Utzon Music Series 2013 Brochure - Sydney Opera House

Utzon
Music
Series
Dejan Lazi ć
Lisa Gasteen
Simone Dinnerstein
Sergio Tiempo
Brodsky Quartet
Hindemith Quintet
Susan Bullock
Louis Lortie
The Tallis Scholars
Christan Tetzlaff
2013
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2013 Season
Dejan
L a z i ć
Piano 24 Feb 3pm
Lisa
Gasteen
Soprano 28 Apr 3pm
Simone
Dinnerstein
Piano 12 May 3pm
Sergio
Tiempo
Piano 23 Jun 3pm
Brodsky String 12 Jul 7pm
Quartet Quartet 13 Jul 3pm
13 Jul 7pm
14 Jul 3pm
14 Jul 7pm
Hindemith Wind 28 Jul 3pm
Quintet Quintet
Susan
Bullock
Soprano 1 Sep 3pm
Louis Lortie Piano 15 Sep 3pm
The Tallis
Scholars
Choir 27 Oct 7pm
Christian
Tetzlaff
Violin 8 Dec 3pm

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Welcome Message
from Yarmila Alfonzetti
Head of Classical Music,
Sydney Opera House
Without a doubt one of life’s great pleasures is the
privilege of watching something grow and flourish, and
this indeed is how I feel about the Utzon Music Series.
While my years at Sydney Opera House have frequently
been peppered with exceptional performances (who can
forget the Berlin Phil, The Sixteen or Steve Reich)
and artists whose acquaintance I have felt honoured
to make, the Utzon Music Series remains a constant;
something to watch and follow, something to share,
something to treasure.
Objectively these intimate performances lasting little
more than an hour are but droplets in the rough and
tumble of our daily lives. However, I know many of you
have, like me, come to cherish these moments in the
Utzon Room as a small refuge at the end of the week
wrapped in a musical moment that is at once precious
and fleeting. The 2013 program is full of such moments;
unique performances by artists whose presence on our
shores is transitory but not to be missed.
The 40th birthday of Sydney Opera House in 2013,
and anniversaries in general, is the theme that has
inspired some of my selections this year. I congratulate
both the Brodsky Quartet and The Tallis Scholars for
their vast achievements at both of their 40th birthdays
in 2013, and I am pleased to be able to include a
work by Hindemith (on the 50th anniversary of Paul
Hindemith’s passing) and an arrangement of The Rite
of Spring (100th anniversary) which wrap up a very
momentous year. I am without a doubt the most ardent
admirer of every artist in this program and the repertoire
I know that I can’t wait to hear again.
I look forward to seeing and meeting you in person in
the Utzon Room.

The Utzon
Music Series
In 2013,
look forward to:
The world’s greatest artists
The Utzon Music Series is a rare opportunity
to experience world renowned ensembles
and soloists in a small and intimate venue.
A Complimentary Drink
We invite you to enjoy a complimentary
beverage while you admire the stunning
views and chat with friends before
each concert.
Priority Access
Subscribe to the 2013 season to secure your
seat before single tickets go on sale to the
general public on January 7th. The Utzon
Room has a capacity of just 200 seats so
you’ll want to get in early!
*Price correct at time of printing October 2012.
$15 flat rate applicable with entry and exit before 5pm.
Subscriber Discounts
As a subscriber you save $19 on the price
of single tickets. That’s a saving of over 20%.
All you need to do is pick 3 or more concerts
to access this special price.
Affordable Parking
The majority of the Utzon Music Series
concerts commence at 3pm so you can take
advantage of Wilson’s Sydney Opera House
Car Park $15* Sunday flat rate.
Free Ticket Exchange
We understand that plans change.
Subscribers are entitled to one free ticket
exchange per Utzon Music Series package.
Any subsequent exchanges are $5 per ticket/
per exchange.
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‘Artists who play in the Opera House’s
Utzon Music Series always face tough
competition from the setting’
Sydney Morning Herald
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Dejan Lazi ć
Foreign Folktales
Sunday 24 February, 3pm
Utzon Room
Dejan Lazić’s thoughtful pianism revels in contrasts: power and
delicacy, ardour and coolness, old and new. He is a dazzling new
force on the international concert scene.
Juxtaposing the intricate Baroque jewels of Domenico Scarlatti
with the irresistible rhythmic verve of Bartók’s folk-inspired dances,
Lazić’s program is a typical ‘liaison’ of eras, ideas and nationalities.
Tiny but demanding, the Scarlatti sonatas need deftness of wit and
hand, while the two Hungarians tax pianistic technique to its limits.
The Croatian-born pianist was born into a musical family. His
international career has taken him to major halls and festivals,
including a tour of Australia with the ACO.
A composer himself, he is consistently lauded for his empathetic
connection with the music he plays: ‘Lazić plays with palpable heart,
with genuine spirit that derives entirely from the music itself, with
dexterity, subtlety and insight’ (The Telegraph, UK).
From Yarmila:
I was taken aback by Dejan Lazić’s intimidating performance of Lizst’s
Totentanz at the 2011 BBC Proms. The exciting way in which he flaunted
his talent, flicking fingers and hair in a daringly flamboyant performance
was riveting. I knew then that all my future listenings to Liszt would be
compared to this.
SCARLATTI Selected sonatas
for keyboard
BARTÓK
Six Dances in Bulgarian
Rhythms
Funeral March from Kossuth
Three Rondos on Slovak
Folktunes
BARTÓK LISZT Venezia
è Napoli from Années de
pèlerinage: Italie

2013
A brilliant pianist and a gifted
musician full of ideas and able to
project them persuasively
Gramophone Magazine

A model of assured singing
and powerful acting
Bloomberg

Lisa Gasteen
Heritage in Song
BERG
Seven Early Songs
Sunday 28 April, 3pm
Utzon Room
There’s palpable excitement when Australia’s queen of dramatic
sopranos takes to the stage. This is a unique opportunity to hear one
of the great voices of our time in the intimacy of the Utzon Room.
Lisa Gasteen has a voice in a million, the perfect instrument for the
heroic (and sometimes antiheroic) women of Wagner and Richard
Strauss. And, like the characters she brings to life, Gasteen has also
made a personal triumph over injury. In a rare recital appearance,
Gasteen will survey the peak of Romantic song: ardent, sensuous
and soaring.
Since winning the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1991,
the Brisbane-born soprano has performed at every opera house
of note, famously as Wagner’s Brünnhilde at Covent Garden and
The Met. In 2012, she performed at the Queensland Festival in
Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Lisa Gasteen was appointed an Officer
of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2006.
From Yarmila:
Lisa Gasteen is one of those iconic performers that I simply cannot believe
we have in our midst. She cares deeply about sharing music with audiences
around the world. I love Berg’s songs for their intricate combination of
Schoenberg, Mahler, Wolf and even Debussy, and I can’t wait to hear what
Lisa’s gifts and knowledge will bring to these great pieces.
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Simone Dinnerstein
Variations Reinvented
Sunday 12 May, 3pm
Utzon Room
Enter a miraculous musical cosmos with one of America’s most
inspiring pianists as guide. Bach’s Goldberg Variations is a cycle
of exquisite polyphonic beauty that have bewitched audiences
and musicians since their publication in 1741.
A set of increasingly brilliant complications of simple bassline,
the Variations are a powerful demonstration of Bach’s
unmatched genius and his sheer joy of music-making. Pianists
revel in their vast emotional compass, so they are the perfect
vehicle for Simone Dinnerstein, a musician of subtlety, candour
and intelligence.
After financing her own debut recording of Bach’s Goldberg
Variations, Dinnerstein’s career was “launched into the
stratosphere” in 2007 when commercial label Telarc picked
it up. Listeners discovering Dinnerstein’s unique touch
and sensitivity took the record to No.1 on the Billboard Classical
charts and placed it at the top of critical best-of lists. Since
then, Dinnerstein has made several acclaimed recordings and
toured extensively, but remains dedicated to her community,
establishing a Neighbourhood Concert Series to raise funds
for New York’s public schools.
From Yarmila:
There is something irresistible about Simone Dinnerstein. To achieve
what she did with her own release of the Goldbergs, a work with which
I am personally obsessed, is astounding and admirable. What is it
about this work, aside from its length, that tests both the performer and
the listener in equal measure?
JS BACH Aria with 30 Variations
(Goldberg Variations), BWV 988

An utterly distinctive voice in the
forest of Bach interpretation.
The New York Times

A colourist in love
with the infinite variety
a piano can produce
Gramophone Magazine

Sergio Tiempo
Night Moods
CHOPIN Selected Nocturnes
CHOPIN Piano Sonata
No.3 in B minor, Op.58
RAVEL Gaspard de la nuit
LISZT Consolation No.3
GINASTERA Three Argentinean
Dances
Sunday 23 June, 3pm
Utzon Room
Fearless, spontaneous, electrifying: one-of-a-kind virtuoso
Sergio Tiempo makes familiar classics sound freshly minted as
he takes you on a journey to rediscover the sound of the piano.
Take for example Ravel’s ‘Ondine’, an evocation of a water sprite,
which Tiempo conjures in an iridescent shimmer, each note
defined and crystalline. Tiempo works similar magic on the bel
canto lyricism of Chopin, too, in a sonata that blends grandeur
and intimacy.
The Venezuelan pianist has established a reputation as one of
the most thought-provoking and iconoclastic musicians of his
generation. A protégé of Martha Argerich, Tiempo is noted for
his interpretations of the solo piano music of Chopin and Ravel,
and for his critically-acclaimed concerto performances.
From Yarmila:
I was fortunate enough to hear Sergio Tiempo’s sensational
Australian debut with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra last year.
His performance, bursting with ideas and movement, brought the
house down with seemingly endless applause. I have no doubt that his
intimate interpretations of some of our favourite piano repertoire in
this concert will be equally unmissable.
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The Brodskys achingly
beautiful performance reached
deep into the heart
The Guardian

Brodsky Quartet
The Shostakovich Cycle
Friday 12–Sunday 14 July
Utzon Room
Dmitri Shostakovich’s true testament is his 15 string quartets.
These intensely personal, profound, bitterly funny and tragic
utterances are collectively one of the great works of 20th
century art.
There are few composers as compelling and controversial as
Shostakovich, whose music is a life-and-death battle of ideas
about truth, ideology and existence. Composed throughout his
life, the quartets comprise a private journal, from energetic
youth to the terrified contemplation of mortality. The Brodskys
perform the complete ‘autobiography’ of Shostakovich with
total authority.
One the most adventurous ensembles in any genre, The
Brodsky Quartet has a 40-year history of musical exploration,
and an extensive catalogue of recordings. With a busy
international touring schedule, the UK-based ensemble is
renowned for its quartet cycles: Schubert, Beethoven and
Bartok, for example, and especially Shostakovich.
From Yarmila:
When asked why on earth we would fill an extended weekend with
the fifteen Shostakovich quartets, my simple answer is because
we must. Shostakovich was following a plan and I want to hear it.
What a truly rare and unique opportunity to hear all these works
interpreted together and live. Join me in setting aside one weekend
for a truly arresting musical journey with none other than our
dear Brodsky Quartet.
Concert 1
Friday 12 July, 7pm
No. 1 in C major, Op.49
No. 2 in A major, Op.68
No. 3 in F major, Op.73
Concert 2
Saturday 13 July, 3pm
No. 6 in G major, Op.101
No. 4 in D major, Op.83
No. 5 in B flat major, Op.92
Concert 3
Saturday 13 July, 7pm
No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op.108
No. 8 in C minor, Op.110
No. 9 in E flat major, Op.117
Concert 4
Sunday 14 July, 3pm
No. 11 in F minor, Op.122
No. 12 in D flat major, Op.133
No. 13 in B flat minor, Op.138
No. 14 in F sharp major, Op.142
Concert 5
Sunday 14 July, 7pm
No. 10 in A flat major, Op.118
No. 15 in E flat minor, Op.144
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Hindemith Quintet
Hindemith’s Fond Farewell
Sunday 28 July, 3pm
Utzon Room
Five virtuoso wind players from five European countries
play together in perfect harmony. A program of 20th century
masterpieces for quintet and a spectacular Rite.
The wind quintet is one of the most purely charming of ensembles.
The combination of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn allows
for a kaleidoscope of colour and expression, and as you’ll hear in an
arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, savage energy.
The principal wind players of Frankfurt’s orchestras lead a double
life as members of one of Europe’s most acclaimed wind quintets.
All brilliant players in their own right, they bring their skills to bear
on an extensive repertoire of works old and new in performances
at festivals and chamber venues across Europe and the Middle East.
They take their name from composer Paul Hindemith, a
polymath musician who, it’s said, could play just about every
orchestral instrument.
From Yarmila:
My dear friend oboist Nick Deutsch, who graduated from the Sydney
Conservatorium and is currently Professor at the University of Music in
Leipzig, has brought together some of the best woodwind players in Europe
today to form a quintet. These musicians are in such high demand that it is
an unbelievable treat they are here together to be part of our Series.
EISLER Divertimento
LIGETI Six Bagatelles
HINDEMITH Kleine Kammermusik
for wind quintet, Op.24, No.2
SCHÖENBERG Wind Quintet,
Op.26
STRAVINSKY arr. RUSSEL The
Rite of Spring

Full orchestral sound with distinctive
harmonic and rhythmic precision
Saarbrücker Zeitung

One of the world’s top
Wagner singers
The Guardian

Susan Bullock
The Soprano’s Songbook
with Malcolm Martineau, piano
Songs of SCHUMANN, BRITTEN,
DEBUSSY and more
Sunday 1 September, 3pm
Utzon Room
The Melbourne Ring Cycle’s star gives an intimate recital
demonstrating the musicality, intelligence and dramatic
prowess which have made her famous.
Susan Bullock is one of the world’s most sought-after dramatic
sopranos, especially in the technically and emotionally-taxing
Wagner roles of Brünnhilde and Isolde. She brings that same
intensity to the art songs of Schumann and Debussy, treating
them as operas in miniature. Bullock is joined by pianist
Malcolm Martineau who has raised the art of accompaniment
to new heights.
In 2012, Susan Bullock became the first soprano to sing
in four consecutive Wagner Ring Cycles, a display of stamina
that’s characteristic of this hardworking and down-to-earth
diva. Bullock has appeared in Australia before, as the seductive
and amoral Katerina in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
The ultimate musicians’ musician, Martineau is a pianist
with a gift for mind-reading, a phenomenal technique and a
limitless knowledge of every corner of the singers’ repertoire.
He is understandably in demand as an associate artist, the
partner of choice for A-list singers.
From Yarmila:
Everyone’s talking about the Ring Cycle in Melbourne. This is such
a momentous occasion for music in Australia that it was always top
of my list to entice one of the Opera’s stars to come to Sydney for an
intimate recital.
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Louis Lortie
Favourites by BEETHOVEN,
RAVEL and MOZART
Sunday 15 September, 3pm
Utzon Room
Canadian pianist Louis Lortie plays so well that he can afford to
take risks, making Chopin and Liszt sound daring once again in
high-wire act recitals.
Lortie’s playing is equal parts panache and precision, qualities
that he presses into service for music from Beethoven to Ravel
and beyond. This broad sweep of styles and eras are effortlessly
encompassed by his technique and artistic curiosity. In his hands
even familiar classics regain their spontaneity and bloom.
The Quebecois pianist has been a frequent guest of the Sydney
Symphony, delighting audiences with his elegance and versatility.
Lortie studied with Leon Fleisher, who in turn studied with Artur
Schnabel, a demonstration that poet-pianists are a product of
both nurture and nature. Lortie’s lyrical touch and interpretative
insights are in evidence in over 30 recordings for Chandos,
including complete Beethoven, Ravel and Chopin cycles, and in
the glowing reviews he’s received for performances at the world’s
most prestigious halls.
From Yarmila:
Who can forget Louis Lortie’s 2003 New York performance where he
stepped in at the last minute to replace Pollini and received some of the
most impeccable reviews - “Crystalline notes pouring from his fingers.”
The more I learn about Louis the more I realise that he is unbreakable.
He is more in demand than ever and his artistic abilities just get better
and better.

One of perhaps
half a dozen pianists
who it is worth
dropping everything
to go and hear
Daily Telegraph UK

The rock stars of
Renaissance music
New York Times

The Tallis Scholars
Allegri’s Miserere and more
Sunday 27 October, 7pm
Concert Hall
The Tallis Scholars reignite the soul of Renaissance choral music,
that exquisite flowering of expression where intertwining voices
soared in cathedrals and palaces.
For 40 years, The Tallis Scholars led by Peter Phillips have
been giving authoritative performances of Renaissance sacred
music, single-handedly establishing it as one of the glories of
western art. Pure-voiced and flexible, the choir creates a sound
of astonishing beauty and blend, perfect for the divinely-inspired
music of Allegri and Palestrina for which they are renowned.
Established in 1973 by Peter Phillips, The Tallis Scholars is
one of the most awarded and acclaimed ensembles on the scene.
With an extensive touring and recording schedule, they give
over 70 concerts a year in sacred and secular venues. Their
recording of Allegri’s famous Miserere, for centuries only heard in
the Sistine Chapel, is legendary. Combining profound scholarship
and musicianship with deep emotion, The Tallis Scholars are a
perfect example of today’s renaissance in historically-informed
performance.
From Yarmila:
Without a doubt it is a highlight of the year to be able to include The Tallis
Scholars 40th birthday tour in our program and to host such a venerable
ensemble at Sydney Opera House. Music Director Peter Phillips has
secured an enviable international reputation decorated with honours and
awards a plenty. His leadership of this ensemble has resulted in sublime
voices making sublime music.
TALLIS Loquebantur variis linguis
PALESTRINA Missa Papae
Marcelli
ALLEGRI Miserere
WHITACRE New commission
TALLIS Sancte deus
TALLIS Miserere
CORNYSH Ave Maria
CORNYSH Magnificat
Include The Tallis Scholars in
your 2013 subscription to access
Premium seats for $66 (that’s
$33 off the single ticket price).
Single tickets go on sale on
Monday 7 January 2013 for:
P $99/ A Res $85/ B Res $49
25

Christian Tetzlaff lets the
music live, breathe and sing with a
directness few can equal today
The Guardian

Christian Tetzlaff
Alone with Bach
Sunday 8 December, 3pm
Utzon Room
JS BACH Complete sonatas
and partitas for solo violin, BWV
1001-1006
Melody, harmony and expression meet in six soliloquies that
are dramatic, playful, tragic and joyous.
Of all Bach’s extraordinary works, the solo violin sonatas
and partitas are perhaps the most enthralling and intense, a
touchstone for musicians ever since their inception. From the
dancing lightness of the E-major partita to the epic scale of the
D-minor Ciaccona, these works seem to encompass all human
experience in a single voice, and are in ideal hands
with Christian Tetzlaff.
Critics are united in their praise of Christian Tetzlaff’s impeccable
musicianship, probing intelligence and transcendent technique.
The versatile violinist is at home with a 21st century concerto
as he is with early music in an intimate hall. A physical player, the
music he plays wells up from within for performances which are
organic, living and breathing and profoundly moving.
From Yarmila:
Sydneysiders, you are in for the indulgence of a lifetime getting to hear
this man perform the Bach solo partitas and sonatas up close. Tetzlaff
plays with such delicacy that you can’t but help lean in and listen. There
is no extraneous interpretation or fussing, just pureness of sound and
flawless ability.
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Sydney Opera House
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and to join, call 02 9250 7777 or visit
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The most inclusive and
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The Insiders Team

Subscription
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2013 Utzon
Music Series
Single tickets go on sale on Monday 7 January, 2013.
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Please note that you can only access the $66 subscription price if you choose 3 or more different concerts.
Single tickets go on sale on Monday 7th January 2013.
Concert Date Venue No. of tickets Subscription Price Total
Dejan Lazic 24 Feb 3pm Utzon Room $66
Lisa Gasteen 28 Apr 3pm Utzon Room $66
Simone Dinnerstein 12 May 3pm Utzon Room $66
Sergio Tiempo 23 Jun 3pm Utzon Room $66
Brodsky Quartet Concert 1: 12 Jul 7pm Utzon Room $66
Brodsky Quartet Concert 2: 13 Jul 3pm Utzon Room $66
Brodsky Quartet Concert 3: 13 Jul 7pm Utzon Room $66
Brodsky Quartet Concert 4: 14 Jul 3pm Utzon Room $66
Brodsky Quartet Concert 5: 14 Jul 7pm Utzon Room $66
Hindemith Quintet 28 Jul 3pm Utzon Room $66
Susan Bullock and 1 Sep 3pm Utzon Room $66
Malcolm Martineau
Louis Lortie 15 Sep 3pm Utzon Room $66
The Tallis Scholars* 27 Oct 7pm Concert Hall $66
Christian Tetzlaff 8 Dec 3pm Utzon Room $66
*add The Tallis Scholars to your subscription and save $33 on the
Premium single ticket price. Single tickets for the Tallis Scholars go
on sale on Mon 7 Jan for: P $99 / A Res $85 / B Res $49.
Continues overleaf
Booking fee $8.50
Total $

Make a Donation
Sydney Opera House is honoured to present the world’s finest classical musicians for the 2013 Utzon Music Series.
We are committed more than ever to bringing these extraordinary artists to Australia, many for the first time, for you to
enjoy in the intimate setting of the Utzon Room. As we celebrate 40 years of public performances in 2013, our vision is
stronger than ever – to continue to present the greatest classical works and also collaborate with artists to commission
new works, to broaden the musical landscape and contribute to the future of the art form. With your help, we can
make this possible. Every gift makes a difference.
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Bookings and
Information
Ticket Prices
Single tickets $85
(On sale from Monday 7th Jan, 2013)
Insiders single tickets $68
Subscription tickets $66
Youth tickets (under 18) $35*
The Tallis Scholars Single tickets
Premium $99
A Reserve $85
B Reserve $49
*Youth price available to people under 18.
Appropriate proof must be provided when booking
and attending performances. Youth price not
available for subscriptions.
All prices quoted are inclusive of GST where
applicable. Booking fees apply to all transactions.
See sydneyoperahouse.com/fees for further
information. Ticket exchanges are permitted subject
to availability – conditions and fees apply. Contact
the Box Office for further information. No refunds will
be provided on any ticket, except as outlined in the
Live Performance Australia Code of Practise for the
Ticketing of Live Entertainment Events in Australia.
Phone 02 9250 7777
Online sydneyoperahouse.com
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
In person at Sydney Opera House
Box Office foyer on Level 1
This brochure is correct at the time of printing
October 2012. Artists and programs are subject to
change without notice.
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