Music CLASSICAL
Edinburgh ■ Dunedin Consort: Handel’s Messiah St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Broughton Street, 556 1798. 7.30pm. £15 (£12). See Tue 21.
8000. 7.30pm. £21–£30. Peter Morrison presents a foot-stomping compilation of Scottish favourites performed by the Scottish Concert Orchestra and an array of special guests. scores number among the most instantly recognisable ever written. Anthony Inglis conducts the Scottish Concert Orchestra in a performance of music from Star Wars, ET, Harry Potter and more.
Thursday 23 Tuesday 28
Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: White Christmas Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £21–£30. The Scottish Concert Orchestra and the Consort of Voices perform a selection of favourite carols including ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ and much more.
Edinburgh ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Carols by Candlelight Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £14.50–£31.50 (limited concessions available). See Wed 22. Friday 24
Dundee FREE Midnight Mass St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seagate Castlehill, 01382 434940. 11.15pm. Celebrate the arrival of Christmas day with carols, candlelight and communion. FREE Midnight Mass St Salvador’s Episcopal Church, Church Street, 01382 221785. 11.45pm. Ring in Christmas day at this traditional sung mass.
Monday 27 Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Scotland Forever Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353
Christmas Concerts
Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: The Mikado with Alistair McGowan Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £21–£30. Semi- staged concert production of the most popular of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, starring impressionist Alistair McGowan as The Mikado, supported by a cast of Savoyards, the Scottish Concert Orchestra and the Edinburgh Grand Opera Chorus. Edinburgh ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Glenn Miller Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £14.50–£28.50 (limited concessions available). Ray McVay leads a concert of wartime hits and Glenn Miller favourites. The orchestra perform the second half in the World War II uniform of the US Air Force.
Wednesday 29 Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Glenn Miller Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 3pm. £16–£27. See Tue 28. ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Star Wars and Beyond Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £22.50–£32. A celebration of the work of John Williams, whose film
Edinburgh ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: The Mikado with Alistair McGowan Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £18.50–£32.50 (£14.50). See Tue 28.
Thursday 30 Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: The Sound of the Musicals Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £22.50–£32. TV star Jessie Buckley joins the Scottish Concert Orchestra and special guests from the West End for hits from Les Miserables, The Lion King, Mamma Mia and more.
Friday 31
Glasgow ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Hogmanay Gala Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £22.50–£32. Joyce Falconer presents a concert packed full of audience favourites performed by the RSNO, including pieces from Swan Lake, ‘Nessun Dorma’, ‘Flower of Scotland’ and no Hogmanay celebration would be complete without ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Saturday 1 Edinburgh ✽✽ Scottish Chamber Orchestra: New Year in Vienna Usher Hall,
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS VARIOUS Dunedin Consort, St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh, Wed 22 Dec; Ludus Baroque, Canongate Kirk, Fri 17 Dec; Scottish Ensemble, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Thu 16 Dec; Cappella Nova, Barony Hall, Glasgow, Fri 17 Dec; RSNO, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Dec & Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 18 Dec; SCO, Queen’s Hall, Thu 16 Dec.
Paris and parties, carols and candles, swingin’ and singing - they’re all there in the classical Christmas stocking this year in the run up to the big day. It would be unthinkable to have Christmas music without Messiah or Bach’s lovely Christmas Oratorio, especially in the keenly anticipated versions presented by Dunedin Consort and Ludus Baroque respectively. Dunedin Consort, whose 2007 recording of Handel’s most famous oratorio won them a Classic FM Gramophone Award, move to a new Edinburgh venue this year – the appropriately atmospheric St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral. Next in line down the CD awards route could well be Ludus, whose Christmas Oratorio is just one of a number of exciting recording projects in their pipeline. Candlelit concerts come courtesy of the Scottish
Ensemble and Cappella Nova, again popular fixtures of the season. The first’s ‘Christmas with a twist’ turns to Czech masters Dvorák and Janácek for an intimate Christmas experience, while Cappella Nova lean towards tradition with carols, Christmas virtuoso vocal pieces and guest brass quintet, Thistle Brass. Nostalgia, mystery and fun are promised and you can join in too with the carol singing if you are up for it.
Better known as Navid in TV sitcom Still Game, actor Sanjeev Kohli (pictured) is the RSNO’s narrator for Howard Blake’s more modern Christmas classic, The Snowman, complete with Raymond Brigg’s magical animation shown on the big screen. Its unforgettable theme tune, Walking in the Air, is beloved and recognised throughout the world, most recently for helping sell a particularly Scottish liquid refreshment. Orchestral music is also the territory of the SCO, whose Christmas in Paris evokes a different sort of childhood magic with Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.
With at least a couple of Christmas concerts on every day until Christmas Eve, there’s dozens of classical music options for getting yourself in the festive spirit. (Carol Main)
98 THE LIST 16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011
Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7pm. £10–£27. See in 2011 with a glittering selection of favourites from the Viennese ballrooms, including The Blue Danube, Radetzky March, waltzes, and polkas, while Gillian Keith performs some operetta hits. Nicholas Kok conducts.
Sunday 2 Glasgow FREE Kelvingrove Sunday Organ Recitals Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. 3–3.45pm. ■ RSNO: Handel’s Messiah Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 2pm. £12–£32 (£6–£12). Acclaimed Baroque conductor Nicholas McGegan returns to conduct the RSNO and RSNO Chorus’ annual New Year performance of Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, featuring Elena Xanthoudakis (soprano), William Towers (countertenor), Paul Agnew (tenor) and Peter Harvey (bass).
Monday 3
Glasgow ■ RSNO New Year Viennese Gala Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £12–£32 (£6–£16). Join conductor David Danzmayr and soprano Sarah Tynan for a feast of waltzes, polkas and mazurkas from Johann Strauss et al, including On the Beautiful Blue Danube the Overture to Die Fledermaus and the Emperor Waltz amongst others. Edinburgh ■ Edinburgh Royal Choral Union: Handel’s Messiah Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. Noon. £11–£25 (students £5). Edinburgh Royal Choral Union gives its annual performance of Handel’s celebrated oratorio, joined by the Edinburgh Pro Musica Orchestra and a foursome of top soloists. Brian Kay conducts.
Wednesday 5
Ayr ■ Scottish Chamber Orchestra: New Year in Vienna Ayr Town Hall, Carrick Street, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £18–£21. See Sat 1. Perth ■ NYOS: From the New World Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7.30pm. £14 (£7). Julian Clayton conducts Scotland’s national youth symphony orchestra in an America- inspired New Year concert. Opening with Barber’s Essay No 2 and showcasing the skills of American violinist Kurt Nikkanen in Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, the concert culminates in Dvorák’s much- loved tribute to the diverse traditions and folklore of America, Symphony No 9 (‘From the New World’).
Thursday 6 Glasgow ✽✽ NYOS: From the New World Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £10–£18. See Wed 5.
Dundee ■ Raymond Gubbay presents: Johann Strauss Gala Caird Hall, City Square, 01382 434940. 7.30pm. £23 (£19.50). Join the Johann Strauss Orchestra on a trip back to the elegant gilded ballrooms of 19th-century Vienna, complete with period-dressed dancers. Soprano Amy Freston joins the orchestra and conductor David Juritz for an evening of song, dance and music. Perth ■ RSNO New Year Viennese Gala Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 7.30pm. £8.50–£23 (£4.25–£11.50). See Mon 3.