www.sso.org.sg MCI (P) 105/06/2016 THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA APRIL 2017 VOL. 18 / NO. 2 Dudamel’s Singapore debut Charles Dutoit conducts a Southeast Asia premiere Interviews with Wang Jian & Joseph Moog Zhang Jin Min – A Bassoonist’s Swansong
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www.sso.org.sgMCI (P) 105/06/2016
THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
APRIL 2017 VOL. 18 / NO. 2
Dudamel’s Singapore debut
Charles Dutoit conducts a Southeast Asia premiere
Interviews with Wang Jian & Joseph Moog
Zhang Jin Min –A Bassoonist’s Swansong
SSO NEWS
03
CONTENTS
Bravissimo! is published by the Singapore
Symphony Orchestra. Printed by First Printers.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any form without the written permission of
the publisher.
03 SSO News
08 Spotlight: Wang Jian & Joseph Moog
10
SSO News
12Symphony Society
15
Patrons and Partners
16
Backstage
EDITORS
Cindy Lim
Leon Chia
WRITERS
Myrtle Lee
Cheryl Pek
ON THE COVER
Dudamel’s Singapore debut
DUDAMEL IN SINGAPOREFresh from leading the Vienna
Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day concert,
Venezuelan conducting sensation
Gustavo Dudamel wowed the audience
with his interpretation of Dvořák’s
Symphony No. 9 in E minor in his
Singapore concerts on January 5 and
6. In the first half he teamed up with
French violinist Renaud Capuçon for
Berg’s Violin Concerto. The concerts
were Dudamel’s first time conducting
an Asian orchestra. In a Facebook post
after the concert, Dudamel called SSO
“an outstanding orchestra”.
SSO NEWSSSO NEWS
0504
DEBUT OF A PRODIGY On February 24 & 25, 12-year-old piano prodigy Serena
Wang made her SSO debut at the Victoria Concert
Hall with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1, under the
direction of guest conductor Yu Long. The all-Beethoven
programme also featured the composer’s Egmont
Overture and Seventh Symphony.
The Chinese maestro also directed the SSO at the
Esplanade Concert Hall on March 4, in a concert which
saw Principal Flautist Jin Ta taking on Ibert’s Flute
Concerto. The concert opens with Prokofiev’s scintillating
opera The Love for Three Oranges Suite, and closes with
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.
PETRUSHKA WITH OKKO KAMU In his final concert as SSO’s Principal
Guest Conductor, Finnish maestro Okko
Kamu directed a passionate programme
on March 24 featuring Stravinsky’s
Petrushka and Brahms’ Piano Concerto
No. 1 in D minor with pianist Martin
Helmchen.
CHARLES DUTOIT CONDUCTS SOUTHEAST ASIA’S PREMIERE OF STRAVINSKY’S FUNERAL SONG On February 16, Swiss maestro Charles Dutoit returned to the Esplanade Concert Hall to conduct the SSO in the highly-
anticipated Southeast Asian Premiere of Stravinsky’s Funeral Song, a work assumed lost for over a century. The evening’s
programme also featured the composer’s ballet The Firebird. Pianist Lukas Geniušas made his Singapore debut with
Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
SSO NEWS
0706
SSO NEWS
SSO BRINGS HOPE IN CONCERT TRIO! In March, the SSO played to over 7000 people at a
trio of free concerts held from 9 to 11 March! With
SSO Associate Conductor Joshua Tan at the helm,
the orchestra presented a riveting performance of
works that were crafted to give those present hope
in uncertain times. The concerts featured music
from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture,
Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and The Force
Awakens Suite from Star Wars. Both concerts at the
Victoria Concert Hall and Gardens by the Bay were
sponsored by Singapore Press Holdings, as part of the
SPH Gift of Music Series.
(bottom left) Anthony Chng, Fundraising
and Sponsorship Manager, SSCL, Anthony
Tan, Deputy CEO, SPH; Chin Soo Fang, Head,
Corporate Communications, SPH; Francis Mah,
Senior Manager Corporate Communications &
CSR, SPH.
SPOTLIGHT
Growing up in Ludwigshafen in Germany, Joseph Moog
was surrounded by plenty of music in the family home.
“My parents are both musicians working in different
orchestras. My mother is a violinist and my father a
clarinettist. They both used to play in various chamber
music ensembles. They bought a piano when I was
three years old and I was immediately attracted to the
instrument, starting to imitate melodies I had heard in the
house. I simply fell in love with the sound and the beauty
of the piano!”
The German pianist, who turns 30 this year, will be in town
to perform at the Singapore International Piano Festival on
June 1. His first recital in Singapore will feature music by
Haydn, Chopin, Debussy and Liszt.
“I think the programme I chose is both highly interesting
for piano music lovers and for curious listeners in general,”
Moog muses. “It will be a fascinating journey through time
and it features a broad selection of styles while maintaining
a strong connection between the individual composers
and works. The cultivated, witty and adventurous Fantasia
by Haydn poses an unusual preparation for Chopin’s most
famous Second Sonata with its tempestuous musical
drama. After the intermission there will be the progressive
Impressionism of Debussy followed by some of Liszt’s
Love at first sight
Joseph Moog
Modest and unpretentious
Wang Jian
09
most Romantic compositions. At the same time Liszt has
quite literally enabled the transition from Romanticism to
Impressionism with his later works.”
This rising star was named a Young Steinway Artist in 2009,
and in 2015 he was Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year.
“This was a very special moment for me, as I enjoy recording
and releasing CDs very much. It is also a tremendous honour
to be mentioned amongst prize-winners such as Haitink, Järvi,
Anderszewski and many others,” Moog confides.
Offstage Moog says he relishes spending time with his friends
and family: “I really enjoy taking long walks and trips together
with my wife and the dogs. Sports and physical activities have
always been a major part of my life and it helps to create a
balance to the present day, so I live to swim, play soccer or
work out on a regular basis.”
Cindy Lim
Wang Jian first came into the spotlight at the age of
10, through an appearance in From Mao to Mozart, a
documentary which followed eminent violinist Isaac Stern
on his trip to China, post-Cultural Revolution. It changed his
life, as it paved the way for him to further his studies in Yale
School of Music, under renowned cellist Aldo Parisot.
Wang’s first cello teacher, however, was none other than his
father. He started to study the cello at the age of four, and
intimates that his father would always handwrite scales and
exercises for him to practice, often borrowing materials from
violin training etudes.
“He did not want to “teach” me; he was always trying to make
me find my own way to get to the goal, encouraging me to
find my own ideals. I would say he made it possible for me
to be able to learn on my own... which is the most important
quality to have. Knowledge is secondary.”
In May, Wang will take centrestage with the Dvořák Cello
Concerto, a masterpiece he thinks is the king of the cello
repertoire.
“The concerto is the most famous cello concerto, for a good
reason! I don’t actually remember when I first played it, but I
do remember playing it for 37 times one year!”
The cello, Wang thinks, is a modest and unpretentious
instrument.
“Modesty, honesty, to be unpretentious and forgiving, are the
exact qualities that make the cello so appealing to the listener.
A cello can never be as brilliant as the violin, or dramatic as
a piano, but few can compete with the cello for being so
touching.”
“Because of these natural qualities, composers tend to write
more profound and philosophical scores for the cello.”
Cheryl Pek
Catch Wang Jian live with the SSO in the Esplanade
Concert Hall on May 5.
Tickets available from www.sistic.com.sg.
SPOTLIGHT
Joseph Moog will open the Singapore International
Piano Festival at the Victoria Concert Hall on June 1.
Tickets available from www.sistic.com.sg.
08
SSO NEWS
INTIMATE LETTERS The audience spent a special Valentine’s
Day evening at the Victoria Concert
Hall as Swiss-based Stradivari Quartet
serenaded them with an enchanting
programme featuring Schumann’s
String Quartets No. 1 & 2, and Janáček’s
“Intimate Letters”.
TWIN CELLISTS TAKE CENTRE STAGE
The Victoria Concert Hall played host to twin cellists
cellists Ng Pei-Sian and Ng Pei-Jee on February 3. The
gripping programme included Bach’s famous Cello Suites
No. 2 and No. 3, Handel’s Trio Sonata No. 16 for two cellos
and harpsichord and Barriére’s Sonata No. 10 in G Major
for two cellos. The evening’s concert ended on a high
note with Kats-Cherin’s Phoenix Story, a work specially
commissioned for the twins.
SSO NEWS
ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA MASTERCLASS On January 26, six members of the Singapore National
Youth Orchestra (SNYO) had the privilege of taking part
in a masterclass conducted by violinist Borika van den
Booren and French horn player Laurens Woudenberg
from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Over 60
students from 11 schools had the opportunity to observe
the masterclass conducted at the Music and Dance
Studios of the Victoria Concert Hall.
(right top) Mr Laurens Woudenberg with SNYO
horn players
(right bottom) Selected SNYO strings players with
Ms Borika van den Booren
SNYO TAKES ON THE CLASSICSOn March 18, 17-year-old Dylan Wee, winner of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, took on the
ever-popular Barber’s Violin Concerto at the Victoria Concert Hall. Principal conductor Leonard Tan opened the concert with
Johann Strauss II’s jovial Die Fledermaus Overture, and closed with Brahms’ Third Symphony, a masterpiece that legendary
conductor Hans Richter described as “Brahms’ Eroica”.
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1312
SYMPHONY SOCIETY SYMPHONY SOCIETY
Lan Shui’s
20t h SSO Season
The SSO announced on January 11 that Lan Shui will
be stepping down as Music Director in two years’ time,
after the SSO 40th Anniversary Concert in 2019. Lan Shui
said that with the birth of his second son in June 2016 in
Singapore, he wanted to spend more time with his wife
and two children.
Lan Shui said: “In the last 20 years we have grown so much
together and today the SSO is in a good place. There is
excellent teamwork between the board, orchestra and
management. I am proud to have given my best years to
the orchestra, and the SSO family will always have a special
place in my heart.”SSCL Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin
giving a thank you speech
Shui first conducted the SSO as guest conductor in 1993. Since 1997 when he took over from Choo Hoey, who himself
held the position for 18 years, Shui has built the orchestra into one of the best orchestras in Asia. On January 13, the SSO’s
Beethoven Gala commemorating Shui’s 20th season played to a full-capacity audience in the Esplanade Concert Hall, which
included 11 Team Singapore athletes.
The orchestra’s board will appoint a committee to oversee the search for a new music director, a process that is expected to
take up to three years. During this time, more guest conductors will be invited to work with the orchestra, and artistic planning
will be overseen by CEO Chng Hak-Peng after Shui steps down.
SSO Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin said: “We owe Lan Shui a great debt of thanks. Over the past twenty years, he has patiently
built the SSO into one of Asia’s finest. He knew from the start what he wanted to achieve, and he could be incredibly tenacious
on matters of principle and standards; but he also remained a thoughtful, caring and inspiring leader throughout. I am
saddened by his decision to leave, but I also look forward to the new possibilities that will open up as we begin the search for
a worthy successor.”
Team Singapore with representatives from SSO
Jean Wee & Peggy Kek
Lan Shui with pianist Nicholas Angelich
Chng Kai Jin, Lim Chi Wen, Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi-Martin, Paige Parker,