PROGRAM

ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS SCHUMANN

MORNING SYMPHONY SERIES

Thursday 16 November 2017, 11am

MACA LIMITED CLASSICS SERIES

Friday 17 & Saturday 18 November 2017, 7.30pmPerth Concert Hall

MACA is proud to be a leader in supporting a wide range of community initiatives, small and large.

We value our position as a platinum sponsor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and their vision to touch souls and enrich lives through music.

Established in 2002 MACA delivers a range of solutions in:• Mining• Crushing and Screening• Civil works

With over 850 experienced professionals in Australia and Brazil.

We CareWe are FlexibleWe Deliver

Health & SafetyAS 4801

Quality ISO 9001

EnvironmentISO 14001

www.maca.net.auPh: (08) 6242 2600MACA Ltd | 45 Division Street, Welshpool WA 6106

The premiere of a new work is always a special moment in an orchestra’s annual season. The sense of anticipation, the wondering “what will this be like?” adds a sense of discovery (and a little trepidation) to rehearsals. Even though every musician – including the soloist – will have prepared their own part, none of them know quite how their individual line fits into the overall picture. Learning how to piece a new work together and bring it alive becomes a shared experience between composer (who, remember, hasn’t heard his or her new work either!), conductor, soloist and orchestra. In this concert we are thrilled to premiere a new work by acclaimed composer Paul Stanhope, a major voice in the Australian music world who has enjoyed commissions and performances from ensembles across the world.

Adding to the sense of discovery in this concert is the first WASO performance of Szymanowski’s Concert Overture. This glorious piece was the first work on the program of Asher Fisch’s debut concert with the Berlin Philharmonic, and we are delighted that he is now bringing it to Perth.

To conclude, the Fourth Symphony of one of the great Romantic composers, Robert Schumann. Even this great work brings a sense of discovery: Schumann’s symphonies continue to be (somewhat unfairly!) undervalued and hence not performed as often (or as well!) as, say, those of Brahms. Thankfully, Asher Fisch is a superb Schumann interpreter, so for those encountering this wonderful symphony for the first time in the concert hall, the discovery will be enjoyable and rewarding!

Evan Kennea Executive Manager, Artistic Planning

1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 2150

KAROL SZYMANOWSKI

1882 – 1937Born Tymoszówka, now UkraineDied Lausanne, Switzerland

PAUL STANHOPE1969

Born Wollongong, Australia

ROBERT SCHUMANN

1810 – 1856Born Zwickau, GermanyDied Endenich, near Bonn, Germany

Szymanowski's Concert Overture1906

Schumann's Symphony No.41841

Stanhope's Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra2017

WELCOME

TIMELINE OF COMPOSERS & WORKS

MACA is proud to be a leader in supporting a wide range of community initiatives, small and large.

We value our position as a platinum sponsor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and their vision to touch souls and enrich lives through music.

Established in 2002 MACA delivers a range of solutions in:• Mining• Crushing and Screening• Civil works

With over 850 experienced professionals in Australia and Brazil.

We CareWe are FlexibleWe Deliver

Health & SafetyAS 4801

Quality ISO 9001

EnvironmentISO 14001

www.maca.net.auPh: (08) 6242 2600MACA Ltd | 45 Division Street, Welshpool WA 6106

ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS SCHUMANN

SZYMANOWSKI Concert Overture (16 mins)

SCHUMANN Symphony No.4 (29 mins)

Ziemlich langsam [Rather slow] – Lebhaft [Lively] –

Romanze (Ziemlich langsam)[Rather slow] –

Scherzo (Lebhaft) [Lively] –

Langsam [Slow] – Lebhaft [Lively]

Asher Fisch conductorAsher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts.

Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert TalkFind out more about the music in concert with this week’s speaker, Margaret Seares. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 9.40pm in the Auditorium.

MORNING SYMPHONY SERIES

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ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS SCHUMANN

MACA LIMITED CLASSICS SERIES

SZYMANOWSKI Concert Overture (16 mins)

PAUL STANHOPE Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra WORLD PREMIERE (19 mins)

Interval (25 mins)

SCHUMANN Symphony No.4 (29 mins)

Ziemlich langsam [Rather slow] – Lebhaft [Lively] –

Romanze (Ziemlich langsam)[Rather slow] –

Scherzo (Lebhaft) [Lively] –

Langsam [Slow] – Lebhaft [Lively]

Asher Fisch conductor Joshua Davis tromboneAsher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts.

Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert TalksFind out more about the music in tonight’s concert with this week’s speaker, Margaret Seares. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 6.45pm in the Terrace Level Foyer.

Wesfarmers Arts Meet the ArtistEnjoy a conversation with Joshua Davis and Paul Stanhope post-concert Saturday night in the Terrace Level foyer.

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UPCOMING CONCERTS

2018 SPECIAL EVENT

WASO’S FAVOURITESFRI 9 FEBRUARY 7.30PM & SAT 10 FEBRUARY 2PMPerth Concert Hall

WASO marks 90 years of great music-making with special season-opening concerts featuring our favourite artists, their favourite music and everyone’s favourite, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony! An exciting array of richly-varied classical hits conducted by Christopher Dragon.

Christopher Dragon conductor Sara Macliver soprano Fiona Campbell mezzo-soprano Laurence Jackson violin Joseph Nolan organ WASO Chorus

MACA LIMITED CLASSICS SERIES

ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS STRAUSS’ A HERO’S LIFEFRI 1 DECEMBER 7.30PM & SAT 2 DECEMBER 2PMPerth Concert Hall

Brahms’ poetic works for choir and orchestra pave the way for Richard Strauss’ autobiographical tone poem, Ein Heldenleben  (A Hero’s Life). Featuring the brilliant WASO Chorus this promises to be a concert long-remembered.

Asher Fisch conductor (pictured) WASO Chorus

SPECIAL EVENT

CHRISTMAS WITH THE IDEA OF NORTH & WASOFRI 8 DECEMBER 8PMPerth Concert Hall

In their first ever concert with WASO, multi ARIA Award winners The Idea of North perform Christmas songs and music from around the world - including your favourite holiday tunes! Enjoy the sophisticated harmonies and good old-fashioned fun that these superbly talented singers bring to the stage.

The Idea of North vocals (pictured) Benjamin Northey conductor

TICKETS FROM $49*

TICKETS FROM $49*

TICKETS FROM $46*

BOOK NOW CALL 9326 0000 VISIT WASO.COM.AUAsher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts.

*A one-off handling fee of $5.50 per transaction applies to all purchases on our website. A fee of $6.60 applies to phone and mail bookings. A fee of $3.85 applies to all over the counter bookings.An additional fee of $4.40 per transaction applies for delivery via Registered Post.

Images here show guests enjoying the opportunity to meet and talk to Alex Timcke, WASO Principal Timpani.

“Thank you so much for a wonderful morning. Our guest had a great time and really enjoyed themselves, they loved the music!” Helena Williamson, Rocky Bay

WASO’s Community Outreach Program is proudly presented by Healthway, promoting the Act-Belong-Commit message.

Connect Open Rehearsals 2017WASO’s CONNECT Open Rehearsals are a new initiative this year, which provide registered community groups the opportunity to observe an orchestra and conductor putting the final touches on a concert performance. The program is specifically tailored to individuals who are unable to attend a full symphony orchestra concert due to issues with access.

CONNECT expands on WASO’s programs for students with Special Educational Needs, including the Harmony Music program which delivers in school musical experiences, as well as the Hospital Orchestra Project at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. As an extension of these existing programs that are primarily focused on young people and students, we began our CONNECT Open Rehearsal program to reach adults who live with disability.

This year we have welcomed over 80 clients and support workers from 9 Disability Support Organisations across 2 Open Rehearsals. Participants are invited to attend a morning tea before the rehearsal, followed by a welcome and talk about the music before they enter the Auditorium. Participants attending the most recent CONNECT on Friday 13 October listened to the French Connections program, with guest conductor Douglas Boyd. For many participants this was their first time at the Perth Concert Hall and experiencing live orchestral music.

WASO IN THE COMMUNITY

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The West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) is Western Australia’s largest and busiest performing arts organisation. With a reputation for excellence, engagement and innovation, WASO’s resident company of full-time, professional musicians plays a central role in creating a culturally vibrant Western Australia. WASO is a not for profit company, funded through government, ticket revenue and the generous support of the community through corporate and philanthropic partnerships.

WASO’s mission is to touch souls and enrich lives through music. Each year the Orchestra entertains and inspires the people of Western Australia through its concert performances, regional tours, innovative education and community programs, and its artistic partnerships with West Australian Opera and West Australian Ballet.

The Orchestra is led by Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser Asher Fisch. The Israeli-born conductor is widely acclaimed for his command of the Romantic German repertoire and is a frequent guest at the world’s great opera houses.

Each year the Orchestra performs over 175 concerts with some of the world’s most talented conductors and soloists to an audience in excess of 190,000. An integral part of the Orchestra is the WASO Chorus, a highly skilled ensemble of auditioned singers who volunteer their time and talent.

waso.com.au

WEST AUSTRALIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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VIOLINLaurence JacksonConcertmasterSemra Lee-Smith A/Assoc ConcertmasterGraeme NorrisA/Assistant Concertmaster Rebecca GlorieA/Principal 1st ViolinZak Rowntree*Principal 2nd ViolinKylie Liang Assoc Principal 2nd ViolinSarah BlackmanStephanie DeanJohn Ford^Beth HebertAlexandra IstedJane Johnston°Sunmi JungChristina KatsimbardisEllie LawrenceLucas O’Brien°Melanie PearnKen PeelerLouise SandercockJolanta SchenkJane SerrangeliKathryn Shinnick°Jacek SlawomirskiKate SullivanBao Di TangCerys ToobyDavid Yeh

VIOLAAlex BroganA/Principal ViolaKierstan ArkleysmithNik BabicChair partnered by Lesley & Peter DaviesGeorge Batey^Nicole Greentree^Alison HallRachael KirkAllan McLeanElliot O’BrienHelen TuckeyAaron Wyatt^

CELLOLouise McKayChair partnered by Penrhos College Shigeru KomatsuOliver McAslan Nicholas MetcalfeAnna SarcichEve Silver*Fotis SkordasTim SouthXiao Le Wu

DOUBLE BASSAndrew Sinclair*Joan Wright Elizabeth Browning^Louise ElaertsChristine ReitzensteinAndrew TaitMark Tooby

FLUTEAndrew Nicholson Mary-Anne Blades

PICCOLOMichael Waye

OBOENicola Bell^Elizabeth Chee

COR ANGLAISLeanne Glover

CLARINETAllan Meyer Lorna CookMatthew Kidd^

BASS CLARINETAshley Smith^

BASSOONAdam MikuliczChair partnered by Sue & Ron Wooller

Colin Forbes-Abrams°

CONTRABASSOONChloe Turner

HORNDavid EvansJulian LeslieRobert Gladstones Principal 3rd HornJulia BrookeDoree Dixon^Francesco Lo Surdo

TRUMPETBrent GrapesEvan CromiePeter Miller

TROMBONELiam O’MalleyDavid Robins^

BASS TROMBONEPhilip Holdsworth

TUBACameron Brook

TIMPANIAlex Timcke

PERCUSSIONBrian MaloneyChair partnered by Stott Hoare

Chiron Meller°Assoc Principal Percussion and TimpaniPaul Tanner^

HARPSarah Bowman

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

PrincipalAssociate PrincipalGuest Musician^Contract Playerº

ON STAGE

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Asher FischPrincipal Conductor & Artistic Adviser

A renowned conductor in both the operatic and symphonic worlds, Asher Fisch is especially celebrated for his interpretative command of core German and Italian repertoire of the Romantic and post-Romantic era. He conducts a wide variety of repertoire from Gluck to contemporary works by living composers. In 2014, Fisch became the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO). His former posts include Principal Guest Conductor of the Seattle Opera (2007-2013), Music Director of the New Israeli Opera (1998-2008), and Music Director of the Wiener Volksoper (1995-2000).

Highlights of the 2016-17 season include debuts with the Sydney Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic, and a tour to China with WASO. In addition, Fisch returns to the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. Guest opera engagements include Tristan und Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera, Die Zauberflöte at Teatro Regio di Torino, and five titles including La forza del destino and Falstaff at the Bayerische Staatsoper where he has long maintained enduring ties.

Born in Israel, Fisch began his conducting career as Daniel Barenboim’s assistant and kappellmeister at the Berlin Staatsoper. He has built his versatile repertoire at the major opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, and Semperoper Dresden.

Fisch is also a regular guest conductor at leading American symphony orchestras including those of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia. In Europe he has appeared at the Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Orchestre National de France, among others.

Asher Fisch recently recorded the complete Brahms symphonies with WASO, released in September 2016 on ABC Classics. Last year, his 2013 recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle with the Seattle Opera was released on the Avie label. His first Ring Cycle recording, with the State Opera of South Australia, won ten Helpmann Awards, including best opera and best music direction. Fisch is also an accomplished pianist and has a solo disc of Wagner piano transcriptions on the Melba label.

Asher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

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Joshua DavisTrombone

Joshua began playing trombone at age 4 with his father Cliff. His first musical experiences were through Salvation Army bands and later big bands, orchestras and theatre shows in Newcastle, NSW and in 2001 he began his music degree at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.

Joshua later moved to Sydney as a freelance trombonist and was busy as a chamber musician as well as in the recording studio appearing on many film and videogame soundtracks. Since 2003 he has worked extensively with most Australian orchestras and in 2006 Joshua won the Barry Tuckwell Brass Prize at the Melbourne International Festival of Brass.

Since being appointed Principal Trombone of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra

in 2008 Joshua has been busy as a teacher and in his spare time he is a busy arranger and writer of music for such groups as WASO, The Berlin Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, The President’s Own Marine Band, and has recently had arrangements recorded by The Berlin Philharmonic Horn Quartet on their album “Four Corners.”

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FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF ALLWhen to applaud? Musicians love applause. Audience members normally applaud:• When the conductor or soloist walks onto

the stage • After the completion of the entire work

and at the end of the performance

When you need to cough, try to muffle or bury your cough in a handkerchief or during a louder section of the music. Cough lozenges are available from the WASO Ticket Collection Desk before each performance and at the interval.

Hearing aids that are incorrectly adjusted may disturb other patrons, please be mindful of those around you.

Mobile phones and other electronic devices need to be switched off throughout the performance.

Photography, sound and video recordings are permitted prior to the start of the performance.

Latecomers and patrons who leave the auditorium will be seated only after the completion of a work.

Moving to empty seats. Please do not move to empty seats prior to the performance as this may affect seating for latecomers when they are admitted during a suitable break.

LISTEN TO WASOThis performance is being recorded for broadcast on ABC Classic FM on Saturday 25 November at 2pm (or 11am online). For further details visit abc.net.au/classic

ABC RADIO PERTHTune in to ABC Radio Perth on Friday morning at 6.15am when Peter Bell provides the latest on classical music and WASO’s upcoming concerts.

FOOD & BEVERAGESVisit perthconcerthall.com.au for information on food and beverage offerings at the venue.Foyer 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.

FREE WATER STATIONS• Level 1 Ground Floor across from box office• Wardle Room – western side of bar• Terrace Level Corner Bar – one water

station on either side of the bar• Lower & Upper Gallery level

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

ACCESSIBILITY • A universal accessible toilet is available on

the ground floor (Level 1)• The Sennheiser MobileConnect Personal

Hearing Assistance system is available for every seat in the auditorium. Visit perthconcerthall.com.au/your-visit/accessibility/ for further information.

WASO BOX OFFICEBuy your WASO tickets and subscriptions, exchange tickets, or make a donation at the Box Office on the ground floor (Level 1) prior to each performance and at interval. Tickets for other performances at Perth Concert Hall will be available for purchase only at interval.

The Box Office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and contactable on 9326 0000.

DONATE YOUR TICKETCan’t attend a concert? Contact the WASO Box Office on 9326 0000 to donate your ticket for re-sale and you will receive a tax deductible receipt.

YOUR CONCERT EXPERIENCE

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Karol Szymanowski (1882 – 1937)

Concert Overture, Op.12

From the start of his career, Szymanowski balanced an openness to influence with a strong sense of himself as a Polish artist. His work systematically explores the influences of Chopin, Schumann, Scriabin, Richard Strauss and Wagner, and later, Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky.

Born into a wealthy family, Szymanowski was sent to Warsaw to study music in 1901, the year that the Warsaw Philharmonic was founded. In the same year a group of artists known as ‘Young Poland’ emerged with the staging of exotic dramas, and a lifestyle in which drugs and sexuality were used in the development of a hyper-romantic consciousness. Szymanowski fell in with this group, and his early works show a particular affinity with the self-conscious ‘decadence’ of Richard Strauss and the mysticism of Scriabin.

Szymanowski’s first orchestral work, the Concert Overture, Op.12, was first performed at a ‘Young Poland in Music’ concert in 1906 along with works by other composers determined to bring new European sounds into the concert halls of their own country. The original version of the work is now lost; Szymanowski revised the score in 1913 for its publication by Universal Edition.

It remains the work of a brilliant young composer intoxicated by the emotional possibilities of late Romanticism. Though not a tone poem as such, the Concert Overture uses the Lisztian principle of thematic transformation to elaborate a kind of sonata design. As such, and in the bold use of strings coloured by the horn section, it is clearly indebted to the tone poems of Strauss.

Abridged from a note by Gordon Kerry Symphony Australia © 2001

First performance: 6 February 1906, Warsaw. Grzegorz Fitelberg, conductor.First WASO performance: This is the first performance of Szymanowksi’s Concert Overture by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Instrumentation: three flutes (third doubling piccolo), three oboes (third doubling cor anglais), three clarinets (third doubling E flat clarinet) and bass clarinet, three bassoons (third doubling contrabassoon), six horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Sonata design – tripartite structure in which principal themes (or ‘subjects’) are presented, developed and ultimately integrated according to key relationships. The first movements of standard classical forms such as the symphony, sonata and concerto are commonly in sonata form.Thematic transformation – device particularly associated with the symphonic poems of Liszt in which themes are developed using a variety of compositional techniques whilst still remaining recognisable.Tone poem/symphonic poem – a programmatic work for orchestra, usually in a single movement.

Glossary

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Paul Stanhope (Born 1969)

Paul Stanhope is a Sydney-based composer and a leading figure in his generation of Australian composers. After studies with Peter Sculthorpe, Paul was awarded the Charles Mackerras Scholarship which enabled him to study for a time at the Guildhall School of Music in London in 2000. In May 2004 his international standing was confirmed when he was awarded first place in the prestigious Toru Takemitsu Composition Prize. Paul is a Senior Lecturer in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney and the Artistic Chair of the Australia Ensemble.

Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra WORLD PREMIERE

This Trombone Concerto, written especially for Principal Trombone Joshua Davis and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, is composed in a single movement with four discrete sections. The material is continuous and cyclical, gradually evolving throughout the course of the piece. The solo part encompasses an amazing four-and-a-half octave range and was developed with the considerable input of Joshua who helped especially in the shaping of the cadenza.

Part 1 of the concerto begins with a series of superimposed block chords, emanating out of a rumbling explosion from the percussion, which then releases to cascading string figures and then the introduction of main thematic material from the solo trombone (a rising tone figure followed by a series of descending arpeggios). This is the first of a series of idea groups that are all based upon a single method of construction.

The second group builds on the surging, energetic block-like material of the opening with ascending and descending phrases where the trombone solo outlines much of the material. Different groups of wind, string, percussion and brass textures interact with the solo in this section. It builds to the introduction of the third group that is a ‘scherzando’ or more humorous development of small motifs derived from the main theme. Clownish figures give way to a more ‘heroic’ miniature cadenza before the material releases to the opening block-like juxtapositions of the opening orchestral tutti.

Part 2 begins with a reiteration of the main theme in the solo part, but instead of continuing with the energetic, pulsing figures of the first, it releases into a half-tempo more lyrical section, although with interjections from woodwind and percussion reminding us of the opening textures. Orchestral layers are gradually stripped away, revealing a series of solos, trios and quartets between the solo trombone, cor anglais, French horn and then low brass.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

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Solo trombone and tuba lines then sink to the lowest registers of the orchestra before releasing to an echo of rumbling percussion. The following solo cadenza makes up the entirety of Part 3 and is a chance to both develop further thematic elements of the work as well as to exercise the considerable colouristic and technical capabilities of the trombone including ‘multiphonics’ (singing and playing simultaneously to produce two notes at once), lip glisses and fast scales, as well as vast dynamic changes and range contrasts.

Part 4 begins with the orchestra (rather than the solo) stating the main theme before a longer section which reinvents earlier material while also recalling some of it in a more compact way. This section reveals the main basis of pitch construction in this work which is a non-octavating scale (i.e. a scale which changes in every octave in which it appears: C natural in one octave might turn into C sharp in another, for example). Upwardly moving scales and arpeggiated figures based upon this ‘background’ material are thrown around the various sections of the orchestra.

The solo trombone returns with truncated versions of the second group of material from Part 1, then a variation of the third ‘scherzando’ group which becomes more eccentric as it progresses. The section completes to the sound of ratchets and alarm sirens. A more lyrical section for solo and orchestra follows and represents the structural climax of the work, before releasing to a short coda which scales up the tempo into a furious dance via a series of shifting rhythmic patterns. The opening material is recalled again briefly as the work concludes.

Paul Stanhope © 2017

CARL VINE Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestrafeatured in Ravel’s Boléro & Two PianosFri 11 & Sat 12 May 2018

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY

Arpeggios/Arpeggiated – the notes of a chord played one after the other instead of at the same time.Cadenza – a showy passage by a solo instrument, usually towards the end of a concerto movement. Originally, cadenzas were improvised by the soloist to show off their brilliant technique.Chord – three or more notes played together.Coda – a concluding section added to the basic structure of a piece or movement to emphasise the sense of finality.Dynamic – variations in how loud or quiet the music is.Glisses/Glissando – playing scales very quickly, for example by running a thumb along a piano keyboard.Motif – a short, distinctive melodic or rhythmic figure, often part of or derived from a theme.Register – a part of the range of pitches available to an instrument or voice, e.g. high, middle or low register.Scherzando – playfully.

Glossary

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Robert Schumann (1810 -1856)

Symphony No.4 in D minor, Op.120Ziemlich langsam [Rather slow] – Lebhaft [Lively] –Romanze (Ziemlich langsam)[Rather slow] –Scherzo (Lebhaft) [Lively] –Langsam [Slow] – Lebhaft [Lively]

This symphony was composed during the happy first year of Schumann’s marriage to Clara Wieck, which had been resisted with almost legendary fierceness by her father, Friedrich. By September 1841 (less than two weeks after the birth of their first child, Marie), Clara was able to write in her diary, ‘My birthday was a day filled from morning to night with enjoyment and happiness. Robert surprised me with so many things, his completed symphony in D minor…’

The music cannot have come as a complete surprise to her, however: as Clara wrote in her diary some four months earlier, ‘Yesterday [Robert] started another symphony…[I can hear] D minor sounding wildly in the distance, so I already know in advance that it is again a work created out of the deepest soul.’

Nor had this ‘completed symphony’ yet achieved its final form. Schumann was unsatisfied at its first performance in Leipzig in 1841, and put it aside. A revised version was presented ten years later, and it is this which is generally played today.

The work succeeds primarily on the basis of its structural brilliance. As Hans Gál says, ‘The Fourth Symphony is [Schumann’s] most ingenious experiment in form, an amazingly successful attempt at unifying the four movements of a cyclic work without altering their individual character and structure.’

A precedent for a large-scale unified cyclic work existed in Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. Schumann was no doubt at one stage sufficiently conscious of the Wanderer’s precedent to call this work a ‘Symphonic Fantasy’. Schumann’s Fourth Symphony, says Gál, is:

…music of irresistible momentum, a marvellous union of continuous improvisation and close construction, and its four movements, linked by thematic threads, are in ideal balance and magnificently contrasted…In Schumann’s symphony, the thematic lay-out progresses from one movement to another, new inventions emerging while the former ones reappear in variation as if it were an act of spontaneous recollection.

The work begins with a slow introduction, a strongly phrased motif which extends to a 28-bar paragraph, one of the main pillars of the structure. This introduction segues into the main fast section, having anticipated the fast section’s opening material.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

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The continuous semiquaver movement of the Lebhaft (Allegro) motif is hard to stop and therefore Schumann draws his subsidiary motif from the same material. With a limited pool of themes to expound upon, Schumann leaves till later, to the development section, a genuinely contrasting lyrical melody, and the responsibility for providing an impressive climax. Because the opening material has been sufficiently presented in the exposition, a customary recapitulation is unnecessary. There is a pause on a held note and we almost slip into the slow movement.

The main feature of the Romanze is an elegiac oboe melody. With the return of triple metre and a tempo similar to the opening of the symphony, the opening motif from the first movement sees the opportunity to re-enter, providing an interlude-like passage. A contrasting middle section extends this opening motif into a soft, expressive tune while a solo violin elegantly paraphrases it. The elegiac oboe returns, the music pauses, and without more ado, the Scherzo is launched.

This is vigorously scored with driving imitation in the lower strings. The trio turns out to be an old acquaintance: the graceful figuration that the solo violin had added to a motif in the Romanze.

The Scherzo returns and then Schumann, following the example of Beethoven in his Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, lets the trio come back once more, but this time slowed down so that we may move without interruption into the opening section of the finale (Langsam).

With the striking fortissimos of the final allegro section, we have another moment of recognition, for here again is the climactic music from the first movement, capping off the gradual build-up of tension and effect. It is this sense of inevitable momentum and intense accumulation that provides the listener with so much enjoyment. Critics may praise unity and balance – the work’s skilful links put one in mind of Wagner’s observation that all composing is, at the base of it, the art of transition – but it is this symphony’s sense of inevitable progress and triumphant release that really draws the listener in.

Adapted from a note by Gordon Williams Symphony Australia © 2002

First performance: 6 December 1841, Leipzig. Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Ferdinand David.First WASO performance: 9 September 1944. Percy Code, conductor.Most recent WASO performance: 26-27 August 2005. Oleg Caetani, conductor.

Instrumentation: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, strings.

Exposition/development/recapitulation – sections of sonata form during which the principal themes are presented (exposition), worked out (development) and restated (recapitulation).Fortissimo – very loud.Interlude – piece of music played between two others.Motif – a short, distinctive melodic or rhythmic figure, often part of or derived from a theme.Scherzo – a movement in a fast triple time which may involve playful elements and which, as the second or third movement in a symphony, replaced the minuet.Trio – in a minuet or scherzo, the trio is the contrasting middle section of the movement.

Glossary

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Christina Katsimbardis Violin

When did you realize that you wanted to become a professional musician? It was actually during my first year of a Bachelor of Science when I was 18 – I loved Chemistry and Human Biology at school so I wanted to try something in this field. I attended a WASO concert which was a collaboration with various music students – I saw many of my friends from school and WA Youth Orchestra on stage and suddenly felt the urge to jump up there with my violin! I withdrew from the degree the next day and started practising again which lead to an audition for the UWA School of Music. It’s been a very long road with lots of study and travel but totally worth it.

What is the best thing about being a musician in WASO?Apart from getting paid a salary to have a full time job in the arts playing awesome music? The fact that so many of my colleagues are close friends from my past and present which makes it a lot of fun to go to work. It’s great when we have exciting programs with Asher or other brilliant conductors/soloists and the orchestra can really let loose. We are unbelievably lucky to live in this city and work in such a fabulous orchestra.

What’s the most challenging piece of music you’ve ever had to play? Why?Pretty much anything by Ligeti, whose works I played many of during my years at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. The way he notates rhythm, time signatures, the extremes within his music – I would love to have another crack at it all. Also Living Toys by Thomas Adès which I have played twice – near impossible to play but an amazing workout for one’s brain!

What are your favourite orchestral works to perform or listen to?It’s too hard to narrow it down but Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis is probably my favourite. Brahms and Mahler are definitely in there…Bach and Mozart…where to begin!

If I wasn’t a musician, I would be a... some kind of fitness instructor – likely martial arts, Pilates or yoga.

I really love… skiing!! My recent honeymoon was spent skiing in Canada for a month and I would give anything to relive that trip again and again. I will ski for as long as I can or until my knees don’t work anymore. I also really love dogs and will generally cross the street just to say hi to a particularly cute furry friend!

MEET THE MUSICIAN

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Proud to be a partner

Water Corporation is proud to be a partner of WASO's EChO Kids' Cushion Concerts where children clap, sing and dance along as they are introduced to the instruments of the orchestra.

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Patrons & Friends Christmas PartyThursday 14 December | 4:30 – 7:30pm Perth Concert Hall

The Patrons & Friends Christmas Party tradition will continue this year on Thursday 14 December! Gather to celebrate the musical year that was and mingle with WASO musicians over a relaxed dinner after watching the final WASO rehearsal of 2017.

Tickets are $45 for Patrons & Friends ($55 for guests). Please call the WASO Box Office on

9326 0000 to book, and be sure to mention any dietary requirements and guest names.

PATRONS & FRIENDS EVENT

Give the gift of music to a Crescendo student this ChristmasWASO’s Crescendo Program, based on the international El Sistema model, seeks to empower children through music education. El Sistema has developed an internationally proven record of improving behaviour, numeracy, literacy, social skills and fine motor skills, as well as lowering truancy and youth violence.

Since 2014, our Crescendo Program has provided weekly music lessons at two Kwinana primary schools at no cost to the local community. By 2020 all students at both schools will be involved in the program, and you now have the opportunity to make your most meaningful Christmas gift yet by supporting this powerful initiative. You can:

• Support a Crescendo student or carer to attend a WASO concert for a gift of $30.

• Put a violin into a student’s hand and change their life forever! For as little as a $150 tax-deductible donation, we will

purchase a student-sized violin, enabling a Crescendo student to take up violin lessons.

• Sign up to our Crescendo Giving Circle with an annual gift of $1,500. This amount is the approximate cost of one child participating in the program for a year.

All donations above $2 are tax-deductible. We can arrange for gift certificates, if you wish to donate this for a friend or family member for Christmas.

To give your Christmas gift with a purpose, please contact Sarah Tompkin on 9326 0017 or tompkins@waso.com.au.

WASO PHILANTHROPY

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Proud to be a partner

Water Corporation is proud to be a partner of WASO's EChO Kids' Cushion Concerts where children clap, sing and dance along as they are introduced to the instruments of the orchestra.

10854113_A5_WASO_Ad.indd 1 10/13/17 11:30 AM

OUR SUPPORTERS

Symphony CircleRecognising Patrons who have made a provision in their Will to the OrchestraMs Davilia BlecklyMr John BonnyDr G Campbell-EvansDeirdre CarlinAnita & James Clayton S & J DaleDr Michael FlacksJudith Gedero Robyn GlindemannGwenyth GreenwoodThe Guy FamilyLiz HarrisonEmi & Warren Jones Colin & Jo KingRachael Kirk & Tim WhiteWolfgang Lehmkuhl Deborah MarshSuzanne NashTosi Nottage in memory of Edgar NottageNigel & Dr Heather RogersGavin Toovey & Jaehan LeeSheila Wileman Sagitte Yom-Tov FundAnonymous (31)

Endowment Fund for the OrchestraThis fund includes major donations and bequests Tom & Jean ArkleyJanet Holmes à Court ACMinderoo FoundationSagitte Yom-Tov Fund

Estates WASO is extremely grateful for the bequests received from Estates Rachel Mabel ChapmanPaul LeeMrs Roslyn WarrickJudy Sienkiewicz Anonymous (5)

Excellence CircleSupporting excellence across all we doJean ArkleyBob & Gay BranchiJanet Holmes à Court ACDr Patricia KailisTorsten & Mona KetelsenRod & Margaret MarstonMichael UtslerLeanne & Sam Walsh

WASO & WagnerDr & Mrs P BreidahlConstance ChapmanStephen Davis & Linda SavageLorraine EllardGwenyth GreenwoodMr M HawkinsDr Penny Herbert in memory of Dunstan HerbertHon Jane Mathews AODr John MeyerJohn OvertonJoshua & Pamela PittThe Richard Wagner Society of WAJoyce Westrip OAMAnonymous (2)

The WASO Song BookWe are grateful to those who have supported new works commissioned for the OrchestraJanet Holmes à Court ACPeter DawsonJude and Barrie LepleyGeoff StearnAnonymous (1)

Instrument FundJohn Albright & Susan Lorimer - EChO Double BassDeborah Marsh - Cor AnglaisPeggy & Tom Stacy - Cor AnglaisJean & Peter Stokes - Cello & Tuba

Reach OutSupporting our Education & Community Engagement programsJean ArkleyRon & Penny CrittallAnn DarbyKen EvansRobyn GlindemannThe Ionian Club Perth '81The James Galvin FoundationBarrie & Jude LepleyRosalind LilleySimon Lee FoundationPeter & Jean StokesRuth StrattonAnonymous (1)

Crescendo Giving CircleAOT Consulting Pty LtdJean ArkleyKaylene CousinsCrown Resorts Foundation & Packer Family FoundationEuroz Charitable FoundationMadeleine King MP, Federal Member for BrandRosalind LilleyMrs MorrellPamela PittDeborah & Miles ProtterDr Lance RisbeyThe Spivakovsky Jubilee Valerie VicichAnonymous (1)

Whatever the shape or size, your donation helps WASO make a difference and we thank you for your support. WASO’s philanthropy program continues to grow, supporting our vision now and into the future. It is an exciting time to be a part of this community, to meet our musicians and to know you have helped your Orchestra to touch souls and enrich lives through music. Together we can do amazing things.

Philanthropic partnerships come in all shapes and sizes

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We are proud to acknowledge the following Patrons for their generous contribution to WASO in the last 12 months through our Annual Giving program.

Principal Conductor’s CircleGifts $20,000+Janet Holmes à Court ACJohn Albright & Susan Lorimer Patricia NewPeter & Jean StokesSue & Ron Wooller*

Impresario PatronGifts $10,000 - $19,999Gay & Bob Branchi Gavin BunningPeter & Lesley Davies* Tony & Gwenyth Lennon Margaret & Rod Marston Joshua & Pamela PittTrish Williams

Maestro Patron Gifts $5,000 - $9,999Jean Arkley in memory of Tom ArkleyBill Bloking Dr Roland & Therese BrandIan & Elizabeth ConstableMoira & John Dobson Tim & Lexie ElliottBridget Faye AM E & EA FraunschielGilbert GeorgeDr Patricia KailisAlison KennedyKeith & Gaye Kessell Dr Ronny Low & Dr Emma RichardsonBryant & Louise Macfie Robert MayPaula & John PhillipsG. J. SeachRichard Tarala & Lyn Beazley AORos ThomsonAlan WhithamAnonymous (2)

Virtuoso PatronGifts $2,500 - $4,999Dr Fred Affleck AO & Mrs Margaret AffleckNeil Archibald & Alan R Dodge AM

Tony & Mary Beeley David & Suzanne Biddles Peter & Marjorie BirdAlan & Anne BlanckenseeDr G Campbell-EvansProf Jonathan Carapetis & Prof Sue SkullRev Dr John and Prof Rachel Cardell-OliverMark Coughlan & Dr Pei-Yin HsuDiane CoxonStephen Davis & Linda SavageBev EastRoger & Ann GillbanksRichard FaragoRobyn Glindemann Brian & Romola HaggertyWarwick Hemsley & Melissa ParkeSue Hovell Sylvia & Wally HyamsJim & Freda Irenic Eleanor John & Finn BarrettMichael & Dale Kitney Stephanie & John Kobelke Dr Richard & Patricia LyonMrs MorrellAnne NolanTim Pavy & Cathy ColeDr Lance Risbey & Ms Elizabeth SachseMelanie & Paul ShannonGail & Tony Sutherland Gene TilbrookMichael & Helen TuiteStan & Valerie VicichJoyce Westrip OAMAndrew & Marie YunckenAnonymous (2)

Principal PatronGifts $1,000 - $2,499Caroline Allen & Sandy DunnPrue Ashurst in memory of Eoin CameronMargaret Atkins Dan BamBetty BarkerNoelle BeasleyColin and Sarah Beckett Kevin Blake Matthew J C Blampey

Namy BodinnerSusy BoglePeter & Eve BolandDr & Mrs P BreidahlJean Brodie-Hall AMMarilyn & Ian BurtonDr Anne ChesterPeter & Sue Clifton David CookeArthur & Nerina CoopesHon June Craig AMMaree Creighton & Kevin Davis Brian CresswellGay & John Cruickshank Rai & Erika DolinschekPamela Joy Douglas & Simon DouglasJulian Dowse Megan EdwardsLorraine EllardDane Etheridge & Brooke FowlesAnnette FinnP & J FisherDon & Marie Forrest Dr Andrew GardnerGeorge GavranicGraham & Barbara GouldenJannette Gray Deidre Greenfeld Grussgott Family TrustRichard B Hammond Pauline & Peter HandfordDr Harry Hansen-KnarhoiIn memory of Eileen HayesDr Penny Herbert in memory of Dunstan HerbertJacoba Hohnen & Stuart CookseyMichael HollingdaleHelen Hollingshead John & Katrina HopkinsJ & S HuanJudith HugoCynthia JeeLilian & Roger JenningsWarren & Emi JonesAnthony Kane in memory of Jane Leahy-KaneBill Kean

Annual Giving

OUR SUPPORTERS

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David Keast & Victoria MizenNoelle & Anthony Keller AMKelly FamilyIrving LaneAnn LewisMeg LewisTeresa & Jemima LovelandBarry & Elizabeth LydonGraham & Muriel Mahony Gregg & Sue MarshmanS. McWhirter Betty & Con Michael AOMrs Carolyn Milton-Smith in loving memory of Emeritus Prof John Milton-Smith Hon Justice S R Moncrieff Geoffrey & Valmae MorrisJane & Jock MorrisonLyn MurrayVal & Barry NeubeckerDelys & Alan NewmanMarianne NilssonDr Phil and Mrs Erlene NobleJohn OvertonRon & Philippa PackerMichael & Lesley PageAthena PatonRosemary PeekCharmian Phillips in memory of Colin CraftPamela PlattThomas & Diana Potter Dr Brad PowerBarry & Dot PriceDr Leon Prindiville Joan ReylandJohn & Alison RiggBryan & Jan RodgersNigel & Dr Heather Rogers Gerry & Maurice Rousset OAMRoger Sandercock Dr R & J SchwengerMargaret & Roger SearesGlenice ShephardJulian & Noreen Sher Laurel & Ross SmithPaul Smith & Denham HarryMichael Snell & Vicki Stewart Geoff and Christine SoutarRuth ThomasGavin Toovey & Jaehan LeeMary Townsend James & Rosemary Trotter

Maggie VenerysAdrienne & Max Walters AM Watering ConceptsIan WatsonDr Chris & Mrs Vimala WhitakerGeoff WilkinsonDai and Anne WilliamsIan Williams AO & Jean WilliamsJim & Gill WilliamsJudith Wilton & David TurnerHilary & Peter Winterton AMSara WordsworthIn memory of youth concerts at the Capital Theatre in the 1950s Anonymous (23)

Tutti PatronGifts $500 - $999Anne ActonGeoff & Joan Airey Catherine BagsterBernard & Jackie Barnwell Shirley Barraclough Mrs Berwine Barrett-LennardPamela M BennetMichael & Nadia Berkeley-Hill John & Sue Bird in memory of Penny BirdDermot & Jennifer BlackweirElaine BondsDiane & Ron BowyerJames & Gay BrownAlison Bunker & Myles HarmerLucia BuralliAnn Butcher & Dean R Kubank Michelle CandyNanette CarnachanClaire Chambers & Dr Andrea ShoebridgeFred & Angela ChaneyDr Sarah CherianLyn & Harvey Coates AOAgatha & Alex Cohen AOHelen CookBrian CresswellGina & Neil DavidsonProfessor Wayne Iwan Lee Davies FRSB Jop & Hanneke DelfosJudy Dolan Mrs G EwenIn memory of Arbutus Beaver Falatko

Maxine & Bill Farrell AMGavin & Susan FieldingJoan GagliardiJennifer & Stephen GardinerElaine GimsonIsobel Glencross Pitsamai & Kevin GreenDavid & Valerie GullandPaul & Barbara HarrisAlan Harvey & Dr Paulien de BoerEric & Elizabeth HeenanRosemary HowarthChristopher, Julie, Rosemary & Bronwyn HudsonPeter Ingram Peter S JonesB M KentDorothy KingstonNelly KleynUlrich & Gloria Kunzmann John Kusinski & Annie MotherwayTrevor & Ane Marie Lacy Louis & Miriam LandauPaul LeeMartin & Ruth LevitMegan LoweThe Lucas FamilyIan and Judith LuntMary Ellen in memory of KerensaOliver & Sophie MarkGeoff MasseyJennifer & Arthur McCombJames Meneghello & Mabel ChewTony & Gillian MilneS B Monger-HayAndré & Barbara MorkelDr Peter MossPhuong NguyenPeter O’SullivanDr Walter Ong & Graeme MarshallMarjan Oxley Bev Penny Adrian & Ruth PhelpsAlpha & Richard Pilpel OAMAlison & John PriceTony & Val RamshawRosie ReemanJames & Nicola Ridsdill-SmithPaul RobertsLeigh RobinsonChris & Serge Rtshiladze Her Excellency the Hon. Kerry Sanderson, AC

OUR SUPPORTERS

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Carole SextonThe Sherwood FamilyIn memory of Judith SienkiewiczJacinta SirrPaul & Margaret SkerrittHendrik SmitDr L Sparrow & FamilyPeggy & Tom Stacy Eleanor SteinhardtIn Memoriam of Mr Andrew David StewartLois StoutLisa & Andrew Telford

Rhondda TilbrookRuth E ThornGwen TreasureDr Robert TurnbullPatricia TurnerS R VogtMargaret WallaceJohn & Nita WalsheDiana WarnockAnne Watson Joy WearnePatricia WestonMargaret Whitter

Mrs Barbara WilcoxViolette William Janet WilliamsMargaret WoodChris ZiatisAnonymous (23)

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

*Orchestral Chair Partnership

OUR SUPPORTERS

If you are interested in becoming a Patron or learning more about WASO Philanthropy please contact Alecia Benzie, Executive Manager, Philanthropy, on (08) 9326 0020 or email benziea@waso.com.au.

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

All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible.

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See what’s on at visitperthcity.com

2017 CORPORATE PARTNERS2017 CORPORATE PARTNERS

SONATA PARTNERS

PARTNER OF EXCELLENCE

COLL EGEAQUINAS

CONCERTO PARTNERS

OVERTURE PARTNERS

KEYNOTE PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

ORCHESTRA SUPPORTERS

MEDIA PARTNERS

FUNDING PARTNERS

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

We encourage you to support these partners for generously supporting your Orchestra

To share in our vision and discuss the many opportunities available through corporate partnerships please contact Corporate Development on 08 9326 0004

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Asher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts. *A one-off handling fee of $5.50 per transaction applies to all purchases on our website. A fee of $3.85 applies to over the counter bookings. A fee of $6.60 applies to phone and mail bookings. An additional fee of $4.40 per transaction applies for delivery via Registered Post.

TICKETS FROM $46*BOOK NOW 9326 0000WASO.COM.AU

ASHER FISCH CONDUCTS STRAUSS’ A HERO’S LIFE

Fri 1 December 7.30pm & Sat 2 December 2pmPerth Concert Hall

MACA LIMITED CLASSICS SERIES

AVNER DORMAN After Brahms BRAHMS Shicksalslied (Songs of Destiny) BRAHMS Gesang der Parzen (Song of the Fates) STRAUSS, R. Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)

Asher Fisch conductorWASO Chorus