ClassiCs seriesFriday 4 & Saturday 5 April 2014 7.30pmPerth Concert Hall

Classics 2 Program_Cover.indd 1 26/03/14 12:46 PM

22

3

Call 9326 0000 or visit waso.com.auBook Now*Transaction fees may apply.

MORNING SYMPHONY SERIES

Romantic Rachmaninov

Thurs 1 May 11amPerth Concert Hall

A concert bursting with Russian passion.

RACHMANINoV Piano Concerto No.2 RACHMANINoV Caprice bohémien

Alexander Lazarev conductor Lukáš Vondráček piano (pictured)

FaMIlY EVENT

Pixar in Concert

Sat 26 April 2pm & 6.30pmCrown Theatre

Join WASO for an exhilarating concert combining live music with clips from Pixar’s Toy Story trilogy, Cars, The Incredibles, Up and more!

Nicholas Buc conductor

Presentation licensed by Disney Concert Library. © Disney/Pixar.

Tickets from $30*

ClaSSICS SERIES

Romantic Rachmaninov

Fri 2 & Sat 3 May 7.30pmPerth Concert Hall

RACHMANINoV Caprice bohémien RACHMANINoV Piano Concerto No.2 SHoSTAkoVICH Symphony No.5

Alexander Lazarev conductor Lukáš Vondráček piano (pictured)

Tickets from $27*

Book Now: Call Ticketek 1300 795 012 I Visit ticketek.com.au

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

4

welcome

A nation finds its voice through its artists, specifically its composers. Music can tell us about people, about their character and ideals. Tonight we present the ‘big four’ American composers of the 20th century. Their music is performed worldwide more than any other American, living or dead, by a huge margin.

Aaron Copland is perhaps most associated with defining a uniquely American sound in orchestral music, one of openness, sincerity, optimism and quiet majesty. Appalachian Spring (1944) is specifically written in a musical ‘vernacular’ for people. Painting the innocence, excitement, romance and quiet optimism of a newly married pioneer couple, this deliberately egalitarian masterpiece manages to capture the spirit of a nation like no other.

Another composer to write music with a direct emotional appeal (for example the Adagio for Strings) was Samuel Barber. His Violin Concerto (1939) is staple concert repertoire; in 2012 I even managed to hear it twice in 1 hour after running from Carnegie Hall (Anne Akiko Myers/Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) across town to the Lincoln Centre (Gil Shaham/New York Philharmonic).

Hearing the brilliant Karen Gomyo’s interpretation will be particularly exciting (and will thankfully involve far less running for me!) Pianist and composer George Gershwin’s music is an extroversion of life and brash colour, heavily rooted in THE most significant American musical style of the 20th century– jazz.

With visionary encouragement from legendary French composition teacher Nadia Boulanger, An American in Paris (1926) represented his official and courageous embrace of his uniquely jazz influenced style. I consider this work, with its outrageous flirtations, an American Don Juan.

Thirty years later Leonard Bernstein was not just bridging the gap between popular and classical music, he was smashing it to pieces with his musical masterpiece West Side Story. This fusion of western classical styles with jazz and Latin-American dance music provided a snapshot of a multicultural 1950’s America replete with racial tension. It remains his most celebrated and best loved music and deservedly so. I sincerely hope you enjoy our journey!

Benjamin Northey Conductor

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

5

Program

ClaSSICS SERIES

Bernstein & Gershwin

CoPLAND Appalachian Spring - Suite (24 mins)

BARBER Violin Concerto (25 mins)

Allegro Andante Presto in moto perpetuo

INTERVAL (20 mins)

BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (23 mins)

Prelude (Allegro moderato) Somewhere (Adagio) Scherzo (Vivace leggiero) Mambo (Presto) Cha-Cha (Andantino con grazia) Cool, Fugue (Allegretto) Rumble (Molto allegro) Finale (Adagio)

GERSHwIN An American in Paris (17 mins)

Benjamin Northey conductor karen Gomyo violin

Pre-Concert TalksFind out more about the music in the concert with this week’s speaker, Tim White. Pre-concert talks take place at 6.45pm in the Terrace Level foyer.

Pre-Concert Talks are supported by Wesfarmers Arts.

Karen Gomyo appears courtesy of Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

6

FooD & BEVERAGESFoyer bars are open for drinks and coffee two hours before, during interval and after the concert. To save time we recommend you pre-order your interval drinks.

FIRST AID There are St John Ambulance officers present at every concert so please speak to them if you require any first aid assistance.

wASo RECoRDINGSContinue to experience WASO in your own home! A variety of WASO CDs are available for purchase at the Encore Gift Shop in the foyer at interval and post-concert.

Making The Most of Your Visit

LISTEN Tune in to 720 ABC Perth for Breakfast on Friday mornings when Prue Ashurst joins Eoin Cameron to provide the latest on classical music and WASO’s upcoming concerts. This performance is being recorded for delayed broadcast on ABC Classic FM. For further details please refer to abc.net.au/classic CoNCERT PLAYLISTS Listen to music featured in 2014 concerts at waso.com.au wASo wEBCASTS WASO will be streaming four concerts live and on demand in 2014, thanks to iiNet. For more details visit waso.com.au SoCIAL MEDIA

youtube.com/WestAustSymOrchestra

facebook.com/WestAustralianSymphonyOrchestra

twitter.com/_WASO_

E-NEwS Stay up to date with the activities of your Orchestra by subscribing to SymphonE-news. Go to waso.com.au to join our mailing list. FEEDBACk We would love to hear from you! Please send your feedback to PO Box 3041, East Perth WA 6892, send an email to waso@waso.com.au, call 9326 0000, or leave us a message on Facebook or Twitter.

Connect with wASo

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

7

Another gigglytastic year with ECho

On Fri 21 and Sat 22 March, our Education Chamber Orchestra (EChO) tuned up for another wonderful year of performances for 0 – 6 year olds and launched the 2014 Kids’ Cushion Concert season at the South Perth Community Centre. This year, we welcome back presenters Lee Stanley, Ella Hetherington, EChO the Gecko and Melody Monkey and, and look forward to introducing our audiences to jazz diva Libby Hammer. EChO programs are designed for having fun, and if our runner up Best Kids Show in the Buggybuddy 2013 Awards is anything to go by, we think our little audiences are enjoying themselves as much as we are. WASO musicians love meeting children after the performances and helping them to have-a-go on our child sized instruments. With a number of programs scheduled across metropolitan Perth, EChO are sure to visit a location near you. An Auslan interpreter will sign on April 16 at the Perth Concert Hall, so that hearing impaired family members can also join in the EChO fun.

Auslan interpreters provided by Sign Language Communications W.A at the W.A Deaf Society.

Kids’ Cushion Concerts are supported by Commonwealth Bank

Students access Backstage Pass

“At the end of the evening, one student said to me, ‘Mr Taylor, this kills any disco!’”

Bob Taylor, Teacher, St Mark’s Anglican Community School

WASO’s Backstage Pass program turns the concert experience into a night out. Students enter the Perth Concert Hall through the backstage door and enjoy light refreshments in the Green Room while members of the WASO can be heard warming up backstage. One of our musicians talks to the students about the evening program, and spends time answering questions they may have about life as a musician, their time at WASO and any behind the scenes gossip from the week in rehearsal. Students are taken through to their seats in the choir stalls via the backstage area, where they can say hello (or toi toi) to our players on the way. It’s a great way to see WASO up close and personal!

wASo News

Presenter Lee Stanley with Melody Monkey

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

8

Biography

Benjamin Northey Conductor

Benjamin Northey has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Southbank Sinfonia, and the New Zealand and Christchurch Symphony Orchestras. He has performed with all the Australian state symphony orchestras and with State Opera of South Australia and Opera Australia, for whom he conducted Carmen in early 2014. His awards include the 2010 Melbourne Prize Outstanding Musicians Award, Brian Stacey Memorial Award, Nelly Apt Scholarship and the 2007 Limelight Magazine Best Newcomer Award.

Benjamin Northey studied with John Hopkins at the Melbourne Conservatorium and with Jorma Panula and Leif Segerstam at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. He has held the positions of Resident Guest Conductor of the Australia Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (2002-2006) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra (2007-2010).

He has held the position of Associate Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2011.

karen Gomyo Violin

Recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2008, Karen Gomyo has performed as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Tokyo Symphony Orchestras, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, among others. She has performed extensively in Europe, and upcoming highlights include debuts with Staatsoper Hannover, the Hague Philharmonic at The Concertgebouw, and the Dresden Music Festival in a recital with guitarist Ismo Eskelinen. In addition to performances with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, her current tour of Australia includes a recital in Melbourne in addition to performances with the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.

Born in Tokyo, Karen Gomyo grew up in Montreal and New York. She appeared in the 2013 documentary film about Stradivarius called Mysteries of the Supreme Violin. She plays the ‘Aurora/ex-Foulis’ Stradivarius violin of 1703. Karen Gomyo appears courtesy of Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

BOOK NOW Ticketek Call 1300 795 012 or visit ticketek.com.au

The Cook,

The Chef & WASo

Featuring Maggie Beer & Simon Bryant

Fri 18 July 8pm Riverside Theatre, Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre

A rare opportunity to see Maggie and Simon cook on stage accompanied by a smorgasbord of their classical favourites performed live by WASO.

Kitchen appliances for The Cook, The Chef & WASO supplied by Kitchen Headquarters.

EY PRESEnTS

10

wASo on Stage Tonight

PrincipalAssociate PrincipalGuest Musician^

VIoLINSemra Lee-Smith A/Associate ConcertmasterGraham Pyatt A/Assistant ConcertmasterAkiko MiyazawaA/Principal 1st ViolinZak RowntreeA/Principal 2nd ViolinKylie Liang A/Assoc Principal 2nd ViolinSarah BlackmanFleur ChallenErin ChenDorothy Ford^John Ford^Beth HebertAlexandra IstedSunmi JungShaun Lee-Chen*Lucas O’BrienKathleen O’HaganMelanie PearnKen PeelerLouise SandercockJolanta SchenkKathryn Shinnick^Jane SerrangeliEllie ShalleyJacek SlawomirskiBao Di TangCerys ToobyAndrea White^David Yeh

VIoLAPaul McMillanGuest PrincipalKierstan ArkleysmithNik BabicAlex BroganKatherine DrakeAlison HallRachael KirkKatie McKay^Allan McLeanHelen TuckeyBourby Webster^

CELLoRod McGrath Melinda Gourlay^Shigeru KomatsuOliver McAslan Nicholas MetcalfeFotis SkordasTim SouthJohn Tooby^Xiao Le Wu

DoUBLE BASSAndrew Rootes* Joan Wright Elizabeth Browning^Christine ReitzensteinLouise RossAndrew TaitMark Tooby

FLUTEAndrew Nicholson Chair partnered by Apache

Mary-Anne Blades

PICCoLoMichael waye

oBoELeanne GloverA/PrincipalStephanie Nicholls

CoR ANGLAISElizabeth Chee

CLARINETAllan Meyer Lorna Cook

BASS CLARINETAlexander Millier Chair partnered by Alessandrino Property Group

BASSooNAdam MikuliczColin Forbes-Abrams

CoNTRABASSooNChloe Turner

SAXoPHoNESAlex Boyd^ Melissa Skinner^Matt Styles^

HoRNwendy Page^Guest PrincipalRobert Gladstones Principal 3rdJulia BrookeDorée Dixon^Francesco Lo Surdo

TRUMPETBrent GrapesHuw Dann^ Peter Miller

TRoMBoNEJoshua Davis Liam O’Malley

BASS TRoMBoNEPhilip Holdsworth

TUBANelson woods^

PERCUSSIoNRobyn GrayTroy Greatz Joel Bass^Paul Tanner^

HARPSarah Bowman

PIANo CELESTEGraeme Gilling^

TIMPANIAlex Timcke

DRUM kITMike Perkins^ *Instruments used by these musicians are on loan from Janet Holmes à Court AC.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

11

Meet the Musician

Robyn GrayPrincipal Percussion

what are your favourite percussion instruments to play?There is such a variety it’s hard to choose. Marimba and snare drum would be my ultimate favourites but adding the occasional bash & crash and sound effects is simply great fun!

what is your favourite style of music to play?Anything that has me busy at the back of the band! I’m sure the poor percussion player has been the source of many jokes sitting at the back for hours waiting for that one ‘ting’ on the triangle (and hopefully not missing it!).

Percussion is such a new and exciting addition to the modern orchestra and it brings a whole new soundscape for composers to delve into. Usually the more contemporary the works, the more percussion involved.

what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming 2014 season?West Side Story and An American in Paris are definitely high up on my list, but I’m also looking forward to the Pixar concert (I watch plenty of these movies at home with the kids), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (great collaboration of film and live music), Stravinsky’s Petrushka (fantastic piece), Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony (LOVE Shosta) and the Latitude New Music concerts (great fun and keeps us percussionists very busy!).

what is your most memorable moment as an audience member?  Most recently – The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra playing at the Perth Concert Hall. Wow, what an amazing performance, tight ensemble and huge sound! Very inspirational.

what disasters have happened during concerts in the percussion section?  Plenty! There’s always the potential of sticks or instruments falling off tables, flying out of your hands or breaking mid-hit. You just hope it happens in a really loud moment! But the biggest disaster I’d heard of was when a cymbal strap broke and the cymbal bounced and rolled down the stairs until it finally spun to a stop near the 1st violins. Ooops.

what challenges you? Balancing full-time WASO with being a mostly full-time mum! I have two little girls aged 2 and 4 years who are delightful, frustrating, insightful and very cute! Unfortunately they don’t seem to understand when Mummy plays concerts late at night she REALLY doesn’t like being woken up at 5am. Kids!

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

CONO8854 WASO ADVERT 2011 vs1.indd 1 12/05/11 12:45 PM

13

Timeline of Composers & works

1825 1850 1875 1900 1925 1950

ROMANTIC PERIOD

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.4

Brahms' Academic Festival Overture

Johannes Brahms

EARLY ROMANTIC PERIOD Elgar's Introduction and Allegro

Richard Strauss

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel

Edward Elgar

1900 2000

Samuel Barber

1910 Ð 1981

Bernstein's West Side Story - Symphonic Dances1960

George Gershwin

1898 Ð 1937

Gershwin's An American in Paris1928

Barber's Violin Concerto1939

Aaron Copland

1900 Ð 1990

Leonard Bernstein

1918 Ð 1990

Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite1954

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

CONO8854 WASO ADVERT 2011 vs1.indd 1 12/05/11 12:45 PM

14

Program Notes

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)Appalachian Spring: Suite

Samuel Barber (1910-1981)Violin Concerto, Op.14Allegro Andante Presto in moto perpetuo

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)Symphonic Dances from West Side StoryPrelude (Allegro moderato) Somewhere (Adagio) Scherzo (Vivace leggiero) Mambo (Presto) Cha-Cha (Andantino con grazia) Cool, Fugue (Allegretto) Rumble (Molto allegro) Finale (Adagio)

George Gershwin (1898-1937)An American in Paris

‘Quick,’ wrote The Dallas Morning News’ music critic Scott Cantrell earlier this year, ‘how many pieces of American orchestral music could be called standard repertory?’ Then he went on to provide a list – Barber’s Violin Concerto; the Ives/Schuman Variations on America; Gershwin’s Piano Concerto… The one piece on this program that he omitted was West Side Story, and maybe that’s because Cantrell was making up his list ‘quick’. Even though he was making a case for the inclusion of more works, it’s not a bad line-up, is it? At least, you’ll be able to decide for yourselves tonight.

America has had a huge influence on music in general. For a start, the US has given us so many dances: the Charleston, jitterbug, twist; and from Latin America, the mambo, cha-cha and rumba.

Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring originated as a ballet for the choreographer Martha Graham. Copland first met Graham in 1931. She wanted to do a ballet on his Piano Variations and Copland laughed. But he was impressed when he saw Dithyrambic, and a collaboration was born. In 1942 Graham was commissioned to stage three ballets – Appalachian Spring was one of the results.

Appalachian Spring is one of those works which defines the American spirit in music. The plot revolves around a pioneer wedding in the Pennsylvania hill country in the early 1800s. Graham’s uniquely spare and restrained choreographic style accorded with Copland’s own compositional inclinations, which we now associate with a typical American sound. ‘Plain, plain, plain!…,’ said Leonard Bernstein, ‘one of those Puritan values like being fair – you’re thrifty.’

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

Aaron Copland

15

Even from the suite version you can get an impression of the broader features of the original ballet. The characters are slowly introduced. After a sudden burst of strings there is a tender duo for a Bride and her Intended. There is next a suggestion of square dances and country fiddlers followed by an even faster solo dance for the Bride as she anticipates motherhood. The next section comprises improvisations on a Shaker theme, The Gift to be Simple. In the coda* the Bride takes her place among her neighbours; the couple are left ‘quiet and strong in their new house’.

Appalachian Spring is set in rural Pennsylvania. Samuel Barber was born in the Pennsylvanian town of West Chester and both Barber’s Violin Concerto and Copland’s ballet could be considered to have an ‘Eastern feel’. But whereas Copland’s muscular melodies later came to be associated with ‘big sky’ country and the movie Western, Barber possessed an altogether more urbane style. Perhaps that’s because the biggest influence on Barber was vocal music rather than dance (forget for the moment that he, too, wrote a ballet for Graham – Medea – in 1946).

Barber was himself a singer. His ‘melodies tend to move in singable arcs rather than the jagged declamation of much modernist writing’, wrote critic Barrymore Laurence Scherer in 2010. And his music possesses an emotional truth: ‘It comes straight from the heart,’ said Copland of another of Barber’s works.

Barber’s Violin Concerto was commissioned in 1939 by Samuel S. Fels, an industrialist who wanted it for his protégé, the teenage prodigy Iso Briselli. Barber himself described the work thus:

…The first movement…begins with a lyrical* first subject announced at once by the solo violin, without any orchestral introduction. This movement as a whole has perhaps more the character of a sonata than concerto form. The second movement…is introduced by an extended oboe solo. The violin enters with a contrasting and rhapsodic theme, after which it repeats the oboe melody of the beginning. The last movement, a perpetual motion, exploits the more brilliant and virtuoso characteristics of the violin.

Whatever the lushness of the music, Barber’s note is surprisingly plain and gives no idea, for example, of what Vincent Plush describes as ‘the almost-Mozartean lyricism’ which suffuses the first two movements.

Barber studied for a time at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute. So too did Massachusetts-born Leonard Bernstein. But it was Aaron Copland with whom Bernstein had the more productive relationship. In 1937 Bernstein went to a party at Copland’s New York apartment on West 63rd Street. ‘Play my Piano Variations,’ Copland commanded. ‘It’ll spoil your party,’ said Bernstein. ‘Not this party,’ said Copland, and thus a professional relationship was born. Bernstein often conducted Copland’s music and they unsparingly critiqued each other’s work.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

Samuel Barber

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

16

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

Program Notes

In 1948, Copland wrote in The New York Times: ‘At its best Bernstein’s is music of vibrant rhythmic invention and irresistible élan, often carrying with it a terrific dramatic punch [and]…a spontaneity and warmth which speak directly to the audience.’ Funnily enough, after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Appalachian Spring, Copland was asked to name America’s top ten composers. Barber was at the top of the list; Bernstein was not among them!

Bernstein and Copland both aimed for a real American flavour, and this was often inspired by jazz. West Side Story is one of orchestral music’s most successful forays into ‘jazz influence’. The show originated in 1949 when choreographer Jerome Robbins approached Bernstein and playwright Arthur Laurents with the idea of doing a ‘Romeo and Juliet story’ set on New York’s Lower East Side. Work schedules prevented the collaborators bringing East Side Story to fruition; Bernstein was by then Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic. When the team got together again, the story was about Tony, the descendant of Polish forebears, and Maria, the daughter of recent Puerto Rican immigrants, and their love against the violence of rival gangs on the Upper West Side.

Bernstein called this concert work ‘Symphonic Dances’ because the musical material, collated from the show, is built up from a small number of musical themes. Those few themes are symphonically transformed to portray a wide variety of moods, action, songs and dances, giving a strong sense of the show’s urban sizzle.

‘Your songs are…too arty,’ says Bernstein’s manager in an imaginary dialogue Bernstein wrote in 1955 called Why Don’t You Run Upstairs and Write a Nice Gershwin Tune?. But Bernstein criticises Gershwin’s pastiche form. ‘I don’t think there has been such an inspired melodist on this earth since Chaikovsky [sic],’ he says, but ‘a composition lives in its development.’ It’s the age-old American argument between art music and Broadway but Bernstein lets his manager have the final word – Gershwin’s music ‘breathes America…’

The funny thing is that all the composers on tonight’s program had a respectful relationship with Europe. Gershwin’s music may have evolved from Tin Pan Alley, yet he too aspired to European respectability and An American in Paris was begun in Paris in 1928, inspired by an idea for a ‘rhapsodic ballet’ he’d had on a previous visit.

Leonard Bernstein

George Gershwin

17

The work is meant to reflect the impressions made by Paris on a wide-eyed American visitor. There is local flavour, even down to the use in the first few minutes of klaxon horns, representing Paris taxicabs. Gershwin described the piece in a program note:

The opening gay section is followed by a rich ‘blues’ with a strong rhythmic undercurrent. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café and having a couple of drinks, has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness…

This ‘blues’ rises to a climax followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impressions of Paris. Apparently the homesick American, having left the café and reached the open air, has downed his spell of blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life…

There was much musical cross-fertilisation between America and France in the 1920s. In Paris, Gershwin met Milhaud, Auric and Poulenc. But he was still writing for Broadway. An American in Paris premiered in New York during the run of Treasure Girl, which contained such Gershwin hits as ‘I’ve Got a Crush on You’.

How successfully had Gershwin crossed over into the concert hall with this ‘divertissement’? While its sequences may lack the ‘structural inevitability’ of much concert music, its sophisticated orchestration* and catchy melodies are the key to its charm.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

*Coda A concluding section added to the basic structure of a piece or movement to emphasise the sense of finality.

*Lyrical Song-like

*orchestration The scoring or arrangement of a piece of music for orchestra.

Glossary

An American in Paris has attained classic status. It is quintessentially American, and not just because the ending is a Charleston. Perhaps the best compliment was paid by Ravel when Gershwin supposedly asked to study with him: ‘You are already a first-rate Gershwin. Why do you want to become a second-rate Ravel?’

So ‘how many pieces of American orchestral music could be called standard repertory?’ Perhaps the list is not long, but everything on this program deserves to be included on it.

Gordon Kalton Williams © 2014

Adapted from a note by Catherine Hocking © 2001

WASO last performed Copland’s Appalachian Spring: Suite on 31 Aug & 01 Sept 2007, conducted by Stefan Asbury.

WASO last performed Barber’s Violin Concerto: Suite on 4 & 5 Apr 1997, with Cho-Liang Lin and conducted by Vernon Handley.

WASO last performed Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story on 4 & 5 Dec 2009, conducted by Paul Daniel.

WASO last performed Gershwin’s An American in Paris on 11 & 13 Nov 2011, conducted by Bramwell Tovey.

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

18

Reaching out to the world in a spirit of adventureMore than a century has passed since our predecessors set out to trade with the world, armed only with their courage and a rudimentary map. At Mitsui & Co., this sense of adventure continues to underpin our comprehensive business activities around the globe. It’s a constant interplay of challenge and innovation, arising from the imaginations of individuals and their free exchange of ideas. The spirit of adventure has carried us into the 21st century and will surely take us beyond.

At the establishment of the former Mitsui & Co., employees set out to begin trading activities around the world using a map of the kind shown above. (Circa 1876; now held by the Mitsui Bunko Business Archive and Museum of Art.) w w w. m i t s u i . c o . j p / e n

19

The TubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest pitched member of the brass section, and a relatively new addition to the symphony orchestra. The lowest pitched tubas are the contrabass tubas, pitched in C (or B ); the fundamental pitch of a C tuba is 32 Hz. Bass tubas are pitched in F (or E ) a fourth above the contrabass tubas.

The first tubas were most likely developed during the 1820s, when several makers in Europe were experimenting with the production of low-pitched valved brass instruments. By 1835 Wilhelm Wieprecht and the instrument maker J.G. Moritz had created an instrument patented as the Bass Tuba in F, which began to replace the ophicleide in bands and orchestras throughout Germany and later in Britain and France. The tuba started being used in orchestras at the beginning of the Romantic period, the first composers to write for it were Berlioz and Wagner.

The modern tuba typically has five valves, which add tubing to the main tube of theinstrument, thus lowering its fundamental pitch. The mechanism of the valves may be piston or rotary, the choice of type depending on the preference of the performer. The fourth and fifth valves are used to provide alternative fingering possibilities to improve intonation, and are also used to reach into the low register of the instrument.

The main tube of a C tuba is almost 5m long, and is conical throughout its length. The tubing is generally coiled so that it is positioned in the lap of the player while seated.

However, in the case of the helicon and sousaphone it is a circular shape so that it may be wrapped around the body of the player while marching. Tubas with a forwardfacing ‘recording bell’ were used in the early days of recorded music, but the tone quality of an upward-facing bell is more suitable for orchestral use.

Works for solo tuba include concertos by Vaughan Williams and Gregson. Mahler often scored solo passages for tuba in his works, notably Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.6, and Strauss explored additional tone colours through use of a mute in Don Quixote and Ein Heldenleben. The tuba is also featured in Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Holst’s The Planets.

Clare Krier Symphony Services International © 2012

Meet the Instrument

Meet the Instrument

The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched member of the brass section, and a relatively new addition to the symphony orchestra. The lowest pitched tubas are the contrabass tubas, pitched in C (or B♭); the fundamental pitch of a C tuba is 32 Hz. Bass tubas are pitched in F (or E♭) a fo rth above the contrabass tubas.

The first tubas were most likely developed during the 1820s, when several makers in Europe were experimenting with the production of low-pitched valved brass instruments. By 1835 Wilhelm Wieprecht and the instrument maker J.G. Moritz had created an instrument patented as the Bass Tuba in F, which began to replace the ophicleide in bands and orchestras throughout Germany and later in Britain and France. The tuba started being used in orchestras at the beginning of the Romantic period, the first composers to write for it were Berlioz and Wagner.

The modern tuba typically has five valves, which add tubing to the main tube of the instrument, thus lowering its fundamental pitch. The mechanism of the valves may be piston or rotary, the choice of type depending on the preference of the performer. The fourth and fifth valves are used to provide alternative fingering possibilities to improve intonation, and are also used to reach into the low register of the instrument.

The main tube of a C tuba is almost 5m long, and is conical throughout its length. The tubing is generally coiled so that it is positioned in the lap of the player while seated. However, in the case of the helicon

and sousaphone it is a circular shape so that it may be wrapped around the body of the player while marching. Tubas with a forward-facing ‘recording bell’ were used in the early days of recorded music, but the tone quality of an upward-facing bell is more suitable for orchestral use.

Works for solo tuba include concertos by Vaughan Williams and Gregson. Mahler often scored solo passages for tuba in his works, notably Symphony No.2 and Symphony No.6, and Strauss explored additional tone colours through use of a mute in Don Quixote and Ein Heldenleben. The tuba is also featured in Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Holst’s The Planets.

Clare KrierSymphony Services International © 2012

The Tuba

Range of pitches on a tuba:

Key: 1 Bell 2 Valves 3 Mouthpiece

1

3

2

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

b

b

20

Philanthropy has the power to sustain, build and enrich our lives and WASO Patrons have been doing this for nearly ten years. 2014 is the tenth year of WASO’s Annual Giving program. Over that time, it has grown to become the foundation of WASO’s Philanthropy program with donations from individuals becoming vital to the day-to-day running of your Orchestra.

Join us in celebrating ten years of wASo Annual Giving by helping raise $500,000.

Philanthropy at WASO is so much more than giving to an organisation you love. It is joining in partnership with this wonderful Orchestra to continue sharing the joy of music throughout Western Australia. WASO Philanthropy helps to build a strong, vibrant Orchestra for this state that enriches lives and brings joy to many thousands of people.

We are extremely proud to be supported by the many individuals who, each year, renew their gift to our Annual Giving campaign.

To ensure we continue to achieve our vision to touch souls and enrich lives through music this year we aim to raise, for the first time, $500,000 through our Annual Giving campaign. We invite you to become a WASO Patron this year by making a donation to our Annual Giving campaign.

To learn more please call Jane Clare on 9326 0014 or email clarej@waso.com.au. You can find out more on our website at waso.com.au under the Support tab. It is also quick and easy to log in and make a donation online by clicking the red Make a Donation button.

All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible.

wASo Philanthropy

Annual Giving

wASo in Rehearsal Two Friday 6 June 10am, Perth Concert Hall Rossini’s Stabat Mater

The grand tradition of sacred music and Rossini’s operatic genius come together in the Stabat Mater, combining heartfelt solemnity and devotion with theatrical drama. The music of Haydn and Puccini completes this sublime program.

There will be a pre-rehearsal talk commencing at 9.30am. Tickets are $25 for Patrons & Friends ($30 for guests) and include a lovely morning tea with the musicians. Call the WASO Box Office to book on 9326 0000.

All proceeds support the Friends of WASO Scholarship.

Philanthropy Partner

Rachelle Durkin soprano

21

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

our Supporters

Your attendance helps sustain the Orchestra and we thank you for your commitment. We are also very grateful to our corporate supporters who make a significant contribution to WASO, and of course for government funding which is critical.

However, these three sources of income are simply not enough to cover the ongoing costs of the Orchestra and increasingly it is our Patrons that enable us to continue to achieve our vision to touch souls and enrich lives through music.

There are many ways you can be involved and your support is deeply appreciated.

Endowment Fund for the orchestra The Endowment fund includes major donations from individuals and bequests. The income earned is used for the benefit of the orchestra.Tom & Jean ArkleyJanet Holmes à Court AC

Estates wASo is extremely grateful for the bequests received from the Estates of the following benefactors: Mrs Roslyn Warrick

Symphony CircleRecognises Patrons who have made a provision in their will to the orchestra.Anita ClaytonJudith GederoWolfgang LehmkuhlTosi Nottage in memory Edgar NottageJudy SienkiewiczSheila WilemanAnonymous (16)

The wASo Song BookNew works commissioned for the orchestra by wASo. we gratefully acknowledge the support of the following individuals who have commissioned new music performed since 2010.Janet Holmes à Court ACPeter DawsonGeoff StearnAnonymous (1)

Reach outRecognises Patrons who support our Education and Community Engagement programs.Prue Ashurst Andrew & Nicola ForrestThe James Galvin FoundationRobyn GlindemannBarrie & Jude LepleyMcCusker Charitable FoundationSimon Lee Foundation

Beethoven CirclewASo acknowledges Patrons who are generously supporting our Beethoven Festival.Jean Arkley in memory of Tom Arkley Bob & Gay Branchi Janet Holmes à Court AC in memory of her mother Torsten & Mona Ketelsen Joshua & Pamela Pitt

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

22

our Supporters

Annual GivingWe thank the following Patrons for their generous contribution to WASO in the last twelve months through WASO’s Annual Giving Program.

Principal Conductor’s Circle Gifts $20,000+Janet Holmes à Court ACJill MulheronBrian & Nancy MurphyPatricia NewAnonymous (1)

Impresario PatronGifts $10,000 - $19,999Gay & Bob BranchiTony & Gwenyth LennonJoshua & Pamela PittAnonymous (1)

Maestro Patron Gifts $5,000 - $9,999Jean Arkley in memory of Tom ArkleyBill BlokingIan & Elizabeth ConstableBridget Faye AMGilbert George & AssociatesDr Patricia KailisMargaret & Rod MarstonRobert May Spinifex TrustPeter & Jean StokesSue & Ron WoollerAnonymous (1)

Virtuoso Patron Gifts $2,500 - $4,999Prof Fred & Mrs Margaret AffleckNeil Archibald & Alan R Dodge AMSally BurtonDon ConroyMark Coughlan & Dr Pei-Yin HsuStephen DavisTim & Lexie ElliottRobyn GlindemannSylvia & Wally HyamsKeith & Gaye KessellMichael & Dale KitneyBryant MacfieMrs MorrellAnne NolanRon & Philippa PackerJohn & Paula PhillipsMs Elizabeth Sachse & Dr Lance RisbeyJudy Sienkiewicz Ros ThomsonM & H TuiteIan WatsonTrish Williams – Strategic InteractionsAndrew & Marie YunckenAnonymous (1)

Principal PatronGifts $1000 - $2,499Margaret Atkins OAMColin & Eve BeckettTony & Mary BeeleySuzanne & David BiddlesJohn & Sue Bird in memory of Penny BirdKevin BlakeMatthew J C BlampeyMr John BonnyMrs Debbie BorshoffJean Brodie-Hall AMGavin BunningAnn Butcher & Dean R KubankDr G Campbell-EvansArthur & Nerina CoopesHon June Craig AMGay & John CruickshankNorman & Denia DaffenRussell & Susan DixonMargaret DobsonJulian DowseDon & Marie ForrestDr Andrew GardnerRoger & Ann GillbanksGraham & Barbara GouldenJannette GraySandra GrayJoe & Deidre GreenfeldPenelope GrosjeanDavid & Valerie GullandBrian & Romola HaggertyRichard B Hammond

23

Michael HardingShigeki & Hinako HiranoMichael & Liz HollingdaleJim & Freda IrenicCynthia JeeLilian & Roger JenningsAnthony Kane & Jane Leahy-KaneBill KeanAnthony & Noelle KellerDorothy KingstonDr Rob Kirk & Sarah GallinaghStephanie & John KobelkeUlrich & Gloria KunzmannIrving LanePaul LeeRosalind LilleyGraham & Muriel MahonyGregg & Sue MarshmanJennifer & Arthur McCombBetty & Con Michael AOVicki MizenHon Justice S R MoncrieffJane & Jock MorrisonLynn MurrayVal & Barry NeubeckerDr Phil & Erlene NobleJohn OvertonThe Family of Hilary OwensMichael & Lesley PageAthena PatonAssociate Prof. Tim PavyAlan Pedersen in memory of Hilary OwensCharmian Phillips in memory of Colin CraftPamela PlattAndrew & Suzanne Poli

Dr Leon PrindivilleChester ReeveJohn & Alison RiggNigel & Dr Heather RogersMaurice & Gerry RoussetRoger SandercockDr R & J SchwengerMargaret & Roger SearesEve Shannon-CullityJulian & Noreen SherLaurel & Ross SmithDr Paul Smith & Denham HarryGail & Tony SutherlandRichard Tarala & Lyn Beazley AOGene TilbrookMary TownsendDr Robert TurnbullMaggie VenerysStan & Valerie VicichWatering ConceptsJoyce Westrip OAMAlan WhithamJean & Ian Williams AODr Peter WintertonAnonymous (15)

Tutti PatronGifts $500 - $999Geoff & Joan AireyCatherine BagsterMerle I BardwellBetty BarkerBernard & Jackie BarnwellShirley BarracloughP M BennetMichael & Nadia Berkeley-Hill

Diane & Ron BowyerElizabeth & James BrownC & K BrownlieMarilyn & Ian BurtonNanette CarnachanClaire Chambers & Dr Andrea ShoebridgeDr Anne ChesterLyn & Harvey Coates AOAgatha & Alex Cohen AOHelen CookBrian CresswellGina & Neil DavidsonFrances DaviesLesley & Peter DaviesJop & Hanneke DelfosRai & Erika DolinschekLorraine EllardMrs G. EwenThe Farghaly FamilyAnnette FinnJoan GagliardiGeorge GavranicElaine GimsonIsobel GlencrossJacqui GrovePauline & Peter HandfordDouglas M & Regina HansenProf Alan Harvey & Dr Paulien de BoerRichard HatchDr Penny Herbert in memory of Dunstan HerbertHelen HollingsheadJohn IsherwoodB. M. Kent In memory of Dr Brenton KnottTrevor & Ane Marie Lacy

our Supporters

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

24

If you are interested in becoming a Patron or learning more about wASo Philanthropy please contact Jane Clare, Fundraising and Philanthropy officer, on 9326 0014 or email clarej@waso.com.au.

WASO Philanthropy brochures are available from the WASO Programs & Information desk located in the main foyer of the Perth Concert Hall or you can visit waso.com.au.

All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible.

George LiptonMegan LoweDr M. E. MacDonald & Mr Michael PaulyMrs Carolyn Milton-Smith in loving memory of Emeritus Prof. John Milton-SmithS.B. Monger-HayDr Peter MossMarianne NilssonMarjan OxleyGraham & Hildegarde PennefatherBev PennyAdrian & Ruth PhelpsAlpha & Richard Pilpel OAMSheila PinchThomas & Diana PotterAlison & John PriceClarissa ReptonJames & Nicola Ridsdill-SmithJudith E ShawHendrick SmitMichael Snell & Vicki StewartPeggy & Tom StacyDr Julian TodresS R VogtAdrienne & Max WaltersDiana WarnockAnne Watson

Joy WearneDr Chris & Mrs Vimala WhitakerAnn WhyntieViolette WilliamJanet WilliamsJudith Wilton & David TurnerPatricia WongYalambi Farm StudAnonymous (14)

FriendsGifts $40 - $499Thank you to all our Friends who support WASO through their gift.

our Supporters

25

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

FUNDING PARTNERS

EDUCATIoN PARTNERS

oRCHESTRA SUPPoRTERS

MEDIA PARTNERS

kEYNoTE PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

CoNCERTo PARTNERS

oVERTURE PARTNERS

SoNATA PARTNERS

MARGARET RIVER wINE PARTNERS

School of Music | Tertiary Education Partner

Aravina Estate, Edwards Wines, Howard Park Wines, Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Pierro Margaret River Vineyards, Vasse Felix.

2014 Corporate Partners

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

26

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

west Australian Symphony orchestra

VIoLINSemra Lee-Smith A/Associate Concertmaster Graham Pyatt A/Assistant ConcertmasterRebecca Glorie A/Principal 1st ViolinZak RowntreeA/Principal 2nd ViolinKylie Liang A/Assoc Principal 2nd ViolinSarah BlackmanFleur ChallenErin ChenStephanie DeanBeth HebertAlexandra IstedSunmi JungShaun Lee-Chen*Akiko MiyazawaLucas O’BrienAnna O’HaganMelanie PearnKen PeelerLouise SandercockJolanta SchenkJane SerrangeliEllie ShalleyJacek SlawomirskiBao Di Tang Cerys ToobyDavid Yeh

VIoLAPaul McMillan Guest PrincipalKierstan ArkleysmithNik BabicAlex BroganKatherine DrakeAlison HallRachael KirkAllan McLeanHelen Tuckey

CELLoRod McGrath PrincipalLouise McKayAssoc PrincipalShigeru KomatsuOliver McAslan Nicholas MetcalfeEve Silver* Fotis SkordasTim SouthXiao Le Wu

DoUBLE BASSAndrew Rootes* PrincipalJoan Wright Assoc PrincipalChristine ReitzensteinLouise RossAndrew TaitMark Tooby

FLUTEAndrew Nicholson PrincipalChair partnered by apache

Mary-Anne Blades Assoc Principal

PICCoLoMichael Waye Principal

oBoEElizabeth CheeStephanie Nicholls

CoR ANGLAISLeanne GloverPrincipal

CLARINETAllan Meyer PrincipalLorna Cook

BASS CLARINETAlexander Millier PrincipalChair partnered by alessandrino Property Group

BASSooNJane Kircher-Lindner PrincipalAdam Mikulicz Assoc Principal Colin Forbes-Abrams

CoNTRABASSooNChloe Turner Principal

HoRNDavid Evans PrincipalRobert Gladstones Principal 3rdJulia Brooke Francesco Lo Surdo

TRUMPETBrent GrapesA/PrincipalEvan Cromie Assoc PrincipalPeter Miller

TRoMBoNEJoshua Davis PrincipalLiam O’MalleyAssoc Principal

BASS TRoMBoNEPhilip Holdsworth Principal

TUBACameron Brook Principal

TIMPANIAlex Timcke Principal

PERCUSSIoNRobyn GrayPrincipalTroy Greatz

HARPSarah Bowman Principal

*Instruments used by these musicians are on loan from Janet Holmes à Court AC.

ASSISTANT CoNDUCToRChristopher Dragon

CHoRUS DIRECToRChristopher van Tuinen

CHoRUS VoCAL CoACHAndrew Foote

Principal ConductorAsher FischPartnered by Wesfarmers Arts

Conductor Laureate Vladimir Verbitsky

27

Perth Concert Hall AEG ogden (Perth) Pty LtdPerth Concert Hall is managed by AEG Ogden (Perth) Pty Ltd Venue Manager for the Perth Theatre Trust Venues.

Andrew Bolt General ManagerHelen StewartDeputy General ManagerPeter RobinsTechnical Manager Paul RichardsonAssistant Technical ManagerPenelope Briffa Event Coordinator

AEG ogden (Perth) Pty LtdRodney M Phillips Chief Executive

The Perth Theatre TrustThe Hon. Mr Peter Blaxell Chairman

WASO programs are printed by Pilpel Print www.pilpel.com.au who are proud to be ‘Green Stamp Accredited’. This certification acknowledges Pilpel Print’s commitment to minimising environmental impacts associated with producing printed material.

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this publication we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ error. Every effort has been made to secure permission for copyright material prior to printing. Please address all correspondence to the Executive Manager, Marketing, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 3041, East Perth. WA 6892. Email waso@waso.com.au

BoARD oF DIRECToRSJanet Holmes à Court AC ChairmanBill BlokingMark CoughlanJeff DowlingKeith KessellBarrie Lepley Deputy ChairmanAnne NolanPaul ShannonJulian Sher

EXECUTIVECraig Whitehead Chief Executive Ellen Wisdom Human Resources Manager Hannah North Executive Assistant

ARTISTIC PLANNINGEvan Kennea Executive Manager, Artistic PlanningMaya Kraj-Krajewski Artist Liaison/Chorus AdministratorClaire Stokes Program ManagerAlan Tyrrell Program Manager

CoMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTCassandra Lake Community Engagement ManagerHannah Clemen Education Coordinator

oRCHESTRAL MANAGEMENTKeith McGowan Executive Manager, Orchestral ManagementRichie Burton Orchestral Operations ManagerDavid Cotgreave Production & Technical ManagerAlistair Cox Orchestra ManagerWee Ming Khoo Music LibrarianNoel Rhind Orchestral Operations Coordinator

BUSINESS SERVICESPeter Freemantle Chief Financial OfficerAndrew Chew Systems AdministratorAngela Miller AccountantSvetlana Williams Payroll OfficerSushila BhudiaAccounts Officer

CoRPoRATE DEVELoPMENT Simon LodgeExecutive Manager, Corporate DevelopmentSharmini Poulsen Corporate Partnerships ManagerLuci Steinhardt Corporate Partnerships ExecutiveHolly NormanEvents Coordinator

PHILANTHRoPY Alecia Benzie Executive Manager, Philanthropy Josie AitchisonCustomer Service & Philanthropy CoordinatorJane Clare Fundraising & Philanthropy Officer

MARkETINGKelli Carnachan Executive Manager, MarketingKirsty Chisholm Digital Marketing CoordinatorNancy Hackett Marketing ManagerGina Beers Graphic DesignerMarc Missiaen Relationship Marketing ManagerPaula Schibeci Public Relations ManagerAnnie LooMarketing AssistantSava Papos Customer Service ManagerJosie AitchisonCustomer Service & Philanthropy Coordinator Beverley Trolio Customer Service CoordinatorAlana ArnoldMargaret Daws Vicki Prince Debbie SilvesterRobyn WestbrookCustomer Service Officers

waso.com.au | 08 9326 0000

*Transaction fees may apply.

Call 9326 0000 quoting 1086 Visit waso.com.au or ticketek.com.au

Book NowTickets from $30*

Stravinsky’s energetic and entertaining musical tale of three fairground puppets and their fantastic adventures.

ERkkI-SVEN TUUR De Profundis AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE BRAHMS/DETLEV GLANERT Four Preludes and Serious Songs STRAVINSkY Petrushka [1947 version] olari Elts conductor Daniel Sumegi bass

Fri 30 & Sat 31 May 7.30pmPerth Concert Hall

ALCoHoL.THINk AgAIN MASTERS SERIES

Classics 2 Program_Cover.indd 2 28/03/14 9:39 AM