MUSIC | Classical
2 City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £14.50–£28.50. See Thu 13. Gould Piano Trio Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £10. Piano trios by James MacMillan and Beethoven. Part of Piano Festival.
Edinburgh Lunchtime Recital Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Street. 12.45pm. Viola player Rachel Roberts teams up with pianist Richard Beauchamp for Schumann, Schubert and Brahms’ Sonata Op 120 No 2. FREE Edinburgh University Singers McEwan Hall, Bristo Square, 651 2189. 1.10pm. Choral works by Parry, Stanford and Finzi. Edinburgh University Music Society Chorus St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 229 1142. 7pm. £10 (£5; members £3). War-themed choral works by Haydn, Ireland, Aston and Johnston.
✽ RSNO: Oundjian and Benedetti Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155.
7.30pm. £12–£37 (under 26s/mature students/unemployed £6; under 16s free; disabled £6–£18.50). Orchestral works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Nicola Benedetti is the soloist, Peter Oundjian conducts.
Scottish Opera: La Cenerentola Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 4pm. £10–£80.50. See Thu 13. FREE St Giles’ at Six St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile, 226 0673. 6pm. Sang Scule sing choral music by Ben Parry, Sheena Phillips and others. Monday 17
Glasgow Song Studio Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £7.50–£9.50. Vocal student recital. Edinburgh FREE Tinderbox Orchestra The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 5pm. The experimental 50-piece youth orchestra in an open rehearsal. Edinburgh Quartet The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 7.30pm. £15 (£12; students £5; children free). Quartets by Haydn and Debussy, and a Franck quintet. FREE Red Note: Noisy Nights Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 560 1581. 7.30pm. Meet music-lovers, curious minds, musicians, composers and artists and hear some of the best examples of brand new music and enjoy a beer.
Saturday 15 Tuesday 18
Edinburgh FREE Rohan de Saram & Tanya Ekanayaka Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 4336. 1.10pm. Works for cello
and piano by Tovey, John Mayer and Ekanayaka herself.
Wednesday 19 Edinburgh Scottish Opera: La Cenerentola Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.15pm. £10–£80.50. See Thu 13.
Thursday 20
Glasgow BBC SSO: Shostakovich 5 City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £11–£24.50. Works by Shostakovich, Sibelius and James MacMillan, with pianist Peter Donohoe. Martyn Brabbins conducts. John Wilson and The John Wilson Orchestra: Cole Porter In Hollywood Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £26–£44. Songs by Broadway’s Mr Suave.
Friday 21
Glasgow The New Wallace Collection Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £8.50–£11.00. Former RCS Principal John Wallace recreates his ensemble of brass players. Edinburgh FREE Gordon Bragg & James Willshire Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 4336.
Glasgow The B Project: Euan Stevenson plays Bartók Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 6pm. £7.50. Piano improvisations and extracts from Mikrokosmos. Piano Festival. Milngavie Choir New Kilpatrick Parish Church, 28 Kirk Place, Bearsden, milngavie-choir.btck.co.uk 6–7.30pm. £tbc. The choir performs Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man.
✽ RSNO: Oundjian and Benedetti Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2
Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £12–£35 (disabled £6–£17.50; under 26s/ mature students/unemployed £6; under 16s free). See Fri 14. Nicolas Hodges Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £10. Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke XII and XIII. Piano Festival.
Edinburgh The Scottish Chamber Choir Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 7.30pm. £10 (students £5; accompanied under 18s free). Choral works by Haydn and Mozart. The Flautadors Recorder Quartet St Andrew’s and St George’s Church, 13 George Street, 225 3847. 7.45pm. £18 (£16; students/children/unwaged £5). Music by Telemann, Vivaldi, Handel, Bach and others. Meadows Chamber Orchestra St Serf’s Parish Church, 280 Ferry Road, meadowsorchestra.org.uk 7.45pm. £11 (£9; students £5; children £1). Symphonic works by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms. Peter Evans conducts, with guest soloist Tom Bowes (violin). Rei Nakamura Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square, 651 2189. 8pm. £tbc. New works for piano, electronics and video.
Sunday 16
Glasgow Glasgow Sinfonia Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 7.30pm. £10 (£8; under 16s £6). Gerard Doherty conducts Mahler, with guest mezzo-soprano Linda Finnie.
Edinburgh Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Chamber Sundays The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 3pm. £10–£12. Chamber music from Richard Strauss, Prokofiev, Johann Strauss and Schoenberg.
✽ BBC SSO: Beethoven’s Ninth Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155.
4pm. £11–£27. See Thu 13.
86 THE LIST 13 Nov–11 Dec 2014
N E E R G E N N A O J
CANDLELIT CONCERT SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE: NIGHT AND DAY Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, Sun 7 Dec; Wellington Church, Glasgow, Thu 11 Dec
In among all the traditional Christmas concerts there is usually at least one that is a little bit different. Proving once again that tinsel and Santa hats really aren’t necessary to get into seasonal spirit, the Scottish Ensemble’s December programme brings night and day together in the same candlelit evening. ‘We try to do a strongly themed Christmas concert each year,’ says the group’s artistic director, Jonathan Morton. ‘It’s never about Christmas but is at Christmas time. The concert is atmospherically candlelit, and that gave me the idea of light and dark, which also gives contrast.’
Probably the most famous piece of night music is Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, taking pride of place alongside two arrangements of nocturnal music specially made for the Scottish Ensemble. ‘Chopin is one of the most well-known composers of nocturnes,’ says Morton, ‘and Borodin’s “Sinfonia for Strings” has a nocturne as its third movement.’ Written as a love letter to his wife, it’s in an arrangement by Lucas Drew of Borodin’s ‘String Quartet No 2’. The Chopin piano pieces are being heard in brand new arrangements by David Matthews. ‘He’s done quite a few for us,’ says Morton, ‘and I think he’s got a real ear and feel for strings.’
For day, Morton has turned to contemporary music and Steve Martland’s ‘Eternity’s Sunrise’. One of the most energetic and dynamic composers of the 21st century, Martland died last year of a heart attack at the age of just 53. ‘It is time to revisit his music and the piece that we commissioned in 2008,’ says Morton. ‘I really believe in doing premieres again. Steve’s piece is the sunrise of the programme and we are really fond of it. It’s such strong rhythmically driven music.’ (Carol Main)
1.10pm. Music for violin and piano by Mozart, Respighi and Bartók. Edinburgh University Music Society Symphony Orchestra Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place, eums. eusa.ed.ac.uk 7pm. £10 (£5; members £3). Works by Sibelius and Grieg. RSNO: Oundjian Conducts The Firebird Usher Hall, Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.30pm. £12–£37 (disabled £6–£18.50; under 26s/mature students/ unemployed £6; under 16s free). Works by Elgar, Stravinsky, Ravel and Respighi, with guest pianist Steven Osborne. Peter Oundjian conducts. Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 7.45–9.30pm. £8 (£5). Renaissance choral music by the Anerio brothers from Italy.
Saturday 22
Glasgow Glasgow Chamber Choir St Bride’s Episcopal Church, 69 Hyndland Road, glasgowchamberchoir.org.uk 7.30– 9.30pm. £10 (£8). Works by Vaughan Williams, Bax, Judith Weir and Elgar. The Kelvin Ensemble St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, 300 Great Western Road, 339 6691. 7.30–9.30pm. £10 (£5). Works by Puccini, Grieg and Sibelius. RSNO: Oundjian Conducts The Firebird Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £12–£35 (disabled £6–£17.50; under 26s/ mature students/unemployed £6; under 16s free). See Fri 21. Edinburgh Scottish Opera: La Cenerentola Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.15pm. £10–£80.50. See Thu 13. Calton Consort Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 7.30pm. £9 (£7).. Sacred and secular choral music from the 20th century, by Britten, Martin, MacMillan, Smyth and Weill. FREE Dream Tree Album Launch Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 4336. 8–9.30pm. Kirsteen Davidson Kelly (piano) plays works by Vroni Holzmann.
Sunday 23
Edinburgh Edinburgh University Music Society Sinfonia Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 4336. 7.30pm. £10 (£5; members £3). Works by Vaughan Williams and Sibelius. Glasgow Chamber Choir Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate, 556 3515. 4.30pm. £10 (£8). Works by Vaughan Williams, Bax, Judith Weir and Elgar. Scottish Sinfonia St Cuthbert’s Church, 5 Lothian Road, 228 1155. 7.45pm. £13 (£11; students £8; schoolchildren free). Neil Mantle conducts works by Borodin, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Plus soloist Robin Hutt.
Monday 24
Glasgow Dazzling Strings Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, 332 5057. 1pm. £7.50–£9.50. String department showcase.
Tuesday 25
Glasgow FREE Choral Contemplations Glasgow University Memorial Chapel, University Avenue, 330 5419. 6–7pm. Jean Langlais’ Messe Solennelle. Russell Watson Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street, 552 8198. 7pm. £39.50– £55. Crossover singer. Edinburgh FREE Edinburgh Quartet Reid Concert Hall, University of Edinburgh, Bristo Square, 651 4336. 1.10pm. Works by Takemitsu and Elgar.