Beethoven Symphony Cycle

SEASON 2019/2020

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY CYCLE –––––

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SEASON 19/20 | BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY CYCLE

CONTENTS 7

WELCOME

08

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN… 8

COMING TO BEETHOVEN (BY WAY OF MENDELSSOHN) By Professor Nicholas Marston

12 THOUGHTS FROM SCO PLAYERS With Adrian Bornet, Marcus Barcham Stevens, Siún Milne and Louise Goodwin

44 WHY BEETHOVEN?

12

By Simon Thompson

BEETHOVEN’S NINE SYMPHONIES 21 FROM ALPHA TO OMEGA By Dr Martin Ennis

22 NOS 1 & 3 ‘EROICA’ Conducted by Emmanuel Krivine

44

26 NOS 2, 4 & 5 Conducted by Andrew Manze

32 NOS 6 ‘PASTORAL’ & 7 Conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev

36 NOS 8 & 9 ‘CHORAL’ Conducted by Emmanuel Krivine With SCO Chorus

4 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5AB +44 (0)131 557 6800 • info@sco.org.uk sco.org.uk The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered in Scotland No. SC015039. Company registration No. SC075079.

25Oth CELEBRATION

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|07

A WARM WELCOME Welcome to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s celebration of the 250th Anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most influential cultural figures ever to have lived. I am often asked to name my favourite composer. There are of course many to choose from and attempting to distil the multitude of talent, form and style down to one is in all sorts of ways, something of a pointless exercise. However, when all is said and done, for me, there is something utterly irresistible and perhaps elemental about the music of Beethoven, which keeps drawing me back time after time.

Whatever it is, Beethoven’s music, like the plays of Shakespeare or the paintings

It is music that feels as contemporary today

of Michelangelo, bears a lifetime of

as it must have done when it was written

revisiting, rediscovery and reinterpretation.

over 200 years ago, dealing head on with

Whether you are a veteran of numerous

some of the most fundamental aspects

performances or you are coming to these

of life – the struggles, the challenges

great works for the very first time, I urge

and the fears – that we all face at times.

you to open your ears and your hearts, not

And it presents them with a directness

only to the music of one of the greatest

and an honesty which can be disarming,

composers who has ever lived, but to three

yet in ways in which hope and optimism

of the finest living interpreters of these

overcome despair, and triumph somehow

masterpieces – Maxim Emelyanychev,

prevails.

Emmanuel Krivine and Andrew Manze – because, along with the wonderful

Is it the shock of the new which we marvel

musicians of the Scottish Chamber

at, or the continual breaking of the old

Orchestra, they may very well change your

rules and conventions as Beethoven seeks a

life.

brave new world which myriad composers have subsequently tried to understand and

Gavin Reid

emulate?

Chief Executive

08|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

COMING TO BEETHOVEN (BY WAY OF MENDELSSOHN) BY PROFESSOR NICHOLAS MARSTON

CERTAINLY, BEETHOVEN’S MUSIC, AND THE ‘HEROIC’ MUSIC ABOVE ALL, OFTEN CONVEYS A SENSE THAT ‘THIS IS HOW IT IS’, THAT THINGS SOMEHOW CANNOT BE OTHERWISE IN THIS MUSICAL UNIVERSE.

‘The British don’t know much about music,

of Beecham’s view is to be found in some

but they like the noise it makes’. This dictum,

comments of Felix Mendelssohn in a letter of

usually attributed to the conductor Sir Thomas

1842: ‘People usually complain that music is

Beecham, is worth treating rather more seriously

so ambiguous, and what they are supposed

than it might seem to deserve. Even while they

to think when they hear it is so unclear, while

‘like the noise it makes’, it is noticeable how often

words are understood by everyone. But for me

people seem to feel the need to apologise for

it is exactly the opposite . . . what the music

not knowing anything about ‘classical’ music,

I love expresses to me are thoughts not too

or being able to appreciate it properly – to

indefinite for words, but rather too definite’.

‘understand’ it. An admission of ignorance about cricket or the offside rule will similarly

As is obvious, Mendelssohn was writing here

be offered, but usually without the same sense

about instrumental music, music without words

of guilt or personal regret. There are of course

(he was of course the great master of that

plenty of others who are completely untroubled

peculiar and characteristic keyboard genre,

by such things, and for whom ‘classical’ music is

the Lied ohne Worte, or ‘song without words’).

simply a closed book; however much noise it may

And behind what he had to say there lies a

make, it holds no meaning for them.

veritable revolution that can be traced across the nearly three decades separating the years

That question of meaning is crucial. A more

1790 and 1818. Not a bloody revolution on the

profound and elegantly expressed version

streets, as had begun in France in 1789; this

Beethoven through the ages

was a revolution in thought; thought about

Schopenhauer (1788–1860) in his treatise The

instrumental music. What was such music,

World as Will and Representation, published in

and what could it do? While generalisations

that year. So far from being broadly enjoyable

must always be treated with care, this shift

empty noise (as Beecham might have summed

in thinking can be neatly summarised in the

up Kant’s position), instrumental music now

opinions about music of two of the greatest

gave access to the ultimate reality of things,

philosophers of the period. For Immanuel

precisely those things that, as Mendelssohn

Kant (1724–1804), writing about the arts in his

knew, could not be captured in mere words.

Critique of Judgement (1790), music in general was a mere play of sensations. For Kant,

What drove this remarkable shift in thinking?

instrumental music was the lowest of all the

Once again, generalisations are dangerous

fine arts because it lacked any moral aim (‘it is

and no single cause can explain the matter.

enjoyable rather than civilising’); words were

But there is a possible one-word answer that is

essential to imbue it with any kind of meaning

not entirely wide of the mark: Beethoven.

or purpose. Born in Bonn in 1770, Beethoven was still The view from 1818 could hardly have been

living there in 1790, when Kant’s treatise was

more different. ‘Music is thus in no sense,

published. His move to Vienna in 1792 was

like the other arts, the image of ideas, but

yet to come, as was all the instrumental music

the image of the Will itself’. So wrote Arthur

for which he is best known today, although he

10|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

had already, two years before, begun working

aesthetic category known as the ‘sublime’; and

on what would eventually become his Piano

his essay, which does not neglect to outline

Concerto No 2, Op 19. The year 1790, in fact,

some of the intricate motivic connections

saw the composition and performance of two

threaded through the symphony, is the earliest

little-known but significant texted works, the

account of what has become known as

Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph

Beethoven’s ‘heroic’ style.

II, WoO 87, and its companion Cantata on the Accession of Emperor Leopold II, WoO

The ‘heroic’ style is so named because it makes

88. The former piece is especially important

its first and most unequivocal appearance in

not only in that it is the source of some of the

the ‘Eroica’ Symphony, composed in 1803. It

melodic material in Beethoven’s only opera,

is characterised by massive dimensions (the

Fidelio (1814; originally Leonore, 1805–6) but

‘Eroica’ was far longer than any symphony

also in that it is the first extended example of

hitherto composed, and considerably

Beethoven’s so-called ‘C minor mood’, a key

challenged its listeners’ hearing capacity).

that evidently held a particular charge for

It’s driving rhythms, motivic complexity and

him. The best-known example is of course

goal-directed structures are conveyed almost

the Symphony No 5 in C minor, the opening

viscerally to the listener and the ‘heroic’ style is

of which is known to millions, whether or

apparent in many of Beethoven’s most public

not they can name the piece from which it

works of the decade following the ‘Eroica’

comes. Nonetheless, the symphony is only

(thus, up to and including the Seventh and

one of a rich corpus of pieces that explore

Eighth Symphonies). As with the ‘C minor

the expressive potential of this particular

mood’, it is closely associated with the key of

key, from the early Piano Sonata Op 10 No 1

the ‘Eroica’, E flat major; that same key would

(c1795–97) to the very last Sonata, Op 111

be used in 1809 for the no less heroic ‘Emperor’

(1821–22) via the Coriolan Overture (1807),

Concerto, Op 73, though it is worth pointing

the Choral Fantasia, Op 80 (1808) and so

out that other works in the same key, such as

many more.

the ‘Harp’ Quartet, Op 74 of the same year, and the Piano Trio in E flat, Op 70, No 2 (1808)

The Fifth Symphony, composed in 1807–8

employ a different emotional palette (or

and premièred at the notorious 4-hour-long

maybe just a quieter kind of ‘heroism’).

concert in freezing conditions in Vienna on 22 December 1808, brings us back to the shift

A more recent commentator, Scott Burnham,

in responses to instrumental music sketched

writing in his influential, ‘Eroica’-based book

above. E. T. A. Hoffmann’s famous critique

Beethoven Hero (1995) has simply claimed

of the symphony, first published in 1810,

that ‘the values of Beethoven’s heroic music

pre-empts Schopenhauer in claiming that

have become the values of all music’. Certainly,

instrumental music ‘is the most romantic of

Beethoven’s music, and the ‘heroic’ music

all the arts . . . because its only subject is the

above all, often conveys a sense that ‘this

infinite’. As for Beethoven, ‘his instrumental

is how it is’, that things somehow cannot be

music opens to us the realm of the monstrous

otherwise in this musical universe. Many find

and immeasurable’. Hoffmann is here allying

this compelling in an utterly positive, thrilling

Beethoven’s instrumental music to the

way; others report a sense of unease, feeling

that this music is somehow coercive, and not necessarily always in a good way. Despite having famously denounced Napoleon as a tyrant, and withdrawn his name from the title of his Third Symphony, has Beethoven somehow stepped into that tyrant’s shoes? By 1818, when Schopenhauer’s treatise appeared, Beethoven was embarking on his grandest piano sonata, the ‘Hammerklavier’, Op 106. It is not without its heroic aspects – the style remained available to Beethoven, and resurfaces in the Ninth; but Beethoven’s life and music had undergone radical shifts in many respects since 1812. Not least of which were the famous affair of the ‘Immortal Beloved’ and the struggle for guardianship of his nephew Karl, to say nothing of his now almost total deafness, and the ‘late’ music is shot through with uneasy ambiguities. Still to come, along with the Ninth, were the Missa solemnis, the last three piano sonatas and the late string quartets. Given Beethoven’s unchallengeable role in the establishment of a certain kind of instrumental music as perhaps the epitome of ‘classical’ music (and much of it certainly makes a lot of noise), there is perhaps an irony in that words increasingly make an appearance in his musical scores: Schiller’s An die Freude in the Ninth, of course; but also the vexed question and answer, ‘Muß es sein? Es muß sein!’ appearing above the finale of the last quartet, Op 135, and the remark prefacing the Kyrie of the Missa in Beethoven’s manuscript: ‘From the heart, may it reach again to the heart’. Those words, indeed, perhaps go to the very heart of the matter; even so, Mendelssohn got it right. © Nicholas Marston, 2019 Beethoven with a lyre-guitar. 1804–05 portrait by Joseph Willibrord Mähler

12|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

ADRIAN BORNET SUB PRINCIPAL DOUBLE BASS

There is no end to an exploration of good

sudden pianissimo. By contrast the storms

music. This I can happily apply to many

of life are enacted in the 5th Symphony,

composers, not least Beethoven whose

with its ruthless repetitions. Yet through

symphonies I have played so many times

this dark and relentless trough, Beethoven

over a long career. To start with his was a

brings us to a glorious light.

unique voice, worth remembering when performing to help relive the original

In his writing for the double bass

experience. Another relevant point is that

Beethoven increasingly brings an

he was never commissioned, and so was

independence, to an extent brought about

dictated to only by his inner impulses and

by a meeting with the famous performer

artistic conscience. Is he relevant today?

Dragonetti. To him we owe increasingly

I do think so, as he wrote to the human

challenging writing and an ever-

condition, both the sunniest and the

demanding physical input. This vigour

darkest. One might ask, is Shakespeare

can easily be heard in the first movement

still relevant? Arguably Shakespeare

of the 7th, with its energetic dance-like

created the modern personality, while

character causing one to rush headlong

Beethoven did the same for the symphony.

towards the welcome buffer chords.

In the writing of them he poured forth his

For sheer magic, the opening of No 9

experiences of human emotion, of human

has no equal among all the symphonies.

endeavour. One of his happiest moments

From murmurings and twitches comes the

comes in the second movement of

music out of darkness before elemental

Symphony No 2: the string opening exudes

power overtakes us, only to subside into

peace and joy in its fervent melody.

murky twilight. From this grows the most

While playing this I can so easily conjure

extraordinary and powerful work, with

a memory of Sir Charles Mackerras,

intensity of emotion further increased by

with smile and raised eyebrow, choosing

use of chorus and vocal soloists, ending

exactly the right tempo and string tone

a symphony of overwhelming originality

(and that’s why a conductor can be so

and grandeur. I picture the end of that

crucial, to reveal what lies beyond the veil

original concert, with the profoundly

of understanding). In the slow movement

deaf conductor Beethoven being gently

of Symphony No 4, Maxi’s clarinet

turned towards the audience by one of the

playing provides another such moment,

musicians to witness the ecstatic applause

perfuming the air with magic out of a

for this ground-breaking work.

14|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

MARCUS BARCHAM STEVENS SECOND VIOLIN

One of my musical joys is to sit down and

is compounded by the fact that nearly

play Haydn string quartets. The music is

everyone has a really strong idea about

fresh, wonderful and, crucially, sounds

how the music goes. You can imagine

pretty good on the first play through, even

Beethoven in the room, leaning over your

with musicians you have never played with

shoulder, glowering at you when you’re

before. To some extent the music plays

not doing exactly what he writes. You have

itself and you can imagine Haydn being in

to live through his struggle, blood, sweat

the room with you, smiling, egging you on,

and tears. And when Schuppanzigh,

and maybe even joining in, especially in

the first violinist who premiered some

those wild gypsy finales.

of the quartets, complained about the level of difficulty, Beethoven replied “Do

With Beethoven however, if you sat down

I care about your wretched fiddle when

with three other musicians, however

the Spirit speaks to me?”. I think this

brilliant they may be, and tried to play

encapsulates it, Beethoven’s music is a

through one of his quartets, it would

struggle, a supreme battle, irrespective of

be pretty much guaranteed to break

practical limitations, but the quest and the

down and most likely wouldn’t sound

rewards are deeply spiritual and sublime.

very good at all. The music does not play

They are definitely worth it. But you have

itself, in fact it is treacherously difficult

to commit with your whole being, and

and demands that you work at it. This

strive and struggle for the victory.

YOU CAN IMAGINE BEETHOVEN IN THE ROOM, LEANING OVER YOUR SHOULDER, GLOWERING AT YOU WHEN YOU’RE NOT DOING EXACTLY WHAT HE WRITES. YOU HAVE TO LIVE THROUGH HIS STRUGGLE, BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS.

16|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

SIÚN MILNE FIRST VIOLIN

Beethoven’s music is immensely

demanding piece both emotionally and

challenging and rewarding to play.

intellectually and contains a complex

There is always a new character or

contrapuntal structure that must be

harmony to discover. The first Beethoven

understood and interpreted. It can easily

piece I played was the Sonata No 8

sound chaotic unless issues regarding

in G major when I was about 14. I was

intonation, technical passage work

enthralled by the energy and sparkle

and phrasing are strenuously tackled.

of the piece and the diverse range of

It was undoubtedly ahead of its time.

characters in one movement. I have

Beethoven composed the Grosse Fugue

played that piece many times since

in 1826 when he was completely deaf

and there is always something new to

and nearing the end of his life.

discover. Beethoven’s music is relevant today I am fascinated by Beethoven’s Late

because his music is sublime and

Quartets, particularly the Grosse Fugue

timeless. It touches the soul and speaks

in B flat Op 133. It is an incredibly

to the human condition in myriad ways.

BEETHOVEN’S MUSIC IS RELEVANT TODAY BECAUSE HIS MUSIC IS SUBLIME AND TIMELESS. IT TOUCHES THE SOUL AND SPEAKS TO THE HUMAN CONDITION IN MYRIAD WAYS.

18|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

LOUISE GOODWIN TIMPANI / PERCUSSION I am really looking forward to taking part in this year’s Beethoven cycle. His music is everywhere and as a child, I must have heard so many of the melodies through films and pop culture, as when I started studying the symphonies in greater depth in conservatoire, I felt I knew so much of the music. The snippets of melodies that you recognise are put in context as entire works, and you realise how brilliantly constructed the symphonies are. Every movement in each of the nine takes you on a journey, but additionally each symphony is distinct in character. I think that playing them in one cycle will really emphasise these differences and make it so enjoyable and interesting to experience as a performer. From a playing perspective, the timpani parts are brilliantly written; Beethoven is so good at giving you a clearly defined role within the orchestra at any given moment. You alternate between being a part of the bass section and being a fanfare instrument along with the brass. Perhaps more importantly, in Beethoven’s symphonies particularly we see the timps being given their own material for longer passages. This has significance historically, because this is some of the first repertoire where the timps are separated from simply playing in the tutti orchestral sections, and instead are used for soloistic passages, adding their own specific timbre

FROM A PLAYING PERSPECTIVE, THE TIMPANI PARTS ARE SO BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN; BEETHOVEN IS SO GOOD AT GIVING YOU A CLEARLY DEFINED ROLE WITHIN THE ORCHESTRA AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.

to the texture. The symphonies are core

copper drums covered with goat skin,

timpani repertoire that every student has

and are similar in size and shape to the

to study, for the simple reason that they

instruments that would have been used

are a masterclass in learning how to play

at the time. This adds an extra level of

in an orchestra, and so I am really excited

challenge, but also makes the process

to get to put the work that I have given

really enjoyable, as the instruments suit

them over the years into practice.

the music so well; you can use them to their maximum without overpowering the

The drums I will mostly be using will be the

orchestra, and they also play the quiet

natural skin ‘pots’, which are the smaller

and delicate material perfectly.

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BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|21

FROM ALPHA TO OMEGA

BEETHOVEN’S NINE SYMPHONIES BY DR MARTIN ENNIS

Repertoire list: Symphonies 1 & 3 with Emmanuel Krivine; 2, 4 & 5 with Andrew Manze; 6 & 7 with Maxim Emelyanychev; and 8 & 9 with Emmanuel Krivine

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES NOS 1 & 3 ‘EROICA’ EMMANUEL KRIVINE – Conductor 21-22 November 2019 Edinburgh Usher Hall Glasgow City Halls

–––––

Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21

introduction for the movement’s harmonic

(1799–1800)

direction to come into focus. This so-called

I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio

periphrastic approach was imitated by many

II. Andante cantabile con moto

later composers, notably Robert Schumann.

III. Menuetto / Trio. Allegro molto e vivace

Just as nineteenth-century artists, such as

IV. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace

Caspar David Friedrich, sometimes included a frame within the painting itself, Beethoven’s

Without Beethoven’s mighty example, the

introduction serves both to distance the

philosopher and sociologist Theodor Adorno

perceiver from the perceived and to draw us into

could never have branded symphonies ‘public

his symphonic oeuvre.

addresses to humanity’ (Volksreden an die Menschheit). When Beethoven launched his

In his first set of piano sonatas, Op 2, Beethoven

symphonic career with the C major Symphony,

had expanded the customary three-movement

the genre was seen as significant, but by no

frame of the sonata by including a fourth

means dominant. When he completed his

movement. In similar vein, his first symphonic

cycle of nine symphonies barely a quarter of a

essay adopts the standard Viennese symphonic

century later, the symphony was well on its way

pattern – a slow introduction leading to a fast

to becoming the most important genre, the only

movement, a slow movement, a minuet and

suitable vehicle for a composer’s most weighty

trio, and a rondo finale – but extends it in two

thoughts.

significant ways. First, although Beethoven labelled the third movement Menuetto, its

As befits its date (1799–1800), the First

tempo marking, Allegro molto e vivace, reveals

Symphony is Janus-faced, looking back to the

that the courtly dance has been replaced by

civilised musical discourse of eighteenth-century

a breakneck piece that should really bear

precursors – most obviously, Haydn and Mozart

the title Scherzo. The finale contains another

– while offering glimpses of developments

disruptive element. Its opening material

found in later nineteenth-century works. The

appears to fit the model of a rondo – the

very opening of the Symphony, as has often

main theme is a short, catchy melody that is

been observed, appears to strike a new path.

seemingly designed to come back over and

The first chord lies outside the home key, and

over again – but it is constructed in sonata form,

it takes almost the entire duration of the slow

the medium of choice for many of Beethoven’s

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|23

––––– Beethoven’s output, material and medium stand

Symphony No 3 in E flat major, Op 55, the ‘Eroica’ (1803–1804)

in opposition.

I. Allegro con brio

most serious utterances. Not for the last time in

II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai There are other Janus aspects to the First

III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace

Symphony. The Allegro section of the first

IV. Finale. Allegro molto

movement is built round a theme that might have issued from the pen of Haydn. Yet the

The ‘Eroica’ was written only four years after the

way in which Beethoven immediately ratchets

First Symphony, yet it inhabits a very different

it up a step inspired successors, not least

expressive world. The classical restraint of the

Schubert who used this device frequently – most

early period has largely been abandoned, as

obviously in his Second Symphony, a direct

Beethoven recalibrates both the emotional

response to Beethoven’s First. Similarly, the third

range and the proportions of the symphony. The

movement’s trio invokes the world of eighteenth-

longest of Haydn’s symphonies lasts little more

century wind-band music. However, its

than thirty minutes, but the ‘Eroica’, can take

extreme harmonic stasis – at times chords seem

more than an hour to perform. At that point in

completely stuck – suggests an ironic approach

history it was probably the longest symphony

more typical of later nineteenth-century

ever written; in fact, Beethoven noted on one of

composers. All this indicates that Beethoven,

the orchestral parts that the ‘Eroica’ should be

though innovative, was wary of pushing the boat

placed near the start of a concert, lest listeners’

out too far in his first symphonic venture. The

attention lapse during the performance.

C major Symphony was, after all, dedicated to Baron van Swieten, a patron with famously

The story of the Symphony’s dedication to

conservative tastes.

Napoleon has often been told. However, it is worth repeating, if only to remind us that the

The Symphony was first performed on 2 April

bulk of Beethoven’s symphonic output was

1800 at Vienna’s Burgtheater. By all accounts,

written against the backdrop of the Napoleonic

both public and critics were delighted, and

Wars. According to Anton Schindler, one

Beethoven repeated the First at the premieres

of Beethoven’s confidants, the first idea for

of his next three markedly more progressive

a symphony in honour of Napoleon came

symphonies – presumably to maintain his

from one of his generals, Jean Bernadotte.

credentials as a composer of appealing and

Beethoven responded positively, only to

engaging orchestral music.

remove the dedication in 1804 after Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor. As Ferdinand Ries reported, Beethoven’s initial admiration for Napoleon’s revolutionary ideals turned to scorn: ‘He’s no more than a common mortal! Now he too will tread underfoot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambitions; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!’ When the work was eventually published – in

The old Vienna Burgtheater (before 1888)

parts, rather than as a full score, despite a

24|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

specific request from Beethoven – the title

a melody to its constituent elements – but none

was given, in questionable Italian, as ‘Sinfonia

had endowed this process with such emotional

Eroica composta per festigiare il Souvenire di

heft. The main violin theme, which even in its

un grand’ Uomo’ (Heroic Symphony composed

first iteration never rises above the instrument’s

to celebrate the Memory of a great Man).

lowest strings, collapses in on itself. Even

It is the quintessential work of Beethoven’s

without any knowledge of the Symphony’s

‘heroic’ phase, a period marked by grandiose

historical background, the listener must surely

compositions that challenge composer,

sense a pulse faltering as the hero’s life ebbs

performers and audience in equal measure.

away.

The first movement uses material fit for a hero,

As if to acknowledge this deeply pathetic

but the movement that most obviously hints at

ending, the scherzo that follows is initially

biography is the second. In place of a standard

hesitant: it is marked ‘sempre pianissimo’, and

slow movement Beethoven includes a funeral

the music is slow to find its way to a recognisable

march, replete with timpani tattoos and dirge-

melodic idea, seemingly preferring directionless

like figures in the double basses. From the first

oscillation. Eventually, however, a confident

bars Beethoven seems determined to reconceive

fortissimo emerges from the prevailing soft

the tragic in music. However, nothing is quite so

dynamics. The trio features three obbligato

touching as the end of the movement. Several

French horns. In Beethoven’s day, horns were

of Beethoven’s predecessors had explored the

almost always used in pairs, and the decision

idea of thematic liquidation – the reduction of

to opt for three was presumably determined by the triadic nature of the trio’s main theme. These passages suggest a hunting scene – a recollection of the hero at play? Bruckner surely remembered this part of the ‘Eroica’ when he came to write his own Symphony in E flat major, the ‘Romantic’. The finale consists of a set of variations, a scheme more often associated with slow movements. In some respects, this understated movement, with its relatively predictable formal pattern, seems out of place in a work devoted to a hero. However, Beethoven had an obsessive relationship with the finale’s main theme: he had already used it in no fewer than three compositions, including the finale of the ballet music for The Creatures of Prometheus. Only a god, perhaps, could provide a fitting conclusion to a ‘Sinfonia Eroica’.

Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

© Dr Martin Ennis, University of Cambridge, 2019

CONDUCTOR

EMMANUEL KRIVINE

––––– Emmanuel Krivine was born in Grenoble, from Russian descent through his father, and Polish through his mother, and began his career as a violinist. He was awarded the Premier Prix of the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 16 and became a scholar at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Belgium, studying with Henryk Szeryng and Yehudi Menuhin, and winning many prestigious awards. Respected as one of the world’s most distinguished conductors, Krivine’s elegant and colourful interpretations have made him a favourite with leading orchestras and soloists around the world. Regarded as one of the foremost French musicians today, Krivine has held a number of important positions in France and since September 2017 he has been Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, the orchestra’s first French Music Director in over 40 years. The 2019-2020 season will be Krivine’s third as Music Director of the Orchestre National de France and he will work with top soloists including Evgeny Kissin, Renaud Capuçon and Julia Fischer. A passion for working with chamber orchestras has led to tours with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and he took up the post of Principal Guest Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in 2015. His discography includes recordings with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Maria João Pires, London Symphony Orchestra with Vadim Repin, and the Orchestre National de Lyon, released on labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Erato and Naïve.

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES NOS 2, 4 & 5 ANDREW MANZE – Conductor 12-13 December 2019 Edinburgh Usher Hall Glasgow City Halls

–––––

Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36

this darkness; rather, it shows Beethoven in

(1802)

particularly unbuttoned mood – nowhere more so

I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio

than in the finale. Sidestepping a firm conclusion

II. Larghetto

was a rhetorical device frequently employed

III. Scherzo. Allegro

by Haydn, but in the finale of the Second, this

IV. Allegro molto

strategy is taken to new extremes. Several times, the music seems to be about to reach a close, only

No work demonstrates the pitfalls of facile

to grind to a halt; each time, the compositional

parallels between a composer’s life and

crisis is resolved only by another lap of the circuit.

work more clearly than Beethoven’s Second

As a result, this is one of the longest finales in

Symphony. Though it is widely regarded as

Beethoven’s output, at least when measured

one of the sunniest of Beethoven’s creations,

against the work as a whole. However, it’s not just

the Second stems from a period when he was

the fake endings that should raise a smile. The

starting to confront his deafness. On doctor’s

very opening of the finale, with its impression

orders, Beethoven spent the summer of 1802

of a jackass braying, seems unusually free of

in Heiligenstadt, then a small spa town outside

inhibitions, a spirit preserved throughout much of

Vienna. While there he wrote the so-called

the movement.

Heiligenstadt Testament. In the Testament Beethoven expresses despair over the loss

The Symphony opens in a different register

of his hearing and contemplates suicide;

altogether. Beethoven had several models for

ultimately, however, he resolves to pursue

an extended slow introduction, but nothing in

a compositional destiny as yet unfulfilled.

the works of his Viennese forebears, with the

Described by Lewis Lockwood as one of the

possible exception of Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’

most moving statements ever made by an

Quartet, is as harmonically rich as the first

artist, the Testament was most likely shown to

movement’s opening bars. The following

no-one, not even to Beethoven’s brother Carl to

Allegro section clears the air with its lively bass

whom it is addressed. The document emerged

theme answered by swirling violin figures, and

only after the composer’s death, hidden among

the second subject, a dotted theme given to

private papers.

the wind, is particularly worth noting, if only because its shape and key prefigure the second

The Second Symphony reveals little trace of

movement’s principal theme.

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|27

The most backwards-looking movement of

–––––

the Symphony is probably the third. Initially,

Symphony No 4 in B flat major, Op 60

it resembles many a Haydn movement in

(1806)

the same key; however, the trio’s focus on

I. Adagio – Allegro vivace

the note F sharp, stated fortissimo in full

II. Adagio

orchestra, anticipates ‘problem’ notes in other

III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace; Trio. Un poco

works, including rogue C sharps in the first

meno allegro

movement of the ‘Eroica’ and in the finale of

IV. Allegro ma non troppo

the Eighth. The unexpected F sharp prepares the attentive listener for the derailments in the

Robert Schumann famously labelled Beethoven’s

finale mentioned above, as these mostly centre

Fourth Symphony ‘Greekly slim’ (griechisch-

round the pitch. Connections such as these

schlank) – a phrase that later critics were to flesh

demonstrate the extent to which Beethoven,

out in variants such as ‘a slender Grecian maiden

even at this early stage in his symphonic career,

between giants’. No-one could dispute the titanic

was prepared to challenge orthodoxies, to

status of the Third and Fifth Symphonies. However,

subject the normative to radically disruptive

to relegate the Fourth to a subsidiary position, as

gestures and, crucially, to employ long-range

such phrases suggest, is to misrepresent it. Though

structural thinking.

it is shorter than its neighbours, and though it appears to have no ambitions to scale Olympian heights, the Fourth Symphony is just as original as the ‘Eroica’ or the Fifth. From the outset, the Fourth was seen as one of Beethoven’s most accessible works. One of the first reviews described it as ‘cheerful, understandable and very engaging’. Yet, an account such as this underplays darker elements in the work. The opening bars plumb remarkable harmonic depths as they seek a path to the main Allegro that follows. Mahler remembered this gambit when, over eighty years later, he came to write his First Symphony; here, as with the Beethoven, sustained octaves frame a sequence of uncertain falling intervals, all captured in a mysterious pianissimo. The same questing spirit returns towards the end of the first movement’s development section. As the music grows more and more tentative, sinking to a ppp dynamic possibly unprecedented in symphonic repertoire, themes are reduced to atoms. Gradually, over a long timpani roll, Beethoven finds his way back to the light from some of the most extreme keys in the tonal spectrum.

Heiligenstadt Testament

28|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

The second movement – described by Hector Berlioz as the work of the Archangel Michael,

the Fourth dates from one of the most fruitful

not a human-being – similarly juxtaposes light

periods of the composer’s life – perhaps his most

and shade. It starts with almost formulaic

productive year. No sketches survive for the

gestures that remind one of an unassuming

work, and while this probably indicates the loss

Haydn movement. These are set against

of a sketchbook, it’s tempting to imagine that the

a principal melody whose intense lyricism

Symphony poured from Beethoven’s pen without

constantly has to ward off intrusions of

a need for preliminary drafts.

dotted rhythms, repeated notes and swirling figurations. The spirit of heartfelt song

–––––

ultimately prevails, but the music teeters at times

Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67

on a knife-edge.

(1800–1808) I. Allegro con brio

At the beginning of the third movement, labelled

II. Andante con moto

a minuet, courtly rituals are observed, albeit

III. Scherzo. Allegro

with hints of rustic syncopation. However,

IV. Allegro

Beethoven delays the expected answering phrase by inserting a sequence of ghostly

The early symphonies were intended for

phrases in unison, again indicating all is not

private use in the salons of the aristocracy. By

well. At first, the same movement’s trio seems

the end of the first decade of the nineteenth

unclouded – like the trio of the First Symphony, it

century, Beethoven was famous enough to

draws inspiration from the textures of wind-

risk ambitious public concerts. The Fifth and

band music – but once again shadowy unison

Sixth Symphonies, premiered together at

passages intrude. Here, as elsewhere in the

Vienna’s Theater an der Wien on 22 December

Fourth, Beethoven seems determined to exploit

1808, formed part of a programme that some

chiaroscuro in his harmonic and orchestral

consider the most remarkable classical concert

colouring.

of all time. In the course of one evening, Beethoven premiered no fewer than four major

The finale, by way of contrast, functions like an

works – the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the

eighteenth-century Kehraus. Such movements –

Fourth Piano Concerto, and the Choral Fantasy.

the term translates literally as ‘sweep-out’ – were

In addition, he performed movements from

designed to send audiences on their way with a spring in their step and a tune on their lips. True, the movement is not without drama, but from the opening helter-skelter melody to the riotous conclusion, where by pausing repeatedly Beethoven makes a mockery of audience expectations, spirits remain buoyant. According to one contemporary, Beethoven was always ‘ready for a prank’ during this period of his life; it appears that he had managed to cast aside or suppress the existential doubts expressed at the time of the Second Symphony. Indeed,

Vienna’s Theater an der Wien as it appeared in 1812

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|29

Concerto, can be observed developing together in Beethoven’s sketchbooks. They are, as it were, non-identical twins. There are other instances of cross-referencing within the Fifth Symphony. For example, the slow movement, though based in A flat, contains The hand-copied parts used for the premiere of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

fanfare-like music in C major that anticipates the finale. Because of its military overtones, the latter was viewed by many of Beethoven’s

the recently completed Mass in C, as well as

contemporaries as crude; the composer Louis

a concert aria for soprano and a solo piano

Spohr went so far as to describe it as an ‘orgy of

piece. The evening lasted over four hours,

vulgar noise’. However, Spohr may have been

despite freezing conditions, and – perhaps

unaware of Beethoven’s motivations. Twentieth-

unsurprisingly, given the number of novelties

century scholars found a number of connections

and limited rehearsal time – the performance

between themes in the finale and music

broke down at least once.

linked to the French Revolution. The opening melody, accompanied by what may seem to be

History does not record whether Beethoven

schoolboy harmony, was apparently drawn from

intended the two symphonies as contrasts.

Martin-Joseph Adrien’s Hymne à la Victoire,

However, they marked extremes in

the simple harmonic language presumably

contemporary symphonic writing. The ‘Pastoral’

representing an attempt at a musical demotic.

is Beethoven’s most sustained excursion into

Another finale theme may well be a wordless

the realm of programmatic music – that is to

setting of the phrase ‘la liberté’.

say, it is built round extra-musical ideas. The Fifth, on the other hand, appears to take the

Intertextuality is not confined to self-reference

notion of abstract music – music that requires

and to the music of the people. The first part

no external explanation – as far as possible.

of the Scherzo contains an arpeggiated theme

The occasional link between movements, such

that closely resembles, at least on the page, the

as can be found in the Second Symphony,

finale of Mozart’s great G minor Symphony. The

is extended here to a series of far-reaching

very different characters of the two themes – a

cross references. The most salient example

spectral, arch-like shape in the Beethoven and

is the famous three-note upbeat of the first

a bustling, nervy creation in the Mozart – might

movement. This provides material for the main

encourage scepticism. However, Beethoven’s

theme of the Scherzo which, unusually for the

main sketchbook for the Fifth Symphony

time, is revisited in the middle of the finale (an

contains no fewer than 29 bars of Mozart’s

idea that came to Beethoven relatively late in

finale copied out in Beethoven’s hand. No-one

the process of writing the Symphony). Curiously,

is sure why Beethoven included the reference to

the same three-note figure, sometimes dubbed

Mozart’s Fortieth in his Scherzo of his Fifth. Few

a ‘fate motif’, is also found repeatedly in the

can doubt, however, that the movement was an

first movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto –

act of homage.

curious because the two pieces, Symphony and

© Dr Martin Ennis, University of Cambridge, 2019

CONDUCTOR

ANDREW MANZE

––––– Andrew Manze is widely celebrated as one of the most stimulating and inspirational conductors of his generation. His extensive and scholarly knowledge of the repertoire, together with his boundless energy and warmth, mark him out. He has been Chief Conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Hannover, since September 2014 and his contract has recently been extended until summer 2023. In the 18/19 season he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In great demand as a guest conductor across the globe, Manze has long-standing relationships with leading orchestras that include the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Camerata Salzburg, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is also a regular guest at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York City. Recent and upcoming guest conducting highlights include engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. After reading Classics at Cambridge University, Manze studied the violin and rapidly became a leading specialist in the world of historical performance practice. He became Associate Director of the Academy of Ancient Music in 1996, and then Artistic Director of the English Concert from 2003 to 2007. As a violinist, Manze released an astonishing variety of recordings, many of them award-winning. Manze is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, Visiting Professor at the Oslo Academy, and has contributed to new editions of sonatas and concerti by Bach and Mozart, published by Bärenreiter, Breitkopf and Härtel. He also teaches, writes about, and edits music, as well as broadcasting regularly on radio and television. In November 2011 Andrew Manze received the prestigious ‘Rolf Schock Prize’ in Stockholm.

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES NOS 6 ‘PASTORAL’ & 7 MAXIM EMELYANYCHEV – Conductor 4-6 March 2020 Perth Concert Hall Edinburgh Usher Hall Glasgow City Halls

–––––

Symphony No 6 in F major, Op 68, the ‘Pastoral’ (1807–1808)

used the word ‘feelings’ twice in the movement titles.

I. Awakening of happy feelings on arriving in the countryside – Allegro ma non troppo

However, we know from Beethoven’s

II. Scene at the brook – Andante molto mosso

pupil Ferdinand Ries that he sometimes

III. Merry-making of the peasants – Allegro

took inspiration from the real world when

IV. Thunder, storm – Allegro

composing, and it’s difficult to draw a clear

V. Song of the Shepherds; Happy, thankful

line between the sort of ‘petty’ illustrative

feelings after the storm – Allegretto

devices Beethoven mocked and the mood pictures that the ‘Pastoral’ seemingly

The ‘Pastoral’ Symphony stands apart

embraces. No-one can listen to the solo

from the other eight symphonies in

woodwind writing in the third movement

several respects. It is the only Beethoven

(‘Merry-making of the peasants’) without

symphony to abandon the traditional

conjuring up a picture of a pitiful village

pattern of four movements; most

band made up of a bassoonist who can

reference books talk of five, though one

play only three notes, an oboist who can’t

could argue that it consists of only three

work out when to enter, and a benighted

– a fast movement, a slow movement

clarinettist who tries to imitate the oboe

and a triptych of linked sections. It

but manages only the end of each phrase,

is also the only Beethoven symphony

and that not always accurately. Similarly,

with descriptive titles for each of its

the deliberately smudged cello and bass

movements. In general, Beethoven was

parts at the start of the fourth movement

careful to distance himself from overtly

evoke a brewing storm. Later in the same

programmatic music. In conversation,

movement, timpani blows and jagged string

he sometimes made fun of composers,

figures suggest thunder and lightning. If

including his former teacher Haydn,

this was indeed Beethoven’s intention (as

who incorporated sounds from nature

his sketchbooks imply), he seems to have

in their music, and he insisted that the

misunderstood basic laws of physics, for

‘Sinfonie Pastorale’ (his title) was ‘more an

the thunder-claps in the ‘Pastoral’ precede

expression of feeling than tone-painting’.

rather than follow the flashes of lightning.

As if to emphasise the point, Beethoven

Most obviously, Beethoven recreates the

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|33

––––– songs of three birds – nightingale, quail

Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92

and cuckoo – in the slow movement, even

(1811–1812)

labelling them in the score.

I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace II. Allegretto

The truth is that Beethoven in 1808

III. Presto

occupied a position that was to develop

IV. Allegro con brio

in two radically different directions. The dense networks of motifs found in the

The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, unlike

Fifth Symphony are the quintessential

the Fifth and Sixth, were not premiered

example of a tendency that later acquired

together; nonetheless, they form a pair.

the name ‘absolute music’ – in other

The two works were composed in rapid

words, music that requires no verbal

succession, and their premieres took

justification or explanation. The Sixth

place less than three months apart, in

Symphony, on the other hand, paved

December 1813 and February 1814. And,

the way for programmatic symphonies

just as Beethoven’s remarkable concert

and, in particular, for the genre of the

of December 1808 (which included the

symphonic poem. The ne plus ultra of

premieres of the Fifth and the Sixth

this development is a work by another

Symphonies) ended with the crowd-pleasing

lover of nature – Richard Strauss. In his

Choral Fantasy, so too the premiere of the

‘Alpine’ Symphony, Strauss revealed an

Seventh was followed by an occasional work,

unsurpassed ability to translate virtually

Wellington’s Victory, written to celebrate the

any natural phenomenon into a musical

Duke of Wellington’s victory over the French

analogue. It’s perhaps no surprise that

at the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813.

in this symphony Strauss, like Beethoven before him, includes both a scene by a

In fact, Beethoven had no need to appeal to

brook and a storm movement.

the lower instincts of his audience, for the Seventh was an immediate hit. In the earliest

In the late 1820s Beethoven enthusiasts

performances its second movement was

in London went so far as to stage scenic

applauded so enthusiastically that it had

performances of the ‘Pastoral’ Symphony.

to be repeated before the musicians could

However, not all were enamoured of

continue. Various theories have grown up

Beethoven’s balancing-act between free-

about this movement, often seen as the most

standing and illustrative music. Robert

striking of the work. Many have described

Schumann, generally a great admirer of the

it as a funeral march – an interpretation

composer, considered Beethoven’s descriptive

nourished by the impression it gives of a

titles misjudged: he argued that they

cortege passing by. (Berlioz, one of the most

placed ‘barriers’ in the way of the listener’s

ardent admirers of the movement, recreated

imagination. Debussy adopted a more cynical

the effect in the second movement of Harold

tone, ridiculing the ‘wooden nightingale and

in Italy, ‘March of the Pilgrims’.) The German

the Swiss cuckoo-clock’ of the slow movement.

scholar Wolfgang Osthoff went so far as to

What, he asked, had become of the cows that

claim that the repeated dactylic rhythms

presumably drink from Beethoven’s brook?

of the second movement’s main theme

34|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

Battle of Vitoria by Heath & Sutherland, A.S.K. Brown collection

represent monks chanting the litany ‘Sancta

mark indicates that two complete bars

Maria, ora pro nobis’ (Holy Mary, pray for

should take less than one second. The

us). Perhaps most original is the way in

headlong effect is, however, mitigated by a

which Beethoven framed the movement. He

remarkable trio built round a sustained and

begins and ends with a second-inversion

unyielding A. Unusually, Beethoven deploys

chord which, according to contemporary

the movement’s two elements in a five-part,

harmonic theory, was incomplete and

ABABA structure.

therefore required resolution. By using this chord, Beethoven suggests that

The first movement is also extremely

the movement extends beyond its sonic

driven. Though it starts with an extended

boundaries.

slow introduction – the longest in the nine symphonies – and though there are notable

Beethoven marked the second movement

contrasts in both harmonic language and

‘Allegretto’, a designation not always

dynamics, the rhythms of the Vivace section

observed in performance. The composer

are unusually obsessive: there’s barely a

often favoured speedy tempos, but this is the

bar in which the prevailing dotted figure

only symphony in which all four movements

is not heard. Small wonder that, after a

require some variant on the idea of ‘fast’ – a

performance of the Seventh, Beethoven’s

factor that may have inspired Wagner’s

contemporary Carl Maria von Weber

description of the Seventh as ‘the apotheosis

claimed the composer was fit for the mad-

of the dance’. Most obviously dance-like

house. Clara Schumann’s father was even

is the finale, which is built round a circular

less charitable; he opined that the first and

theme that has been variously linked to

last movements must have been written by

the Irish folksong ‘Nora Creina’ (once set

Beethoven in a state of drunkenness. This

by Beethoven for chamber ensemble), and

was perhaps not so far off the mark: by

Gossec’s Le Triomphe de la République, a

this stage in his life Beethoven was almost

revolutionary march. The Scherzo, too, is

certainly an alcoholic.

exceptionally fast: Beethoven’s metronome

© Dr Martin Ennis, University of Cambridge 2019

CONDUCTOR

MAXIM EMELYANYCHEV

––––– An outstanding representative of the younger generation of Russian conductors, Maxim Emelyanychev was born in 1988 to a family of musicians. He received his music education in Nizhny Novgorod (conducting and piano) and in Gennady Rozhdestvensky’s conducting class at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He is a winner of numerous international awards. In 2013 he was awarded the highest Russian theatre prize, The Golden Mask, for his participation as the fortepianist in a stage production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Perm Opera Theatre, conducted by Teodor Currentzis and recorded by Sony Classical. In 2019 he won the Newcomer category in the prestigious International Opera Awards. Since his conducting debut at 12, he has worked with many Russian and international orchestras both baroque and symphonic. In the last six years he has become the Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Il Pomo d’Oro Orchestra and the Nizhny-Novgorod Soloists Chamber Orchestra. He collaborates with such renowned artists as Joyce DiDonato, Franco Fagioli, Riccardo Minasi, Max Emanuel Cencic, Xavier Sabata, Dmitry Sinkovsky, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Alexei Lubimov, Teodor Currentzis, Patrizia Ciofi, Stephen Hough, Richard Goode and Katia and Marielle Labèque. In 2019/20, as well as taking up his position as Principal Conductor of the SCO, he conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in two of the major international opera institutions: Glyndebourne Festival (Handel Rinaldo, with Jakub Orlinski in the title role) and the Royal Opera House (Handel Agrippina, with Joyce DiDonato in the title role). January 2020 sees him make his North American guest conducting debut in Seattle, and other engagements include Berliner Konzerhausorchester, Iceland Symphony and St Petersburg Philharmonic. Maxim Emelyanychev’s CD of Mozart Sonatas on fortepiano (Aparté) has won several prestigious awards, including a Choc of Classica 2018 and the ICMA 2019. In October 2018, his CD of Beethoven Symphony No 3 and Brahms Haydn Variations with the Nizhny-Novgorod Soloists Chamber Orchestra was released on Aparté. His first recording with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Schubert Symphony No 9 (Linn), was released in 2019.

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES NOS 8 & 9 ‘CHORAL’ EMMANUEL KRIVINE – Conductor For biography see page 25

With SCO CHORUS GREGORY BATSLEER – Chorus Director 14-15 May 2020 Edinburgh Usher Hall Glasgow City Halls –––––

Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93

the finale. At the outset Beethoven uses

(1811–1812)

fast repeated notes to create an effect of

I. Allegro vivace e con brio

simmering excitement. Over the course of

II. Allegretto scherzando

fifteen bars, an already pianissimo dynamic is

III. Tempo di Menuetto

reduced further before, all of a sudden, wind

IV. Allegro vivace

and strings combine forces for an extremely loud unison C sharp. Once stated, the note is

Some critics have seen Beethoven’s Eighth

abandoned, and the music proceeds as though

Symphony as a retreat from the adventures

nothing untoward had happened. The rogue C

of the Seventh to a more ‘classical’ style. One

sharp may function like a musical ‘raspberry’,

could argue that the Eighth is, in fact, the

but it is not forgotten. At several points in the

first neo-classical symphony. In outward

finale it determines local harmonies, even the

respects – for example, duration and orchestral

progression of keys. In fact, some analysts have

scoring – the Eighth, like the Second and

argued that this one intrusive note also plays a

Fourth Symphonies, seems to look back to

role in the structure of the first movement. The

the eighteenth century; the third movement

evidence of other compositions would suggest

is even labelled ‘Menuetto’ – a stark contrast

that in mature Beethoven, a single note can

to the exceptionally fleet-footed scherzo of

indeed send ripples through an entire work.

the preceding symphony. Initial impressions can, however, be deceptive. In terms of its

If the finale of the Fourth Symphony seems to

musical language, the Eighth looks forward

fulfil the role of a Kehraus – a frothy movement

to the dense motivic writing of later decades.

designed to sweep the audience out onto

Schoenberg’s concept of ‘total thematicism’

the streets in high spirits – the last movement

– the idea that every note counts – might well

of the Eighth serves as telos, the goal of the

be invoked. For here Beethoven takes a small

Symphony’s argument. In comparison, the

number of musical ideas and drives them to

other movements are of slender proportions.

the limit. The resulting composition certainly

The Menuetto lasts for little more than forty

doesn’t lack charm and brilliance, but it is

bars, and its delicately scored trio – praised by

compact and carefully crafted.

Stravinsky for its highly distinctive orchestral scoring (a melody in horns accompanied

These ideas are seen most obviously in

initially by an arpeggiated cello line and

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|37

––––– second movement, too, is brief though packed

Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125, the ‘Choral’ (1815–1824)

with incident. Wagner once suggested that

I. Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso

Beethoven had confused categories in the

II. Molto vivace

Eighth Symphony; it’s certainly true that the

III. Adagio molto e cantabile – Andante moderato

third movement’s minuet supplants the by-

IV. Presto – [numerous markings] – Prestissimo

pizzicato basses) – is even shorter. The

now-traditional scherzo, and that the place of the slow movement is taken by a movement

In an 1821 issue of the Allgemeine

marked ‘Allegretto scherzando’ (fairly fast and

musikalische Zeitung, a Leipzig-based

joking). According to a long-standing tradition,

music journal, an unnamed critic expressed

the tick-tock progressions in the Allegretto’s

astonishment that Beethoven should be

wind parts were an attempt by Beethoven to

spending time arranging Scottish folksongs.

recreate the sound of the recently invented

Beethoven, the writer feared, had become

metronome; the story, however, is apocryphal.

‘indifferent’ to large-scale composition. It’s

On the other hand, suspicions that the material

true that very little for large forces had

of the first movement was originally intended

emerged since the premiere of the Eighth

for a piano concerto are now widely accepted.

Symphony in 1814; in fact, the public would have to wait until 1824 for the first

The Eighth was written shortly after the

performances of Beethoven’s last two

Seventh, and it was first performed in one of

major works, the Ninth Symphony and the

Beethoven’s own concerts in February 1814,

Missa Solemnis. However, when the Ninth

alongside the Seventh and Wellington’s Victory.

appeared, it was immediately recognised as a

A review of the first performance contrasted

composition of unrivalled power. Superlatives

the relatively cool reception of the Eighth

abound in accounts of the work. It is the

Symphony with the enthusiasm that greeted

longest of Beethoven’s symphonies; it requires

the Seventh. When the composer was asked by

the largest orchestral forces of all nine

Carl Czerny why the Eighth proved less popular,

works in the cycle; the first performance was

Beethoven reportedly replied: ‘because it’s so

given by the greatest number of performers

much better’.

Beethoven ever assembled. Crucially, however, it was also the first Beethoven symphony to include words: in the Ninth, the expected instrumental finale is replaced by a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s Ode to Joy, a 1785 poem written in ‘celebration of the brotherhood of man’. From the outset, the Ninth Symphony was seen as occupying a unique position in music history, a status it has retained ever since. Only Beethoven’s Ninth had sufficient stature

Carl Czerny

to mark the reunification of Germany in 1989. Musicians from both sides of the Berlin Wall

38|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

came together with representatives of what

words and music was taken up by a number

were the four occupying powers to give a

of later composers, including Mendelssohn in

performance designed to transcend national

his ‘Lobgesang’ Symphony, Berlioz in Roméo

boundaries. Stimulated by ‘the power of the

et Juliette, and Mahler in four of his nine

moment’, the conductor, Leonard Bernstein,

symphonies.

replaced the Symphony’s cries of ‘Freude’ (joy) with ‘Freiheit’ (freedom). Though the

In the Fifth Symphony Beethoven blazed

choice of repertoire (and the change of text)

a trail from darkness to light, ending in a

was much applauded at the time, Bernstein

firestorm of fanfares. The Ninth follows

built on strong foundations. The nineteenth-

a similar path but introduces extra twists

century French historian Edgar Quinet had

along the way. The finale starts with a review

called the Ninth’s finale ‘the Marseillaise

of themes heard in earlier movements,

of humanity’, and Édouard Herriot, one of

interspersed with fragments of what has

France’s interwar prime ministers, suggested

come to be known as ‘chaos music’. In

that the Ode to Joy be used by the League

response, the solo baritone calls out ‘O friends, not these

of Nations. Small

sounds’, ushering in

wonder that it was adopted as the official European anthem in 1972 or that, in 2001, the Ninth was the first piece of music to be inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. Arguably, no other

WHATEVER THE VERDICT, NO LATER SYMPHONIST COULD IGNORE THE NINTH. WHILE BEETHOVEN WAS STILL ALIVE, SCHUBERT TALKED OF THE PROBLEMS OF WORKING IN A POST-BEETHOVENIAN WORLD: ‘WHO CAN COMPOSE ANYTHING AFTER BEETHOVEN?

the theme to which the Ode to Joy is set. Light has been attained, but the journey is not yet complete. Over the course of the movement, music of many different characters is introduced, including

work has had the same

a Turkish march

global reach. In much of Asia, and especially in Japan, the Ninth is

and Beethoven’s version of the music of

performed with a regularity, and reverence,

the spheres (to the text ‘be embraced, ye

accorded to no other major piece of music

millions’).

except, perhaps, Handel’s Messiah. Wagner argued that the symphony needed Much of the Symphony’s reputation among

radical renewal. Not all agreed. Schumann

nineteenth-century musicians can be linked

and Brahms preferred more traditional

to Beethoven’s decision to set Schiller’s poem.

paths. Indeed, the last movement of

Wagner claimed that, by introducing human

Brahms’s First Symphony – ‘Beethoven’s

voices, Beethoven demonstrated the need

Tenth’, as Hans von Bülow famously quipped

for a shift from purely instrumental music to

– drew explicitly on the finale of Beethoven’s

music built round literature. As he put it in Art

Ninth, only for Brahms to claim that the

and Religion, ‘where music can go no farther,

allusion was of no importance and could

there comes the word’. Beethoven’s fusion of

in any case be spotted by a donkey. Both

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|39

19th Century Print of the first performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Spohr and Weber, though enthusiastic about

replacing the choral finale – a ‘blunder’, as

the first three movements of the Ninth,

Czerny recalled – with a purely instrumental

expressed doubts about Beethoven’s finale,

movement.

Spohr claiming that the composer’s deafness prevented him from checking his worst

Whatever the verdict, no later symphonist

excesses. Mendelssohn, despite extensive

could ignore the Ninth. While Beethoven was

choral sections in his ‘Lobgesang’ Symphony,

still alive, Schubert talked of the problems of

was another sceptic; he placed the first three

working in a post-Beethovenian world: ‘Who

movements of the Ninth among the greatest

can compose anything after Beethoven?’

music ever written, but felt that the use of

he lamented. For virtually every later

voices in the last movement was an aesthetic

symphonist, the Ninth functioned as fons et

misjudgement. According to the testimony of

origo. With the Ninth, the symphony was

Carl Czerny, Beethoven himself entertained

transformed for ever.

doubts: he apparently contemplated

© Dr Martin Ennis, University of Cambridge, 2019

CHORUS DIRECTOR

GREGORY BATSLEER

––––– Gregory Batsleer is acknowledged as one of the leading choral conductors of his generation. He has held the position of Chorus Director with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since 2009, winning widespread critical acclaim for his work. Over the last ten seasons Batsleer has led the development of the Chorus, overseeing the growth of vocal coaching and the SCO Young Singers’ Programme and the emergence of regular a capella concerts. As well as preparing the Chorus for regular performances with the Orchestra, including the Chorus’ acclaimed debut at the BBC Promenade Concerts this year, he has directed their successful appearances at Edinburgh International Jazz Festival, East Neuk and St Andrews Voices Festivals, and at Greyfriars Kirk. As Guest Conductor, recent and forthcoming highlights include performances with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, RSNO, Hallé Orchestra, Black Dyke, National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Orchestra of Opera North, Manchester Camerata, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Academy of Ancient Music. As Guest Chorus Master he has worked with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Toronto and Houston Symphony Orchestras and the Orchestra of Opera North, working with leading conductors including Maxim Emelyanychev, Emmanuel Krivine, Robin Ticciati, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Andrew Davis, Thomas Søndergård, Vassily Petrenko, Sir Roger Norrington, Richard Egarr and Philippe Herreweghe. Gregory Batsleer is deeply committed to exploring new ways of presenting music and extending its reach beyond the concert hall. With SCO Chorus he co-devised and conducted a critically-acclaimed semi-staged performance of Parry’s Songs of Farewell, directed by Jack Furness. In recent seasons he has curated and conducted cross-art performances at Latitude Festival, Wilderness Festival, the Southbank Centre, London Handel Festival and at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has worked as an artistic advisor at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and on projects with leading contemporary artists including Elbow, Damon Albarn, David Lang, Carlos Acosta, Clean Bandit, Guy Garvey and Joy Division. Gregory Batsleer’s outstanding work as a choral director was recognised with the 2015 Arts Foundation’s first-ever Fellowship in Choral Conducting. Gregory Batsleer's Chair is kindly supported by Anne McFarlane.

––––– The Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus has built a reputation as one of Scotland’s most vibrant and versatile choirs. Widely regarded as one of the finest orchestral choruses in the UK, it celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016. Members enjoy a unique opportunity to perform with one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, working with international conductors including Maxim Emelyanychev, Robin Ticciati, Harry Bicket, Richard Egarr, Phillipe Herreweghe, Jonathan Cohen, John Storgårds, Emmanuel Krivine and Peter Dijkstra. The Chorus appears regularly with the Orchestra in Scotland’s major cities. Recent concerts have covered a wide range of music including MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross, Bach Mass in B minor, Handel Messiah and Theodora, Haydn Creation and Seasons, Beethoven ‘Choral’ Symphony and Missa Solemnis, Berlioz Béatrice et Bénédict, Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem and Schumann Requiem. The Chorus also appears on its own in a capella repertoire. Its annual Christmas concert with Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer has quickly established itself as a Season highlight. Recent out-of-Season appearances include the world premiere of David Lang’s RPS Award-winning Memorial Ground at the 2016 East Neuk Festival, and in summer 2017, a dramatised performance of Parry's Songs of Farewell devised by director Jack Furness and Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer. The Chorus made its BBC Promenade Concerts debut at the Royal Albert Hall in August in a performance of Handel's Jephtha under the baton of Richard Egarr. The SCO Chorus Young Singers' Programme is kindly supported by The Baird Educational Trust.

GREGORY BATSLEER – Chorus Director STUART HOPE – Associate Chorus Master JENNY SEARLE – Chorus Manager ALAN BECK – Vocal Coach DR PATRICIA MacMAHON – Vocal Coach

44|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

THOUGHTS ON BEETHOVEN…

WHY BEETHOVEN? BY SIMON THOMPSON

IF EVER THERE WAS A COMPOSER WHOSE REPUTATION WAS CARVED IN GRANITE THEN BEETHOVEN, SURELY, IS HE.

Writing a massive hit isn’t always a good

Why does that movement grab us so much,

thing. Bruch was very keen to remind

pick us up by the collar and refuse to let us

people that he had composed more than

go until it has finished with us? It isn’t just its

one violin concerto, Mascagni spent the

fame or ubiquity. Surely it’s that palpable

rest of his life trying to match Cavalleria

sense of drama; the incessant energy,

Rusticana, and Lehár never escaped The

the momentum that drives ceaselessly

Merry Widow. Sometimes the success dogs

forwards, the unarguable sense that this

you, and you spend the rest of your career

music could really go no other way.

trying to get over it. And look at what it did to Beethoven’s So what must it be like when you write

reputation. Never known as the easiest of

the world’s most famous piece of music?

men, pieces of music like “The Fifth”, with

That’s surely what Beethoven surely did

its volcanic drama and irresistible impetus,

in the opening movement of his Fifth

support the image of Beethoven that

Symphony, after all. It’s the one piece of

his portraits tend to reinforce: the lonely

music that everybody knows, its fame

genius; the titanic struggler; the tortured,

so all-encompassing and its reputation

isolated artist, staring into the distance

so intimidating that it risks becoming a

with a determined gaze and a hairstyle that

parody. Walter Murphy turned it into a

looks as though he has just done battle with

disco hit in 1976, Nelson sends it up in The

a hurricane (and hasn’t necessarily won).

Simpsons, and even Scotland’s own Sir James MacMillan acknowledged it recently:

Why is it that, 250 years after his birth,

“After my Fourth Symphony I felt the itch of

it’s this image of the composer that most

a fifth: Dah-dah-dah-dum!”

grabs the public imagination?

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|45

Ludwig van Beethoven in 1820

A lot of it has to be that sense of man out on

If ever there was a composer whose

a limb, doing his own thing simply because

reputation was carved in granite then

he has to, regardless of what the world

Beethoven, surely, is he. He stands out like

around him thinks. That appeals to our

an outcrop in a musical river, and every

atomised, individualistic age, and we hear it

composer who came after him had to make

in the music, from the heroism that radiates

their peace with him, either by following in

from every bar of the ‘Eroica’ Symphony

his path or consciously deciding to ignore

or the imperial grandeur of the ‘Emperor’

it.

Piano Concerto, to the staggering force of the ‘Hammerklavier’ Piano Sonata or the

So is that the reason why he still matters to

pile-driving power of the Ninth Symphony.

us? Is that why he is still the most talked-

46|BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL

about composer of them all, why concerts

of repetition and rhythm in the Seventh

of his music still pack out our halls, and

Symphony, for example, but that doesn’t

why every orchestra on the planet is

explain why our hearts beat faster when

commemorating his anniversary this year?

we listen to it.

No; not that alone, surely. There has to be

Maybe he still matters so much to us

more, because Beethoven isn’t only the

because, of all composers, he most

troubled titan. He was also the composer

reminds us of what it is to be human in

who could give us a glimpse of Elysium in

all of its facets: its disappointments, its

the Fourth Piano Concerto,

struggles and its personal

who could take us on the

tragedies; but also its

loveliest stroll through

euphoria, its joy and its

the countryside in the

indomitable spirit. From

‘Pastoral’ Symphony, or

the Fifth Symphony to the

who could write music of

late quartets, all human

such painful intimacy in the

life is there. Consequently,

late quartets and create

whoever we are, Beethoven

slow movements of the

stands for all of us, and

most moving intensity in

in the uniqueness of his

the final piano sonatas.

music we see humanity’s

Music like this is as intimate

vast, diverse richness. All

and tender as the Fifth

great composers build

Symphony is titanic and

variety into their work,

grand, and maybe that’s

but Beethoven more

the real key as to why

than any of them draws

Beethoven is so important. For all that he deserves his iconic status, we sell Beethoven short when we only consider the icon. Yes, he’s a revolutionary, and his list of “firsts”

WHOEVER WE ARE, BEETHOVEN STANDS FOR ALL OF US, AND IN THE UNIQUENESS OF ITS MUSIC WE SEE HUMANITY’S VAST, DIVERSE RICHNESS.

includes things we now

that together into one astounding body of music that seems to reveal new things every time we listen. That’s what makes him so special. Leonard Bernstein put it well when he described

take for granted, like the first symphonic

the Fifth Symphony, considering both the

Scherzo, the first time a soloist launches

simplicity and power of its opening: “Three

a concerto, or the first time to include

Gs and an E-flat, nothing more. Anybody

voices in a symphony. Beethoven broke

could have thought of them… maybe.”

the rules, but that rule-breaking only tells us about his astounding intellectual

Yes, anyone could; but only Beethoven did.

originality: it doesn’t explain why his music moves us. We can marvel at his fresh use

© Simon Thompson, 2019

EXPLORE BEETHOVEN | MUSICAL CREATIVITY AND DEAFNESS SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2020, 10AM – 1.15PM ST CECILIA’S HALL AND MUSEUM, EDINBURGH Join us for a morning of talks and performances by a Scottish Chamber Orchestra string quartet as we explore Beethoven’s life as a deaf musician and composer. There is a loop system in the hall and all talks will be BSL-interpreted.

–––––– Full details, including ticket prices and how to book, can be found on our website: sco.org.uk Or you can email: joanna.burns@sco.org.uk or call Joanna on 0131 478 8342

LEGACIES

A LEGACY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME ––––– The SCO would like to thank everybody who has supported our work and we acknowledge with special gratitude those who were kind enough to leave us a final, and deeply thoughtful, gift. All legacies make a positive difference, no matter the size, and help us to fulfil our mission to make incredible music accessible to as many people as possible in the most creative and engaging way. Over the last few years, we have been immensely grateful to these friends of the SCO whose thoughtful foresight in leaving a gift in their Will has made such a valuable contribution in so many wonderful ways:

Tom Bruce-Jones, Glasgow Helen Caldwell, Edinburgh Joyce Denovan, Glasgow Robert Durham, Dundee Herman Gawlik, Glasgow Ian Hogarth, Edinburgh Mattie Hutchinson, Glasgow Helen Kelbie, Aberdeen David Lee, Glasgow Evelyn McNab, Glasgow Ian Mitchell, Glasgow Judith Pickles, Edinburgh Alice Woodward, Aberdeenshire

THANK YOU

SCO PATRONS ––––– Join our family of Patrons by contacting Laura Hickey on 0131 478 8344 or laura.hickey@sco.org.uk DIAMOND

GOLD

Malcolm & Avril Gourlay

The Batsleer Family

Dr Caroline Hahn

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Lord Matthew Clarke

Chris Jarvis

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Sir George & Lady Mathewson

Dr Clive Criper & Mrs Myint-Su

Vincent & Clair Ryan

David & Sheila Ferrier

William Samuel

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Judith & David Halkerston

PLATINUM Eric G Anderson David Caldwell in memory of Ann Tom & Alison Cunningham Gail & Lindsay Gardiner Gordon & Grace Gillespie Carola & Martin Gordon John & Jane Griffiths Carol & Shields Henderson J Douglas Home Audrey Hopkins Norman & Christine Lessels Chris & Gill Masters Duncan & Una McGhie Anne-Marie McQueen James F Muirhead Patrick & Susan Prenter George Ritchie Martin & Mairi Ritchie Colin & Elaine Ross Jill & Brian Sandford Ian Stewart & Family Michael & Elizabeth Sudlow Robert & Elizabeth Turcan Tom & Natalie Usher Anny & Bobby White Ruth Woodburn

Ian Hutton Gordon Kirk Roy & Svend McEwan-Brown June Miller Alan Moat John & Liz Murphy Alison & Stephen Rawles Mr & Mrs J Reid George Rubienski Irene Smith Ian S Swanson John-Paul & Joanna Temperley Michael & Joan Wareham Catherine Wilson Neil & Philippa Woodcock G M Wright Bruce & Lynda Wyer

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|49

SILVER

Dr & Mrs Ian Laing

Fiona Addison

Janey & Barrie Lambie

Roy Alexander

Barry Laurie in memory of Richard Green

Joseph I Anderson

Mary Law

Pamela Andrews & Alan Norton

Graham & Elma Leisk

Dr Peter Armit

Geoff Lewis

Joseph & Patricia Banks

Alan Macfarlane

Timothy Barnes & Janet Sidaway

Nancy Macneil of Barra

Peter & Kay Black

James McClure in memory of Robert Duncan

Alan Borthwick

Gavin McCrone

Jane & Michael Boyle

Iain McEwan

Mary Brady

Brian Miller

John Brownlie

James & Helen Moir

Laura Buist

Margaret Mortimer & Ken Jobling

Robert Burns

Andrew Murchison

Janet Cameron

Hugh & Gillian Nimmo

Isabel J Clark

David & Tanya Parker

Sheila Colvin

Hilary & Bruce Patrick

Tony Cook

Maggie Peatfield

Lorn & Camilla Cowie

Ian & Sheila Percy

Lord & Lady Cullen of Whitekirk

Fiona Reith

Jo & Christine Danbolt

Alan Robertson

Caroline Denison-Pender

Andrew Robinson

Dr Wilma Dickson

David Robinson

Jean Donaldson

Olivia Robinson

John Donaldson

Hilary E Ross

Sylvia Dow

Catherine Steel

James Dunbar-Naismith

Jean Sutherland

Dr & Mrs Alan Falconer

Ian Szymanski

Sheila Ferguson

Marion Thomson

Chris & Claire Fletcher

Douglas & Sandra Tweddle

Dr James W E Forrester

Margaretha Walker

Dr William Fortescue

James Wastle

James Friend

C S Weir

Archie & Ellen Gibson

Alan Welsh

Andrew Hadden

Bill Welsh

J Martin Haldane

Professor Frank Whaling &

Ronnie & Ann Hanna

Mrs Margaret Walsh-Whaling

Ruth Hannah

Andrew Wilson

Robin Harding

Roderick Wylie

Norman Hazelton

–––––

Ron & Evelynne Hill Clephane Hume Archie & Pat Hunter Robert & Leila Inglis David & Pamela Jenkins Sir Raymond & Lady Johnstone Marty Kehoe Professor Christopher & Mrs Alison Kelnar David Kerr Allan Kirton

Thanks also to our Bronze Patrons and Patrons, and to all those who wish to remain anonymous.

ABOUT US

––––– The internationally celebrated Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland’s National Performing Companies.

The Orchestra also enjoys close relationships with many leading composers and has commissioned almost 200 new works, including pieces by the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Sir

Formed in 1974 and core funded by the Scot-

James MacMillan, Martin Suckling, Einojuhani

tish Government, the SCO aims to provide as

Rautavaara, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Nico

many opportunities as possible for people to

Muhly and Associate Composer Anna Clyne.

hear great music by touring the length and breadth of Scotland, appearing regularly at

An exciting new chapter for the Sco began

major national and international festivals

this Season with the arrival of dynamic young

including the Edinburgh International Festival,

conductor Maxim Emelyanychev as the

BBC Proms, and by touring internationally,

Orchestra’s Principal Conductor. This was

as proud ambassadors for Scottish cultural

a position previously held by Robin Ticciati

excellence.

from 2009-2018. Ticciati and the SCO made a series of outstanding recordings (Linn Re-

Making a significant contribution to Scot-

cords) of works by Haydn, Schumann, Berlioz,

tish life beyond the concert platform, the

Strauss and Wagner. Their last recording – the

Orchestra works in schools, universities, col-

complete Brahms Symphonies – has been

leges, hospitals, care homes, places of work

internationally acclaimed.

and community centres through its extensive Creative Learning programme.

The SCO and Emelyanychev recently released their first album together (Linn Records).

The SCO has long-standing associations

The repertoire – Schubert’s Symphony No 9

with many eminent guest conductors includ-

in C major ‘The Great’ – is the first symphony

ing Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen,

Emelyanychev performed with the Orchestra

Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine,

in March 2018.

François Leleux, Pekka Kuusisto, Richard

sco.org.uk

Egarr, Andrew Manze and John Storgårds.

BEETHOVEN 25Oth SPECIAL|51

Patron HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay

BOARD

Life President Donald MacDonald CBE

Chairman Colin Buchan

Principal Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev

Joanna Baker

––––– –––––

Cllr Christina Cannon Glasgow City Council

Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine

David Cumming Jo Elliot

Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen

Rachael Erskine Cllr Rosemary Liewald Fife Council

Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer

Alison Paul Cllr Donald Wilson City of Edinburgh Council

Associate Composer Anna Clyne

Zoë van Zwanenberg ORCHESTRA ADVISORS TO THE BOARD Adrian Bornet, Peter Franks, Donald Gillan and Su-a Lee

MANAGEMENT –––––

Chief Executive Gavin Reid

Design & Publications Magnus Fraser

Projects and Administrative Assistant Elsa Morin

Creative Learning Director Kirsteen Davidson Kelly

Concerts Director Judith Colman

Education Officer Atzi Muramatsu

Concerts & Projects Manager Louisa Stanway

Community Engagement Officer Joanna Burns

Orchestra Manager Laura Kernohan

SCO and University of St Andrews Graduate Trainee Fiona Croal

Stage Manager Pete Deane Orchestra Librarian Amy Brown Marketing & Communications Director Gareth Beedie Data Services Manager Adam James Marketing and Press Officer Catherine Gillespie Marketing Officer Sophie Sim

Head of Development Lucinda Coulthard Partnerships Manager David Nelson Development Officer Laura Hickey Trusts Officer Rebecca Smith Finance & Administration Director Ian White Finance Officers Mary Gibson Heather Baird

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