MUSIC | Highlights C L A S S I C A L
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OPERA SCOTTISH OPERA: PELLEAS ET MELISANDE Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Thu 23 & Sun 26 Feb, Wed 1 & Sat 4 Mar; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Tue 7, Thu 9 & Sat 11 Mar
In Scottish Opera’s new production of Debussy’s infrequently performed masterpiece, Pelléas et Mélisande, directed by the incomparable Sir David McVicar, there is much to anticipate with genuine excitement. Apart from Scottish Opera’s version being the first to be seen in Scotland for a number of years, Pelléas et Mélisande is, says McVicar, ‘a work that looks at things half-expressed and half-lived and conveys the tragic poignancy of existence more than any other opera.’ It is an opera which McVicar has never previously directed
but has had in his sights for some time. ‘I tried to get it off the ground with several opera houses, but it was Scottish Opera’s Alex Reedijk who gave me carte blanche and said, “let’s do it”.’ When the company was launched in 1962, it was with Madama Butterfly, but next up was Pelléas et Mélisande. Although seen since then, it is, says McVicar, ‘a piece that is crying out for attention and it’s about time Scottish Opera did it again. I’ve loved it forever and always wanted to do it.’
Part of McVicar’s draw to the opera is that it’s great theatre as well as having a wonderfully sensuous score. Although the story itself is straightforward enough, there is a complex elusiveness too. ‘You can’t pin down a single meaning,’ he says. ‘How it strikes the audience is very personal and very subjective. It’s the story of the human soul making contact with the world and the damage that results. All of the three delicate human beings are not up to the challenge of this world, being almost too fragile to live in it. It strikes a universal chord. We all have to make decisions and here they lead to disaster.’ (Car ol Main)
CLASSICAL HIGHLIGHTS
HITLIST GLASGOW
SCOTTISH OPERA: BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE & THE 8TH DOOR Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 28, Thu 30 Mar, Sat 1 Apr Bartok’s darkly disturbing opera is paired with The 8th Door, co-created by composer Lliam Paterson and theatre director Matthew Lenton. Also Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 5, Sat 8 Apr
RSNO: JÄRVI’S 80TH BIRTHDAY Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Fri 17 Feb Estonian maestro Neeme Järvi has a long association with the RSNO and currently holds the title of Conductor Laureate. Only fitting that the orchestra should help him celebrate his 80th birthday then with a special programme of two not often performed dramatic Tchaikovsky scores. Also Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat 18 Feb.
82 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2017
BBC SSO: RACHMANINOV’S PIANO CONCERTO NO 2 City Halls, Glasgow, Thu 23 Feb, glasgowconcerthalls.com/ cityhalls Lots of tunes from the BBC SSO in this programme, including Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, used to memorable effect in David Lean’s 1945 film Brief Encounter, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s exotic score, Scheherazade. Also Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Feb.
TWO GREAT FRENCH ROMANTIC TRAGEDIES RCS, Glasgow, Sat 4, Mon 6, Wed 8, Fri 10 Mar, rcs.ac.uk/box-office RCS Opera turns to two unusual versions of stories about doomed lovers – Orpheus and Eurydice in Milhaud’s expressive, vibrant score, and the Scottish premiere of Frank Martin’s take on Tristan and Isolde, Le Vin Herbe (the drugged wine).
BBC SSO: STRAUSS’S FOUR LAST SONGS City Halls, Glasgow, Thu 23 Mar, glasgowconcerthalls.com/ cityhalls Heart-tugging emotions from the expansive scores of Wagner
and the glorious beauty of the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde followed by the Prelude to Act 1 of Parsifal are almost too much to bear, especially with Strauss’s Four Last Songs too. Canadian Erin Wall is the soprano. EDINBURGH
SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE: MUSIC IS POWER The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Feb, queenshall.net Powerful concert indeed with the Scottish Ensemble joined by international star violinist Alina Ibragimova, who plays one of the composers she is famed for – JS Bach – but also the more unusual Concerto Funebre by Karl Amadeus Hartmann, written with profound emotive power on the brink of World War II. Also Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow, Fri 17 Feb.
MR MCFALL’S CHAMBER La Belle Angèle, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Feb, la-belleangele.com Robert McFall and friends from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra can always be relied upon to take a different look at classical music. Here, they perform with Aberfeldy, both in their own material and songs by Michael Marra.
THE VIENNA TONKÜNSTLER ORCHESTRA Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 5 Mar, usherhall.co.uk All time orchestral favourites of Mendelsson’s Hebrides Overture, Brahms’ Symphony No 1 – which took him 14 years to write – and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with favourite British clarinettist Emma Johnson combine to make a satisfying concert experience with one of Europe’s most established orchestras.
SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: SCO AND THE SIXTEEN PERFORM MACMILLAN’S STABAT MATER Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 23 Mar Unusually, the SCO join forces with The Sixteen, with a highlight of their programme certain to be the Scottish premiere of James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, commissioned for The Sixteen and their founding director Harry Christophers. In the first half, MacMillan conducts his orchestral piece, Tryst, one of the first pieces he wrote for the SCO. The concert is part of a month long celebration of MacMillan’s music. Also City Halls, Glasgow, Fri 24 Mar.