MUSIC | Classical
Get Organised: John Kitchen Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 1.10pm. £3. Seasonal organ recital also featuring the Edinburgh University Singers.
Wednesday 5 Edinburgh FREE Very Wednesday St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Wed 21. FREE Music in KB Glass Arcade, Scottish Agricultural College, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, 535 4000. 1.05pm. Pure Brass plays a recital. Scottish Ensemble: Variations Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place, greyfriarskirk.com 7.30pm. £15 (students £5; children free). See Tue 4.
Thursday 6 Glasgow BBC SSO: Mustonen plays Bartok and Hindemith City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 2pm. £tbc. Olli Mustonen (piano) plays Bartok’s Piano Concerto No 3 plus the UK premiere of Hindemith’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. Also, Hindemith’s marvellous Symphony ‘Mathis der Maler’. Meningitis Trust Christmas Concert Glasgow Cathedral, Castle St, 0845 120 4530. 7pm. £8. Charityconcert.
Edinburgh FREE Edinburgh University Singers Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, 624 6200. 1.15pm. Seasonal choral music. Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Pizarro plays Beethoven The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £10–£29 (£5–£27; under 16s free). John Storgards conducts Rauatavaara’s Into the Heart of Light and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 5 ‘Reformation’ and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 2 with guest soloist Artur Pizarro. Friday 7
Glasgow Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Pizarro plays Beethoven City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £13–£27 (£5–£25; under 16s free). See Wed 5. Edinburgh Vivaldi at Christmas Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10– £27. Richard Egarr directs the Choir of the Academy of Ancient Music in Vivaldi’s Concerto in E major, Dixit Dominus and Gloria. With Elizabeth Watts (soprano) and Daniela Lehner (mezzo-soprano).
Saturday 8 Glasgow Glasgow Chamber Choir: The Christmas Truce Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, University Avenue, 330 4092. 7.30–9.30pm. £8. Works by Strauss, Bingham and Haydn. Milngavie Choir Christmas Concert Cairns Church, 11 Buchanan Street, Milngavie, 334 6948. 7.30pm. £10 (£8). Annual seasonal concert. Dunedin Consort: Handel’s Messiah Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. 8pm. £15–£17.50 (£13–£15.50). John Butt directs Handel’s blockbuster.
Edinburgh Cadenza at Christmas Polwarth Parish Church, Polwarth Terrace, 346 2711. 7.30pm. £tbc. Seasonal music. Chapter House Singers & Edinburgh University Singers St Mary’s Cathedral, 23 Palmerston Place, 225 6293. 7.30pm. £10 (£8). Music by Michael Praetorius, with John Kitchen (organ). Edinburgh Bach Choir St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 228 1155. 102 THE LIST 15 Nov–13 Dec 2012
School St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm. Seasonal choral and orchestral music by Mathias, Todd and Wegener. Consort of Voices Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 6.30pm. £12 (£8). Concert of seasonal music and carols. FREE University Carol Service McEwan Hall, Bristo Square. 7pm. The Service is always a big draw, so be seated by 6.40pm; admission can’t be guaranteed. (Doors open 6pm.)
Monday 10
Glasgow BBC SSO: Discovering Music – Bartok’s Piano Concerto No 1 City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 2pm. Free but limited to two per application. Stephen Johnson introduces Bartok’s Piano Concerto No 1, performed by Olli Mustonen. Martyn Brabbins conducts. Ages 12+ (concert is being recorded). Edinburgh Red Note: Noisy Nights Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. 8pm. Free but ticketed. See Mon 19.
Tuesday 11
Glasgow FREE Family Carol Service with Chapel Choir Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, University Avenue, 330 4092. 6pm. Carol service featuring Kevin Bowyer (organ). Edinburgh Dollar Academy Annual Christmas Concert Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £9. Featuring Karl Jenkins’ Stella Natalis. FREE Simon Nieminski & Kingdom Brass St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Broughton Street, 556 1798. 7.30pm. Music for organ and brass by Saint-Saëns, Bruckner, Boëllmann as well as some Christmas favourites.
Wednesday 12 Glasgow André Rieu SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £40–£90. Splendidly-coiffed violinist.
Edinburgh FREE Very Wednesday St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 12.15pm. See Wed 21. Edinburgh Quartet St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, 225 7001. 5.30pm. £10 (under 16s free). Shostakovich’s harrowing Quartet No 8. CLIC Sargent Carol Concert Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10–£18. Charity concert with Yuanfan Yang, Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, Lairdsland Primary Junior Choir, acclaimed baritone Andrew McTaggart and conductor Ian McCrorie. Edinburgh Royal Choral Union: Christmas with the Choral St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £10 (£5). Seasonal favourites.
Thursday 13 Glasgow Quatro Cantos The Merchant House, 7 West George Street, 649 5347. 11.45am. £8 (£7; children £4). Popular choral favourites. BBC SSO: Miraculous Mandarins – Bartok and Hindemith City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £10.50–£23.50. Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin and Piano Concerto No 2, plus Hindemith’s Trauermusik featuring Scott Dickinson, and Symphonic Metamorphosis. Martyn Brabbins conducts. Guest soloist: Olli Mustonen. Martin Aelred: Messa di Gloria St Mary’s Church, 89 Abercromby Street, Calton, 554 1333. 7.30–9.30pm. £5. Tenor in recital.
PERSIAN POETRY WITH DANCE THE INTOXICATING ROSE GARDEN Tolbooth, Stirling, Thu 15 Nov; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 22 Nov
Even the name of Sally Beamish’s latest score is something that sounds out of the ordinary. Delve further into what The Intoxicating Rose Garden is all about, and it’s clear that it is a new piece of work which is quite different from anything even the innovative and groundbreaking Red Note Ensemble have previously presented. Actually much more than Beamish’s evocative music, the piece is based on her settings of poetry by the 14th century Sufi mystic, Jafez, but now includes music, song, animated image and dance, which is choreographed and performed by the extraordinary Michael Popper. ‘I’ve admired Michael’s work for some time,’ says Beamish, ‘and it’s very exciting to be working with him on this piece.’ The visual element is courtesy of artist Jila Peacock’s book, Ten Poems from Hafez, which are poems shaped by the calligraphy of Hafez’s original Farsi text. Together, Beamish and Peacock began to conceive that their interpretations of the poetry could be further realised through the human body and dance.
‘The music I’ve written for Jila Peacock’s translations of Hafez has
already gone through several incarnations,’ explains Beamish. ‘Adding dance and film into the mix is an inspiring new departure, and it’s now possible to include Jila’s artwork, as realised by filmmaker Laurie Irvine.’
Themes explored in The Intoxicating Rose Garden are longing and separation, as well as belonging and completeness, so elements of the poetry which both conflict and complement. Beamish’s music takes inspiration from traditional Iranian music, birdsong and even insect calls.
It is a highly ambitious undertaking in which all the different strands interact with each other to form a rich polyphony. ‘I’m delighted that Red Note have taken the project on board,’ says Beamish, ‘and I have tailored the music to four of their outstanding musicians.’ (Carol Main)
7.30pm. £14 (£12; students £5; children free). Choral music by Vaughan Williams, Chilcott and Poulenc, plus a selection of carols. Edinburgh University Brass Band Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 3212. 7.30pm. £5 (students £3). Angus Tully conducts seasonal concert. Encantar/Romina Lischka: Música Exaltada Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 668 2019. 8pm. £17 (£15; students £5). Belgian all-female vocal quartet with Romina Lischka (viola da gamba) perform pieces by de Silva, Guerrero and Victoria.
Sunday 9 Glasgow FREE Kelvingrove Organ Recitals
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. 3pm. See Thu 15. FREE Glasgow University Service of Nine Lessons and Carols Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, University Avenue, 330 4092. 6pm. Carols and Bible readings. Edinburgh Bel Canto Sing Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate, 529 3963. 2pm. £8. Traditional and modern carols. Harps of Gold Christmas Concert The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 2.30pm. £10 (£8; children £5; family £25). Charity harp recital. Edinburgh Grand Opera Christmas Gala Concert St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 229 1142. 6pm. £12. Operatic and seasonal favourites. FREE St Giles’ at Six: St George’s