MUSIC | Classical MUSIC | Classical C L A S S I C A L
FESTIVAL THE PIANO Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Fri 6–Sun 8 Nov
An instrument that regularly tops the ‘wish I could play’ list, the piano deserves every bit of celebration that Glasgow’s festival dedicated to it can give. Featuring some of the world’s finest pianists, as well as newer talents and even opportunities for the non-gifted amateur, The Piano is an event with something for everyone who has an interest in this most versatile of musical instruments. Now in its fourth year, the ideas behind The Piano remain the
same, says Glasgow Life’s director of music, Svend Brown. ‘The piano is the greatest instrument to connect a wide range of musicians and personalities,’ he says, ‘and the festival makes a link with high-end professionals and everyone else participating. There are so many people learning keyboard who can be on stage, as well as the big names such as John Lill and Richard Goode.’ Making a rare appearance in Glasgow, Lill plays an all-Beethoven programme with the famous ‘Moonlight’, ‘Pathétique’ and ‘Appassionata’ sonatas.
For those not quite of his calibre, the Crazy Big Piano Orchestra offers an alternative route to the concert platform. ‘We’ll have 20 people playing two of the most popular piano duets – Handel’s ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ and one of Schubert’s ‘Ländler’, with a new piece being written by jazz pianist Richard Michael,’ says Brown, who is planning to be one of those brave enough to take part.
For chamber music and jazz aficionados, Piano Lounge, an initiative taking place at various hours of the afternoon, offers Liam Noble and Euan Stevenson on jazz piano and a Saturday programme curated by Alasdair Beatson of ensemble music by Mozart, Debussy and Brahms. ‘It will be very chilled,’ says Brown, ‘with something a bit edgier from Japanese pianist Maki Namekawa who plays all of the ‘Etudes for Piano’ by Philip Glass.’ (Carol Main)
CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
HITLIST EDINBURGH
SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 13 & Sat 14 Nov, tramway.org First heard on harpsichord, Bach’s Goldberg Variations now receive a completely new interpretation.
BBC SSO 80TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT City Halls, Glasgow, Thu 3 Dec, glasgowconcerthalls. com/city-halls The BBC SSO celebrates its 80th birthday in the company of mezzo Sarah Connolly and tenor Andrew Staples.
SCOTTISH OPERA: THE DEVIL INSIDE Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Sat 23, Tue 26 Jan, atgtickets. com/glasgow; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 29 & Sat 30 Jan, edtheatres.com/ kings World premiere of opera which has grown out of Scottish Opera’s Five:15 Operas Made in Scotland initiative.
114 THE LIST 5 Nov 2015–4 Feb 2016
SCOTTISH OPERA: CARMEN Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Fri 6, Sun 8, Thu 12, Sat 14 Nov, edtheatres.com Scottish Opera open their new season with one of the world’s most popular operas ever, Bizet’s Carmen, with a couple of rising stars set to bring extra excitement. New York-born tenor Noah Stewart and Lithuanian mezzo Justina Gringyte are hot names at the moment, with the latter singing the title role. PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA Usher Hall, Sun 8 Nov, usherhall. co.uk The Usher Hall’s Sunday Classics series continues with the Philharmonia Orchestra making a welcome return visit to Edinburgh, with 21-year-old violinist Esther Yoo as soloist in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.
KATE ROYAL AND ROGER VIGNOLES The Queen’s Hall, Mon 30 Nov, queenshall.net No stranger to Scottish audiences after appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, soprano Kate Royal returns to the Queen’s Hall with one
of the world’s finest accompanists for songs by Schumann, Mahler and Barber. THE MARIAN CONSORT Canongate Kirk, Sat 5 Dec, queenshall.net Highly impressive vocal ensemble of young voices give a programme of the early music in which they excel specially themed for Christmas under conductor Rory McCleery.
GLASGOW
BBC SSO: ELGAR’S ENIGMA’ VARIATIONS City Halls, Thu 19 Nov, glasgowconcerthalls.com/ city-halls As the nation reflects on those who have given their lives in service, the BBC SSO features two composers whose work is associated with the time of WWI, George Butterworth and Cecil Coles. Partnered with Elgar and Walton, it is an unusually emotive night.
RSNO: SYMPHONY, SOUP AND A SANDWICH – TCHAIKOVSKY
ONE RSNO Centre, Thu 26 Nov, rsno. org.uk Thoroughly enjoying its new city-centre home, the RSNO
is delighted to invite lunchtime audiences to share its fine acoustics and comfortable auditorium. Today, the symphony to savour is Tchaikovsky’s No 1.
HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: SINCE IT WAS THE DAY OF
PREPARATION . . . St Andrews Cathedral, Thu 26 Nov, ticketweb.co.uk A beautifully powerful masterpiece telling of Christ’s Resurrection, James MacMillan’s score, commissioned by Hebrides Ensemble and premiered in 2012, is deeply moving, intimate, and, ultimately, celebratory. Also Fri 27 Nov, St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh.
HAMILTON
LAUREN SARAH HAYES: 15 SECONDS Hamilton Mausoleum, Sat 7 Nov, cca-glasgow.com As part of Sonica, Lauren Sarah Hayes brings her skills as a performer of live electronic music into one of Scotland’s most extraordinary buildings, the Hamilton Mausoleum, which is the burial tomb of the Dukes of Hamilton and the largest of its type in Britain.