2010 n at i o n a l concert se ason —
tour 1— tognetti’s mozart presented by vanguard investments
Julian Thompson
Aged 14, Mozart wrote his first great opera, Mitridate, and for the rest of his life opera remained close to his heart. In the final three violin concertos, opera is always bubbling under and on the surface. richard tognetti
national tour partner
1—t o g n e t t i ’ s m o z a r t presented by vanguard investments
SCHUBERT Quartettsatz, D703 GRIEG (arr. Tognetti) String Quartet in G minor MOZART Violin Concerto No.4, K218 HAYDN Symphony No.46 Richard Tognetti Artistic Director and Lead Violin
Of all the remarkable things about the ACO’s playing, perhaps the most affecting is its ability to wring maximum drama and variety from the music. This 18th and 19th century music displays that emotional range. Symphony No.46 comes from Haydn’s Sturm und Drang period, music of extreme emotion written in reaction to the rational age of Enlightenment. Grieg’s vigorous, soaring String Quartet was rejected by his publisher for sounding too orchestral; ideal for a new arrangement by Richard Tognetti. Schubert’s Quartettsatz shows him writing chamber music for professional musicians for the first time, musicians who could really play. Richard and his Guarneri sound like they are singing and dancing with the Orchestra in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.4, here performed in preparation for a recording by the prestigious European label BIS.
Richard Tognetti
3 – 21 February Adelaide Tue 9 Feb 8pm Brisbane Mon 15 Feb 8pm Canberra Sat 6 Feb 8pm Melbourne Hamer Hall Sun 7 Feb 2.30pm, Mon 8 Feb 8pm Newcastle Wed 3 Feb 7.30pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 13 Feb 8pm, Tue 16 Feb 8pm, Wed 17 Feb 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 21 Feb 2.30pm Wollongong Thu 4 Feb 7.30pm
tour 2— aco soloists presented by pricewaterhousecoopers
Timo-Veikko Valve
One of the special things about the ACO is that it is a collective of soloists. In this concert, you’ll hear the individual talents of ACO Principals in repertoire ranging from the quirky virtuosity of CPE Bach to the heartbreaking sensibility of Britten’s Lachrymae. We also welcome for the first time on a subscription tour the celebrated radiance of oboist Diana Doherty. richard tognetti
national tour partner
principal innovation partner
2—ac o s olois t s presented by pricewaterhousecoopers
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Oboe Concerto CPE BACH Cello Concerto in A minor SCHREKER Intermezzo and Scherzo HINDSON New Work for Double Bass and Strings
(2010 Barbara Blackman Commission) BRITTEN Lachrymae JS BACH Concerto for Violin and Oboe Helena Rathbone Guest Director and Lead Violin Christopher Moore Viola Timo-Veikko Valve Cello Maxime Bibeau Double Bass Diana Doherty Oboe
Hear why the ACO is known as an orchestra of soloists as the Principals introduce you to a few of their favourite pieces. “CPE and ACO are synonyms for me,” says Principal Cello Timo-Veikko Valve. “The Cello Concerto is non-stop fireworks.” “I couldn’t wait to play the Bach Oboe and Violin Concerto when I was a kid,” says guest oboist Diana Doherty. “It seemed impossible then – so many notes! Nowhere to breathe! Years later, I’m still inspired by it.” Doherty also brings us Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto, which she calls “the very essence of English beauty, like gentle dappled sunshine on a wooded path.” Principal Viola Christopher Moore performs Britten’s “hauntingly beautiful” Lachrymae , reflections on Dowland’s song Flow My Tears. Matthew Hindson, known for delivering high-octane exhilaration, is rapidly becoming Australia’s most successful young composer internationally. He’s writing a new work for Principal Double Bass Maxime Bibeau. 11 – 25 March Adelaide Tue 16 Mar 8pm Brisbane Mon 22 Mar 8pm Canberra Sat 13 Mar 8pm Melbourne HAMER HALL Sun 14 Mar 2.30pm, Mon 15 Mar 8pm Newcastle Thu 11 Mar 7.30pm Perth Wed 17 Mar 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 20 Mar 8pm, Tue 23 Mar 8pm, Wed 24 Mar 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 21 Mar 2.30pm Wollongong Thu 25 Mar 7.30pm
Christopher Moore
tour 3— bach and be yond presented by caltex
Aiko Goto
Climbing the musical equivalent of Mt Everest, JS Bach, it’s often in the nooks and crannies that one finds his most astonishingly imaginative output. We have found synergy between works that create a great arc from Bach’s Lutheran Mass to Schoenberg’s Second String Quartet. Once the jigsaw fell into place, this program has been on constant rotation on my CD player. richard tognetti
national tour partner
3—bach and beyond presented by caltex
SHOSTAKOVICH Elegy and Polka JS BACH Missa Brevis in G minor, BWV235 PÄRT Summa SCHOENBERG Litany from String Quartet No.2 JS BACH Motet: Lobet den Herrn, BWV230 BURRELL Das Meer, das so gross und weit is,
da wimmelt’s ohne Zahl, grosse und kleine Tiere JS BACH Cantata: Wo gehest du hin? BWV166 Richard Tognetti Artistic Director and Lead Violin Sara Macliver Soprano Fiona Campbell Mezzo Soprano Nicholas Mulroy Tenor Matthew Brook Bass
Richard Tognetti, much awarded for his performances of Bach, has selected one mass, one motet and one cantata from Bach’s vast catalogue for this Easter tour. Two of Australia’s leading Baroque singers, Sara Macliver and Fiona Campbell, and two of the most exciting singers from the British vocal scene, Nicholas Mulroy and Matthew Brook, sing one voice per part. Expect deeply affecting, fearsomely virtuosic music-making. Centuries later, Bach’s influence remains pervasive. Schoenberg, Pärt, Burrell and Shostakovich speak from different places and experiences, yet each is motivated by Bach. Burrell conjures the sounds and atmosphere of the sea in a prelude and fugue with a title from the Lutheran Bible. Hypnotic and mystical, Pärt’s Summa sets the Credo and Schoenberg’s soprano soloist sings a heart-breaking Litany. First though, quirky music from Shostakovich. Maxime Bibeau
10 – 21 April Adelaide Tue 13 Apr 8pm Brisbane Mon 19 Apr 8pm Canberra Sat 10 Apr 8pm Melbourne HAMER HALL Sun 11 Apr 2.30pm, Mon 12 Apr 8pm Perth Wed 14 Apr 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 17 Apr 8pm, Tue 20 Apr 8pm, Wed 21 Apr 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 18 Apr 2.30pm
tour 4 — romantic symphony
Alice Evans
These colossal works of the symphonic repertoire require no explanation, unless you are attending a classical music concert for the first time, possibly drawn by the unlikely presence of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. But, those of you who think you’ll be hearing pop couldn’t be further from the truth. richard tognetti
associate tour partner
4—romantic symphony
GREENWOOD Popcorn Superhet Receiver
(Australian Premiere) SCHUBERT Symphony No.8 “Unfinished” BRAHMS Symphony No.1 Richard Tognetti Artistic Director and Lead Violin
The ACO plays two of the great Romantic symphonies! That doesn’t happen every day. In fact, the ACO has never played a Brahms symphony until now. We do, however, play a Beethoven symphony most years and Brahms’ first symphony is nicknamed Beethoven’s 10th. Brahms took decades to finish it, such was the pressure to produce a symphony on a par with Beethoven’s. Most people think he did. Certainly he created a bold, sweeping symphony, perfect for the massed sound of ACO and ACO2 combined. The “Unfinished” may be Schubert’s most popular work, two movements of tension and turmoil, serenity and lyricism: the Romantic era well and truly under way. Something else that doesn’t happen every day is a pop star writing great orchestral music, but Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is the real deal. Popcorn Superhet Receiver, heard in the film There Will Be Blood , won the Listeners’ Award at the BBC British Composer Awards. Here’s what the New York Times has to say: “viscerally exciting and intellectually engaging… imagine the scherzo of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony on steroids.”
Melissa Barnard
29 May – 7 June Melbourne HAMER HALL Sun 6 Jun 2.30pm, Mon 7 Jun 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 29 May 8pm, Tue 1 Jun 8pm, Wed 2 Jun 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 30 May 2.30pm
Ilya Isakovich
tour 5 — barefoot fiddler presented by IBM
Nicole Divall
Firebrand, barefoot and dangerous, but that’s only on the surface. The real picture with Patricia is that she’s a deep and searching musician and we welcome her back. richard tognetti
National Tour and Founding Partner
5—barefoot fiddler presented by IBM
KATS-CHERNIN Zoom and Zip SCHÜTZ German Magnificat MANSURIAN Violin Concerto “Four Serious Songs”
(Australian Premiere) VIVALDI Violin Concerto, RV253, “The Storm at Sea” HAYDN Violin Concerto in G VERESS Four Transylvanian Dances Patricia Kopatchinskaja Guest Director
Patricia Kopatchinskaja is captivating: free-spirited, imaginative, vivid, shoeless. A perfect guest director for the ACO. She’ll perform not one, not two, but three concertos, including a rarity by Haydn. Alternating fury and calm, Vivaldi published The Storm at Sea with The Four Seasons to show the world just how theatrical music can be. From distant Armenia comes the strong, emotionally direct music of Tigran Mansurian and a violin concerto he wrote for Patricia. And from close to her Moldovan home comes Veress’ jaunty original Transylvanian folk music. Schütz’s German Magnificat, written for two choirs like the spectacular Venetian ceremonial music of his teacher Gabrieli, is transcribed for string orchestra, in the tradition of Byrd’s viol consorts and Vaughan Williams’ Tallis Fantasia .
Mark Ingwersen
8 – 22 July Adelaide Tue 13 Jul 8pm Brisbane Mon 19 Jul 8pm Canberra Sat 10 Jul 8pm Melbourne Town Hall Sun 11 Jul 2.30pm, Mon 12 Jul 8pm Newcastle Thu 8 Jul 7.30pm Perth Wed 14 Jul 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 17 Jul 8pm, Tue 20 Jul 8pm, Wed 21 Jul 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 18 Jul 2.30pm Wollongong Thu 22 Jul 7.30pm
tour 6 — viennese masters presented by BNP Paribas
Stephen King
The ACO has often performed on so-called original instruments without trumpeting the fact. This time, however, we’re proclaiming the use of gut strings and welcoming Australian period wind virtuosi including Jane Gower, principal bassoonist in John Eliot Gardiner’s orchestras. Satu has always heard the piano part of Schubert's Rondo Brilliante as an orchestra, so we're bringing it to life with our mini-orchestra. richard tognetti
National tour partner
6—viennese masters presented by BNP Paribas
SCHUBERT (arr. Tognetti) Rondo Brilliante, D895 BEETHOVEN Septet, Op.20 BRAHMS Clarinet Quintet Richard Tognetti Artistic Director and Lead Violin Satu Vänskä Violin Christopher Moore Viola Timo-Veikko Valve Cello Maxime Bibeau Double Bass Craig Hill Clarinet Darryl Poulsen Horn Jane Gower Bassoon
Vienna was the centre of 19th century music-making and these three composers were its masters. More, the Clarinet Quintet was Brahms’ supreme achievement in chamber music and Beethoven’s Septet made him a celebrity in the city. The Septet remained embarrassingly popular throughout Beethoven’s life, more popular than the symphonies and sonatas. Those who follow Richard Tognetti’s artistic vision will understand Beethoven’s view that “art demands of us that we shall not stand still”. Once in a while, though, it’s nice to channel your inner aristocrat and relish tuneful, accomplished music like this and Brahms’ graceful, autumnal Clarinet Quintet. The ACO performs on gut strings joined by outstanding Australian period wind instrumentalists. First though, you’ll cheer ACO Assistant Leader Satu Vänskä’s show-stopping performance of Schubert’s virtuosic Rondo Brilliante. She’s been playing it since she was a child and describes it as a “fourteen minute roller coaster ride – a challenge well worth facing”.
25 September – 10 October Adelaide Tue 28 Sep 8pm Brisbane Mon 4 Oct 8pm Canberra Sat 25 Sep 8pm Melbourne Town Hall Sun 26 Sep 2.30pm, Mon 27 Sep 8pm Perth Wed 29 Sep 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Tue 5 Oct 8pm, Wed 6 Oct 7pm, Sat 9 Oct 8pm Sydney Opera House Sun 10 Oct 2.30pm Wollongong Thu 7 Oct 7.30pm
Satu Vänskä
tour 7— kreutzer s o n ata presented by commonwealth bank
Helena Rathbone
Whenever I perform these dramatic works, I feel it’s incumbent upon me to explain their background and gestation. So it’s wonderful to have the opportunity not only to present the Kreutzers side-by-side but also to illuminate the non-musical aspect of their drama through a clever and succinct dramatic revelation. richard tognetti
National tour partner
7— k r e u t z e r s o n ata presented by commonwealth bank
JANÁCEK ˇ (arr. Tognetti) String Quartet No.1
“The Kreutzer Sonata” BEETHOVEN (arr. Tognetti) Violin Sonata in A
“Kreutzer” Richard Tognetti Artistic Director and Lead Violin
The violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer would be amazed to know what has been created in his name. Beethoven didn’t even write the “Kreutzer Sonata” for him, but for the man he called the “lunatic mullato”, George Bridgetower. Beethoven’s sonata is the psychological pivot of Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Kreutzer Sonata”, about a man who kills his adulterous wife. That she and her violinist lover play the Kreutzer together is testament to its emotional power. Tolstoy was branded a moral pervert on publication of the novella and Janáˇcek’s violent reaction to it inspired his first string quartet, itself a psychological drama bursting with passion. The ACO has played Richard Tognetti’s arrangements of these two great works all over the world and here brings them together 100 years after the death of Tolstoy, whose still-controversial story connects these two wildly dramatic pieces.
Richard Tognetti
11 – 24 November Adelaide Tue 16 Nov 8pm Brisbane Mon 22 Nov 8pm Canberra Sat 13 Nov 8pm Melbourne Town Hall Sun 14 Nov 2.30pm, Mon 15 Nov 8pm Newcastle Thu 11 Nov 7.30pm Perth Wed 17 Nov 8pm Sydney City Recital Hall Sat 20 Nov 8pm, Tue 23 Nov 8pm, Wed 24 Nov 7pm Sydney Opera House Sun 21 Nov 2.30pm
Australian Chamber Orchestra Pty Ltd
a not for profit company registered in NSW ABN 45 001 335 182
General Manager Bill Gillespie OAM Artistic Director Richard Tognetti
PO Box R21, Royal Exchange NSW 1225 Opera Quays, 2 East Circular Quay, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone 1800 444 444 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) Fax (02) 8274 3887 Email boxoffice@aco.com.au Website aco.com.au