MUSIC LIST
Road. 228 l 155. 7.30pm. £2—£9 (series discounts available) (child £2.50). Aptly chosen to fit in with the rail theme of this year‘s Proms is Richard Rodney Bennet‘s Murder On The Orient Express Suite. racing along with Honegger's Pacific 231 and The Little Train OfThe Calpira by Villa Lobos. with Mahler‘s 5th Symphony (theme music from Visconti's film Death In Venice. see Film section). after the interval.
0 Dalkeith Symphony Orchestra St David‘s High School. Abbey Road. Dalkeith. Tickets: 228 1 155 (Usher Hall). 7.30pm. £2 (£1). See Tue 2 for full description.
THURSDAY 4 Glasgow
0 The Barber of Seville Theatre Royal. Hope Street. 331 1234. 7.15pm. Extra date: Thurs 25 (Edinburgh). £3—£19. The last chance to see Scottish Opera in Rossini‘s witty opera before it moves to Edinburgh. New translation by Robert David MacDonald.
0 Children’s Music Festival Glasgow Arts Centre. 12 Washington Street. 2214526. 7.30pm. Extra date: Fri 5. £2/£1(child 50p). See Wed 3 for full description.
Edinburgh
0 SNO Proms Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1155. 7.30pm. £2.50—£9 (series discounts available) (child £2.50). Fascinatin‘ Rhythm tonight from Richard Rodney Bennett and Marian Montgomery in a special cabaret-concert (in the Usher Hall?) to mark the 50th anniversary of the death ofGeorge Gershwin. See paneL
FRIDAY 5 Glasgow
0 Madam Butterfly Theatre Royal. Hope Street. 331 1234. 7.15pm. Extra dates: Wed 24 and Sat 27 (Edinburgh). £3—£19. See Tue 2 for full description. See Review.
0 Vierne 50th Anniversary Concert St Andrew‘s RC Cathedral. Clyde Street. Tickets: 552 5961 (Ticket Centre Candleriggs). 8pm. £3 (£1.50). Lots of music by Vierne performed by musicians of Strathclyde University directed by Alan Tavener. The University Chamber Choir sings and organists are Joseph Cullen and Ewen Cameron.
0 Children’s Music Festival Glasgow Arts Centre. 12 Washington Street. 2214526. 7.30pm.£2/£1 (child 50p). See Wed 3 for full description.
Edinburgh
0 SNO Proms Usher Hall, Lothian Road 228 1155. 7.30pm.£2.50—£9 (series discounts available) (child £2.50). Young violinist Lorraine McAslan in Mendelssohn‘s energetic Violin Concerto. with Schubert’s Symphony No 9. Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin, and Rain, Steam And Speed by Douglas Young. Proms favourite James Loughran conducts. See panel.
0 Lunchtime Prom Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Queen Street. Free at door. 12.45pm. While the big
— BILLY BUDD
As a parting gift forScottish Opera, outgoing Director of Productions Graham Vick could hardly have left anything more memorable than Billy Budd. Almost in tears himself at the end of Britten’s all-male opera, Vick’s production brought out all the strength, tension and oppression of the drama, an adaptation by E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier of the story by Herman Melville.
An impressive steel set of the central mast ofthe HMS lndomitable, with the rigging cutting across it horizontally, provides various levels for the action, with sailors ingeniously appearing from down below or at different heights from the inside ofthe steel mast. The men's voices of Scottish Opera Chorus were on splendid form on opening night, especially in the threatening excitement of going into action against a French ship, climaxing in a cannon shot being fired right into the audience.
As Captain Vere, the good, kind captain who reluctantly has to condemn the youthful handsome sailor Billy Budd to death, Philip Langridge captured the human side of the character bound up within the rules of life at sea, highlighted by the ghostly, silent shadow of Vere as an old man, flitting on and off stage. Equally strong, is John Tomlinson’s Glaggart, the evil master-at-arms. Setting out to destroy Billy Budd, because he cannot cope with his homosexual feelings brought
on by Budd's beauty and innocence, Claggart’s final false accusation of mutiny enrage Billy so much that his stammer prevents him from speaking and he strikes out with a fatal blow. Singing Budd, the young Canadian Mark Tinkler is good-looking and athletic, and in many ways made for the part. In the pit, the Scottish Opera Orchestra is tight and clean with particularly fine playing from the wind and brass.
Billy Budd is on at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow on Wednesday 3 and Saturday 6 June and the King’s, Edinburgh on Tuesday 23 and Friday 26 June (see listings). (Carol Main)
SNO Proms go on at the Usher Hall this week . a small sample can be heard in the more peaceful surroundings ofthe Portrait Gallery. Players from the SNO perform music by Bax. Telemann. Glazunov and Debussy in various combinations of flute. viola and harp.
SATURDAY 6 Glasgow
0 Harpsichord Recital Pollok House. Pollok Country Park. Pollokshaws Road. Free at door. 3pm. An informal hour ofmusic for harpsichord. Worth taking a look round the house too.
0 Billy Budd Theatre Royal. Hope Street.331 1234. 7.15pm. Extra dates: Tue 23 and Fri 26 (Edinburgh). £3—£19. See Wed 3 for full description.
Edinburgh
0 SNO Proms Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1155. 7.30pm. £2.50—£9 (series discounts available) (child £2.50). After week of festivities. it‘s now the Last Night of the Proms with all the usual favourites plus a few new ones fitting into the rail theme of this year‘s Proms season. Bryden Thomson has the honour of conducting. See panel.
SUNDAY 7 Glasgow
0 Organ Recital St Bride‘s Episcopal Church. Hyndland Road. 552 5961 (Ticket Centre. Candleriggs). 8pm. £2.50 (£1 .25). As Edinburgh‘s Organ Week of French organ music
just about grinds into action.
Glasgow hosts French organist Rene Saorgin from Nice in a programme marking Pentecost of Buxtehude.
J.S. Bach. Couperin and Cesar Franck. He also plays in Edinburgh Organ Week on Fri 12 (see next issue)
Edinburgh
0 St Giles’ at Six St Giles‘ Cathedral. High Street. Free at door. 6pm. The Aberdeen Orpheus Choir and stirring stuff— Faure‘s Requiem and the Magnificat by Pergolesi.
O Messiah Usher Hall. Lothian Road. Tickets: 031 556 4603 (Edinburgh Academy Office). 7.30pm. £4 (£3) plus party discount. Edinburgh Academy pupils and their mums and dads get together for Handel‘s Messiah. Soloists are Patricia MacMahon. Christine Cairns. Paul Hindmarsh and lvor Klayman.
MONDAY 8
0 Edinburgh Organ Week Recital St Stephen‘s Church. St Vincent Street (foot of Howe Street). Admission at door. 8pm. £2. Edinburgh Organ Week kicks offits theme ofFrench Organ Music with John Kitchen playing works by Durufle (Prelude. Adagio et Choral varie). Cesar Franck (Grande Piece Symphonique). Dupre’ and Bonnet. See pane‘.
TUESDAY 9 Edinburgh
0 Edinburgh Organ Week Recital St Mary‘s Cathedral. Palmerston
Place. Admission at door. 8pm. £2. More French organ music. this time played by the Organ Week‘s director. Philip Sawyer. including Messiaen‘s breathtaking L‘Ascension and the first performance ofthe Missa Brevis for Bass Voice (Nicholas Jones) and Organ by Edinburgh-based composer Julia Craig-McFeely.
WEDNESDAY 10 Edinburgh
0 Opera Video Italian Institute, 2a Melville Crescent. 226 3173. Free at door. 7.30pm. More Italian opera on video preparing the way for Scottish Opera‘s visit to Edinburgh later this month. Madama Butterfly is tonight‘s choice.
0 Edinburgh Organ Week Recital St Stephen's Church, St Vincent Street (foot of Howe Street). Admission at door. 8pm. £2. Marjorie Bruce gives the first performance of A Scottish Festival, a work she‘s commisSioned from French composer Jean Langlais. Other French music is by Franck. Pierne and Tournemire. See paneL
THURSDAY 11 Edinburgh
0 Edinburgh Organ Week Lecture and Recital St Andrew‘s and St George‘s Church. George Street. Admission at door. 8pm. £2. Music at the Court of Versailles is the title of Michael Turnbull‘s talk. More French music follows for sopranos. viol da gamba and organ. See panel.
PIRvOtMI'S
USHER HALL, EDINBURGH 30 MAY - 6 JUNE
30 MAY MENDELSSOHN: The First Witches Sabbath with SNO
Chorus & Youth Chorus conductor MATTHIAS BAMERT
2.1 UNE Works by MILHAUD and SAINT SAENS for percussion, with EVELYN GLENNIE RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherezade
3 JUNE MAHLER: Symphony No 5 Works by HONEGGER/VILLA-LOBOS Film music from Murder on the Orient Express
4JUNE FASCINATIN' RHYTHM songs and piano music of GERSHWIN
5 JUNE MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto SCHUBERT: Symphony No 9 conductor JAMES LOUGHRAN 6JUNE TRADITIONAL LAST NIGHT conductor BRYDEN THOMSON
Tickets from Usher Hall Box Office, thm—start of concert Tel 031 228 t 1556.
The List 29 May — 11 June 27