Many musical treasures to savour in 2014-15 at DFP

The DFP 2014-15 season promises many musical and artistic treasures. With judicious artistic planning from DFP GM Timothy Tsukamoto, we would finally hear Mahler’s Third Symphony premiered in Malaysia at the DFP. Led by venerable Dutch conductor Edo de Waart, star mezzo-soprano Susan Graham lends her golden voice to its fourth and fifth movements. The opening gala this year features a programme of Wagner (with Deborah Voigt) and Berlioz led by the NY Met principal conductor Fabio Luisi.

Two other star attractions of the season celebrate 2 great composers’ 150th birthday, Richard Strauss as well as Jean Sibelius. Edo de Waart leads the former celebration with the Alpine Symphony as the main attraction, whilst Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu dedicates the Suite from Pelleas and Melisande (after Maurice Maeterlinck’s play) and the Seventh Symphony to the latter’s birthday festivities. Another of Sibelius’s countrymen Jukka Pekka-Saraste, adds to the Sibelian celebrations in another concert that consists of Pohjola’s Daughter and the majestic Fifth Symphony.

Two star violinists (Sarah Chang and Janine Jansen) grace the season with the Dvorak Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn’s passionate opus. Piano concerto offerings are from Venezuelan Gabriela Montero with the evergreen Tchaikovsky First Concerto and Brazilian Arnaldo Cohen with Liszt’s Second Concerto.

New MPO principal conductor Fabio Mechetti leads the orchestra in several concerts including Mahler’s Sixth Symphony. On his second visit, conductor Benjamin Zander offers the Mahler Second Symphony, having premiered the Ninth some years ago.

Other high profile conductors that are gracing the DFP 2014-15 season are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Eiji Oue, Kirill Karabits, Hugh Wolff, John Mauceri, Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Robert Spano.

Opera offerings are in the shape of Sumi Jo in a night of operatic aria magic as well as three interpretations of the Carmen story including a semi-staged concert performance for Bizet’s original as well as Rodion Shchedrin’s reworked ballet which is based on Bizet’s music.

For modern musical comedy, there is no better violin and piano duo than that of Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Joo Hyung-ki who offer laughs in their programme “BIG Nightmare Music”. For further details, please visit www.dfp.com.my and www.mpo.com.my