:
Love is my promise and my desire, Like a star it shines forth before me, I constantly seek its fullness. Love is my promise and my desire.
Manhood
Male choir:
Love is my wellspring, Virtue flowers above its banks, Love is my sturdy oak. Love is my spring.
Soprano (An unhappy woman): Love is my pain, Nothing has wounded me higher, Yet nothing is more beloved. Love is my pain.
Choir:
Love is my wellspring, Virtue flowers above its banks, Love is my sturdy oak. Love is my wellspring.
Alderdom
Solo voices, tenor, baritone and bass (Very old people):
Amor est pax mea, est aurora mea vesperi, opes mihi largitus, ut ipse largiar. Amor est pax mea.
Choir (Angels):
Lucis fons ex humili, atrae terrae fulgur, mille fracta radiis mira fax divina!
Choir with soprano and tenor solo: Ecce! Audite! Caeli cantus terrae campi reboant, lucis sublimes regiones vox amoris personat.
Choir (Tutti):
Amor mihi vitam dedit, replet desideria, scaturigo est virtutis, pax amoris nomen est. Lucis fons ex humili igne splendet caeli, amor alme, unice, ave! tibi grates!
Old Age
Solo voices, tenor, baritone and bass (Very old people): Love is my peace, My dawn of the evening, A treasure given to me, that I might pass it on. Love is my peace.
Choir (Angels):
Wellspring of light from humility, Lightning from the dark earth, Broken into a thousand rays A wonderful divine torch.
Choir with soprano and tenor solo: Behold! Listen! The song of the sky! The fields of earth resound, The voice of love sounds In the lofty realms of light.
Choir (Tutti): Love gave me life, Satisfies desires, It is the wellspring of virtue, Peace is the name of love. Wellspring of light from humility, Shining with the fire of heaven, Nurturing love, unequalled, Hail! Thanks be to you!
Notes and translation by Edward C. Yong | A writer, editor, and teacher of dead languages, Edward plays lute and early guitars, sings bass, and runs an early music group. Like his dog, he is very much food-motivated.
Carl Nielsen
1865 – 1931
Fynsk Forår, Op. 42 (“Springtime in Funen”, 1921)
Som en græsgrøn plet (Like a grassy green spot)
De gamle Ungkarle (The old bachelors)
Den blinde spillemand (The blind fiddler)
De gamle (The old folk)
Dansevisen (Dance song)
In 1917 the Danish Choral Society held a competition for a text on Danish history and landscape to be set to music by Carl Nielsen, and the winning entry by Aage Berntsen, a medical doctor and writer, was Fynsk Forår (“Springtime in Funen”). This must have warmed the heart of Nielsen, who was born on Funen. Despite this, it took him until 1921 to find the right voice and tone, eventually subtitling it Lyrisk Humoreske (“Lyrical Humoresque”) to indicate the light, lively folkish style depicting the people of Funen, with their reputation for good humour. Although the work was envisioned for a smallish choir and orchestra, the cantata Fynsk Forår was eventually premiered in Odense on 8 July 1922 with an orchestra of 80 and a combined choir of several hundred from Funen and Copenhagen.
Drawing from folk melodies, alternating between major and minor tonalities, the music expertly sets texts that frequently mention details of the countryside, making for an enchanting work that is quintessentially Danish in its feeling. The sweet and graceful cantata, which would turn out to be his last major choral work, has become his most popular choral work, particularly in Denmark.
“Spring. A young couple in a rowing boat on Odense River” (1896) by Danish painter Hans Andersen Brendekilde (1857–1942).
Fynsk Forår
Text by Aage Berntsen (1885–1952)
Som en græsgrøn plet
Kor:
Som en græsgrøn plet, når sneen må tø, som et åkandeblad på den dybe sø ligger den vårlige fynske ø. Nu blomstrer det knortede æbletræ bag bakker, der rundes som pigeknæ, og breder sit flor over folk og fæ. I haver, hvor isnende snefnug sprang, de rejser den strittende humlestang, at humlen kan vokse sig svaj og lang. Og alle folk synes, at dagen er sød fra morgenens grå og til aftenrød –og de mimrer ved tanken om boghvedegrød.
Soprano:
Å se, nu kommer våren, til haven og til gården, og luften er så tynd og klar, og uden lue går vor far, og mange tanker hjertet får, som ingen moders sjæl forstår.
Og mis går ud i solen, før lå den lunt på kjolen og leged' med vor mors garn, mens blæsten peb som vrantent barn, og bedstefar i ovnens krog mildt grunded over bibelsprog.
Å se, nu kommer våren til alle her på gården, og stuen er så tam og trang, og hjertet løber fuldt af sang, så det er ved at sprænges, - er det, fordi det længes?
Tenor:
Den milde dag er lys og lang og fuld af sol og fuglesang, og alt er såmænd ganske godt, når blot, når blot, når blot... når blot vor nabos Ilsebil vil det, som jeg så gerne vil, vil lægge kinden mod min kind med samme varme sind.
Like a grassy green spot
Choir:
Like a grassy green spot when the snow thaws, like a water-lily leaf on the deep lake lies the island of Funen in springtime. Now the gnarled apple tree blooms behind hills round like a maiden's knees and spreads its bloom over man and beast. In gardens where icy snowflakes have fallen, they raise the bristling hop stalk that the hops may grow graceful and long. And all people think that the day is sweet from the morning grey to the evening redand they think of buckwheat porridge.
Soprano:
Oh, now spring is coming, to garden and farm, and the air is so thin and clear, and our father walks without a hat, and many thoughts come to his heart, that no mother's soul understands.
And the cat goes out into the sun, Where before it lay snugly on mother’s lap and played with her yarn, while the wind whistled like a fussy child, and grandfather in the corner by the stove gently pondered over the bible.
Oh, now spring is coming to everyone here on the farm, and the living room is so dull and cramped, and the heart is full of song, so that it is about to burst, - is it because it is longing?
Tenor:
The mild day is bright and long and full of sun and birdsong and everything is indeed quite good, if only, if only, if only... if only our neighbour Ilsebil will, as I so desire, will put her cheek against mine with the same warm heart.
Vil række mig sin lille hånd med samme redebonne ånd, vil lukke øjet som til blund og give mig sin mund. Ja, dagen den er lys og lang, og der er nok af fuglesang, men jeg er bange, Ilsebil vil ikke det, jeg vil...
Bag hækken kommer Ilsebil, - mon det er mig, hun smiler til, hun bærer mælk i klinket fad og giver katten mad. Å se, nu smiler hun igen, min Ilsebil, min egen vendet er, som selve solens skin faldt i mit hjerte ind.
De gamle Ungkarle
Baritone:
Der har vi den aldrende sol igen, velkommen til gården, du gode ven!
Du kommer med blæst, du kommer med støv, du ånder på knoppen, så bliver den løv. Nu kommer du ikke med uro mer mit hjerte er roligt, hvad end der sker; det er som et lukket og øde hus, når foråret kommer med sus og brus.
Mandskor:
Til dansen går pigerne arm i arm, den ene er hed og den anden er varm. De unge, de klapper med blide dask, de gamle, de laver sig tit en krabask.
Tenor:
Jeg tænder min pibe i aftenfred, når solen er sunken i Vesterled.
Baritone:
Og månen jeg ser gennem vinglassets bundfor piben og glasset - de deler min mund.
Den blinde spillemand
Baritone:
Nu kysser solen mit øjelåg, og luften syder som vand i kog, jeg ånder fugtige markers lugt, nu er vist alting kulørt og smukt.
Will give me her little hand with the same willing spirit, will close her eyes as if to doze and give me her lips.
Yes, the day is bright and long, and there is plenty of bird song, but I fear, Ilsebil Will not want what I want.
Behind the hedge comes Ilsebil, - I wonder if it is at me she smiles, she carries milk in a cracked dish and feeds the cat.
Oh look, now she smiles again, my Ilsebil, my own friendit is as if the very light of the sun reaches into my heart.
The Old Bachelors
Baritone:
Here comes the good old sun again, Welcome to the farm, you good friend! You come with wind, you come with dust, You breathe on the bud, it bursts into bloom. Now you no longer make me restless, My heart is calm, whatever happens; It's like a closed and deserted house, When spring comes with its hiss and roar.
Male choir:
To the dance the girls go, arm in arm, One is hot and the other is warm. The young, they clap with gentle slaps, The old, they often make a snort.
Tenor:
I light my pipe in the evening peace, When the sun has sunk in the West.
Baritone:
And the moon I see through the bottom of the wine glassFor the pipe and the glass - they share my lips.
The Blind Fiddler
Baritone:
Now the sun kisses my eyelids, and the air sizzles like boiling water, I breathe the smell of moist fields, now everything seems colourful and beautiful.
Jeg famler frem med forsigtig fod, for ej at snuble mod sten og rod. Jeg hører lyde så langvejs fra: en ko, der brøler i degnens mæ.
I lommen har jeg min klarinet, min bedste trøster, når jeg har grædt, den gemmer viser i hobetal bag kolde klapper af glat metal. Og småbørn danser, hvorhen jeg går, med varme kinder og silkehår; små hænder søger min gamle hånd, det er, som rørte jeg vårens ånd.
Choir - Drengene
Nu vil vi ud og lege, her er min nye top, den kan sig rigtig dreje og gøre rejehop.
Pigerne:
Og vi vil binde kranse af bukkar og viol og med hinanden danse i vårens milde sol.
En lille pige:
Hør, Hans, hvis du vil lege, så kan vi hjælpes ad, så har jeg i min lomme to stykker sukkermad.
En af drengene:
Ja, Hans, hvis du vil lege med pigebørn i flæng, og danse med og neje, er du en tøsedreng!
Alle drengene og pigerne:
Nu vil vi ud og lege, og vi vil hjælpes ad, og vi vil binde kranse og spise sukkermad. Nu vil vi ud og lege.
I fumble forward with careful foot, so as not to stumble over stones and roots. I hear sounds from so far away: a cow mooing in the churchwarden’s field.
In my pocket I have my clarinet, my best comforter when I have cried, it hides songs aplenty behind cold keys of smooth metal. And little children dance wherever I go, with warm cheeks and silken hair; little hands seek my old hand, it is as if I touched the spirit of spring.
Choir (The boys):
Now we want to go out and play, here is my new top, it can really spin and jumps like a flea.
The girls:
And we will tie wreaths of sweet woodruff and violet and dance with each other in the mild spring sun.
A little girl:
Listen, Hans, if you want to play, then we can help each other, then I have in my pocket two pieces of sugar candy.
One of the boys:
Yes, Hans, if you’ll play with girls all over, and dance and curtsey, you're a sissy!
All the boys and girls:
Now we will go out and play, and we will help each other, and we will tie wreaths and eat candy. Now we will go out and play.
De gamle
Mandskor:
Så sætter vi piben i ovnens krog og lukker den skindklædte bibelbog.
Old Folk
Male choir:
Then we put the pipe in the corner of the stove and close the leather-covered Bible.
The
Det er den velsignede forårstid, og gigten er bleven lidt mere blid. Vi tager hinanden i trofast hånd, hver finger er krum som en krøget vånd; så vandrer vi sammen i sol og vind, der luner det kuldskære, gamle skind.
Men når vi har rokket en lille tur, så længes vi efter en lille lur, for gammelfolk hælder mod støvet ned og længes mod hvilen i evighed.
Dansevisen
Kor:
Kom her, fiol og klarinet, vort vinterhjerte hungrer, og spil os op en himmelspræt, så hele øen gungrer.
Hver ta'r sin hjertenskær ved hånd, nu vil vi alle danse.
Vi går i vårens ledebånd, og intet kan os standse.
Tenor:
Og har du ingen hjertenskær, så kan du få Sofie; hun er vel nok en bitte svær,
Baritone: men en forstandig pige.
Kor:
Vi sætter blomster i vor hat og løser op for frakken. Kom, giv mig så det kys, min skat, foruden vid're snakken.
Vi danser forårsdagen hen og glemmer vint'rens plage.
Soli:
Se - æbleblomster drysser over vejen.
Kor:
Natten er vor egen.
Kor:
Kom her, fiol og klarinet...
It is the blessed springtime and the gout is a little better. We take each other by the faithful hand, each finger is crooked like a bent stick; then we walk together in sun and wind, which warms our cold-to-touch old skins.
But when we have rocked a little walk, then we long for a little nap, for old people lean towards the dust and long for eternal rest.
The Dance Song
Chorus:
Come here, fiddle and clarinet, our winter heart is hungry, and play us a heavenly song, so that the whole island will hum.
Each one takes his sweetheart by the hand, now we will all dance.
We walk in the lead of spring, and nothing can stop us.
Tenor:
And if you have no sweetheart, then you can have Sofie; she may be a little difficult,
Baritone: but a sensible girl.
Chorus:
We now put flowers in our hats and loosen our coats. Come, give me that kiss, my darling, besides the talk. We shall dance the spring day and forget the torment of winter.
Solo:
Look- apple blossoms sprinkled over the road.
Chorus:
The night is our own.
Chorus:
Come here, fiddle and clarinet...
Rudolf Buchbinder in Recital
Fri, 24 Oct 2025
School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA)
Concert Hall
Rudolf Buchbinder piano
Schubert
Four Impromptus, D.899 (Op. 90)
30 mins
Beethoven
Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 “Tempest”
23 mins
Intermission
20 mins
Beethoven
Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”
24 mins
Concert Duration: approximately 1 hr 50 mins (including 20 mins intermission)
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Franz Schubert
1797 – 1828
Four Impromptus, D.899 (Op. 90, 1827)
Allegretto I II III IV
Allegro molto moderato
Allegro
Andante
Schubert’s creative developments happened at such a pace that even though he died at the extremely early age of 31, his compositions really do fall into early, middle, and late periods, in effect encapsulating the different styles bridging the shift from late Classical to early Romantic aesthetics. This set of four pieces, written in a burst of creative energy when Schubert was 30, fall into the early 19thcentury trend of writing sets of self-contained pieces, but at the same time containing the full force of Schubert’s creative powers. The result: a profound musical work that has become an unshakeable foundation of the piano repertoire.
The first Impromptu, in C minor, is mostly in sonata form. Despite its wandering tonal focus and tendency to meander — all beautifully composed out in the form of continuous variations — the obsessive tread of the opening march remains throughout. A narrative like that, transforming the theme over and over again, finally earns its own transformation: a turn to the major. The ending is warm and glowing, setting the scene for the second piece.
The perpetual motion of this E-flat major Impromptu is well known to pianists, as many learners find themselves faced with this piece in their intermediate years. Its étude-like textures belie a certain complexity
of structure: Schubert neatly delineates the ternary structure with a change in rhythms (the A section has a triplet flow while the B section is in regular quavers), but includes a plot twist at the end where a final truncated B section is used to turn the music violently toward a final ending in the minor.
From E-flat minor to the tenderness of its relative major, the third piece is a beautiful cantilena over a plush triplet accompaniment. The earliest publications of this piece printed it as being in G major, with other editorial changes; the six-flat original is much more pianistic, displaying Schubert’s skill in spinning long melodic lines. The final Impromptu is similar to the second, but with the keys swapped around: A-flat minor turns into a bright major in the end, though not before some stormy interruptions in the trio.
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 – 1827
Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 “Tempest” (1802)
Largo – Allegro Adagio Allegretto I II III
The “Tempest” nickname for this sonata arose many years after Beethoven’s death. Indeed, he never called the sonata by any name. Publishers giving pieces nicknames was common practice; alternatively, a friend of his wrote that, while talking about this sonata, Beethoven suggested that he read Shakespeare’s play. Teachers also often tell their students that the title comes from the wild mood swings of the first movement, which lends weight to the theory of an underlying narrative.
In the first movement, pages of stormy triplets are broken up by passages of eerie stillness, including some long recitatives right as the recapitulation starts. Formally speaking this was extremely unusual in sonata form, but by this stage in his career Beethoven was pushing at boundaries and drawing in influences from other genres of classical music.
The slow second movement has a stately melody put through increasingly dense accompanimental variations. In its contrasts of register and texture it almost feels like a piano arrangement of a slow movement from one of his symphonies: in particular, the fast lefthand triplets sound like timpani beats. After a dramatic climax with demisemiquaver arpeggio runs in the left hand, almost orchestral in sound, the second theme is brought back in the home key of B-flat major and the movement ends in a textbook ternary form.
The onrush of semiquavers in the finale has the pianist’s hands tripping over each other in their eagerness to interrupt each other. Beethoven plays with the rhythmic impulse of his upbeat by shifting the musical motif around in the bar, apart from the contrasting theme being set in a firm melody-andaccompaniment texture. The interlocking semiquavers return for an extended development section, ranging through several distant keys before winding their way back down to the recapitulation. Beethoven essentially ends this movement in a fade-out, where the forward momentum of those earlier upbeat motifs is anchored to the downbeat of each bar, and the music sinks to a quiet ending in the bass.
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 – 1827
Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein” (1804)
Allegro con brio
Introduzione. Adagio molto
Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo I II III
Only two years later, Beethoven would surpass the scale of his previous piano compositions with the Sonata in C major, written in grand manner and dedicated to his Viennese patron and friend the Count Ferdinand von Waldstein. In this work Beethoven wrote some of the most technically challenging music in his oeuvre. The first movement opens in exciting fashion with a constant chugging motor rhythm underpinning fragments of melody in widely spaced registers. Within the first few bars, however, Beethoven wrenches the music towards a dramatic minor cadence, before a torrent of semiquavers modulate the music towards the chorale-like calm of the second theme. Drama is never far away, and Beethoven’s use of rhythms to delineate his musical logic means the narrative is easy to follow despite the wildly chromatic writing.
Beethoven originally wrote a longer, more traditional slow movement here, which was replaced and published separately as the Andante favori. This more compact slow movement is really only a short introduction to the finale, but even in its few bars a lovely melody appears and disappears out of its mysterious, chromatic harmonies. In the finale Beethoven breaks new ground: the pedal markings in the movement have become famous for being “of their times”, since the Beethoven-era piano was a very different creature to our modern beast; similarly,
the octave glissandos in both hands were so unbelievable even a century after their composition that someone as august as Artur Schnabel suggested a completely fingered version (as C major scales)! Technical details aside, the rondo form of this movement and the increasing pace of the coda means the pianist has to draw upon huge reserves of stamina, especially in the final Prestissimo section, where the ending demands a real virtuoso flourish. Notes by Thomas Ang | Thomas Ang is a pianist at the Royal Opera House, where he rehearses and plays for operas and ballets. He also specialises in the music of Medtner and Kapustin. www.thomasang.com
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We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the following individuals and organisations who support our mission to create memorable shared experiences with music in the past year. Without your support, it would be impossible for the SSO to continue to strive for artistic excellence and touch the hearts of audiences.
This list reflects donations that were made from 1 Oct 2024 to 30 Sep 2025. We would like to express our sincere thanks to donors whose names were inadvertently left out at print time.
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
A Standing Ovation
We recognise major gifts that help sustain the future of the Singapore Symphony Group. The recognition includes naming of a position in the SSO or in our affiliated performance groups such as the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Choruses.
F or more information, please write to Chelsea Zhao at chelsea.zhao@sso.org.sg
SSO Concertmaster l GK Goh Chair
In July 2017, the SSO established the GK Goh Chair for the Concertmaster. Mr Goh Geok Khim and his family have been long-time supporters of the national orchestra. We are grateful for the donations from his family and friends towards this Chair, especially Mr and Mrs Goh Yew Lin for their most generous contribution.
Mr Igor Yuzefovich was the inaugural GK Goh Concertmaster Chair. The position is currently vacant.
SSO Principal Cello
The Head Foundation Chair
In recognition of a generous gift from The HEAD Foundation, we announced the naming of our Principal Cello, “The HEAD Foundation Chair” in November 2019. The Chair is currently held by Principal Cellist Ng Pei-Sian.
SSO Principal Flute
Stephen Riady Chair
In recognition of a generous gift from Dr Stephen Riady, we announced in May 2022 the naming of our Principal Flute, “Stephen Riady Chair”. The position is currently held by our Principal Flutist Jin Ta.
SSO Principal Viola
Tan Jiew Cheng Chair
In recognition of a generous gift from the Estate of Tan Jiew Cheng, we announced in February 2024 the naming of our Principal Viola, “Tan Jiew Cheng Chair”. The position is currently held by our Principal Violist Manchin Zhang.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Quantedge Music Director
The SSO is delighted to announce the naming of the “Quantedge Music Director” position, currently held by Maestro Hans Graf.
With his spirit of musical exploration, innovative programming, and captivating stage presence, Maestro Graf has consistently inspired audiences and elevated orchestras to new heights. We are deeply grateful for his continued leadership as Chief Conductor in the 2020/21 season and Music Director since the 2022/23 season.
We extend our sincerest gratitude to our anonymous donor for this generous gift of $3 million to mark SG60.
