MUSIC
CLASSICAL
Autumn round-up
Glasgow and Edinburgh, various venues
The odd prom and festival performance aside, audiences are fair starved of classical stimulation during the summer months, but the upcoming autumn banquet should satiate the appetite.
Scotland’s largest music: ensemble, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra are in a party mood this season. Not only are they celebrating 50 years as a professional orchestra, but the 10th anniversary of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the 25th anniversary of Shostakowch’s death, The fun starts on Saturday 30 September, when conductor Alexander Lazarev raises his baton for Stravmsky's explosive ballet score, The Rite of Spring Joining them on l2 October are the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic for Mozart's ever-popular Piano Concerto No 24 and Neeme JarVi conducts Mahler’s Symphony No 9 on 25 - 26 November Then in early December the RSNO return to the acoustic refinement of the Usher Hall for Beethoven's Symphony No 5.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra kick off their Glasgow City Hall Series on 5 October With the Scottish premiere of Colin Matthews'
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra do things on a grand scale
Pluto, approi')riately played alongside Holst's The Planets. Rising star Alban Gerhardt performs Elgar’s monumental Cello Concerto on 14 October; Julian Lloyd Webber performs Britten’s Cello Symphony on 4 November, and on 9 November Jennifer Koh JOITTS them for Danish composer Nielsen's romantic Violin COncerto
Meanr-vlnle, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra start their season with a world premiere from composer Karin Rehngwst (S 6 Octoberi A co-commission With the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Arktis Arktis.’ draws inspiration from the icy Arctic wastelands. On 13—14 October, you can Witness the rare sight of Principal Conductor Joseph Swensen picking up his Violin for two great works by Mozart and Brahms. BoliVian Violinist Jaime Laredo guests on 23 November, performing Bruch's perennial favourite, Violin Concerto No 7 and their 'American Drearn' series starts 16— 17 November With a celebration of what would have been New Yorker Aaron Copland's 100th birthday. He pops up again when Mr McFall’s Chamber jOlll them on 3 December, and again on 8—9 December for 'American
Romantics', which also includes Barber's Adagio llTlliltlS the William Orbit 'enhancements').
Flushed by Festival success, Scottish Opera follow up Wagner’s Das Rheingo/d With something a little lighter. Donizetti's L’E/isrr D’Amore lGIasgow 17-28 October, Edinburgh 17—18 November) is a playful comedy directed by noted theatre man, Giles Havergal. Their 2000 programme ends With Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (5—9, 2030 December Glasgow; 12 ~16 December Edinburghi which has Scottish director DaVid McVicar at the helm.
The BT Scottish Ensemble open their season With a series of arrangements by Russian maestro Rudolf Barshai (.27 8c 31 October) Works by Bach, Shostakowch, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky have been carefully moulded by this founder of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and should make for an epic evening. Later in the year (16 & 18 December: the Ensemble are bathed in candlelight for two works by Britten, With guest tenor Iain Paton. (Kelly Apter)
% See The List’s classical listings for details of ind/Vidua/ concerts over the coming months.
JAZZ Jim Mullen
Glasgow: Cottiers, Sat 23 Sep; Prestwick: Caprice Brasserie, Tue 26 Sep; Helensburgh: Jazz Festival, Fri 29 Sep—Sun 1 Oct.
Sporting a new organ trio, guitarist Jim Mullen kicks off a week of jazz activity around Scotland
42 THE lIST 21 Sep» '3 Oct 2000
Guitarist Jim Mullen leads off a week of Jazz actiVity around Scotland when he brings in a new organ trio for two gigs, the first in his hometown of Glasgow. Long based in London, Mullen has been a leading figure on the British jazz scene since the heyday of the Morrissey- Mullen band in the mid-80s. He has worked in a variety of genres, from straightahead bop to Jazz fusion and rock.
The new trio, With organist Jim Watson and drummer Matt Skelton, shOuld bring out the bluesier, funkier side of his playing, but it is not the only band in which he Will feature. The line- up for the Helensburgh Jazz Festival Will also include the gunarist, this time in the band Jim Jam, where he plays alongside former Average White Band stalwart Hamish Stuart.
Mullen is less than enamoured of reViewers who have categorised their album as 'smooth Jazz', a genre he dismisses as 'music to sell product to’. What they were after -- and he stresses it is a iomt enterprise, not b" “"N'
was something a lot more funky, inspired by the driving rhythm and blues of The Meters and the sophisticated Jazz-fusion of drummer Steve Gadd's The Gadd Gang.
Another Scottish expatriate, saxophonist Jim Galloway, a long term Canadian resident, opens a tOur in Glasgow, while saxophonist Alan Skidmore will launch yet another new jaZZ club in Edinburgh lat EGO in Picardy Placel With the John Burgess Quartet (Skid Will be back in Glasgow in late October With the African troupe Amampondo).
The Helensburgh programme is headed by Tommy Smith, who has Just announced that he is leavrng Linn Records after a decade and a half, and plans to set up his own record label, He Will play a solo set in a bill which also features Salsa Celtica, George Penman With singer Fionna Duncan, and Violinist Alex Yellowlees's Grappelli-style sWing band, The Hot Club. Alex has a new CD out as well, entitled Hot Club Style.
Ex osure
We te I ya who’s cool before everyone else does, so you can boast to yer pals that you liked 'em first. This week: Monica Queen
What's she all about then? The regally monickered Monica is about to release her debut solo EP, 77x. That name rings a vague bell - what else has she done? She used to be the singer in top Glaswegian c0untry grungers (and Mark and Lard favourites) Thrum back in the mid- 90s. Their superbly titled album Rifferama was ’critically acclaimed’. You mean it didn't sell? Unfortunately no. But it was a cracking record.
So she's been sitting on her arse since then? Hardly. Ms Queen is, ahem, queen of collaboration. She has been spotted singing With the Jayhawks, Grant Lee Buffalo and Shane McGowan, and she also sang Belle And Sebastian's ’Lazy Line Painter Jane’.
0h her. That's a great voice she's got. One of the best, matey, and even better live where she belts them out like no one else. She was once described in Melody Maker as being ’like Tammy Wynette With a hard- on’.
Blimey. So what's this EP like then? Written and recorded at home With her bOyfriencl John Smillie (who was the guitarist in Thrum), 77x is a pretty low key affair, a laidbac‘k country soul thing of beauty, vaguely reminiscent of Emmylou Harris
Any chance of hearing those golden tonsils live? Funny you should ask that, she’s playing With husband and Wife country downbeats The Handsome Family at the 13th Note Club this month. Anything else we should know before you go? AnCient chicken- dancing (lame Tina Turner is apparently a fan.
Oh.Well, nevermind.
(Doug Johnstonel
77x is released 25 Sep on Creeping Bent, Monica Queen and The Handsome Family play at the 73th Note Club on 24 Sep.
‘5}, v , . .-'. .3
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g 1r" ‘ — . . Thankfully no Mercury music with this Queen