Dvořák’s Symphony No.8

MACA CLASSICS SERIES

Friday 2 & Saturday 3 August 2024, 7.30pm

Perth Concert Hall

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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.

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Dvořák’s Symphony No.8

Olivia DAVIES Hyphae (World Premiere) (10 mins)

Camille SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No.5 Egyptian (29 mins)
Allegro animato
Andante – Allegretto tranquillo – Andante
Molto allegro

Interval (25 mins)

Antonin DVOŘÁK Symphony No.8 (36 mins)
Allegro con brio
Adagio
Allegretto grazioso
Allegro ma non troppo

Dmitry Matvienko conductor
Konstantin Shamray
piano

Wesfarmers Arts Pre-concert Talk
Find out more about the music in the concert with this week’s speaker, Ashley Smith. The Pre-concert Talk will take place at 6.45pm at the Terrace Level Corner Stage.

Listen to WASO
This performance is recorded for broadcast Thursday 1 August, 1pm (AWST) on ABC Classic. Date subject to change. For further details visit
abc.net.au/classic

Did you know?

Dvořák conducted the premiere of his Eighth Symphony in April 1890 as part of his induction into Emperor Franz Josef’s Czech Academy of Science, Literature, and the Arts.

Initially, Dvořák was apprenticed as a butcher. This meant that at the age of 13, he was inducted into the Butcher’s Guild of Zlonice.

Dvořák suffered from Agoraphobia, meaning he was often afraid of going outside on his own. His phobia was so great that he missed his début performance of his New World Symphony but was somehow convinced to attend the next one.

Composer Johannes Brahms is the one responsible for getting Dvorák in the public eye. Brahms noticed Dvořák during the Austrian State Stipend for composers in which Brahms was a judge.

Like Mozart, Camille Saint-Saëns was a child prodigy. At 2½ he could pick out tunes on the piano; at the age of 3 he composed his first piece; and by 7 he was giving public concerts as a pianist and organist.

When Saint-Saëns was 10, he made his public debut and offered to play any one of Beethoven's 32 sonatas from memory.

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About the Artists

About the Artists

About the Music

About the Music

About the Music

Meet the Musician

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Sonia Croucher - Principal Piccolo

What initially inspired you to play the piccolo?
My piccolo journey began unexpectedly in the school band with a quirky duo concerto pairing the tiniest instrument with a tuba - a contrast that instantly captivated me. Years later, as a professional with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, I found myself reliving that magical combination, forming a piccolo-tuba duo for an Alzheimer's home concert. Since that fun start, I've always been drawn to the piccolo's unique voice in the orchestra - its ability to soar above the ensemble and add sparkle and lots of character to the music.

Do you remember the first orchestral work you heard (live or recording)?
Growing up in rural Queensland, my first taste of a professional orchestra came when the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) visited our small town as part of their annual “Train Tour”. It was eye-opening to see and hear a full orchestra in person. But the moment that truly captured my imagination was when I travelled to Brisbane to hear the legendary flautist James Galway perform with the QSO. Watching Galway's masterful performance with the orchestra was a pivotal moment for me.

Do you have any standout concerts or performances in your time with WASO?
My history with WASO actually began back in 2009 when I was flown in from Malaysia at very short notice to play piccolo in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.6 for a live ABC radio broadcast directed by Simone Young. That experience was definitely 'standout'! Since officially joining WASO as Principal Piccolo, the memories have been piling up fast. Our variety is incredible - from our Outer Space concert where my horn colleague donned an inflatable pig suit to the whole audience singing 'Let It Go' during Frozen. It's impossible to choose just one standout - each performance brings its own magic.

What is your favourite style of music to play?
Each style offers something unique, but I particularly enjoy pieces that allow the piccolo to shine. If I had to choose a favourite orchestral composer, it would undoubtedly be Shostakovich. His writing for piccolo is always brilliantly challenging and rewarding. For flute solo repertoire, Bach holds a special place in my heart. But great music isn't limited to the classical world - give me some Earth, Wind & Fire any day, and I'm just as happy!

If you could invite three people from any period in history to dinner, who would you choose and why?
Rather than for dinner, I'd actually host them for a Sunday morning BBQ around my Weber - expertly cooked by my amazing Viking partner Henrik, who has embraced this iconic Aussie skill with his Scandinavian engineering brain! My guests would be; Mozart - not just for his prolific musical genius, but also for his famously cheeky character and crazy laugh; Theobald Boehm - specifically at the age when he was just starting to tinker with improving the flute design; and Jacob Collier - a modern-day musical genius with such a warm, engaging personality.

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If you enjoyed tonight's concert, we think you'll love:

Liszt’s Piano Concerto

Franz Liszt was renowned for his ultra-virtuosic works for piano. One of the greatest pianists of our time, Lukáš Vondráček will shine in Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.1, an innovative masterpiece that is dazzling and daring.

Elgar described his Second Symphony as a “passionate pilgrimage of the soul”. Musically rich and emotionally complex, it encompasses the heights of joy and the depths of despair. Principal Conductor Asher Fisch leads us through this enigmatic yet glorious work.

Asher Fisch appears courtesy of Wesfarmers Arts.
Lukáš Vondráček’s performance is supported by the McCusker Charitable Foundation.


Fri 6 & Sat 7 September 2024, 7.30pm
Perth Concert Hall

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