Sibelius' Second Symphony
MORNING SYMPHONY SERIES
Thursday 6 October 2022, 7.30pm
Perth Concert Hall
West Australian Symphony Orchestra respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and Elders of Country throughout Western Australia, and the Whadjuk Noongar people on whose lands we work and share music.
How to use your Digital Program
Sibelius' Second Symphony
Richard WAGNER Tannhäuser: Overture (14 mins)
Jean SIBELIUS Symphony No.2 (44 mins)
Allegretto
Tempo andante, ma rubato
Vivacissimo –
Allegro moderato
Pietari Inkinen conductor
Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert Talk
Find out more about the music in the concert with this week’s speaker, Cecilia Sun. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 9.40am in the Main Auditorium
Sibelius' Symphony No.2 Listening Guide
WASO On Stage
About the Artists
Pietari Inkinen
Conductor
The Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen has been Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie since September 2017, where his contract has recently been extended until June 2025. In addition, he will become Music Director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, from January 2022. He is also Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2016.
Recent and future highlights include his debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, SWR Symphony Orchestra and Budapest Festival Orchestra. In previous seasons Pietari Inkinen has also conducted Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Staatskapelle Berlin, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic.
Inkinen is also an accomplished violinist. He studied at the Cologne Music Academy with Zakhar Bron before taking further studies in conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Image credit: Kaupo Kikkas
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About the Music
Richard Wagner
(1813-1883)
Tannhäuser: Overture (Dresden version, 1845)
Tannhäuser dates from Wagner’s time as Second Kapellmeister in Dresden (1843-49). In his previous opera, The Flying Dutchman, Wagner had already established Redemption as one of his lifelong themes. Tannhäuser continues the idea of a woman sacrificing herself for the man she loves.
Love and death may be opera’s two defining poles. Tannhäuser depicts furthermore a tussle between carnality and spiritual love. The curtain rises on the minstrel Tannhäuser in the Venusberg, the legendary haunt of the goddess of love. Sated with the Venusberg’s delights, he wants to return to the everyday world. Once there, he rediscovers his former love, Elisabeth, and tries to win her back in a song contest. He is expected, however, to seek repentance for his sins but is refused forgiveness by the Pope. But all is not lost. At the last, Elisabeth dies and in dying intercedes for him. News is brought of the Pope’s staff in Rome bursting into leaf, signifying Tannhäuser’s salvation.
When he began Tannhäuser, Wagner had not yet conceived his revolutionary theory of music drama. The version of Tannhäuser premiered in Dresden was still basically a traditional ‘number opera’ with discrete arias, ensembles, and choruses. Its overture was in a closed form and could stand alone as a musical item.
Wagner revised Tannhäuser for Paris in 1861. By that time he had composed the highly chromatic and anguished Tristan und Isolde, and the ‘Paris’ version benefits from Wagner’s advanced harmonic language. It is as if he was being lured to evermore sensual depictions of love.
Gordon Kalton Williams © 2012
First performance:
19 October 1845, Dresden; Wagner conducting.
First WASO performance:
2 November 1938. Malcolm Sargent, conductor.
Most recent WASO performance:
18-19 March 2016. Asher Fisch, conductor.
Instrumentation:
three flutes (third doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings.
Glossary
Kapellmeister – director of music; literally, ‘master of the chapel’.
Chromatic – use of notes which are not part of the key.
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About the Music
Jean Sibelius
(1865-1957)
Symphony No.2 in D, Op.43
Allegretto
Tempo andante, ma rubato
Vivacissimo –
Allegro moderato
Sibelius, like Brahms, came relatively late to writing symphonies, producing his First at the age of 33 and premiering it in 1899. Like Brahms, though, Sibelius had accrued considerable experience in writing for orchestra. The 1890s saw the composition of works like Kullervo, En saga, movements which later became the Karelia suite and the original version of the Lemminkäinen Suite, which depicts heroic tales from the Finnish mythological cycle, the Kalevala.
What all these works have in common, of course, is their preoccupation with the myths and legends of Finland, which remained until 1917 a satellite of Imperial Russia. As a member of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, Sibelius hadn’t given much thought to the traditional mythology of the Finns until his engagement in 1890 to Aino Järnefelt, whose family were very pro-Finnish. At the time he was studying in Vienna, where the music of Anton Bruckner made a deep impact on him. While Sibelius’ enthusiasm for Bruckner cooled over the years, the influence of the Austrian composer – particularly his ability to structure largescale symphonic movements – remained crucial.
Sibelius’ nationalist music was related to a growing political consciousness: by 1899 the Russians were actively discriminating against Finns and suppressing their language. The work we know as Finlandia was banned by the Russians and had to be performed under the politically inoffensive title of ‘Prelude’, though no Finn in the audience was unaware of the work’s significance. Sibelius’ enterprise in the 1890s, then, was to create a Finnish musical language out of the drama of its legends, the typical modal patterns of its folksong (though he never quoted actual folk tunes) and the rhythmic imprint of its verse, and to blend these elements with the contemporary idioms of Bruckner, Liszt and Tchaikovsky.
Sibelius always denied that the Second Symphony, which appeared in 1902, had any extra-musical significance. The journey it enacts from darkness to light relates it to works of ‘absolute’ music such as certain Beethoven symphonies, but commentators – particularly in Finland – have often argued for its having an implicit program of national liberation. The audiences at its premiere performances certainly thought so: the concerts were sold out, the audiences ecstatic and the composer acclaimed as a national hero. Its first movement seems to evoke the pastoral landscapes of Finland, shot through with a sense of incipient grief.
During its course the symphony passes through often fragmentary stages of deep melancholy and conflict before emerging in the final movement with one of Sibelius’ most stirring and memorable tunes.
In fact, Sibelius began writing music which ended up in the symphony while holidaying in Italy, leading some writers to comment on the more than usually warm textures that he draws from a modestly constituted orchestra. From his correspondence we know he was contemplating at least two projects: a set of tone-poems called Festivals and a single-movement work – inspired perhaps by Richard Strauss, whom Sibelius had recently met – on the story of Don Juan. Out of the sketches for these works, Sibelius fashioned some of his most memorable gestures: the sinister start of the second movement, with its soft pizzicato opening, horn calls and bassoon solo, was originally to have evoked the figure of Death arriving at Don Juan’s castle.
The work may be a document of national liberation, but it is also about the process of unifying and reconciling diverse, often fragmentary, musical gestures, so that the expansive melody of the finale seems the inevitable outcome of all that went before. Five years later, Sibelius would have his much reported meeting with Mahler where he advocated a ‘severity of style and the profound logic that creates an inner connection between all the motifs’. Mahler’s response, ‘No, the symphony must be like the world and embrace everything’, missed the point. In their different ways, they were saying the same thing.
Gordon Kerry © 2003
This work, published by Breitkopf & Härtel, has been supplied by Clear Music Australia Pty Ltd as hire agents for Bärenreiter in Australia.
First performance:
8 March 1902, Helsinki; composer conducting.
First WASO performance:
16 August 1947; Joseph Post, conductor.
Most recent WASO performance:
21-22 April 2017; Asher Fisch, conductor.
Instrumentation:
two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, strings.
Glossary
Pizzicato – plucking, rather than bowing, the strings.
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About WASO
Engage | Excite | Experience | Educate
From the centre of Perth to the furthest corners of the state, we have provided the soundtrack to life in WA since 1928.
As the State Orchestra, Perth’s first and finest, WASO is the largest employer of performing artists in Western Australia and reaches two million people with musical experiences each year on stage, in our community, and online.
From concert halls to classrooms, hospitals to aged care, we bring joy, inspire learning, and nurture participation in our community, because everybody deserves the opportunity to experience live music. Every year, through community and leading industry partnerships, we engage a new generation of young and emerging artists to help secure a bright future for music in Australia.
We celebrate our rich classical music heritage with great artists from all over the world and commission and perform new repertoire to renew and expand it.
The Orchestra collaborates widely with major arts companies and independent artists, performing opera to ballet, movies to musicals, jazz to rock. We champion the diversity of music in all its forms, with a team of talented and passionate people who create unforgettable experiences for all West Australians to enjoy.
Asher Fisch is Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of our Orchestra and we are proud to call Perth Concert Hall home.
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Your Concert Experience
FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF ALL
When to applaud? Musicians love applause.
Audience members normally applaud:
• When the conductor walks onto the stage
• After the completion of each piece and at the end of the performance
When you need to cough, try to do it discreetly. 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 or silenced 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.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
You are now able to take your cold drinks to your seat.
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.
FIRST AID
There 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 OFFICE
Buy 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. Please note that 30 minutes prior to performance, the Box Office will only be available for sales to that night’s performance.
The Box Office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and contactable on 9326 0000.
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Staying COVID Safe
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Wash your hands
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Stay home if you are unwell
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Masks are encouraged
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Cough or sneeze into your elbow
Please visit waso.com.au/covid-safe for more information.
Please continue to practise good hygiene habits and observe physical distancing where possible.
If you are experiencing COVID symptoms or required to isolate ahead of any concert, please email boxoffice@waso.com.au an we will provide you with a flexible ticket exchange, hassle free.
Thank you for playing your part in keeping everyone safe and healthy.
Community Engagement
REQUIEMS AND ENGAGEMENT
As WASO’s flagship Community Engagement program, Crescendo regularly receives wonderful opportunities to engage with our visiting mainstage artists when we work with them as part of our mainstage concert season. This year has been no exception, with the student learning and engagement opportunities in musicianship and the strings program benefiting from workshops with outstanding artists.
In June both North Parmelia and Medina Primary Schools were privileged to host Short Black Opera in their music classes. Over two days Deborah Cheetham AO and Toni Lalich OAM, took 132 students in Years 4, 5 & 6 on a cultural journey, learning and exploring songs and First Nations language from the Dhungala Choral Connection Songbook. The students were amazed by an intimate aria performance by Deborah, and both students and our teaching artists experienced a sense of accomplishment at learning three First Nations language songs in 90-minutes, with a true feeling of connection in the room during each group’s workshops.
Deborah Cheetham recently presented her epic work Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace with WASO in September.
In August our Crescendo String Ensembles from both schools joined forces with the visiting Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) students for a magnificent day of collaborative music making. Led by WASO’s Assistant Conductor, Jen Winley, the students constructed an entirely new piece of music in a very short amount of time. Layering and building activities over the day, the ensembles composed sections of the piece in small groups, then came together to build the new work, with Jen comparing composition to constructing a hamburger:
This was such a wonderful day of music making, team work and fun. The Crescendo musicians worked incredibly hard all day and were willing and ready to give anything a go. The ANAM musicians were so supportive and inspiring to the Crescendo players and had definitely achieved rock star status by the end of the day!
You may have seen the ANAM students onstage with WASO during Britten’s War Requiem in August. The students are involved in community engagement activities when they perform with WASO, and it was wonderful for our Crescendo students to work with young people that have achieved such a prestigious position at a National Music Academy, through their dedication to learning their instrument and hard work.
WASO Assistant Conductor, Jen Winley, is supported by the Simon Lee Foundation. WASO gratefully acknowledge the support of our philanthropic and corporate community, who enable us to transform the lives of the students and their families through Crescendo.
Image credit: Daniel James Grant
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The WASO Song Book
Take your place in history by making music with us
For years, benefactors have enabled composers to breathe life into their creations. The world premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Ave Maria was made possible with many thanks to the generous support of Dr Paul Rodoreda, in memory of his dear mother Mary.
Founded by Patron of Private Giving Janet Holmes à Court, the Song Book is an opportunity for you to play a role in the future of music. The commission of new work plays an essential role in the evolution of our art form, and enables the rising generation of composers to apply their talent and create the classics of tomorrow.
It is a unique experience for both performers and audiences to experience these premieres. Bringing you new work is a matter close to our hearts as we aim to enrich your musical palate with different sounds and harmonies.
Developing new work is a thrilling experience as you become immutably tied to the piece which becomes part of our repertoire in perpetuity. You will also meet the composer and have the opportunity to work with our Artistic Planning team as they provide ongoing updates in the creative process. Like Paul, you may commission your piece in memory of a beloved family member or friend, or to honour a special occasion.
For a unique discussion about your piece in the Song Book, please call Taui Pinker, Senior Development Manager on (08) 9326 0014 or pinkert@waso.com.au.
Image: Composer James Ledger presenting the world premiere of his Viola Concerto in 2019, commissioned for the WASO Song Book by Geoff Stearn.
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Philanthropy
2022 Trusts and Foundations
Crescendo
Assistant Conductor / Emerging Conductors Program
First Nations Creative Collaborations / Composition Project
About the Speaker
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