Music Classical ,

PREVlEW CLASSICAL SEASON gloEoNgDELSSOl-IN ON MULL FESTIVAL Various venues, Mull, Oban, Mon 29 Jun«9at 4 Jul

At a time of year when classical music in the central belt takes a bit of a breather in anticipation of the abundance of the Edinburgh International Festival, the annual Mendelssohn on Mull Festival offers a refreshing change of scene. Celebrating its 21 st anniversary, this six-day event runs at various venues from village halls to ancient castles across the island, as well as at lona Abbey, finishing up on the mainland in Oban’s St John’s Cathedral. Inspired by the young Mendelssohn’s visit to Mull in 1829, the Festival has always offered a unique experience to performers more or less the same age as he was when he wrote his famous Hebrides Overture, a direct result of his visit to the area and, in particular, Fingal’s Cave on the rugged isle of Staffa. ‘We are giving young musicians the chance to experience performing alongside older

I What Happened . . .? The Arches. 253 Argyle Street. 565 1000. 7.30pm. Pay what you can. Contemporary composition, noise and improvisation with previously unheard scores brought to life by the Red Note Ensemble.

Pappano conducts. Oban, Tobermory FREE Mendelssohn on Mull Festival Various venues. 01688 302828. A six-day festival of chamber music by Mendelssohn. Mozart. Haydn. Beethoven and others in the idyllic setting which so inspired Mendelssohn himself on his visit in 1829. The festival includes a specially commissioned arrangement by Jonathan Cohen of the most famous outcome of the composer's visit. the Hebrides ()verture. Please see www.mullfest.org.uk for programme details. See preview, above.

Tuesday 30 ' " '

Hamilton

See Sat 29.

Glasgow

highlights. Glasgow I Tales of Hoffmann New FREE Summertest ll RSAMD. 100 , Athenaeum Theatre. RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 1pm. A f Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 7.15pm. £18

concert of staff and student collaborations.

Edinburgh I La Traviata Cameo Cinema, 38 Home Street. 0871 704 2052. 6.40pm.

(£14). See Sat 27. Edinburgh

80 THE LIST 25 Jun—9 Jul 2009

£20 (£5—£l9). Live via satellite from Covent Garden‘s Royal Opera House.

. Verdi‘s best-loved opera is performed on

the big screen by a star cast in a revival

: of Richard Eyre‘s 1994 production.

_ American soprano Renée Fleming sings

her first Violetta at ROH and Antonio

I La flaviata Vue Cinema, Palace Grounds Road, 08712 240240. 7pm. £15. See Edinburgh. above.

. Oban, Tobermory . FREE Mendelssohn on Mull Festival Various venues, 01688 302828.

Wednesday 1 g

_ FREE Summerfest Ill RSAMD, 100 ; Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. 2008—09

I Organ Recital: Douglas Mews St Giles’ Cathedral. Royal Mile, 226 0673. 8pm. £7 (children free). The acclaimed

ones,’ explains artistic director and renowned violinist, Levon Chilingirian. ‘The really important aspect of this is that we’re not putting on masterclasses, or teaching. It’s actually about playing together and learning about music.’

Not surprisingly, in this 200th anniversary year of Mendelssohn’s birth, the programme has an extra- special focus on Mendelssohn, which includes a newly commissioned Jonathan Cohen arrangement for strings of the Hebrides Overture. Heard to remarkable effect at the festival's launch onboard the world’s last sea-going paddle steamer, Waverley, en route to Tobermory, the new arrangement appears twice in the Festival programme. Originally written chamber music covers Mendelssohn string quartets, quintets, sextets, as well as the glorious octet. ‘We always have a large element of the unknown,’ says Chilingirian, ‘which is the beauty of this festival. Young players are recommended to us and we don’t really know how it will work or if it will gel, but it always does.’ (Carol Main)

New Zealand organist performs J S Bach's Prelude and Fugue in G BWV 541. Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue ; in C minor and works by Gigout and

Franck.

. Oban, Tobermory

: FREE Mendelssohn on Mull

' Festival Various Venues, 01688 302828. ‘; See Sat 29.

: Thursday 2

; Glasgow

. FREE Summertest IV RSAMD. 100 i Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. The RSAMD Song Studio performs.

; I Tales of Hoffmann New

Athenaeum Theatre, RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 7.15pm. £18 (£14). See Sat 27.

Edinburgh

i I Lunchtime Concert St Giles‘ j Cathedral, Royal Mile. 226 0673.

g 12.15pm. Retiring collection. A

; performance by the International

; Methodist and Presbyterian Choral Choir.

E Oban, Tobermory

I FREE Mendelssohn on Mull

i Festival Various venues. 01688 302828. See Sat 29.

www.list.co.uk/music

Glasgow

FREE Summerfest V RSAMD, 100 . Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. Lunchtime concert.

Edinburgh

I St Giles’ Cathedral Choir St

Giles' Cathedral. Royal Mile, 226 0673. - 8pm. £10 (children free). The choir

performs six centuries of choral music. including Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer. Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Parry‘s I Was Glad. Proceeds to the

j choir‘s 2009 trip to Canada and the US.

Oban, Tobermory

FREE Mendelssohn on Mull Festival Various venues, 01688 302828. See Sat 29.

i Saturday 4

Edinburgh

FREE Bach and Beyond Church of

the Good Shepherd, Murrayfield Avenue. Noon. Brigitte Ham's gives an organ recital.

Oban, Tobermory

FREE Mendelssohn on Mull Festival Various venues. 01688

302828. See Sat 29.

g Edinburgh I St Giles’ at Six St Giles‘

Cathedral. Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm.

: Retiring collection. Organist Hans Uwe Hielscher performs Rheinberger‘s

Sonata IV. his own arrangements of American folk songs and variations on

a Dutch hymn by Cor Kee.

' Lochearnhead I Balquhidder Summer Music - Balquhidder Church, Balquhidder.

01877 384202. 7pm. £7 (free—£6). The annual concert series continues with

accordionist Djordje Gajic and violinist

Andrea Gajic giving a foot-stomping performance of Hungarian and Gypsy

music.

, Monday 6

. Glasgow I The Sound Institute Summer

Workshops Tron Theatre. 63

. Trongate, 552 4267. £4.50—£8 per

workshop; £35 —-£45 for 5 days. Top value music workshops, covering a range of instruments and songwriting.

L For ages 4-20. Events take place at the

Tron Theatre until Sat 18 July. See http://thesoundinstitute.co.uk for details.

Wednesday 8

. Edinburgh

I Organ Recital: John Kitchen St Giles‘ Cathedral. Royal Mile, 226 0673. 8pm. £7 (children free).

. Edinburgh City Organist John Kitchen ; performs Mendelssohn's Sonata in C

7 minor and Chorale with Variations

along with works by Gade. Liszt and

others.

i Thursday 9 -

Edinburgh

2 FREE Live Music New National Gallery Complex, The Mound. 624

6200. 6—6.30pm. Soprano Emma

. Versteeg and pianist Fiona McLeod : perform a selection of works inspired

by the National Galleries' collection.