Edinburgh
I St Giles Lunchtime Organ Recital St (iiles‘ ('athedral. Royal Mile. 225 9442. l.l0pm. I‘ree. Sheila Robertson performs vvorks hy Buxtehude. Scheidt and Reger. I Maelasta National (iallery of Scotlattd. The Mound. 624 6200. 6pm. l‘ree. (iuitar and violin dtio Matthevv McAIlister and Iieargtis Iletherington from Live Music .\'ovv! supply an accompaniment to the exhibitions as part of the ‘Aftcr Hours’ concert series.
Glasgow
I Lunchtime Concert: Fanfare for Glasgow RSAMI). l()() Renl'revs Street. 332 5057. lpm. £6 (£4). The RSAMI) Brass return from a mini-tour of the Highlands to perform hlockhusting repertoire for large hrass ensemhle and solo trumpet with a Scottish. and in particular (ilasvvegian. flavour. With trumpeters John Wallace and Mark ()‘Keefl‘e and organist John Langdon.
Edinburgh
I Hebrides Ensemble: Good Angel Bad Angel Traverse 'I‘heatre. ('amhridgc Street. 228 I404. 7.30pm. £11
(£4.50 £6.50). See previevv. right.
I Excelsior per Cantum St (iiles’ Cathedral. Royal Mile. 225 9442. 7.30pm. £4. Scottish and other Iiuropean renaissance choral music from the choir of lleriot Watt l'niversity.
I Cloisters Quartet St John‘s ('hurch. Princes Street. ()7876 ()3 l 3 l0. 7.30pm. £5. Pour-part vocal music from this nevvly - formed talented ensemhle. including songs by Tallis. I)urulle and Britten. as vvell as Handel‘s .llesxiu/i in jltst three minutes. Proceeds to the .Ark Trust.
Hamilton
I The Choirs of St Mary’s St Mary \ Iipiscopal Church. Auchingramont Road. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). A performance of Vaughan Williams' pastoral .llmv in (1' minor for unaccompanied douhle choir and soloists.
Glasgow
I RSAMD Students’ Concert RSAMI). 100 Renfrevv Street. 332 5057. 4pm. Free. ticketed. Performance to include Max Bruch's romantic Kn/ Air/rel hy' Junior Academy Second ()rchestra. With conductor Timothy Paxton. and cellist Kirk Alexander.
I The Impresario Ramshorn Theatre. 98 Ingram Street. 552 3489. 8pm. £9 (£6). The quarrels and squahhles of an opera manager and his cast are delightfully depicted in Mo/art’s humorous one-act opera. performed by ()perantics.
I Hebrides Ensemble: Good Angel Bad Angel 'l'ramvvay. 25 Alhert Drive. 0845 330 350l. 8.l5pm. £9 (£5). See Hi 20.
Edinburgh
I St Giles Lunchtime Concert St (iiles' ('athcdral. Royal Mile. 2259442. l2.l5pm. l-‘ree. The Rutgers I'nivcrsity ('horus from .\'evv Jersey perform.
I Edinburgh Academy Summer Concert Queen's Ilall. ('lerk Street. 668 20l9. 7pm. £5 (£2.50). ()rchestras. hands and chamber choir from final year students at lidinhurgh Academy.
I Dioclesian (‘anongate Kirk. Royal Mile. 07957 497373. 8pm. £9 (£4). Purcell's darkly comic and ultitnately peaceful semi-opera tells a tale of ancient Rome. in vxhich a prophet's prediction of a political struggle leaves soldier l)ioclcs hungry for povv er. (‘hris Phelps directs lidinhurgh Symphony Baroque. vv hose historically informed performances are a highlight in the lidinhurgh summer season. I Verdi Requiem l'sher Hall. l.othian Road. 228 ll55. 7pm. £l0 £l2 (£8). (‘ome and Sing Scotland presents Verdi's
92 THE LIST 12 ’26 Ma, yous
NEW WORK
HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: GOOD ANGEL BAD ANGEL Traverse, Edinburgh, Fri 20 May; Tramway, Glasgow, Sat 21 May
For those whose memories of Robert Louis Stevenson are founded on A Child’s Garden of Verses, his short story Markheim might come as a bit of a shock. Forget the Land of Counterpane and Treasure Island, this is a dark, scary tale of murder and evil. Markheim, a man at the end of his tether, has killed and is likely to do so again. And again. Stevenson had a bit of a fascination with evil and while Markheim is not as well known as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, its superbly constructed treatment of good versus bad is the strong base upon which composer Lyell Cresswell and writer Ron Butlin have formed their latest collaboration.
A commission from Hebrides Ensemble, who requested ‘something Scottish and a bit other worldly’ says Cresswell, the new music theatre piece’s inspiration was a piece of literature that appealed to everyone involved. “We’ve based our work on it,’ says Cresswell, ‘adding some bits and taking away others. For instance, we thought that it should have a bawdy song, so we’ve introduced one into it. There’s also a lament and you can hear the ticking clock, which is a theme of the libretto.’
Scored for only four instrumentalists - violin, viola, cello and clarinet doubling bass clarinet - and three singers covering five characters, Good Angel Bad Angel’s staging is also intimate and small-scale. ‘It somehow emphasises the claustrophobic element of the story’ says Cresswell, ‘and should get over its darkness and mystery, although Markheim himself is ambiguous.’ Indeed, is it the devil who drives Markheim on, or is it maybe an angel, come to save his soul? Who knows? But, says Cresswell, ‘We hope that people will be intrigued by the idea of something that’s not easily
explained.’ (Carol Main)
mammoth Requiem as the result of a day 's intensive rehearsal. Iidinhurgh Symphony Orchestra accompanies the soloists and llltltl-sti'ong choir from across Scotland. l‘or enquiries ahotit singing in the choir. email ruth.malou(u tesco.net.
Innenenhen
I Brass Band Concert Memorial Hall. l.eithen Road. (ll896 83l72l. 7.30 9.30pm. £4.50 (£3.50). Avvard- vsinning St Ronan‘s Silver Band and St Ronan‘s Future Band present a selection from their vs ide repertoire. Part of Seotlislt Brass Band Week.
Edinburgh
I Russian State Symphony Orchestra l'sher llall. l.othian Road. 228 ll55. £15 £25. A magnificent Russian programme from this magnilicent Russian orchestra. vsho appear vvith nevv musical director Mark (iorenstein. Rachmaninov ‘s R/lrI/lvm/v on (1 Theme ull’ugu/iini. \\ ith pianist Nikolai Dentidenko. sits happily hetvveen e\cerpts from The Snow .erlr/(‘II and Svmp/mnv .\'n J by 'l‘chaikovsky.
I St Giles at Six: The Open Orchestra St (iiles' ('athedral. Royal Mile. 225 9442. 6pm. liree. I)a\ id ('risp conducts a pcrlormancc of Vaughan Williams' A [um/on Symphony and the first performance of ('risp'\ Uni .SIII/H’l’.
Paisley
I Paisley Philharmonic Choir Spring Concert Paisley lo“ a Hall. Ahhey (low. 942 (3746. 7.30pm. £8.50 (£7). The Paisley Philharmonic is joined by soloists and orchestra for :t performance of Schubert's Bullet .l/Hvlt‘ from It’munuun/c. Mo/art's (‘um/m/iw) .l/(lyv and Beethoven's .quv in (I
Edinburgh
I St Giles Lunchtime Concert St (iiles’ ('athedral. Royal Mile. 225 9442. l2.l5pm. free. A perlormance hy the Stratford (‘entral Singers from Ontario.
Tuesday 24
Glasgow
I RSAMD Students Ramshorn Theatre. 98 lngratn Street. 552 3489. l.l5pm. £3. A varied programme of solo and ensemble hrass music.
Edinburgh
I Forest of the Wild Boars Festival Theatre. l3 2‘) Nic‘tille Street. 529 (3000. 7.30pm. £8—£27.50. The lirst of tvvo pcrlormances hy the National Beijing ()pera ('ompany of ('hina looks at jealousy. mttrder and friendship in this tale hased on the literary classic :l/l .ll(’ll .-ll'(' Brut/ten.
Wednesday 25
Glasgow
I Scottish Opera: Fidelio Theatre Royal. 282 Hope Street. 332 9000. 7.l5pm. Tyyo plots in combination make up Beethoven's anthitious opera Fidelio - the \voes of a political prisoner and those determined to save him. and the emotional vvorld of young lovers. Scottish Opera is directed by Tim Alhery and conducted by Richard Armstrong.
Edinburgh
I Legend of the White Snake l-"estival Theatre. I3 29 .\'icolson Street. 529 6000. 7.30pm. £8 £27.50. l’or their second date. Beijing ()pera perform this lainous ('hinese romantic epic.
(I? Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (irey‘friars Kirk. (ireyfriars Place. 668 20l9. 7.45pm. £9 (£4). After a number of critically vvell-received recordings. the excellent IiP(‘(‘ make a long-anticipated visit to Iidinhurgh under the direction of choral specialist Paul Hillier. The spiritual minimalism of Arvo Part reaches its heights in Kano/r I’nku/unt'lt. This large-scale unaccompanied vvork front I997 is an ethereal setting of Russian orthodox texts. povverl'ul and intimate in equal measure. Xttl to he missed.
in?" Kiri Te Kanawa l'sher Hall. l.otltian Road. 228 l I55. £30 £48. A veritahle celehrity' of the opera vvorld. Dame Kiri performs popular songs and opera arias hy' Ilandel. Berlioz. Strauss and Poulcnc. Pre- concert talk at 6.30pm.
East Kilbride
I Peter Morrison and Family \"illage 'l’heatre. Maxvvell Drive. ()l355 248669. 7.30pm. £10.50 (£9.50). A mix of Broadvvay hits. opera classics and. of course. a wee ceilidh from Peter Morrison. his daughter Jackie. son Richard and daughter-in-lavv Hannah at their family inusic night.
Glasgow
I La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra (ilasgovv Royal (’oncert Hall. This event has been cancelled.
I NYOS Staffa Award 2005 Pollock House. 2060 Pollockshavvs Road. 332 831 I. 7.30pm. £l5 including interval drink and canapes. This avvard is open to students from eight music conservatories in the I'K. The three finalists perform a programme of their choice. vvith trumpetist Thomas ()shorne. violinist Marije Ploemacher and douhle hassist (icnna Spinks. from Royal Northern ('ollcge of Mttsie and RSAMI)
respectively.
Edinburgh
I Bernstein! l'sher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 ll55. 7.30pm. £l0£22. The award- \\ inning BB(‘ Scottiin Symphony Orchestra and its acclaimed conductor llan Volkm celehrate the legacy of Leonard Bernstein. one of the 20th century‘s greatest musical ligures. West Side Srorv and the less frequently heard hallet music I'in'vimilr' are performed. with (iet'svx hin's .Iln Anu'ricun in Paris providing good company.
I St Giles Lunchtime Organ Recital St (iiles‘ ('athedt'al. Royal Mile. 225 9442. l.l0pm. l‘ree. Sarah Aitchison performs vvorks hy (‘leramhaulL JS Bach and Parry. I George Heriot’s School Concert Queen‘s Hall. ('lerk Street. 229 7263. 7.30pm. £4 (£2 ). 'I’alented youngsters from the primary school perform a varied programme for choral and instrumental ensembles.