~ The Autumn 2016 Season will feature major works from the orchestral canon by Mahler, Holst, Elgar, Brahms, and Paganini, amongst others ~
12th September – 30th September, 2016 | Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA
· India’s first and only professional orchestra celebrates a successful run of 10 years
· Music Director Marat Bisengaliev and Associate Music Director Zane Dalal jointly conduct a special anniversary gala concert
· World-renowned British conductor Martyn Brabbins to make his first appearance in India
· 12-year-old piano prodigy Sanzharali Kopbayev perfoms Grieg’s piano concerto
Mumbai, 9 September 2016: The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, will mark the 10th anniversary of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) – India’s first and only professional orchestra from September 12 - 30, 2016. Founded in 2006, by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook, and internationally-renowned violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the Orchestra’s Music Director, the SOI has grown to become an internationally-acclaimed ensemble.
In the decade since its founding, the SOI has accomplished several significant milestones. The Orchestra has performed with world-renowned conductors and soloists, including Charles Dutoit, Augustin Dumay, Maria João Pires, and Zakir Hussain, amongst several others, and has also presented several fully-staged operas in Mumbai. The true mark of the success enjoyed by any orchestra is not just when accolades pour in, but also when they are invited to perform in internationally, in renowned venues. The SOI has embarked on four international tours. These have seen the SOI perform as part of the Festival of the World’s Symphony Orchestras in Moscow, at the Royal Opera House in Muscat and opening the Abu Dhabi Classics 2015-16 season in the UAE. Most recently, the SOI performed three concerts in Switzerland to great acclaim in the Swiss media.
The SOI is rapidly building a global impression with growing numbers of international supporters that reconize the value and the standard of the SOI as being on par with some of the finest ensembles in the world.
Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, NCPA Chairman & co-founder of the Symphony Orchestra of India said ‘As we complete a decade, we are very proud of what the SOI has achieved in ten short years. We are delighted to present Mumbai with world-class performances of western classical music, which we are now also taking to other countries. Our educational programmes are a vital part of our mission, as we hope to build a solid foundation for classical music in India. My most sincere gratitude to our Music Director Marat Bisengaliev and to Zane Dalal and the NCPA staff for their tremendous work to bring us to where we are today.
The SOI’s Autumn 2016 season begins on 12th September with a concert led by British conductor Martyn Brabbins who marks his debut concert in India. A winner of the Leeds Conductors’ Competition, Brabbins has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and at La Scala in Milan. The programme, which includes Brahms’ first symphony, will also feature the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 with rising-star Hungarian violinist Kristóf Baráti who is increasingly recognized around the world for the extraordinary quality of his musicianship.
On 17th September, Martyn Brabbins again leads the SOI in a performance featuring The Planets, a seven-movement work by English composer Gustav Holst, with each movement based on one of the planets, musically portraying their astrological character. The suite is one of Holst’s most popular works and is widely performed around the world. Excerpts from Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser will open the programme.
On 22nd September, SOI Associate Music Director Zane Dalal conducts the orchestra in its first performance of Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 1. In Dalal’s words, “the music of Mahler—advanced for its time—still represents the closest man has come to rendering his raw emotion into written music.” The programme also includes the overture, Witch's Ride, and Evening Song from Humperdinck's opera based on the fairy tale Hansel & Gretel.
On 27th September, SOI Music Director Marat Bisengaliev leads the Orchestra in the famous 'Enigma' Variations by Sir Edward Elgar. Marat is a noted Elgar specialist and his recordings of Elgar’s violin works have won wide acclaim and numerous awards. This piece comprises 14 variations on an original theme, each variation being a musical sketch of one of Elgar’s friends.
12-year-old piano prodigy Sanzharali Kopbayev will also join the SOI and Marat to perform Grieg's piano concerto, one of the most popular pieces in the genre. With this performance, Sanzharali will become the youngest soloist to be featured in an SOI season.
The 10th Anniversary Season of SOI closes with a special gala concert on 30th September jointly conducted by Marat Bisengaliev and Zane Dalal, featuring popular works by Bernstein, Bizet, Johann Strauss Jr., and more.
Program:
Date
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Performance
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Venue
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September 12, 2016 7:00PM
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Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Kristóf Baráti, violin
Rossini: Overture to La gazza ladra
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68)
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Jamshed Bhabha Theatre
NCPA
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September 17, 2016 7:00PM
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Martyn Brabbins, conductor
Wagner: Prelude and Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser
Holst: The Planets, Op. 32
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September 22, 2016 7:00PM
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Zane Dalal, conductor
Humperdinck: Excerpts from Hansel and Gretel
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major
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September 27,2016 7.00pm
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Marat Bisengaliev, conductor
Sanzharali Kopbayev, piano
Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre
Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op. 16
Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme (‘Enigma’), Op. 36
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September 30, 2016 7:00PM
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10th Anniversary Gala
Marat Bisengaliev, conductor
Zane Dalal, conductor
Bernstein: Candide Overture
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2
J. Strauss Jr.: Artists’ Life, Blue Danube Waltzes
and more
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About the SOI:
The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, was founded in 2006 by NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook and internationally-renowned violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, who serves as the Orchestra’s Music Director. India’s first and only professional symphony orchestra, the SOI has performed around India and internationally, as well. Zane Dalal was appointed Associate Music Director of the SOI in September 2014, following serving seven years as Resident Conductor. Piotr Borkowski serves as the Resident Conductor, taking up the role in 2015.
The SOI has worked with renowned conductors including Charles Dutoit, Augustin Dumay, Yuri Simonov, Lior Shambadal, Adrian Leaper, Johannes Wildner, Evgeny Bushkov, Rafael Payare, Duncan Ward, Karl Jenkins, Mischa Damev, Alexander Anissimov, and Christoph Poppen, amongst others. Soloists have included Maria João Pires, Augustin Dumay, Simon O’Neill, Cédric Tiberghien, Alina Ibragimova, Barry Douglas, Angel Blue, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, Tamás Vásáry and Lena Neudauer. Apart from the mainstays of the symphonic repertoire, the NCPA and SOI have also presented some large-scale productions, including fully-staged operas.
The Orchestra’s core group of musicians are resident at the NCPA all year round; additional players are recruited from a talented pool of professionals from around the world. The SOI features a growing number of Indian players, representing the finest home-grown talent, which provides a solid foundation for the future of orchestral playing in the country. Many of the SOI musicians are also teachers as the orchestra places great emphasis on teaching and developing musical potential amongst young people in India. One of NCPA’s educational initiatives is the Special Music Training Programme, which brings a professional level of teaching to gifted young musicians, with the aim of growing the number of Indian musicians in the SOI in the near future.
The creation of first-class cultural institutions working towards international recognition is a vital component of India’s growing prestige on the world stage. Moreover, the SOI is fulfilling an important cultural and educational role within India. The NCPA will continue to build on the goal to become a centre of musical excellence, developing international standards of professionalism among its musicians, thereby addressing the aspirations of young musicians and music-loving audiences throughout India.
About the NCPA:
Opening its doors to the world in 1969, the NCPA became the first multi-venue and multi-purpose cultural centre to be built in South Asia. Vibrant and diverse, the NCPA today is recognized by artistes, patrons and media alike as India’s premier performing arts institution. The Centre provides a fine showcase for India’s rich performing arts traditions, all thanks to the institution’s training and research initiatives.
The NCPA presents over 600 events each year across all major art forms, most notably Indian Music, International Music, Theatre and Film, Dance, and Literature, Visual Arts and Photography. There are Heads of Programming for each of these art forms who curate innovative events and festivals; representative of everything from classical to contemporary throughout the year. The NCPA produces its own programmes as well as collaborates with leading cultural promoters from around the world. NCPA is the only member organisation of the International Music Council (IMC) from India.