"Jle-HOB-A‘s
Saturday 1 0
Glasgow
I Opera School Workshop RSAMI). 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 7.15pm. £12 (£8). See Thu 8.
I Glasgow Youth Choir Christmas Concert RSAMD. 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 7.30pm. £7. The junior section of the choir will perform Christmas songs and carols for all ages. while the senior section will delight with classical. sacred and secular pieces. All sure to leave you in the festive spirit.
I RSNO: Bruch’s Violin Concerto Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 353 8000. 7.30pm. £l3--£30. See Fri 9.
Edinburgh
I Soundings: Festival of Sonic Art Reid Concert Hall. lidinburgh liniversity. Bristo Square, 668 201‘). 6pm & 8pm. £5 (£3). A weekend of sonic art performances featuring Robert Dow. student electroacoustic composers studying at lidinburgh Uni and multimedia works curated by Martin Parker.
I Not a Bleak Midwinter Usher Hall. 1.othian Road. 228 l 155. 7.30pm. £6 (£5.50). Join the Origins Rock (iospel Choir and the lixile Choir. Band and ()rchestra for an upbeat evening of your favourite carols and gospel.
I Rudsambee: An Evening of Christmas Celebration Rosslyn Chapel. Roslin.-141 3728. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). See Sun 4.
I Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Adventurer Queen's Hall. Clerk Street.
OPERA GLYNDEBOURNE ON TOUR
668 201‘). 7.30pm. See Thu 8.
I Handel’s Messiah St Mary‘s lipiscopal Cathedral. 23 Palmerston Place. 228 201‘). 7pm. £14 (£10). A performance of Handel‘s masterpiece by the Choir of St Mary‘s. to raise funds for Waverley Care. Scotland's leading HIV charity. as part of their programme of events for World AIDS Day.
Glasgow
I West End Christmas Gala Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 353 8000. 3pm & 7.30pm. £l4--£23.50. West lind International returns with everyone's favourite musical hits backed by the Royal Scottish National ()rchestra and Chorus.
I Glasgow Youth Choir Christmas Concert RSAMD. 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 7.30pm. £7. See Sat 10.
Edinburgh
I Christmas Concerts Royal Museum Hawthornden Court. 2 Chambers Street. 247 4219/4422. 1.45pm. 2.45pm & 3.45pm. Free. Hear some festive tunes performed by lidinburgh choirs. including the Dalkeith Singers. lidinburgh University Renaissance Singers. lidinburgh Saltire (iaelic Choir and Sangstream.
I Soundings: Festival of Sonic Art Reid Concert Hall. lidinburgh University. Bristo Square. 668 201‘). 6pm. £5 (£3). See Sat 10.
I Edinburgh Concert Band 8. the Kevock Choir Queen‘s ' .all. Clerk
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 13—Sat 17 Dec
It is a rare thing in opera for the star to appear in a bikini, but then again, operas inspired by popular cinema are somewhat unusual. As part of Glyndebourne on Tour, the company that is more immediately associated with champagne, wicker hampers and immaculate lawns gives John Lunn’s Tangier Tattoo pride of place in its week-long Edinburgh residency. Glyndebourne is the first opera company to commission and tour a work which is specifically targeted at 20 to 30-year-olds. ‘It mirrors the movies young people are watching,’ says American mezzo-soprano Katherine Rohrer, who plays the leading role of Nadine. ‘One of the things you want when young is instant gratification. The opera satisfies that need — you don’t have to listen to one aria for 15 minutes.’ Not quite two hours long, Tangier Tattoo (Friday 16 December, 7.15pm) is much shorter than most operas, and tickets cost less than half of those for La Cenerentola and
Marriage of Figaro earlier in the week.
Set in a contemporary atmosphere where East meets West, the story is about romance and adventure. ‘Some of the issues it deals with are straight out of James Bond,’ says Rohrer. ‘There’s drug dealing and espionage, and it uses film techniques like flashbacks and fading in and out of scenes. Stephen Langridge, the director, has done an amazing job in making these things work in live theatre.’
For Rohrer, whose femme fatale is sometimes good and sometimes ‘really, really horrible’, Tangier Tattoo is not about revolutionising opera. ‘lt’s essentially a great fun piece with an intricate plot that you have to stay with.’ Her greatest challenge in this musically and physically demanding opera could turn out to be that bikini in an Edinburgh winter. ‘As a Florida girl, I just don’t know how I’ll fare in the Scottish cold.’ (Carol Main)
Street. 668 201‘). 7.30pm. £10 (£8). A Christmas celebration with the liCB conducted by Stephen Callaghan and the
Kevock Choir conducted by Graham Lovctt.
Paisley
I Paisley Philharmonic Choir Paisley Town Hall. Abbey Close. 887 1010. 7pm. £8.50 (£7). 'l'raditional carols and well loved Christmas songs from the choir. who are joined by the Scottish Co-
operative Brass Band with their own
interpretations of Christmas classics.
Glasgow I Katherine Jenkins Clyde
Auditorium. Finnieston Quay. 0870 040 4000. 6.30pm. £20-£30. Former school
teacher turned popular opera singer.
I East Dunbartonshire Christmas Gala Concert 2005 Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 353 8000.
7.30pm. £6. Willi the liast
Dunbartonshire Secondary Schools
()rchestra. Primary Schools Choir. Meadowburn Primary School (iaelic
Unit and pupils from Merkland School.
Edinburgh
Peterson Quartet with Artur Pizarro Queen‘s Hall. Clerk Street. 668 201‘). 7.45pm. £10—£17 (£97 £15). The Berlin quartet play Mozart. Dvorak and
Franck.
Edinburgh
I Glyndebourne Touring Opera:
Le Nozze Di Figaro Festival Theatre. 13 2‘) Nicolson Street. 52‘) 6000. 7.15pm. £12 £55. ()ne of the world‘s finest opera companies presents Mozart‘s masterpiece. Ix’ anzc (Ii Figaro.
Wednesday 14
Glasgow : I Celebrate Christmas! Barony
Hall. Castle Street. 353 8000. 3-4pm. Free. Join the Strathclyde lfniversity Chorus for a feast of carols. words and music.
I Swingin’ and Singin’ Christmas Extravaganza RSAMD. 100 Renfrew Street. 332 5057. 7.30pm. £7 (£5). ()nce again. singers from the Musical Theatre Masters course are joined by the RSAMD Big Band in a festive programme sure to get your toes tapping.
Edinburgh
I Glyndebourne Touring Opera: La Cenerentola Festival Theatre. 13 2‘) Nicolson Street. 52‘) 6000. 7.15pm. £12 —£55. ()ne of the world's finest opera companies presents Rossini's classic tale based on Perrault's Cinderella. directed by Peter Hall and conducted while on tour by lidward (iardner. Pre-show talk with a member of the company on Thu 15. Fri 16 and Sat 17 at 6pm.
Royal Gala Evening Queen‘s Hall.
Clerk Street. 668 201‘). 7.25pm.
£10—£30. This very special concert. featuring soprano Lisa Milne and pianist Malcolm Martineau. is in aid of the Queen Mother‘s Memorial Fund for
Scotland and will be attended by HRH
the Princess Royal. I Edinburgh Telephone Choir
' Carol Concert Morningside Parish Church. I Cluny Drive. Morningside. 332 2758. 7.30pm. Annual carol
, concert. with proceeds going to local
charities.
I The Hospitals Christmas Carol Concert Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10-£15. Neil Mantle
conducts the Scottish Sinfonia ()rchestra
and the l.othian. Tayside and Fife Health Services‘ Choirs who are joined by
Broughton Music School and the Flora
Stevenson Primary School. for a jolly
performance of carols in aid of Sargent
Cancer Care for Children.
Barbara Bonney It seems unbelievable that the famous American lyric soprano (pictured) is only now making her first visit to Edinburgh, especially as she just lives down the road in London. As a renowned Mozart and Strauss interpreter, her recital is well varied and includes operatic excerpts. as well as German art song. Usher Hall, Edinburgh. Sat 3 Dec.
Peterson Quartet with Artur Pizarro The young German string quartet — with one Scottish member — who took part in the Edinburgh Festival's highly acclaimed Beethoven cycle in 2004, return to the capital with the stunning Portuguese pianist who wowed the judges to win the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition. Queen '3 Ha//, Edinburgh, Mon 72 Dec.
Royal Gala Evening Diva devotees are well served this month. as hot on the heels of Ms Bonney comes Scotland's own darling, Lisa Milne. with accompaniment from Malcolm Martineau. Princess Anne is in attendance and all proceeds will go towards creating gardens and statues in memory of the Queen Mother. Queen ’3 Hail, Edinburgh, Wed 74 Dec.
Thursday 15
Glasgow
I RSNO: Deneve conducts William Tell Overture Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 353 8000. 7.30pm. £13»—£30. Stephane Deneve is one of the hottest tickets on the conducting circuit. known for his interpretive daring. He takes up the reins as the orchestra‘s new music director and presents Rossini's ll’il/ium 'li’ll ()l't'l'llll'l' and Respighi's I’im's ()fRUHlt'. Dashing young violinist Henning Kraggerud is soloist in Sibelitis‘ Violin Concerto.
Edinburgh
I Glyndebourne Touring Opera:
Le Nozze Oi Figaro Festival Theatre. 13’ 2‘) Nicolson Street. 52‘) 6000. 7.15pm. £12 £55. See Tue 13.
I Scottish Chamber Orchestra: German Classics Queen‘s Hall. Clerk Street. 668 201‘). 7.30pm. £87-£23.50. An evening of sehr schon works from Schumann. Weber and Schubert. Condticted by John Storgards. with pianist Roland Pontinen.
l-«lfi Doc 2005 THE LIST 89