Music CLASSICAL
Edinburgh Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £9–£27. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra take on the Russian’s Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’ alongside Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 25 in C K503, Lotti’s Crucifixus in an arrangement by Manze and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony in C Minor Op 110A arranged by Barshai. Conducted by Andrew Manze with Francesco Piemontesi on piano.
Friday 25 Glasgow Mahler: Chamber Music RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £10.50 (£7.50). A rare chance to hear Mahler’s only surviving bit of chamber music, performed by Jacqueline Shave (violin), Fiona Winning (viola) and cellist Robert Irvine and pianist Aaron Shorr. RSAMD Symphony Orchestra RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £11.50 (£7.50). Exciting young Austrian conductor David Danzmayr marks the 100th anniversary of the death of compatriot Gustav Mahler with a performance of his Symphony No 6, often referred to as the Tragic. Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £11.50–£25. See Thu 24.
Edinburgh FREE Andrew Dean Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh University, Bristo Square, 650 2427. 1.10pm. Compositions for organ by Bach, van Noordt, Rossi and Frescobaldi. Edinburgh University Chamber Orchestra Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh University, Bristo Square, 07929 375608. 7.30pm. £8 (£5). Louise Alder is the soloist for a concert including Sibelius’ Symphony No 6 in D Minor Op 104 and two works by Mozart – Exsultate Jubilate K165 and Et Incarnatus Est from the Mass in C Minor K 427.
✽✽ RSNO Great Concertos: Dvorak Cello Concerto Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10–£32. See Thu 24. The Rake’s Progress St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £12 (£8; children £6). The highly-regarded Edinburgh Studio Opera present Stravinsky and Auden’s comic, menacing and dark opera set in Bedlam.
Saturday 26
Glasgow ✽✽ Scottish Opera: Orlando Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871
7647. 7.15pm. £17–£49 (concessions available). See Sat 19. Kelvin Ensemble 20th Anniversary Concert Bute Hall, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, 330 4092. 7.30pm. £8
MODERN CLASSICAL NYOS FUTURES, VANISHING BOUNDARIES, Peel Hall, Salford University, Sun 20 February; The Arches, Glasgow, Mon 21 February
In introducing young musicians and their audiences to music of the late-20th and early-21st century, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland’s exemplary futures initiative takes another step into the world of contemporary artistic expression this February half-term. Vanishing Boundaries, a project bringing new scores and visual arts together, explores boundaries that may be real or imagined, local or global, past or present. The boundary of Scotland and England disappears first and fast as the
curator – composer Stephen Davismoon who is resident of Glasgow and staff member in the music department at Salford University – schedules concerts for each of these two locations. ‘We wanted to collaborate with the Arches and Glasgow Film Festival and
to bring musicians together through different media,’ Davismoon explains. ‘Glasgow and Manchester are quite similar and in the collection of pieces we’re presenting, the border disappears as there is an equal number of composers from both places.’
Composers whose work receives world premieres include Katrina Burton, Ken Dempster and Stephen Kilpatrick. Davismoon’s own contribution is Beaver, Wolf which is the only piece to use electronics, as well as soprano and actor in addition to the instrumentalists of NYOS. ‘It’s from a series of existential fables by writer Johnny Rodger which are told from the animals’ perspective, with experimental animation by Iain Gardner,’ says Davismoon, adding that instrumentations are all quite different, some pieces for small groups such as quartet or quintet and some for the larger NYOS ensemble.
‘Other visuals are a collage of the Guggenheim in New York, skeletal
remains of iron age bog bodies and a student flat in Budapest,’ he says. ‘The visual element is really international. It’s a great experience for the young musicians and really exciting for everyone involved.’ (Carol Main)
80 THE LIST 17 Feb–3 Mar 2011
(£6). The Kelvin Ensemble celebrates twenty years of orchestral music-making with a celebratory concert. The programme will be Stravinsky’s Greeting Prelude and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with solo violinist Tamás Fejes, assistant leader of the RSNO. The climax will be Gustav Holst’s mighty Planets suite, in a performance featuring friends and alumni. Edinburgh Cantica Alba St Vincent’s Church, St Vincent Street. 7.30pm. £8 (£5). Newish ten voice a cappella vocal ensemble performs the Requiem by Howells alongside motets by Mendelssohn, Reger and Bruckner as part of their 2011 season, which also has a tour to Malta in the pipeline. Music Through the Ages Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 7.30pm. £6. A range of works from different periods in time. The Rake’s Progress St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £12 (£8; children £6). See Fri 25.
Perth The Scottish Brass Band Championships Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 10am. £8 (£6). Fifty five bands compete for the esteemed accolade of being crowned Scotland’s best Brass Band – playing everything from Beethoven to the Beatles to get them there. Winners will also go through to the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Sunday 27
Edinburgh SCO Chamber Concert The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 2.30pm. £12. The wind section principals of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra join with pianist Franceso Piemontesi for an afternoon performance of Romantic chamber music, namely, Schumann’s Kreisleriana Op 16, Rasmussen’s Wind Quintet in F and Beethoven’s Quintet in E flat Op 16. St Giles’ at Six St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm. Retiring collection. The young students of Fettes College choir perform works by Purcell, Lotti, Harris, Whitlock and Parry with organist Nicholas Wearne. The Rake’s Progress St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £12 (£8; children £6). See Fri 25. A Viennese Whirl! Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. 7.30pm. £15 (£13). Opera Box present a paean to the music and magic of Vienna, featuring the work of some of that city’s most popular composers, including Kreisler, Kalman and of course Johann Strauss. Also on the programme are pieces from operettas such as The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Baron. Perth The Scottish Brass Band Championships Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 10am. £8 (£6). See Sat 26.
Monday 28
Glasgow RSAMD Woodwind Department: Bassoon RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £6.50 (£4.50). Peter Whelan, Principal Bassoon with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, performs alongside student bassoonists. FREE BBC SSO/RSAMD Concerto Concert City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 2.15pm. Lucky, but possibly just a bit nervous, music students are given a chance to take centre stage with the BBC SSO in a concert featuring top players in concertos for their instrument. RSAMD Baroque Ensemble RSAMD, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £6.50 (£4.50). Music by Henry Purcell and Unico van Wassenaer. Edinburgh Benefit Concert for Down’s
Syndrome Scotland Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, 225 4825. 6.45pm. £3 (minimum donation). A evening of classical and contemporary music performed by music students from Stevenson college. Programme includes jazz and contemporary songs as well as pieces by Bach, Handel, Haydn and Chopin. The Rake’s Progress St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £12 (£8; children £6). See Fri 25.
Tuesday 1
Edinburgh FREE Beth Mackay and Simon Smith Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh University, Bristo Square, 650 2427. 1.10pm. Mezzo- soprano Beth Mackay performs a programme to include works by Brahms and Montsalvatge accompanied by pianist Simon Smith. The Rake’s Progress St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £12 (£8; children £6). See Fri 25.
Wednesday 2
Glasgow Glasgow Symphony Orchestra Adelaide’s, 209 Bath Street, 248 4970. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). Fiona Hamilton is the soloist in Tommy Fowler’s new Viola Concerto, which the orchestra premieres alongside works by Bennett, Mussorgsky and Beethoven.
Edinburgh FREE Scottish Opera: Orlando Unwrapped Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 6pm. See Fri 18. Perth Angela Hewitt Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7.30pm. £10–£20 (£8–£18). A blend of baroque, Brahms and Beethoven from the Canadian clavierist, featuring Bach’s Partita No 1, Beethoven’s majestic Eroica Variations, Handel’s Suite No 8 in F Minor, and Brahms’ remix of the same, Variations on a Theme by Handel.
Thursday 3 Glasgow FREE Ruth Morley/Rhian Maclead Glasgow University Concert Hall, University Avenue, 330 4092. 1.10–2pm. Intriguing selection of music for combination of flute and marimba includes Makoto Shinohara’s Kassouga, Lewis Murphy’s Blood and Manuscript and a new piece by Jane Stanley called Grafting.
Edinburgh FREE The Canja Ensemble National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. 6–6.30pm. Complementing the current Young Vermeer exhibition, the Dutch trio performs wind music alongside Hugo de Groot’s Variations on a French Folk Tune and Haydn’s Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon.
✽✽ Scottish Opera: Orlando Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29
Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.15pm. £15.50–£63.50 (concessions available). See Sat 19.
✽✽ The International Classical Season: Joshua Bell and the
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10–£30 (seniors/disabled £8–£28; students £10; children £5). The multi award- winning violinist leads the orchestra through Haydn’s Symphony No 13 in D Major, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 4, Italian and the Concerto for Violin & Cello by Brahms. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Zadok the Priest The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £9–£27. Handel’s jubilant coronation anthem is performed in grand style by the SCO and SCO Chorus under the baton of Richard Egarr alongside Bach’s Contrapunctus XIV and Suite No 3 and a trio of works from Purcell –Suite from The Fairy Queen, Hear my Prayer and the anthem Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem.