MUSIC | Classical |
C L A S S I C A L
CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER MUSIC HEBRIDES ENSEMBLE: TRANSFIGURED NIGHT St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow, Tue 8 Nov; Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Wed 9 Nov
For 25 years, Hebrides Ensemble has been at the forefront of contemporary chamber music in Scotland and, increasingly, beyond. First performances, recordings, festival appearances, new commissions, music theatre and composer collaborations are all firmly under its belt. So how does a group like Hebrides do something different for its special birthday?
‘I don’t know how it dawned on us,’ says founding artistic director and cellist William Conway, ‘but we realised that both Hebrides and Psappha ensemble are 25 at the same time.’
Manchester-based group Psappha is the only stand-alone, professional contemporary classical music ensemble in the north of England and, in common with Hebrides, has very close connections with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who died earlier this year. The groups will come together for a tour of performances across Scotland, England and Wales, with the music of Max, as he was fondly known, being essential to their Transfigured Night. It opens with his ‘The Last Island’, set alongside a film of the
Holms of Ire, the Orkney island setting which inspired the piece, and closes with Max’s ever-popular ‘Farewell to Stromness’ in a new arrangement for strings and cimbalom by Scottish composer David Horne. The six string players, three from each ensemble, are also at the heart of Schoenberg’s iconic ‘Verklärte Nacht’ – the ‘Transfigured Night’ of the programme’s title. ‘How we began,’ says Conway, ‘was wanting to do new music
justice and for people to make proper judgements about it. 25 years later, the energy and standards of performance are still there. It’s really important to keep them high all the time, and also very exciting.’ (Carol Main)
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CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
HITLIST GLASGOW
ENSEMBLE ODYSSEE CONCERTO IN G
BBC SSO: RAVEL’S PIANO
St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, Edinburgh, Sat 5 Nov, gcs.org.uk ‘Concerto for a Small Flute’ transports the audience to 18th century London.
SCOTTISH OPERA: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 9, Fri 11–13, Thu 17 & Sat 19 Nov, atgtickets.com Hit production of Mozart’s much loved opera (pictured right) with Ben McAteer in the title role.
SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE & ANNA MEREDITH: ANNO
The Hub, Edinburgh, Thu 10 & Fri 11 Nov, scottishensemble.co.uk Vivaldi’s Four Seasons interspersed with new music by Anna Meredith and with visuals by Eleanor Meredith. See feature, page 43. Also Tramway, Glasgow; Sun 13 Nov.
City Halls, Candleriggs, Thu 24 Nov, glasgowconcerthalls.com Recently announced as English National Opera’s new music director, conductor Martyn Brabbins is a favourite of the BBC SSO and with the Symphony No 1 commences his two-year exploration of Tippett’s symphonies.
DUNEDIN CONSORT: HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Bute Hall, University of Glasgow, Sun 18 Dec, dunedin- consort.org.uk Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Handel’s ‘Messiah’, especially in the Dunedin Consort’s joyful and effervescent version for a chorus of far fewer voices than is generally the case and with soloists coming from within its ranks. Also Mon 19 Dec, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
EDINBURGH
EDINBURGH QUARTET: EQ FOLK
The Queen’s Hall, Sun 13 Nov,
114 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017
P H O T O :
I B L L C O O P E R
queenshall.net The string quartet goes folky in their new project which highlights composers whose work has been inspired by traditional music. Most recent is Alasdair Nicolson’s ‘String Quartet No 3’, which is directly influenced by Gaelic song. With its subtitle ‘Slanting Rain’, it’s possibly also influenced by Scottish weather.
RSNO: VERDI REQUIEM Usher Hall, Fri 2 Dec, usherhall. co.uk Full-on performance from enlarged orchestra and full chorus singing with all its might 125 years after Verdi’s powerful Requiem setting was first heard in Scotland. Also Sat 3 Dec, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
METROPOLITAN OPERA:
SCOTTISH CHAMBER NABUCCO
ORCHESTRA: ISRAEL IN EGYPT
The Queen’s Hall, Thu 24 Nov, queenshall.net The excellent SCO Chorus are to the fore in Handel’s retelling of the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea and other dramatic biblical stories from the book of Exodus. Also Fri 25 Nov, City Halls, Glasgow
Cameo Cinema, Sat 7 Jan, picturehouses.com For the first time in HD, Met music director James Levine conducts Verdi’s drama about the King of Babylon and his war with the Israelites. Seeing opera close up on the big screen brings the production alive in a way that isn’t always possible in the opera house.