Benedetti plays Brahms
14-16 May 2025
Benedetti plays Brahms
Wednesday 14 May, 7.30pm Perth Concert Hall
Thursday 15 May, 7.30pm Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Friday 16 May, 7.30pm City Halls, Glasgow
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
Interval of 20 minutes
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 3 'Scottish'
Maxim Emelyanychev Conductor
Nicola Benedetti Violin
Emelyanychev
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.
Maxim
© Andrej
Grilc
Nicola Benedetti
© Craig Gibson
THANK YOU
PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR'S CIRCLE
Our Principal Conductor’s Circle are a special part of our musical family. Their commitment and generosity benefit us all – musicians, audiences and creative learning participants alike.
Annual Fund
James and Patricia Cook
Visiting Artists Fund
Colin and Sue Buchan
Harry and Carol Nimmo
Anne and Matthew Richards
International Touring Fund
Gavin and Kate Gemmell
Creative Learning Fund
Sabine and Brian Thomson
CHAIR SPONSORS
Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen
Donald and Louise MacDonald
Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer
Anne McFarlane
Principal Second Violin
Marcus Barcham Stevens
Jo and Alison Elliot
Second Violin Rachel Smith
J Douglas Home
Principal Viola Max Mandel
Ken Barker and Martha Vail Barker
Viola Brian Schiele
Christine Lessels
Viola Steve King
Sir Ewan and Lady Brown
Principal Cello Philip Higham
The Thomas Family
Sub-Principal Cello Su-a Lee
Ronald and Stella Bowie
American Development Fund
Erik Lars Hansen and Vanessa C L Chang
Productions Fund
Anne, Tom and Natalie Usher
Bill and Celia Carman
Anny and Bobby White
Scottish Touring Fund
Eriadne and George Mackintosh
Claire and Anthony Tait
Cello Donald Gillan
Professor Sue Lightman
Cello Eric de Wit
Jasmine Macquaker Charitable Fund
Principal Double Bass
Caroline Hahn and Richard Neville-Towle
Principal Flute André Cebrián
Claire and Mark Urquhart
Principal Oboe
The Hedley Gordon Wright Charitable Trust
Sub-Principal Oboe Katherine Bryer
Ulrike and Mark Wilson
Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín
Stuart and Alison Paul
Principal Bassoon Cerys Ambrose-Evans
Claire and Anthony Tait
Principal Timpani Louise Lewis Goodwin
Geoff and Mary Ball
THANK YOU SCO DONORS
Diamond
The Cockaigne Fund
Malcolm and Avril Gourlay
John and Jane Griffiths
James and Felicity Ivory
George Ritchie
Tom and Natalie Usher
Platinum
E.C. Benton
Michael and Simone Bird
Silvia and Andrew Brown
David Caldwell in memory of Ann
Dr Peter Williamson and Ms Margaret Duffy
Judith and David Halkerston
Audrey Hopkins
David and Elizabeth Hudson
Helen B Jackson
Dr and Mrs Peter Jackson
Dr Daniel Lamont
Graham and Elma Leisk
Robert Mackay and Philip Whitley
Chris and Gill Masters
Duncan and Una McGhie
Anne-Marie McQueen
James F Muirhead
Robin and Catherine Parbrook
Patrick and Susan Prenter
Mr and Mrs J Reid
Martin and Mairi Ritchie
Hilary E Ross
Elaine Ross
George Rubienski
Sir Muir and Lady Russell
Jill and Brian Sandford
Michael and Elizabeth Sudlow
Robert and Elizabeth Turcan
Alan and Sue Warner
Finlay and Lynn Williamson
Ruth Woodburn
William Zachs
Gold
Peter Armit
Adam Gaines and Joanna Baker
John and Maggie Bolton
Elizabeth Brittin
James Wastle and Glenn Craig
Jo and Christine Danbolt
James and Caroline Denison-Pender
Andrew and Kirsty Desson
David and Sheila Ferrier
Chris and Claire Fletcher
Dr J W E Forrester
James Friend
Iain Gow
Margaret Green
Christopher and Kathleen Haddow
Catherine Johnstone
Julie and Julian Keanie
Gordon Kirk
Janey and Barrie Lambie
Mike and Karen Mair
Roy and Svend McEwan-Brown
John and Liz Murphy
Tom Pate
Sarah and Spiro Phanos
Maggie Peatfield
Charles Platt and Jennifer Bidwell
Alison and Stephen Rawles
Andrew Robinson
Olivia Robinson
Anne McAlister and Philip Sawyer
Irene Smith
Dr Jonathan Smithers
Ian S Swanson
Ian and Janet Szymanski
John-Paul and Joanna Temperley
Douglas and Sandra Tweddle
Bill Welsh
Catherine Wilson
Neil and Philippa Woodcock
G M Wright
Silver
Roy Alexander
Fiona and Neil Ballantyne
The Batsleer Family
Jack Bogle
Jane Borland
Dinah Bourne
Michael and Jane Boyle
Mary Brady
John Brownlie
Laura Buist
Robert Burns
Kate Calder
Sheila Colvin
Lorn and Camilla Cowie
Lord and Lady Cullen of Whitekirk
Adam and Lesley Cumming
Dr Wilma Dickson
Sylvia Dow
Raymond Ellis
Dr and Mrs Alan Falconer
Sheila Ferguson
Malcolm Fleming
Dr William Irvine Fortescue
Dr David Grant
Anne Grindley
Andrew Hadden
J Martin Haldane
Ronnie and Ann Hanna
Roderick Hart
Norman Hazelton
Ron and Evelynne Hill
Philip Holman
Clephane Hume
Tim and Anna Ingold
David and Pamela Jenkins
Margaret Mortimer and Ken Jobling
Professor Christopher and Mrs Alison Kelnar
Dr and Mrs Ian Laing
Geoff Lewis
Christopher and Molly Ludlam
Dorothy A Lunt
Vincent Macaulay
James McClure in memory of Robert Duncan
Barry McCorkell
Lucy McCorkell
Gavin McCrone
Michael McGarvie
Brian Miller
Alistair Montgomerie
Andrew Murchison
Pamela Andrews and Alan Norton
Gilly Ogilvy-Wedderburn
David and Tanya Parker
John Peutherer in memory of Audrey Peutherer
James S Potter
Timothy Barnes and Janet Sidaway
Catherine Steel
Takashi and Mikako Taji
C S Weir
Susannah Johnston and Jamie Weir
We are indebted to everyone acknowledged here who gives philanthropic gifts to the SCO of £300 or greater each year, as well as those who prefer to remain anonymous.
We are also incredibly thankful to the many individuals not listed who are kind enough to support the Orchestra financially on a regular or ad hoc basis. Every single donation makes a difference.
Become a regular donor, from as little as £5 a month, by contacting Hannah Wilkinson on 0131 478 8364 or hannah.wilkinson@sco.org.uk.
“A crack musical team at the top of its game.”
HM The King
Patron
Donald MacDonald CBE
Life President
Joanna Baker CBE
Chair
Gavin Reid LVO
Chief Executive
Maxim Emelyanychev
Principal Conductor
Andrew Manze
Principal Guest Conductor
Joseph Swensen
Conductor Emeritus
Gregory Batsleer
Chorus Director
Jay Capperauld
Associate Composer
YOUR ORCHESTRA TONIGHT
Information correct at the time of going to print
First Violin
Bogdan Bozovic
Kana Kawashima
Tijmen Huisingh
Aisling O’Dea
Fiona Alexander
Amira Bedrush-McDonald
Tom Hankey
Esther Kim
Second Violin
Marcus Barcham Stevens
Ilhem Ben Khalfa
Michelle Dierx
Rachel Spencer
Stewart Webster
Will McGahon
Catherine James
Serena Whitmarsh
Viola
Francesca Gilbert
Zoë Matthews
Asher Zaccardelli
Steve King
Rebecca Wexler
Kathryn Jourdan
Cello
Philip Higham
Su-a Lee
Donald Gillan
Eric de Wit
Kim Vaughan
Christoff Fourie
Bass
Nicholas Bayley
Jamie Kenny
Adrian Bornet
Ben Havenden Williams
Flute
André Cebrián
Alba Vinti Lopez
Oboe
José Masmano Villar
Katherine Bryer
Clarinet
Maximiliano Martín
William Stafford
Bassoon
Cerys Ambrose-Evans
Alison Green
Horn
Ken Henderson
Harry Johnstone
Jože Rošer
Ian Smith
Trumpet
Peter Franks
Shaun Harrold
Timpani
Louise Lewis Goodwin
Cerys Ambrose-Evans
Principal Bassoon
his own time in the spotlight: Joachim was a fine composer as well as a violinist, and had written three concertos for his own instrument. Perhaps not surprisingly, when Brahms embarked on his own Violin Concerto, he immediately turned to Joachim for advice, which the violinist was only too happy to supply. With Brahms ensconced in his summer compositional hideaway at the Austrian lakeside resort of Pörtschach, they communicated mainly by letter: Brahms took pains to thank his friend for his suggestions, only to ignore many of them. Nonetheless, Joachim’s contributions were sizeable, including composition of the first movement’s virtuosic solo cadenza, still often played today.
As an overall model for his Concerto, however, Brahms consciously looked to Beethoven’s Violin Concerto for inspiration, even writing his work in the same key (D major) as if to make comparisons explicit. His intention – one that Joachim happily
Joachim was a fine composer as well as a violinist, and had written three concertos for his own instrument. Perhaps not surprisingly, when Brahms embarked on his own Violin Concerto, he immediately turned to Joachim for advice, which the violinist was only too happy to supply.
shared – was to follow Beethoven’s lead in creating a solo part that demonstrated the musicianship and profound insights of the performer, rather than simply showcasing their technical virtuosity. That said, there are plenty of challenging fiddle fireworks in Brahms’ Concerto, though they’re finely integrated into the work’s musical argument and development.
Brahms himself conducted the Concerto’s premiere, with Joachim as soloist, in Leipzig on New Year’s Day, 1879. Even then, he couldn’t escape Beethoven: Joachim had insisted on opening the concert with the earlier composer’s own Violin Concerto, as if to demonstrate that Brahms’ new work could stand as every bit an equal to Beethoven’s. (Brahms himself was less convinced: ‘It was a lot of D major – not much else on the programme,’ he later drily observed.)
There were mixed reactions to Brahms’ new Concerto, however. At its Viennese
Joseph Joachim
premiere, the audience adored it, while in Berlin, the response was more muted. One wag – variously identified as conductor Hans von Bülow or his colleague Josef Hellmesberger – described it as being written ‘against the violin’ rather than for the instrument. ‘You’ll think twice before you ask me for another concerto!’ Brahms wrote to Joachim following the premiere. Nonetheless, he withheld publication of the piece for several years to allow Joachim exclusivity over performances. Not that there was a surge of demand from other violinists. Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, for instance, refused to play the work, arguing: ‘I don’t deny that it’s fairly good music, but does anyone imagine that I’m going to stand on the rostrum, violin in hand, and listen to the oboe playing the only tune in the slow movement?’
Now, however, Brahms’ Violin Concerto is considered one of the finest, most expressive, and most exquisitely crafted works of its kind.
Now, however, Brahms’ Violin Concerto is considered one of the finest, most expressive, and most exquisitely crafted works of its kind. It was Joachim who famously included it among his list of the four greatest concertos – alongside those of Mendelssohn, Bruch and (naturally) Beethoven.
It was Joachim who famously included it among his list of the four greatest concertos – alongside those of Mendelssohn, Bruch and (naturally) Beethoven. Brahms opens with a unison melody, almost like an outdoor horn call heard from afar, before continuing with an oboe theme against gently undulating strings. It almost amounts to the bare bones of what the violinist will shortly introduce as the first movement’s dramatic main theme, announced in a stormy D minor. Brahms continues with a noble second theme (based on the opening horn-call idea), and even a tender, third melody set against pizzicato accompaniment.
His second movement opens with the long oboe melody that Sarasate so objected to, with accompaniment from just woodwind and horns, so that when the strings enter to accompany the soloist’s more heavily decorated version, we feel like we’re entering a new sonic world. The stomping, exuberant dance of a finale is perhaps Brahms’ tribute
Johannes Brahms in 1876
to Joachim’s Hungarian roots. But its lively rhythms are offset by contrasting themes that have little to do with Hungary at all, and, just as it seems to be heading for a restful, subdued ending, Brahms unleashes his confident, celebratory final chords.
A few years before Joachim and Brahms first met, Felix Mendelssohn had himself acted as a mentor and champion to the remarkable young violinist, finding him prestigious composition and violin teachers (the latter was his own best friend, Ferdinand David), and even playing a significant role in establishing the violinist’s reputation with a London performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto when Joachim was just 12.
But we turn away from Joachim for tonight’s second piece, and we focus instead on Mendelssohn himself as a young man. It was in the summer of 1829 that the 20-year-old Mendelssohn set off on the 19th-century equivalent of a gap year. Perhaps more accurately, it was an excursion in the tradition of a Grand Tour, in which a wealthy young man completed his education by ticking off the cultural highlights of Europe. Mendelssohn, however, opted not for the traditional Grand Tour destinations of France and Italy, but instead for Scotland. His three-week trip would produce two of his most renowned pieces of music: his Hebrides Overture, which he completed soon after returning home to Berlin, and later his ‘Scottish’ Symphony.
Even at just 20, Mendelssohn was already a mature and respected musician, one whose upbringing in one of Berlin’s most cultured, connected families brought him into close contact with many of the city’s artistic, musical and scientific elite. It was his parents who suggested he should travel, but it was
young Felix who decided he would begin in England and Scotland (though he toured France and Italy at later occasions in his three-year, stop-start European excursion). The whole Mendelssohn family were avid fans of the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and Mendelssohn hoped he might even meet the great novelist during his trip. (He did, with disappointing results.)
And even by today’s standards, it was quite some journey. After arriving in London in April 1829, he travelled north by stagecoach, arriving in Edinburgh on 26 July. There, he lodged in Albany Street, climbed Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat, and contemplated the atmospheric ruins of Holyrood Chapel, which would later inspire the Symphony’s opening. He journeyed south to Melrose and Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, where he arrived just as the great writer was about to leave, spending barely half an hour with him and finding little to talk about in a rather awkward exchange. Disappointments aside, however, he continued north via Stirling and Killiecrankie to Glencoe and Fort William, taking a steamer to Oban, and continuing by water to Mull. It was from Tobermory that Mendelssohn sent a letter home with 21 bars of what would become the opening of the Hebrides Overture. From there, Mendelssohn concluded his Scottish journey with a return to Oban, continuing to Glasgow, Loch Lomond, the Trossachs, and finally a return to London.
It was only several years later, however, that he began work on his ‘Scottish’ Symphony, and he admitted that he was struggling to recapture the particular mood he’d experienced in Scotland. He aimed to devote time to the Symphony during his stay in Italy in 1830, but found little to remind him of Scotland in the warmth and sun of the
EMELYANYCHEV
Maxim Emelyanychev has been Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since 2019. He is also Chief Conductor of period-instrument orchestra Il Pomo d’Oro, and from the 2025/26 season he becomes Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Emelyanychev made his conducting debut at the age of 12, and later joined the class of eminent conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky at the Moscow Conservatoire.
Emelyanychev was initially appointed as the SCO’s Principal Conductor until 2022, and the relationship was later extended until 2025 and then until 2028. He has conducted the SCO at the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms, as well as on several European tours and in concerts right across Scotland. He has also made three recordings with the SCO, of symphonies by Schubert and Mendelssohn (Linn Records).
Emelyanychev has also conducted many international ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In the opera house, Emelyanychev has conducted Handel’s Rinaldo at Glyndebourne, the same composer’s Agrippina as well as Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Mozart’s Die Entführing aus dem Serail at the Opernhaus Zürich. He has also conducted Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Così fan tutte with the SCO at the Edinburgh International Festival. He has collaborated closely with US soprano Joyce DiDonato, including international touring and several recordings.
Among his other recordings are keyboard sonatas by Mozart, and violin sonatas by Brahms with violinist Aylen Pritchin. He has also launched a project to record Mozart’s complete symphonies with Il Pomo d’Oro. In 2019, he won the Critics’ Circle Young Talent Award and an International Opera Award in the newcomer category. He received the 2025 Herbert von Karajan Award at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
For full biography please visit sco.org.uk
NICOLA BENEDETTI
Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences and her wide appeal as an advocate for classical music has made her one of the most influential artists of today.
Nicola begins her 2024-2025 season with a performance of the Marsalis Violin Concerto with the Belgian National Orchestra in a programme that includes Marsalis’ Fourth Symphony ‘The Jungle’ with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She will return to the London Symphony Orchestra to perform the MacMillan Violin Concerto with Gianandrea Noseda and will close the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s season playing the Brahms Violin Concerto conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.
Nicola has always been a dedicated, passionate ambassador and leader in music education and her commitment was underlined in 2019 when she established The Benedetti Foundation. The Foundation delivers transformative experiences through mass music events and unites those who believe music is integral to life’s education. The Foundation believes in the strength of music and the power of mass inspirational moments to connect cultures and communities through combining excellence and inclusivity, tradition and innovation and meaningful collaboration. In its first four years, the Foundation has worked with close to 70,000 participants of all ages and levels, instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists alike, across 105 countries. It’s free online educational video resources: ‘With Nicky’ and other Foundation videos have had over 6 million views.
Nicola was appointed a CBE in 2019, awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music (2017), and an MBE in 2013. In addition, Nicola holds the positions of Vice President (National Children’s Orchestras), Big Sister (Sistema Scotland), Patron (National Youth Orchestras of Scotland’s Junior Orchestra, Music in Secondary Schools Trust and Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
In October 2022, Nicola became the Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. In taking the role she became both the first Scottish and the first female Festival Director since the Festival began in 1947.
For full biography please visit sco.org.uk
© Craig Gibson
SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is one of Scotland’s five National Performing Companies and has been a galvanizing force in Scotland’s music scene since its inception in 1974. The SCO believes that access to world-class music is not a luxury but something that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in, helping individuals and communities everywhere to thrive. Funded by the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and a community of philanthropic supporters, the SCO has an international reputation for exceptional, idiomatic performances: from mainstream classical music to newly commissioned works, each year its wide-ranging programme of work is presented across the length and breadth of Scotland, overseas and increasingly online.
Equally at home on and off the concert stage, each one of the SCO’s highly talented and creative musicians and staff is passionate about transforming and enhancing lives through the power of music. The SCO’s Creative Learning programme engages people of all ages and backgrounds with a diverse range of projects, concerts, participatory workshops and resources. The SCO’s current five-year Residency in Edinburgh’s Craigmillar builds on the area’s extraordinary history of Community Arts, connecting the local community with a national cultural resource.
An exciting new chapter for the SCO began in September 2019 with the arrival of dynamic young conductor Maxim Emelyanychev as the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor. His tenure has recently been extended until 2028. The SCO and Emelyanychev released their first album together (Linn Records) in 2019 to widespread critical acclaim. Their second recording together, of Mendelssohn symphonies, was released in 2023, with Schubert Symphonies Nos 5 and 8 following in 2024.
The SCO also has long-standing associations with many eminent guest conductors and directors including Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze, Pekka Kuusisto, François Leleux, Nicola Benedetti, Isabelle van Keulen, Anthony Marwood, Richard Egarr, Mark Wigglesworth, Lorenza Borrani and Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen.
The Orchestra’s current Associate Composer is Jay Capperauld. The SCO enjoys close relationships with numerous leading composers and has commissioned around 200 new works, including pieces by Sir James MacMillan, Anna Clyne, Sally Beamish, Martin Suckling, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Karin Rehnqvist, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Nico Muhly and the late Peter Maxwell Davies.
