Blog
Season 2011/12 Highlights
Our 2011/12 Season came to a close last week, with a wonderful audience reception and stellar reviews from the press. “Storgårds propelled the finale [of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9] through to an electrifying conclusion,” The Scotsman wrote in its four-star review.
To celebrate our 2011/12 Season, we asked SCO concertgoers and staff about their favourite moments...
Just a couple of weeks ago was our sellout series of concerts with superstar violinist Nicola Benedetti, which The Scotsman called “an ideal showcase for Benedetti’s unassuming virtuosity.” The concerts followed our hugely successful tour across the South of Scotland in 2010 and the 2011 release of Italia, which Nicola recorded with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Speaking in 2010 about her partnership with the SCO for Italia, Nicola said, “It just seemed with this repertoire [to be] a really great choice of orchestra...I’m enjoying it very much.”
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Another favourite of the 2011/12 Season was Beethoven and Beamish in March. Liz Hurst, our Fundraising Coordinator, said the concert made a very strong impression on her, explaining, “It was my first time hearing a percussion concerto, so that was really exciting for me.” Beamish’s Percussion Concerto ‘Dance Variations’ was a UK premiere that featured Edinburgh-born percussionist Colin Currie as soloist. Speaking with the SCO back in March about his involvement, Currie said, “This has been a great honour for me as I attended SCO concerts as a youngster,” and, “I always relish premieres...and the challenging adventure of playing a piece that is not only new to the audience but entirely fresh to the performers!”
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Emperor and Eroica in February was also popular, both here at the office and with the press. The Herald gave it five stars and called Manze’s rendition of the Eroica “revelatory.” Our Librarian, Sarah Cuthbertson, was wowed by Llŷr Williams’ playing in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 5. This concert also prompted a flood of comments from our Twitter followers: Denise Mitchell: @Celestriana “Eroica/Emperor concert in Aberdeen last night with @SCOmusic was wonderful - thank you. Also incredibly beautiful playing from Llŷr Williams.” And from Jane Judge: @JaneJune “It's official: I need more Beethoven and more @SCOmusic in my life. Emperor and Eroica gave me chills!”
Of course, we can’t forget the superb Season opener – Symphonie Fantastique: Ticciati Conducts – which was subsequently recorded and released on CD in April. In another five-star rating, The Herald said of the concert, “It was a compelling performance, fuelled by brain, not brawn...” That was the approach Robin took with the recording as well – his aim was to offer the audience “a thought-provoking and new way of listening to the piece” and his efforts clearly paid off. In their review of the disc, Gramophone Magazine said, “...this is altogether a performance that has been thought through as an organic entity, a broad, vivid tableau in which images are sharply focused.”
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Here are some of your highlights from the SCO's 2011/12 Season...
Beethoven’s Choral Symphony
Gregory Batsleer: @gregbatsleer
...felt very proud to have been part of @SCOmusic last night, the chorus guys were incredible...thanks folks.
Julia Riley: @julia_riley
An amazing goosebump-filled Beethoven 9 with @SCOmusic tonight! Stunning orchestra under Maestro John Storgards.
Lauren Johnston Smith: @yarnoverhook
@SCOmusic #SCOhighlight Singing spine-tingling Beethoven 9 last night to wonderfully appreciative audience! The orchestra was on top form!
In the Steppes of Central Europe
Tam Pollard: @wheresrunnicles
Great Dvorak 5 from Ticciati @SCOmusic tonight. Wonderful sense of rhythm and excitement
Langrée conducts Beethoven
Elena Xanthoudakis: @operaelle
@SCO music Had a great time in the Beethoven this week – wishing you all great things for 2012
Mullova Plays Beethoven
St Andrews Voices: @standrewsvoices
@SCOmusic and Robin Ticciati were in their element last night. Very classy Schumann and Beethoven, plus great, promising new work by @mcs42 [Martin Suckling]
Viktoria Mullova: @ViktoriaMullova
Loved the atmosphere at my concert with @SCOmusic in Edinburgh playing Beethoven, want to come here more often.
Beethoven’s Choral Symphony
Jan Campbell
Beethoven's Choral Symphony, absolutely magnificent, bravo SCO!
Colin Brown
Beethoven 9 last night... outstanding.
Serenade
Robbie Hamilton
Wonderful concert tonight - always come out having relaxed but also uplifted. Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 1 was amazing - Lars Vogt's fingers were a blur at some points, superb and conductor, pianist and orchestra blended as one. You guys all looked as though you had a great time too.
Langrée conducts Beethoven
Suzanne Flynn
Outstanding concert last night. I really thought I was in heaven.
The Orchestra will be playing across Scotland this summer. Our first tour takes in the South of Scotland next week, with concerts in Duns, Castle Douglas and Galashiels.
Welcome to the SCO!
This month we welcome Lucy Forde as our new SCO Connect Director. We caught up with Lucy to see how she is settling in and to find out about the newest addition to the SCO team.
Tell us a bit about your background before joining the SCO.
Originally from Edinburgh, I studied modern and baroque flute at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Royal Northern College of Music. I continued my studies in Milan, Italy and on returning to the UK developed my skills as a creative artist and workshop leader at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
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For the last 9 years I have been based in London working as a freelance flautist, animateur and artistic director of education and creative projects. I worked with a broad range of orchestras and arts organisations in the UK and abroad. Some of these include the Wigmore Hall, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva Orchestra, the Hanover Band, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the British Council, Royal College of Music, Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, Musique et Sante, Endellion String Quartet, Music in Hospitals, Music for Life and Music in Prisons. I have also been a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama since 2008 and the Royal College of Music since 2009.
One of my particular interests is working collaboratively across cultures and this has taken me to work with musicians in The Gambia, Tanzania, South Korea, Thailand and India where I spent 10 months studying Indian music and leading a cross-cultural collaborative project for the British Council. I also have a strong interest in cross-art collaborations and in addition to regularly working with visual artists, I was the Music Director of music and dance ensemble ‘Aranea’.
What is it about the SCO that made you decide to work with the Orchestra?
I was very excited to work with the SCO because they are not only one of the best chamber orchestras in the world but they are also extremely innovative and are dedicated to the promotion of new music. They were also the orchestra that inspired me to take up music in the first place so I feel very privileged to be working with them now.
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© Jen Owens
Which SCO Connect project are you most looking forward to working on and why?
I am really looking forward to working on 'Masterworks' which is SCO Connect’s flagship project for Standard and Higher Grade students. This is a fantastic project that breaks down classical contemporary music in an engaging and inspiring way for young people.
The 2011/12 SCO Season closes this week and we are already looking forward to our summer tours throughout Scotland and the start of the new Season in October. Which upcoming SCO concert are you most excited about?
The South of Scotland Tour – Duns Concert. I can’t wait to hear the new piece, Border Lines, by composer-conductor Howard Moody which was inspired by the National Trust for Scotland’s Nature Reserve at St Abb’s Head and its local communities. I am particularly looking forward to this performance in Duns as this will include the Eyemouth Fisherman’s Choir.
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For more information on our performance in Duns, and all of our other summer tours, take a look at our concert pages.
Rising Stars
In this week’s concerts, the SCO is joined by two young artists whose stars are most definitely in the ascendant: Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša and American pianist Jonathan Biss.
Jonathan, the first American chosen to participate in the BBC's New Generation Artist program and Jakub, named by Gramophone magazine in 2011 as one of ten young conductors “on the verge of greatness”, perform a programme of music by Dvořák, Mozart and Beethoven.
Why not check out the video below of Jonathan playing Mozart’s Piano Concertos No 21 and 22 to get a taste of his upcoming performance:
See Jakub and Jonathan perform with the SCO in Inverness (2 May), Edinburgh (3 May) and Glasgow (4 May).
Benedetti and Baroque
This week, star violinist Nicola Benedetti returns home to Scotland and to the SCO for four concerts in Ayr, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen with director/harpsichordist Christian Curnyn.
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Nicola and the Orchestra perform a lively baroque programme including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and the rare Il Grosso Mogul. Rameau’s sensational dances from his comic opera Les Paladins and the Overture, Ballet and Chaconne from Gluck’s Orfeo and Euridice complete the evening. All concerts are now sold out but make sure to tune in to BBC Radio 3 for the live broadcast of Friday’s concert from City Halls, Glasgow at 7:30pm.
Watch our video to see Nicola discuss playing with the SCO while on tour together in the summer 2010:
Following the hugely successful four-date tour across the South of Scotland, Nicola and the Orchestra recorded Italia, which was released in 2011 to great critical acclaim:
“…the entire performance is exhilarating…the Scottish Chamber Orchestra supports Nicola Benedetti with passion and searing virtuosity”. ***** Classic FM
Italia is available at our concerts and from our online shop.
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Simply Fantastique!
This month, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati released their debut recording together, Berlioz’s masterpiece Symphonie Fantastique.
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Watch our latest video below to see Robin discuss his vision for the recording with Principal Cello David Watkin:
Robin’s aim for the recording was to offer the audience “a thought-provoking and new way of listening to the piece”, and it has already been very well-received by critics - take a look at our reviews page and latest news item to find out more.
The Symphonie Fantastique disc is available through the SCO shop and at SCO concerts.
Why a harpischord goes 'ping'!
This week SCO Associate Artist, Richard Egarr, conducts the Orchestra in a flamboyant and varied programme of Baroque music in St Andrews (11 April), Edinburgh (12 April) and Glasgow (13 April).
SCO horn players Alec Frank-Gemmill and Harry Johnstone are soloists in Heinichen’s Sonata (Suite) in F for two horns and strings, which is framed by Telemann’s Water Music Suite in C ‘Ebb and Flow’ and Bach’s Suite No 4 in D. Richard also directs from the harpsichord (described by himself as the 'machine that goes ping') for Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in D minor.
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Described as the ‘The Leonard Bernstein of Early Music’, Richard Egarr is in great demand as a soloist and chamber musician, as well as a conductor. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 3 In Tune Richard discussed his long-standing relationship with the SCO and his passion for early music, ahead of his concerts with the Orchestra this week. |
Why not watch Richard talk about the history behind Heinichen's Concerto in F for two horns and strings and Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in D minor in our video recorded this week:
Missed the concerts? The performance at Younger Hall, St Andrews was also broadcast live by BBC Radio 3. This is available to enjoy on BBC iPlayer until Wednesday 18 April.
It's a wrap!
The SCO has now finished recording its second romantic Berlioz disc. Aisling O'Dea, First Violin, writes about her experience over the past few days...
Here we are once again in the recording studio, otherwise known as the Usher Hall.
Our most recent CD of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was featured as 'CD of the Week' in this week's Sunday Times magazine... a good omen perhaps for the first day of recording our second CD with Robin Ticciati?
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This time we are joined by the wonderful Karen Cargill who sings "Les Nuits d'été" - six beautiful songs depicting love, the loss of love and the awakening of Spring in which one can almost hear the birds and see the bunny-rabbits scurrying along the forest floor.
The Love Scene from Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet capturing young love acts as the pivotal work leading to the dramatic La Mort de Cléopâtre, when Karen joins us once again to complete this exciting collection.
Here we are once again in the recording studio otherwise known as the Usher H
Here we are once again in the recording studio otherwise known as the Usher Hall.
Our most recent CD of Berlioz's Sinfonie Fantastique was featured as CD of the week in this week's Sunday Times magazine... a good omen perhaps for the first day of recording our second CD with Robin Ticciati...?
This time we are joined by the wonderful Karen Cargill who sings "Les Nuits d'été" 6 beautiful songs depicting love, the loss of love and the awakening of Spring in which one can almost hear the birds and see the bunny-rabbits scurrying along the forest-floor.
The Love Scene from Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet" encapturing young love acts as the pivotal work leading to the dramatic "La Mort de Cléopâtre" when Karen joins us once again to complete this exciting collection.
all.
Our most recent CD of Berlioz's Sinfonie Fantastique was featured as CD of the week in this week's Sunday Times magazine... a good omen perhaps for the first day of recording our second CD with Robin Ticciati...?
This time we are joined by the wonderful Karen Cargill who sings "Les Nuits d'été" 6 beautiful songs depicting love, the loss of love and the awakening of Spring in which one can almost hear the birds and see the bunny-rabbits scurrying along the forest-floor.
The Love Scene from Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet" encapturing young love acts as the pivotal work leading to the dramatic "La Mort de Cléopâtre" when Karen joins us once again to complete this exciting collection.
In the studio with SCO
The Orchestra returned from its tour of Spain last week and headed straight to the recording studio with Scottish mezzo soprano Karen Cargill and SCO Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati.
During the 2011/12 Season, Robin Ticciati has continued to explore the work of Berlioz, following the critically-acclaimed Opening Concert which featured the composer's masterwork Symphonie Fantastique. This week, Ticciati and the Orchestra make their second Berlioz recording together, focusing on Les Nuits d'été, Love Scene from Romeo and Juliet and La Mort de Cléopâtre.
We captured Karen Cargill talking about Les Nuits d'été ahead of her November 2011 concert performances with the SCO. Watch the video below to find out why Berlioz's song-cycle is one of her favourites:
Ready to launch!
We are delighted to announce details of our 2012/13 Season! It's packed full of great music and we hope you can join us to enjoy both familiar favourites and exciting premieres.
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© Marco Borrgreve
SCO Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati directs six concert weeks and opens the Season with a concert performance of Mozart’s great opera Così fan tutte.
Ticciati is joined during the season by acclaimed soloists Maria João Pires, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 17, and Antoine Tamestit in Berlioz’s symphonic masterpiece Harold in Italy. We also welcome back mezzo soprano Karen Cargill for a chamber orchestra arrangement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde in March.
Have a browse through our new Season brochures for more information on concerts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Aberdeen.
Why not take a look at our latest video to see which concerts SCO players are looking forward to?
Wherever you are, we hope you can join us for what is set to be a very exciting 2012/13 Season!
Chorusmaster and Commander
Described by critics as ‘brilliant’ and ‘stylish’, the SCO Chorus makes a rare appearance away from the Orchestra on Sunday March 18, when SCO Chorusmaster Greg Batsleer conducts in concert for the first time. We caught up with Greg to discover more about his approach to this upcoming a capella performance.
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What do you enjoy most about Bach’s Jesu meine Freude and Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence? What can the audience expect from the upcoming concert at the Queen’s Hall?
One of the immediate and most obvious differences between the two works is the periods in which they were written: they are from opposite ends of the music time line. However, what Poulenc and Bach share is a love of harmony and how harmony can really enhance the meaning of the text. Poulenc's harmony is hugely influenced by jazz and there are some amazing jazz chords and progressions within the work, which really bring an edge to the music.
Both works were written for church choirs to sing in the liturgical season of Lent and their respective texts are reflections on this theme. However, their use of poetry and representation of this is different. The text of Jesu meine Freude is written in the first person and is an individual’s reflection on their relationship with God and the theme of Lent. Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence is set at the time of the crucifixion and the composer reflects on this with much more reference to the events as outlined in the Bible.
This performance will feature the SCO Chorus away from the Orchestra. How does this affect your approach?
It's the first time I will be conducting the Chorus in concert, which is very exciting for me. What is different is that in an a cappella concert such as this we are the sole focus for the audience. Without the Orchestra, there is a greater need to provide variations in colour and texture and to really communicate. We have to be aware that we will be the audience’s sole source of music for the performance therefore energy levels are different. We have been working at ways of engaging the audience and not feeling too naked or exposed without the comfort or protection of the Orchestra. I personally can't wait for the concert and for audiences to hear the SCO Chorus perform in this way. This is a real opportunity for the SCO Chorus to demonstrate how brilliant it is.
What do you enjoy most about working with the SCO Chorus and Orchestra?
It's far too hard to outline one highlight. It is a real privilege to be part of the SCO and Chorus, and every week I leave the rehearsal wanting more. Having the day-to-day task of preparing a choir for one of the world’s greatest chamber orchestras and for incredible conductors is utterly thrilling (and scary).
What I admire is the commitment and dedication that the members of SCOC show to the music. Many of the members have performed some of the repertoire many times before, but what blows me away is how we are able to challenge ourselves and discover new things that we can bring to the music. There is such an incredible wealth of backgrounds in SCOC and the fact we all come together on a Monday evening to rehearse under one name with the same aim, to sing and sing well, is something very special.
Aside from being Chorusmaster of the SCO Chorus, your current posts also include Conductor of Choirs at Manchester University, Principal Conductor of the Manchester Consort and Musical Director of Dorking Choral Society. What is it you enjoy about working with so many different groups?
What is fantastic about working with such a diverse set of groups is the variety of music-making in which I am able to take part. At Manchester University I am working with some of the brightest young musicians in the UK and it’s such a challenge to find ways to engage and push them, which is why it is so stimulating working a repertoire with them.
The Dorking Choral Society is one of the UK's longest running choral societies, dating back to the mid 19th century. The tradition that this group maintains is very special and being part of that is amazing. The Dorking Choral Society is completely non-auditioned, yet we have a very high standard. What is fascinating about this is that I have to find ways to ensure all members feel part of the music and what is taking place.
The Manchester Consort is very dear to me. They have been part of my music-making the longest and are an ensemble like no other. The Manchester Consort is a very special group of like-minded musicians aspiring to perform music at high standards outside the confines of an educational institution. This brings many challenges and problems but the atmosphere is completely unique.
See Greg and the SCO Chorus perform on Sunday 18 March at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh.
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