The Symphony Orchestra of India presents its 15th season

SOI’s September ’13 season to feature world-renowned

conductor Charles Dutoit. Also featuring guest conductor Lior Shambadal and violin soloist Marat Bisengaliev

Inaugural concert will be attended by the delegates of the prestigious 10th Summit of the Alliance of Asia Pacific Region Orchestras (AAPRO)

Mumbai, September, 2013: This September, the National Centre for

the Performing Arts presents the 15th season of the Symphony

Orchestra of India on September 20, 21, 26 and 30, 2013 at the

Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA.

Conceptualised seven years ago by the NCPA with the object of

creating the country’s first professional symphony orchestra that would

not only offer world-class Western classical music to Indian audiences

but also provide a platform to musicians across countries to showcase

their skills, the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) has created a strong

impression through its successful performances of ballets, operas and

challenging symphonic works by great composers, not only in Mumbai

but at several international venues as well.

When Maestro Dutoit agrees to conduct the SOI, we know we have

‘arrived’. The programme has been designed to not only display the

virtuosity of the Orchestra but also introduce Mumbai audiences to

masterpieces not often heard in the city, says Khushroo N.Suntook,

Chairman, NCPA and founder, SOI.

Highlights Charles Dutoit, one of the

biggest names in his field will conduct the SOI for the first time.

Maestro Lior Shambadal, Chief

Conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra to conduct two concerts of the SOI this season.

Major works by composers

including Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Debussy, Dukas, Khachaturian, J. Strauss and others to be presented.

Marat Bisengaliev , violin soloist

and Music Director of SOI, performs the Sibelius Violin Concerto on Sept. 20 and 21

The delegates of the 10

th Summit

of the Alliance of Asia Pacific Region Orchestras (AAPRO) to attend the Opening Night of the concert of the Symphony Orchestra of India with Charles Dutoit conducting.

Chalk Talk session by Zane Dalal

at the NCPA on Sept. 16

The SOI will travel to Pune on Oct. 3 for a concert at the Susie Sorabji auditorium. This concert will be conducted by Zane Dalal and will feature violin soloist Marat Bisengaliev.

The new season of SOI will boast an unusual repertoire featuring compositions by Beethoven,

Sibelius, Mussorgsky, J. Strauss, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian among others. A

highlight of the season is the inclusion of one of the most celebrated conductors today, Maestro

Charles Dutoit as the special guest conductor for the season along with Israeli conductor Maestro

Lior Shambadal and SOI Music Director - Marat Bisengaliev.

Demystifying the Music: Chalk Talk with Zane Dalal

In addition to the orchestral concerts, NCPA will present a Chalk Talk session on September 16 by

Zane Dalal, Resident Conductor of the SOI on some of the works that will feature in the forthcoming

concert season.

Orchestral Concerts: September 20, 21

The season opens with an orchestral concert conducted by Charles Dutoit along with violinist and

SOI Music Director, Marat Bisengaliev on September 20th and 21st featuring Beethoven’s Symphony

No.1, Mussorgsky’s much-loved Pictures at an Exhibition as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel and the

Sibelius Violin Concerto. Pictures at an exhibition is a musical interpretation of an imaginary tour of

an art collection. Mussorgsky based his musical material on drawings and watercolours by the artist

and architect, Viktor Hartmann. Mussorgsky links the suite’s movements in a way that depicts the

viewer’s own progress through the exhibition. Two "Promenade" movements stand as portals to the

suite's main sections. Their regular pace and irregular meter depicts the act of walking. Three

untitled interludes present shorter statements of this theme, varying the mood, colour and key in

each to suggest reflection on a work just seen or anticipation of a new work glimpsed. An added

attraction at the opening night of this season of the SOI will be the presence of the delegates

attending the 10th Summit of the Alliance of Asia Pacific Region Orchestras (AAPRO).

Orchestral Concert: September 26, 2013

This concert will be conducted by the Chief Conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Lior

Shambadal. The programme features French and Russian repertoire by Debussy, Dukas and Mussorgsky,

culminating in Shostakovich’s powerful Fifth Symphony. Written in 1937 Russia, at the height of Stalin’s

purges, the Communist Party strongly denounced Dmitri Shostakovich’s most recent works. Fearing for his

life, the young composer wrote a symphony ending with a rousing march. But to many, the triumph rang

hollow. Even today, people wonder just what Shostakovich was trying to say - whether the symphony

meant to celebrate Stalin’s regime or whether it contained hidden messages protesting the very system it

seemed to support. On a different note, Debussy’s Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune was inspired by

eponymous poem by Stéphane Mallarmé and later formed the basis for the ballet Afternoon of a Faun,

choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky. It is one of Debussy's most famous works and is considered a turning

point in the history of music with composer-conductor Pierre Boulez even dating the awakening

of modern music from this score. Besides, Dukas’ The Sorceror’s Apprentice and Mussorgsky’s A Night on

the Bare Mountain were made popular by their appearances in the 1940 Walt Disney movie Fantasia.

Orchestral Concert: September 30, 2013

The final concert on September 30 will also be conducted by Lior Shambadal. Works by Prokofiev and

Khachaturian, followed by a stirring finale of Dances and Waltzes by Dvořák, Brahms and Johann Strauss

II shall be presented. Khachaturian and Prokofiev, sometimes referred to as two of the three titans of

Soviet music along with Shostakovich, are represented in this concert. Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite

was composed for a film with the same name which was in turn based on a novel of the same title by

Yury Tynyanov. The Incidental music to the Masquerade was written in 1941 by Aram Khachaturian for a

production of a play of the same name by Russian poet and playwright Mikhail Lermontov. It premiered

on 21 June 1941 in the Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow and is better known in the form of the five-

movement suite that will be performed by the SOI.

Block your dates for this spectacular Season, which promises to be a rare treat indeed for our city!

Extended quote on the SOI season and the AAPRO summit being hosted at the NCPA in September 2013.

When Maestro Dutoit agrees to conduct the SOI, we know we have ‘arrived’. The programme has been

designed to not only display the virtuosity of the Orchestra but also introduce Mumbai audiences to

masterpieces not often heard in the city. Besides, we are honoured to host the 10th summit of the Alliance

of Asia Pacific Regional Orchestras which will be attended by several leading figures from the world of

Western classical music operating in Asia. We particularly welcome Madame Guo Shan, the spirit behind

the organisation which will discuss various ideas and approaches towards the promotion of Western

Classical Music in Asia from Israel to Australia through India, China, Japan, South Korea and others –

Khushroo N Suntook, Chairman- NCPA and Founder, SOI.

SCHEDULE OF THE SOI CONCERT SEASON SEPTEMBER 2013

Date Theatre Time Details Tickets

September 16

Little Theatre

7:00pm

Chalk Talk by Zane Dalal (Resident Conductor, SOI) on the major works

being presented during SOI September 2013 Season.

Free admission, on a first-come-first-served

basis

September 20,

21

Jamshed Bhabha Theatre

7:00pm

BEETHOVEN: Symphony No.1 in C

major Op. 21 SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto in D minor

Op. 47 MUSSORGSKY (orch. Ravel): Pictures

at an Exhibition Charles Dutoit – conductor Marat Bisengaliev – violin

Tickets: Rs.2,400, 1,800,

1,200 & 800/-

About the SOI: The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is the country’s first fully professional symphony

orchestra, offering a series of concerts in Mumbai over the course of two seasons each year, in

September and February. The orchestra has also begun to tour nationally and to take music into

communities in order to enthuse new and young audiences around India.

September 26

Jamshed Bhabha Theatre

7:00pm

DEBUSSY: Prélude à l'après-midi

d'un faune DUKAS: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

MUSSORGSKY (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov): Night on the Bare

Mountain SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No.5 in

D minor Op. 47 Lior Shambadal – conductor

Tickets: Rs.2,000, 1,600,

1,200 & 800/-

September 30 Jamshed Bhabha Theatre

7:00 pm SMETANA: Overture to The Bartered Bride

PROKOFIEV: Lieutenant Kijé Suite Op. 60

KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade Suite J. STRAUSS II: Künstlerleben Waltz

Op. 316 (Artists’ Life) BRAHMS: Hungarian Dances Nos. 1,

3 & 10 DVOŘÁK: Slavonic Dances Op. 46

Nos. 1 & 7, Op. 72 No. 2 J. STRAUSS II: Overture to Die

Fledermaus Lior Shambadal – conductor

Tickets: Rs.2,000, 1,600, 1,200 & 800/-

Box Office: Now Open! Call 66223724/ 66223754 to book tickets.

To use the online booking facility, visit the NCPA official website http://www.ncpamumbai.com/buy-tickets

Or visit www.bookmyshow.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/NCPAMumbai

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NCPAMumbai

The SOI was founded by the NCPA Chairman, Khushroo N. Suntook, and international virtuoso

violinist, Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the orchestra’s Music Director. Players are recruited

from an international field, with a core of instrumentalists drawn from Kazakhstan and many

other countries of Europe and the UK. Many of the principal players are also teachers, and the

orchestra places great emphasis on developing musical potential within India.

There are a growing number of Indian players representing the finest local talent and providing a

solid foundation for the future of orchestral playing in this country. We have recently expanded

our search for talent to include players from Kolkata and Darjeeling, adding to our already diverse

group of performers from Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kerala. We are proud that the SOI is

taking on a truly national spirit. The NCPA, honouring its commitment to promote the education

of the arts, is providing teachers for the successful Violin Teaching Programme which enables

very young children to learn basic string instrument technique.

The SOI has worked with internationally renowned soloists, including Michael Collins, Raphael

Wallfisch, John Lenehan, Andrei Gavrilov, Stephen Kovacevich and many others. It has also

collaborated with eminent conductors including Adrian Leaper, Johannes Wildner and Alexander

Anissimov. Over the past fourteen seasons, the SOI has presented great masterworks including

Strauss’ Don Juan, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, showcasing the

virtuosity of the Orchestra. The NCPA and the SOI have also presented large-scale productions

including a complete ballet of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, Karl Jenkins’s Adiemus: Songs of

Sanctuary, Operas such as Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana

and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and many great orchestral masterpieces of the classical, romantic and

modern eras.

On June 11, 2010, the SOI made history, as it became India’s first fully professional orchestra

perform internationally when it made its debut at the Fifth Festival of the World’s Symphony

Orchestras in Moscow. The SOI played on the concluding night as part of the Grand Finale in the

presence of the highest echelons of Russian society. Besides presenting orchestral and chamber

music concerts, the SOI is available as a prestigious accompanying ensemble for soloists as well as

for ballets, operas and musicals. It will also offer its services internationally as a resource for

making recordings. For further information, visit: www.soimumbai.com

About the NCPA: Opening its doors to the world in 1969, the NCPA became the first multi-venue and multi-purpose

cultural centre to be built in South Asia. Vibrant and diverse, the NCPA today is recognized by

artistes, patrons and media alike as India’s premier performing arts institution. The Centre

provides a fine showcase for India’s rich performing arts traditions, all thanks to the institution’s

training and research initiatives.

The NCPA presents over 600 events each year across all major art forms, most notably Indian

Music, International Music, Theatre and Film, Dance, Literature, Visual Arts and Photography.

There are Heads of Programming for each of these art forms who curate innovative events and

festivals; representative of everything from classical to contemporary throughout the year. The

NCPA produces its own programmes as well as collaborates with leading cultural promoters from

around the world.

For further information please log on to www.ncpamumbai.com

For media queries ONLY please contact:

MSLGroup Preeti Vijayvargiya Email: preeti.vijayvargiya@mslgroup.com Mob: 09619161307 Tasneem Pedhiwala Email:tasneem.pedhiwala@mslgroup.com Mob: 09833546952

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