Music CLASSICAL
Tuesday 10
Edinburgh FREE Shotime Productions Chamber Choir St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Recital by choir from Dearborn, Michigan. Get Organised: John Kitchen Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, 228 1155. 1.10pm. £3. Organ works by Mendelssohn.
Wednesday 11 Glasgow NYCoS National Girls Choir City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 3pm. £12 (£8; children £4; family £27). Christopher Bell conducts music by Richard Rodney Bennett, with pianists Philip Moore and Andrew West. Percussion Ensemble with Eric Sammut Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). The International Fellow in Marimba (great job title) leads a student percussion recital. sound lab: The Red Ensemble plus Lives as omens City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 8pm. £6 plus £1/£1.50 booking fee. Improvised electronica plus debut live performance by Lives as omens.
Edinburgh FREE Very Wednesday St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Wed 4. Thursday 12
Edinburgh FREE Live Music Now: Sax Ecosse Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, 624 6200. 6pm. Transcriptions for sax ensemble of music by Josquin, Byrd, Gesualdo and JS Bach, as well as contemporary music by David Maslanka. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Baroque Greats The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk St, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £9.50–£28. Richard Egarr conducts (from the harpsichord) works by Telemann, Heinichen, Vivaldi and JS Bach. Alec Frank-Gemmill and Harry Johnstone play horn.
Friday 13
Glasgow RCS Stevenson Winds Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £10.50 (£7.50). Top student wind players in recital. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Baroque Greats City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £12–£26 (seniors £10–£24; children, students & unemployed £5; plus booking fee £1–£1.50 for phone/online bookings). See Thu 12. Jonathan Morton Takes Over: Icebreaker, Scottish Ensemble & Pekka Kuusisto The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 9.30pm. £15. Rampant minimalism: Reich’s Variations for Vibes, Piano and Strings, Andriessen’s De Snelheid and Glass’ Glassworks. Edinburgh FREE Domchor Würzburg St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Recital by the choir of Bavaria’s Würzburg Cathedral.
Saturday 14
Glasgow Scottish Ensemble: Open Rehearsal CCA, 350 Sauchiehall St, 352 4900. 3.30pm. £3 (under 16s free). An open rehearsal of the Ensemble’s upcoming Inversion – Travelling against Time programme, with works by Ligeti, Bruckner, Debussy, Mendelssohn and JS Bach. Jonathan Morton Takes Over: Taraf de Haidouks, Hilliard Ensemble & Pekka Kuusisto The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 8pm. £15. Genre-bending musical 108 THE LIST 29 Mar–26 Apr 2012
fireworks from the celebrated Romani ensemble and special guests. Edinburgh FREE University of St Andrews Chapel Choir St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Choral recital.
Sunday 15
Glasgow Jonathan Morton Takes Over: Towards Silence Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle St, 276 9599. 9pm–midnight. £15. John Tavener’s Towards Silence for 4 String Quartets performed by the Medici, Cavaleri and Finzi Quartets plus Fifth Quadrant; Hilliard Ensemble performs Pärt; and Pekka Kuusisto plays Bach’s epic Partita No 2 BWV 1005 for solo violin. FREE Kelvingrove Sunday Organ Recitals Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle St, 276 9599. 3–3.45pm. See Sun 1. Edinburgh The Hans Gál Society Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 4pm. £10 (£8; members £7). Trios by Gál, Beethoven, Krása and Strauss.
Monday 16 Glasgow RCS String Department Showcase Concert Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £7 (£5). Student recital.
Tuesday 17
Glasgow Norma Greig French Song Prize Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 4.30pm. £3 (£2). Competition for young singers specialising in the French mélodie. Jung Soo Yun in Recital Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £9.50. Korean tenor accompanied by Timothy Dean. Edinburgh Get Organised: John Kitchen Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, 228 1155. 1.10pm. £3. Organ recital featuring Calum Robertson (clarinet) in extracts from Mozart, Finzi and MacMillan.
Wednesday 18 Glasgow Young Artist in Residence Recital Tailleferre Anniversary Concert Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). Maciej Granat leads students in works for piano by Germaine Tailleferre, the only female member of Les Six.
Edinburgh FREE Very Wednesday St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Wed 4. Thursday 19
Glasgow Pure Brass Westbourne Music, 7 West George St, 649 5347. 12.45pm. £8 (£7; children £4). The young brass ensemble in concert. BBC SSO: The Lark Ascending & Vaughan Williams Symphonies City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £10–£23 (seniors £8–£21; students, under 16s and unemployed £5). Andrew Manze conducts the dissonant and troubled Symphony No 4 and the serene and tranquil Symphony No 5, with soloist Jennifer Pike joining for The Lark Ascending. RCS Song Studio: A French Connection – Two Anniversaries Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Student singers perform works by Massenet, Debussy, Caplet and Messiaen.
Friday 20
Glasgow Joan Alexander Memorial Concert with Malcolm Martineau Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £10.50 (£7.50). Concert in memory of the great soprano and teacher, led by her great sometime accompanist. RCS: Kaspar Hauser – Child of Europe Alexander Gibson Opera Studio, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.15pm. £12.50 (£10). Rory Boyle’s opera is conducted by the acclaimed young Australian, Jessica Cottis. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: A Cold Spring City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £12–£26 (seniors £10–£24; children, students & unemployed £5). Oliver Knussen conducts his own Two Organa and the world premiere of his latest composition, along with Helen Grime’s A Cold Spring, Stravinsky’s Movements for Piano and Orchestra and Beethoven’s Symphony No 8. Peter Serkin is the soloist. Edinburgh FREE Peter Backhouse St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. Organ recital. RSNO: Järvi Conducts Sibelius One Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £11–£34. Conductor Laureate Neeme Järvi returns for Sibelius’ Symphony No 1, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 2 with soloist Christian Blackshaw, and music from Sir John Blackwood McEwen. Scottish Ensemble: Inversion – Travelling against time The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk St, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £10. Ligeti’s Ramifications, works by Webern, Debussy, Bruckner and Mendelssohn and JS Bach’s ebullient Violin Concerto in E Major.
Saturday 21
Glasgow The Opera Experience Glasgow Cathedral, Castle St, 946 0966. 7–10.30pm. £10 (under 12s free). Martin Aelred, accompanied by Stuart Mitchell, sings popular arias with dance accompaniment from Edinburgh 21st Century Ballet School. Fundraiser for Alzheimer Scotland. RSNO: Järvi Conducts Sibelius One Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall St, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £11–£34. See Fri 20. Scottish Ensemble: Inversion – Travelling against time St Andrew’s in the Square, 1 St Andrews Square, 559 5902. 7.30pm. £10. See Fri 20. Edinburgh Scottish Chamber Orchestra: A Cold Spring The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk St, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £9.50–£28. See Fri 20.
Sunday 22 Glasgow Scottish Cinema Organ Trust Pollokshaws Burgh Halls, 2025 Pollokshaws Rd, 632 5811. 2.45pm. £7 (members £6). Cinema organ recital by Trust members. FREE Kelvingrove Sunday Organ Recitals Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle St, 276 9599. 3–3.45pm. See Sun 1.
Monday 23 Glasgow Plug Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. Times and prices vary. The Royal Conservatoire’s annual festival of new music is back with a week of new compositions and exploratory music-making. See listings. Plug 1 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £7 (£5). Recitals of new music.
Plug 2: Blue Monday Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 6.30pm. £7 (£5). Original student tunes led by bassist and guest leader Mario Caribé.
Edinburgh Get Organised: John Kitchen Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, 228 1155. 1.10pm. £3. The music of Arthur Sullivan for organ, featuring overtures and songs from the Savoy Operas. Meadows Chamber Orchestra Rudolf Steiner Hall, 60 Spylaw Rd. 7.30pm. Free with retiring collection. SCO Principal Horn Alec Frank- Gemmill conducts and, where appropriate, plays in Fauré’s Pavane, selections from the Requiem and the Cantique de Jean Racine, amongst others. Tuesday 24
Glasgow Plug 3: Plug Postludes Alexander Gibson Opera Studio, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £7 (£5). More recitals of new music. Plug 4: The New Auld Alliance Alexander Gibson Opera Studio, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £10.50 (£7.50). The beginning of a new collaboration between the RCS and the Paris Conservatoire.
Wednesday 25
Glasgow Plug 5: Style in Performance Alexander Gibson Opera Studio, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £7 (£5). Student musicians play music by student composers. Plug 6: Alistair MacDonald at 50 – Electroacoustic Plug Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). New electroacoustic works by composer and RCS staff member MacDonald, as well as student compositions. Edinburgh FREE Very Wednesday St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Wed 4.
Thursday 26
Glasgow Plug 7: Plug Postludes Alexander Gibson Opera Studio, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 1pm. £7 (£5). Further adventures in new music. Plug 8: Music Lab – The Return of Volkov Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew St, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). SCO Principal Guest Conductor Ilan Volkov conducts MusicLab in a concert of new music.
Edinburgh FREE Live Music Now: Flercussion Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, 624 6200. 6pm. Jo Ashcroft (flute) and Calum Huggan (yes, percussion) play music inspired by the Red Chalk exhibition, featuring Soviet music as well as a Piazzolla tango.
✽✽ Pass the Spoon Traverse Theatre, Cambridge St, 228 1404.
7.30pm. £15–£17 (£6–£13). Foodie opera featuring vegetables, a dung beetle, from theatre company Magnetic North, artist/librettist David Shrigley, composer David Fennessy and contemporary musicians the Red Note Ensemble. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Benedetti – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Usher Hall, Lothian Rd, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £9.50–£28. Scotland’s favourite violinist plays everyone’s favourite work by Vivaldi, as well as pieces by Gluck and Rameau. Christian Curnyn directs from the harpsichord.