www.list.co.uk/music Monday 22
Glasgow Song Studio: More Monteverdi RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £6 (£4). Songs and madrigals by Monteverdi, drawing on both the dramatic and intimate from his extensive collections, are performed with accompaniment on period instruments. St Aloysius College Concert City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7pm. £8. Marking the special day for the patron saint of music, the choirs and orchestra of St Aloysius present Music for St Cecilia’s Day. There’s Haydn, Mahler, Sarasate and the second performance of the College’s commission from popular TV/Classic FM composer and presenter, Howard Goodall.
Edinburgh Seafarers: Royal Marine Band Concert Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £12–£16 (concessions available). The Marine band is joined by the singers of the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society for light classics, showtunes and, of course, plenty of Gilbert and Sullivan. Perth Lunchtime Concert: Scottish Ensemble Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 1–2pm. £6.50–£7.50. The brilliant Scottish Ensemble performs two luscious chamber works: Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht.
Tuesday 23
Glasgow FREE Between Fantasies Ramshorn Theatre, 98 Ingram Street, 552 3489. 1.15–2pm. Andrea Gajic and Laurina Sableviciute perform Schumann’s Fantasie in C and Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasie on piano and violin. Edinburgh FREE Lunchtime Concert Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh University, Bristo Square, 650 2427. 1.10pm. Pianist Nicholas Ashton performs Chopin’s Études – whose difficulty inspired a contemporary to advise against playing them unless one had a surgeon to hand – and the large-scale Fantasie in F minor. Shavnabada St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 229 1142. 7pm. £10. Concert by a Georgian Male Voice Choir, organised by Thornlie Primary School in aid of the Datuna Charity Appeal. Scottish Opera: The Marriage of Figaro Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.15pm. £9.50–£63.50. See Fri 19.
Wednesday 24 Perth Beethoven: A Life in 8 Chapters – Hammerklavier Perth Concert Hall,
Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7.30pm. £10–£20 (£8; children free.). In many ways the piano sonata is synonymous with Beethoven – they span his entire career from his early classical-influenced works to the intense, personal works of his later life, and over this time he transformed the genre. Llyr Williams’ performance series of all 32 sonatas nears its end with numbers 27, 28 and 29.
Thursday 25
Glasgow Westbourne Music Merchants House, 7 West George Street, 649 5347. 12.45pm. £7 (£3/£6). Savourna Stevenson leads a stylish celebration for St Andrew’s Day with a themed programme for harp and clarsach which includes her own compositions and traditional Scottish pieces. FREE Lunchtime Concert Glasgow University Concert Hall, University Avenue, 330 4092. 1.10pm. Flautist Katherine Bryan and pianist Scott Mitchell perform works including Lowell Liebermann’s Flute Sonata. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra: This Sceptered Isle City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7pm. £10–£23 (£8–£21). Opening with Holst’s The Perfect Fool: Ballet Music, this second British-themed concert sees Steven Osborne as soloist in Britten’s agitated, Prokofievesque Piano Concerto, followed by a contrasting finale in Vaughan Williams’ tranquil Symphony No 5. Vassily Sinaisky conducts. Edinburgh FREE Edinburgh University Chamber Choir St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 7pm. Eric von Ibler conducts a concert of Norwegian music for Advent and Christmas. Scottish Opera: The Marriage of Figaro Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.15pm. £9.50–£63.50. See Fri 19. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £9–£27 (concessions available). Stephen Layton replaces Sir Charles Mackerras, who sadly died in July, in a performance of Handel’s enduring masterpiece. Starring leading soloists Sophie Bevan, Christine Rice, Allan Clayton and Matthew Rose alongside the SCO Chorus.
Friday 26 Glasgow Friday Lunchtime Concert Series RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £10 (£7). The RSAMD String Ensemble is conducted by Hungarian musician Imre Rohmann for this concert also featuring viola player Scott Dickinson. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm.
CLASSICAL Music
ORCHESTRAL STUDY OF POMPEII GRAFFITI GRAFFITI RSNO, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 19 Nov; Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sat 20 Nov
With funding for culture in Italy facing the same challenges as ministerial budgets across Europe, the future of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, which needs constant support for excavation and preservation, is uncertain. Numerous stray dogs reputedly roam around the ruins, some of which are now closed to the public on safety grounds. Yet, while this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which attracts around two million visitors each year, struggles with its physical conservation, its infamous graffiti has taken on a new musical life all of its own.
In Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg’s first major work for choir
and orchestra, Graffiti, text-setting breaks new ground. Seven years in the making as he searched for just the right texts, Lindberg’s piece receives its Scottish premiere from the RSNO and RSNO Chorus. ‘These Latin texts are wonderful,’ he says. ‘They are taken from inscriptions from the ruined walls in Pompeii, which were buried by ash for over 1500 years. They give a glimpse into society as it was when Vesuvius erupted in AD79, whether political, social, about business, love affairs or even insults.’ The layers of Pompeii life revealed by the graffiti are key to Lindberg’s
score, although it is not programmatic in the sounds of the music reflecting the meaning of the words. ‘My style these days is very much about working with big clashes and contrasts,’ says Lindberg. ‘The choir is a huge part of it, and sing all through the piece.’
In looking at modern graffiti and comparing it to that of Pompeii, Lindberg sees many similarities. ‘In both times there is gossip, jealousy, rude letters – and I’ve not excluded explicit material – so it seems to me that the whole idea of passing on messages one to another this way is simply part of being a human being.’ (Carol Main)
£11.50–£25 (students £3 with Fonic card). See Thu 25. Edinburgh Edinburgh University Music Society Sinfonia Reid Concert Hall,
Edinburgh University, Bristo Square, 650 2427. 7.30pm. £6 (£4). Nicholas Fletcher conducts the ensemble in Humperdinck’s Prelude to Hansel and Gretel and Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No 1, performed by soloist Helen Scott.
Never been to the opera? Try it for free.
Get a taster at The Marriage of Figaro Unwrapped where the orchestra, singers and back stage crew introduce you to the plot, characters and music and let you in on some behind-the-scenes secrets. Inverness 3 Nov | Aberdeen 12 Nov | Edinburgh 18 Nov | Glasgow 1 Dec
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18 Nov–2 Dec 2010 THE LIST 81