Edinburgh Concert Season 10/11
www.thequeenshall.net www.sco.org.uk Tickets 0131 668 2019
Welcome photography courtesy of jane stockdale, paul hampton and chris christodoulou.
to the 2010/11 Season with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra!
scottish chamber orchestra patron hrh The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay principal conductor Robin Ticciati conductor laureate Sir Charles Mackerras conductor emeritus Joseph Swensen composer laureate Sir Peter Maxwell Davies chairman Donald MacDonald cbe managing director Roy McEwan
2
4 Royal Terrace Edinburgh EH7 5AB
t f e w
0131 557 6800 0131 557 6933 info@sco.org.uk www.sco.org.uk
A charity registered in Scotland No. SC015039. Company Registration No. SC75079. Please note that all timings (shown in brackets) are approximate and do not include intervals or platform changes.
When I am asked what it is that makes the SCO such a special orchestra, one distinct thought comes to mind: the remarkable flexibility and commitment in transmitting the different emotional worlds of every composer that they, as a group of musicians, face. We are servants to the composers and their scores. With that comes a huge responsibility to find, as much as we can, how the composer wanted his or her music to be played. It is this chameleon-like quality the Orchestra brings to performance practice that allows us to explore, in a single season, the music of Purcell through to the most recently penned notes of John Adams. I am thrilled that Sir Charles Mackerras returns to conduct the SCO Chorus in two of the greatest choral works ever written: Mozart’s dark, deeply enigmatic Requiem and Handel’s uplifting Messiah. Among other familiar faces are Oliver Knussen, Louis Langrée, Andrew Manze and Joseph Swensen. Robert Levin brings his encyclopaedic knowledge to bear whilst directing and playing in a programme of Mozart and Haydn – a classical feast not to be missed.
Hidden in many of the programmes you will find a thread of exoticism, whether it be in Schreker’s intensely expressionistic Chamber Symphony for 22 solo players or Colin Matthews’ arrangement of Fauré Melodies for the SCO and Sally Matthews. Renaud Capuçon will perform the Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 2: a first for the Queen’s Hall and SCO! There is a mini Stravinsky series as the Orchestra explores his neoclassical chamber ballets alongside some of Haydn’s most celebrated symphonies – bringing these composers together will ignite an explosion of textures, wit, energy and orchestral virtuosity. Do come and celebrate the opening of our Season with a concert performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, an opera that challenges the very ideals of humanity. “Every bar is loaded with meaning. The composer cannot help himself, he himself is possessed. He is like his Hero, driven by a force he is powerless to arrest” (David Cairns). Make your own judgement as to how we are to feel at the end of this tale. With warm wishes,
Robin Ticciati
principal conductor scottish chamber orchestra
3
Season Highlights 2010/11
New Romantics A new spirit has risen in music in the past 50 years. There was a time when ‘new’ mostly meant alienating or difficult. Reacting against that, a new ‘Romanticism’ emerged which re-established a direct line of communication between composers and audiences through accessible ideas, softer harmonies, the inspiration of folk music and the rediscovery of the spiritual and emotional legacy of such late Romantics as Sibelius, Bruckner and Mahler. Throughout this Season, the SCO explores aspects of this new spirit as reflected in the music of major figures such as John Adams, cultish mavericks like Ingram Marshall or Giorgio Battistelli, and bold newcomers such as Albert Schnelzer.
Enjoy more music – spend less! Book an SCO Subscription. See page 32 for details of how to save – free choice of any four or more Season concerts and many other great benefits.
CL@SIX
Don Giovanni The first concert of the Season is, quite simply, one of the greatest operas ever written. Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati conducts a concert performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, described by Charles Gounod as “that unequalled and immortal masterpiece… a work without blemish, of uninterrupted perfection”. Join a world-class line-up of international soloists in relishing its irresistible mix of comedy, drama and the supernatural.
Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets From January to March 2011, Robin Ticciati celebrates the ballet music of Igor Stravinsky in a series of three concerts. The composer’s association with dance came early in his career when he caught the attention of Sergei Diaghilev, the director of the ground-breaking Ballets Russes in Paris. Parisian audiences loved to be scandalised by him, but his ballet scores are indisputable masterpieces of the genre and he is one of only a handful of composers whose work can be said to have transformed music in his time. 4
An early-evening hour of music in the city centre. The SCO’s popular CL@SIX series continues with some wonderful classics in the beautiful surroundings of St Cuthbert’s Parish Church.
Mackerras, Mozart and The Messiah The Orchestra’s venerable Conductor Laureate conducts two blockbuster concerts in the 10/11 Season – Handel’s Messiah in November and, closing the Season in May, Mozart’s Requiem and ‘Jupiter’ Symphony.
SCO Chorus The SCO Chorus, under the leadership of new Chorusmaster Gregory Batsleer, has an exciting Season in store. Its appearance in Don Giovanni is followed by a performance of Handel’s Messiah with Sir Charles Mackerras; a Baroque programme including the spine-tingling Zadok the Priest; and performances of the Fauré and Mozart Requiems.
The Voice of a City – A Family Concert A very special Edinburgh concert, celebrating the City’s riches in music and words from past and present. The SCO is joined by choirs of all ages from across the City to present a concert for young, old and everyone in between. Howard Blake’s musical setting of poems from Robert Louis Stevenson’s much-loved children’s classic, A Child’s Garden of Verses, is paired with Edward Harper’s The Voice of a City. A phenomenal success at its premiere in 2003, Harper’s work celebrates this great city – its beauty and its people – even the wind and the One o’Clock Gun! 5
Ticciati conducts Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni Study Day
Usher Hall Saturday 2 October 10.30am - 4.30pm
David Cairns, author of the highly-praised Mozart and his Operas, leads a Study Day about Don Giovanni – a chance for an in-depth look at Mozart’s masterwork. Tickets for the Study Day include refreshments and a complimentary concert programme for the concert on Thursday 7 October.
tickets £25 To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353.
Usher Hall Thursday 7 October 7pm
Supported by Dunard Fund and The Don Giovanni Circle. mozart
Don Giovanni (concert performance) (180’)
robin ticciati Conductor florian boesch Don Giovanni maximilian schmitt Don Ottavio kate royal Donna Elvira susan gritton Donna Anna malin christensson Zerlina vito priante Leporello david soar Masetto sco chorus
6
A landmark occasion to open the Season: Don Giovanni has been performed by no finer cast in Scotland since Mackerras conducted it at the Edinburgh International Festival in the 1990s. Ticciati brings all his Glyndebourne and Salzburg opera house experience to bear on this enthralling comedy of seduction, murder and damnation. Mozart’s score includes some of his most gripping music alongside sparkling tunes that have become universal favourites: the duet ‘Là ci darem la mano’, the serenade ‘Deh, vieni alla finestra’ and the love song, ‘Dalla sua pace’ – not to mention that ‘Catalogue Aria’ listing some of the hundreds of women seduced and abandoned by Don Giovanni.
For more information about the Lifelong Learning programme, visit www.sco.org.uk. See page 29 for further details of SCO Connect.
Please note start time.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
7
CL@SIX – Youthful Genius
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church Tuesday 12 October 6pm
mozart
schubert
Idomeneo: Overture and Ballet Music (20’) Symphony No 3 (26’)
antonello manacorda Conductor
Truly this is a night for youthful genius. Mozart was around 24 years old and Schubert barely 18 at the time of writing their respective works. The symphony may sound like an effortless, delightful half hour – but we know it cost Schubert much effort and several rethinks. Mozart’s ballet music originally closed his opera Idomeneo, and hits a suitably festive tone to celebrate its happy ending.
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5
New Romantics I
Queen’s Hall Saturday 16 October 7.30pm
ives
adams adams
marshall
Three Places in New England (18’) The Wound-Dresser (20’) Son of Chamber Symphony (23’) Scottish premiere Orphic Memories (20’) European premiere
baldur brönnimann Conductor christopher maltman Baritone
Minimalism gave back classical music its groove in the 1960s by rediscovering the joy of catchy dancing rhythms, hypnotic patterns and harmonies that speak straight to the heart. It reconnected with popular music – jazz, rock and world traditions – and fused them with inspirations from the age of Bach and beyond. Over five decades it has matured into, arguably, the most significant new direction for music of our time. Adams and Marshall – key figures both – share a deeply seated Romanticism, drawing on the tradition of Copland, Sibelius and Ives; you hear them here in predominantly mellow, soulful mood. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) ingram marshall, composer of orphic memories, talks to roy mcewan about the piece, his music and minimalism.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
8
Mozart at the Piano I
Queen’s Hall Thursday 21 October 7.30pm
beethoven mozart
mendelssohn
mozart
Scenes from Prometheus (20’) Piano Concerto No 27 in B-flat K595 (28’)* Overture, The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) (10’) Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor K466 (30’)*
piotr anderszewski Piano/Director* alexander janiczek Violin/Director
There are two chances this Season to measure the sheer richness of Mozart’s musical imagination by hearing two utterly different piano concertos side by side during the same evening (see also the concert on 7 April). Anderszewski juxtaposes the stormy, operatic drama of K466 and the near Beethovenian breadth of K595 – Mozart’s last piano concerto.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
9
Want to know more? Visit www.sco.org.uk to find out the latest SCO news, download programme notes, buy CDs and much more.
CL@SIX: Scandinavian Strings
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church Tuesday 16 November 6pm
nielsen sibelius grieg
Little Suite Op 1 (16’) Rakastava (11’) Holberg Suite (21’)
john storgårds Conductor sco strings
Around 1900, Scandinavian music flowered as it had never done before. Suddenly, every one of the Nordic nations boasted a composer of international fame, and writing irresistibly well for strings seems to have been an instinctive gift for all of them. Three (from Denmark, Finland and Norway) are featured here: Sibelius tells a love story without words, Grieg pays tribute to the dances of olden time while Nielsen’s Little Suite was originally presented as being by “Mr. Carl Nielsen, whom nobody knows.” How quickly that was to change!
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5
New Romantics II
Queen’s Hall Saturday 20 November 7.30pm
w. schuman
schnelzer
Symphony No 5 (Symphony for Strings) (17’) Oboe Concerto ‘The Enchanter’ (23’) UK premiere
SCO co-commission with Swedish Chamber Orchestra
beethoven
Symphony No 7 (36’)
john storgårds Conductor françois leleux Oboe
Within weeks, the SCO performs the two most contrasting of all Beethoven’s symphonies (don’t miss Beethoven’s Fourth on 2 December). Delirious, driving rhythms make his Seventh Symphony an ideal finale to this concert with its barely concealed theme of ‘dance’. William Schuman’s sprung and spry writing for strings is a pleasure to the ear – and there’s a chance to sample the work of a young man from Sweden who is making waves internationally. For Albert Schnelzer, the essence of music boils down to two things: singing and dancing. He is in perfect company here. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) albert schnelzer talks to svend brown about his new oboe concerto ‘the enchanter’.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) 10
Mackerras conducts Messiah
This Season is dotted with unmissable performances of popular choral classics interpreted by outstanding casts and conductors. Mackerras’ Handel credentials hardly need to be stressed: here is a great conductor of our time whose musical and – Usher Hall most importantly in Handel – dramatic instincts take him deep into the heart of the Thursday 25 November music. The line-up of soloists is as delectable 7.30pm as anyone could wish for in Handel’s seasonal masterpiece. Hallelujah! Sponsored by Lumison. handel Messiah (120’)
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
sir charles mackerras Conductor sophie bevan Soprano christine rice Mezzo Soprano allan clayton Tenor matthew rose Bass sco chorus 11
Collard plays Ravel
Vienna Centuries
Queen’s Hall Thursday 2 December 7.30pm
takemitsu ravel beethoven
How Slow the Wind (11’) Piano Concerto in G major (23’) Symphony No 4 (34’)
robin ticciati Conductor jean-phillipe collard Piano
Taken together, this and next week’s (Vienna Centuries) concerts make an intriguing pair. Mozart was always on Ravel’s mind, to the point of adulation; Beethoven had a more complicated effect on Brahms who was both fired up and inhibited by him when it came to writing symphonies. Beethoven’s Fourth sings with all the ardour and lyricism of the first Romantics (while Brahms’ Fourth is among the mellow fruits of late Romanticism), and Ravel’s brilliance contrasts beautifully with the elegiac simplicity of Takemitsu’s miniature masterpiece – one of the SCO’s most widely performed commissions.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
jean-phillipe collard:
“This was stupendous playing, of a wholly French character.”
Usher Hall Saturday 11 December 7.30pm
webern
CL@SIX : Romantic Winds
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church Tuesday 7 December 6pm
dvorák (arr. sheen) strauss
Czech Suite (23’) Sonatina for Winds ‘From an Invalid’s Workshop’ (33’)
michael collins Director sco wind ensemble
Writing for wind instruments was in Strauss’ blood. His father was an excellent horn player and the young composer grew up listening to him play with friends at home, and – maybe because of this – a glow of warmth and affection permeates every bar of his Sonatina. Dvořák’s suite, originally for orchestra, loses none of its folksy charm and sheer good spirits in this lovely arrangement.
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5
mozart brahms
Concerto for Nine Instruments Op 24 (8’) Piano Concerto No 21 in C K467 (29’) Symphony No 4 (39’)
robin ticciati Conductor lars vogt Piano
A spring/autumn programme pairing perhaps the most youthful, joyful and uplifting of all Mozart’s piano concertos (a fine showpiece for the superb pianism of Lars Vogt) with Brahms’ deeply felt and richly hued symphony. His music speaks of the regrets and sorrows of old age, but also exudes an all-embracing warmth and consolation. Brahms was one of Webern’s essential inspirations, and if this short piece of his seems to represent everything Brahms is not… how fascinating is that? Especially as the two men lived in the same milieu a matter of years apart.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) robin ticciati: “...everything he touched turned to pure gold...” – the herald
– the herald
12
13
Christmas in Paris
Ticciati’s Schumann
Queen’s Hall Thursday 16 December 7.30pm
haydn
saint-saëns fauré ravel
Symphony No 86 in D ‘Paris’ (26’) Cello Concerto No 1 (19’) Élégie (8’) Ma Mère L’Oye (Mother Goose) (29’)
louis langrée Conductor jian wang Cello
Ravel never lost touch with his inner child, and his music brings an appropriately magical and fantastical flavour to this last concert before Christmas. Mother Goose, inspired by timeless fairy tales and originally written for some young friends to play at the piano, is recreated here in miraculous orchestral colour. Langrée offers it in the company of the Grand Old Men of Ravel’s Paris: Saint-Saëns and Fauré in a lovely mixed programme that looks back as far as the 1780s when Haydn was all the rage in the French capital.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
Queen’s Hall Thursday 13 January 7.30pm
berlioz
britten schumann
New Year in Vienna
Usher Hall Saturday 1 January 7pm
In aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Programme to include: strauss Waltzes and Polkas sibelius Valse Triste elgar Salut d'Amour stravinsky Circus Polka
Overture, Beatrice and Benedict (8’) Nocturne (25’) Symphony No 4 (original version) (28’)
robin ticciati Conductor john mark ainsley Tenor
Shakespeare, Keats, Coleridge and Wilfred Owen were among Britten’s inspirations in Nocturne, his dramatic evocation of night. Here are seduction, repose, threat and menace in a phenomenal tour-de-force both for tenor soloist and the players who duet or spar with him in fleeting solos. Ticciati frames Britten with two composers he loves and who were themselves regular correspondents. Schumann’s symphony blazes like day after Britten’s night: this is undiluted Romanticism at its most exhilarating – Schumann himself once used the word ‘Phantasie’ to describe it.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
nicholas kok Conductor gillian keith Soprano
“...what poured out from the SCO all evening was some of the most utterly exhilarating orchestral playing you will hear anywhere, from anyone…” – the herald
The Blue Danube, Radetzky March, Roses from the South, waltzes and polkas… what better way to greet the New Year than a classic Viennese night out with the SCO? Charming soprano Gillian Keith adds extra sparkle in hits from the operettas. Please note start time.
tickets £10 - £27
14
15
Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets No-one towers over the music of the 20th century more impressively than Igor Stravinsky. His passion for dance shines through in his legacy of superb ballet scores, and he collaborated with some of the greats of the century: Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, the choreographer George Balanchine, and such artists as Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau. He was a man of many parts. A profound intellect, a great entertainer but also a brilliant maverick who refused to be tamed by expectations and constantly reinvented himself. In a series of three concerts, Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati celebrates three very different incarnations of the composer’s fiery spirit.
“I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.” – Igor Stravinsky
Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets I
Queen’s Hall Saturday 22 January 7.30pm
stravinsky haydn
tchaikovsky
Jeu de Cartes (23’) Symphony No 83 ‘La Poule’ (24’) Scenes from ‘The Nutcracker’ (30’)
robin ticciati Conductor
Brilliant, witty, playful, surprising and suave: words that well describe both Haydn and Stravinsky who are paired in three concerts this spring. A sparkling joie de vivre pervades all three, but expect more: Ticciati has already demonstrated his power to mine deep below the surface and draw his audience into the passion and complexity that lies at the music’s heart. Adding a seasonal icing to the cake, some of Ticciati’s own favourite dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker round off the evening. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) ashley page, artistic director of scottish ballet, in conversation with svend brown about stravinsky and ballet.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
Stravinsky Study Day
Usher Hall Saturday 5 March 10.30am - 4.30pm
As part of the Stravinsky Chamber Ballets series, Professor Jonathan Cross, author of The Stravinsky Legacy, leads a Study Day – a chance for an in-depth look at some of the music featured in the series. Tickets for the Study Day include refreshments and a complimentary concert programme for the linked concert on 10 March at the Queen’s Hall.
tickets £25 To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353. For more information about the Lifelong Learning programme, visit www.sco.org.uk See page 29 for further details of SCO Connect.
16
17
The Voice of a City – A Family Concert
New Romantics III
Usher Hall Saturday 5 February 3pm
Queen’s Hall Thursday 27 January 7.30pm
delius
walton adams copland
blake harper
The Walk to the Paradise Garden (8’) Viola Concerto (27’) Shaker Loops (28’) Appalachian Spring (23’)
joseph swensen Conductor isabelle van keulen Viola
Swensen takes a journey through four very different sorts of sonorous sensuality: Copland’s dew-fresh New England landscape plays against Delius’ lush, twilit poetry. Adams’ energetic, driving rhythms contrast beautifully with Walton’s passionate, dramatic writing for the viola.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
CL@SIX: Drum Roll
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church Tuesday 1 February 6pm
mozart mozart
haydn
“...Swensen and the orchestra were practically airborne and looked as if they were having the ride of their lives...” – The Scotsman
Overture, The Impresario (5’) Violin Concerto No 2 in D K211 (21’) Symphony No 103 ‘Drum Roll’ (27’)
alexander janiczek Director/Violin
Youthful Mozart and venerable Haydn – but without knowing which is which, it would be hard to guess the age of the composers. Youthful fire dances in Haydn’s symphony; while a mellow beauty raises Mozart’s slow movement to lofty heights. Janiczek – as soloist and director – has a native gift for this music and lends a distinctly Austrian accent to the Orchestra for a delightful hour.
The Land of Counterpane (20’) The Voice of a City (30’)
garry walker Conductor john kitchen Organ pupils from the erskine stewart’s melville schools choirs (The Land of Counterpane) a chorus of 300 voices from schools and communities across the city of edinburgh (The Voice of a City)
Edinburgh composer Edward Harper called on school choirs, adult choirs and the full SCO for his affectionate portrait of his home city. The One o’Clock Gun goes off with a bang, and he brings the streets alive, populating them with many of the city’s most celebrated residents: John Knox, Miss Jean Brodie, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sean Connery. This is a heartwarming concert opening with The Land of Counterpane, Howard Blake’s setting of poems from Stevenson’s collection A Child’s Garden of Verses. Please note start time.
tickets £10 senior citizens £8 students/children £5 family ticket £25 In association with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. Visit our world of words at www.cityofliterature.com
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5
18
19
Want to know more? For regular updates on SCO concerts and events, join our email list at www.sco.org.uk
Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets II
Queen’s Hall Thursday 10 February 7.30pm
haydn stravinsky fauré (orch. c. matthews)
Scena di Berenice (12’) Apollon Musagète (29’) Melodies (16’) world premiere
Prokofiev ‘Classical’ Symphony
Queen’s Hall Thursday 24 February 7.30pm
lotti
Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’ (15’) Piano Concerto No 25 in C K503 (30’) Crucifixus (5’)
robin ticciati Conductor sally matthews Soprano
(arrangement of Quartet No 8) (21’)
A heart-warming richness gives Sally Matthews’ voice the special star quality that makes her the soprano of choice for maestros the world over. With Ticciati, she brings Haydn’s scena – a touch of operatic high drama to match Stravinsky’s dance – then follows it with Fauré’s heartbreaking, melancholy songs in new orchestrations from Colin Matthews commissioned by the SCO. As for the Haydn… the name says it all: truly, this symphony is a miracle – one of his very finest.
andrew manze Conductor francesco piemontesi Piano
haydn
SCO commission
Symphony No 96 ‘Miracle’ (20’)
prokofiev mozart
(arr. manze) shostakovich Chamber Symphony (arr. barshai) in C minor Op 110a
Few programmes this Season embrace greater emotional extremes than this. Opening with the extrovert showmanship of a youthful Prokofiev, it closes with the darkest night of the older Shostakovich’s soul. Strong stuff – sure to offer a stirring experience. Mozart’s concerto is among his grandest, and it is played here by a brilliant young Italian making his SCO debut. To complete the programme, Andrew Manze’s own arrangement of a timeless lament: Lotti’s Crucifixus is one of the most beautiful pieces in all music.
pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) robin ticciati in conversation with svend brown about stravinsky’s ballet music.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details.
20
Chamber Concert
Queen’s Hall Sunday 27 February 2.30pm
schumann rasmussen beethoven
Kriesleriana Op 16 (30’) Wind Quintet in F (17’) Quintet in E-flat Op 16 (23’)
francesco piemontesi Piano sco wind ensemble
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this spring’s chamber concerts (see also 10 April) suggest that the young Beethoven was among Mozart’s keenest admirers: his quintet for piano and winds is so clearly inspired by Mozart’s original. Piemontesi and the SCO wind principals present it in a Romantic setting framed by the fantasy of Schumann and the earthy humour of Rasmussen.
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5 21
Zadok the Priest
Queen’s Hall Thursday 3 March 7.30pm
purcell bach purcell purcell handel bach handel
Suite from The Fairy Queen (20’) Contrapunctus XIV from Art of Fugue (9’) Hear my Prayer (2’) Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem (8’) Coronation Anthem: My Heart is Inditing (11’) Suite No 3 (19’) Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest (7’)
richard egarr Conductor/Harpsichord/Organ sco chorus
Handel – ever the master dramatist – created one of the iconic moments in all music when he allowed a long slow build-up of chords to grow and grow over a pulsing bass line until it bursts into the radiant shout of Zadok the Priest. That’s the climax of this sumptuous concert of Baroque masters bringing together some of the greatest musical minds of the age into a rich sequence of delights.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details. richard egarr: “What a firecracker he is. Showman, raconteur, wit, outrageous entertainer, dynamo and spontaneous energiser of music: he does the lot, with style.” – the herald
Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets III
New Romantics IV
Queen’s Hall Saturday 19 March 7.30pm
Queen’s Hall Thursday 10 March 7.30pm
haydn
battistelli berio harper (ed./arr. cresswell) Symphony No 94 ‘Surprise’ (23’) britten
szymanowski Violin Concerto No 2 (20’) stravinsky Orpheus (30’) robin ticciati Conductor renaud capuçon Violin
The story of Haydn lulling an unsuspecting audience to sleep with his gentle slow movement then jolting them awake with a loud ‘SURPRISE’ chord is probably too good to be true, but that does not diminish the piece’s charms. In Orpheus Stravinsky looks back to the earliest days of opera for inspiration, and draws on the brilliance of Monteverdi’s world to tell his own version of the myth. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) professor jonathan cross, author of the stravinsky legacy, talks about the composer.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details.
Fair is foul, foul is fair (20’) Folk Songs (23’) Pastoral (12’) world premiere SCO commission
Suite on English Folk Tunes (A time there was) (15’)
garry walker Conductor karen cargill Mezzo Soprano
A literary theme links this programme. One of the hits of the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival, Battistelli’s is a corker of a piece vividly evoking the storm and supernatural terror of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Sorrow touches the premiere of Edward Harper’s Pastoral, which is a setting of Burns’ poetry. When he died in 2009, Harper was working on a new symphony for the SCO and his friend Lyell Cresswell has completed this single movement from his manuscript in tribute. Mezzo Karen Cargill, one of Scotland’s brightest stars, also sings traditional folk songs arranged by Berio. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) lyell cresswell in conversation with dr michael downes, director of music at the university of st andrews.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details.
22
23
Fauré Requiem
Mozart at the Piano II
Usher Hall Thursday 31 March 7.30pm wagner schreker fauré
Siegfried Idyll (18’) Chamber Symphony (25’) Requiem (39’)
robin ticciati Conductor carolyn sampson Soprano neal davies Bass Baritone sco chorus
Queen’s Hall Thursday 7 April 7.30pm
haydn
mozart mozart haydn
Symphony No 97 in C: Movements 1,2,3 (18’) Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor K491 (31’) Piano Concerto No 17 in G major K453 (30’) Symphony No 97 in C: Finale (7’)
robert levin Conductor/Piano
“…A very human feeling of faith in eternal rest”, was what Fauré hoped to capture in his Requiem. He hated the fire and brimstone settings, and in movements such as the famous ‘Pie Jesu’ he communicates a precious air of peace and consolation instead. Ticciati brings it together with Wagner’s touching love token and a beautiful rarity from the time of World War I. Schreker belonged to the world of Mahler, Strauss and Korngold. He mostly wrote opera, and this chamber symphony has a theatrical, lyrical sweep to it. If his name is unfamiliar that could be because, like so many musicians, he was persecuted by the Nazis and fell into obscurity.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
Levin is rare among star soloists: he brings not only his excellent musicianship to all he does, but also his fascination with how Mozart and Haydn themselves would have performed their music. Here he splits up Haydn’s symphony so that it both opens and closes the evening – something Haydn would have taken for granted. He also performs not one but two of Mozart’s great concertos from the mid-1780s, offering a rich contrast between the dramatic weight of the C minor against the lyrical brilliance of the G major.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
“It reminded the listener just how finely integrated the SCO is... and highlighted the players’ commitment to the music and their sparky new conductor.”
Chamber Concert
Queen’s Hall Sunday 10 April 2.30pm
mozart beethoven mozart
mozart
Piano Sonata in D K576 (15’) Trio in B-flat Op 11 (18’) Sonata for bassoon and cello K292 (10’) Quintet in E-flat K452 (23’)
robert levin Piano sco chamber ensemble
Having performed two of Mozart’s great piano concertos in the concert on 7 April, Levin rounds off the week by joining SCO principals in what amounts to a third: Mozart’s Quintet is a crowd-pleaser of a work. He wrote and premiered it in what was arguably his ‘golden’ year: 1784.
tickets £12 senior citizens £10 students/children £5
– the independent
24
25
SCO recordings – buy your favourite SCO CDs at www.sco.org.uk
Italian Serenade Musical Toybox
Symphonic Opera
Queen’s Hall Saturday 16 April 7.30pm
mussorgsky La Couturière (7’) (arr. knussen) schumann Cello Concerto (25’) debussy La Boîte à Joujoux (32’) oliver knussen Conductor anssi kartunen Cello
Queen’s Hall Thursday 28 April 7.30pm
mozart mozart
mozart mozart rossini
Every time Knussen comes to the SCO a special magic happens: a great composer and orchestrator as well as conductor, he makes orchestral colour glow as few others can. It is a joy to the ear, and Debussy’s box of toys offers a perfect opportunity to revel in it. Unusually, he has paired Debussy with Schumann’s cello concerto – a late piece, autumnal in every sense, with its lovely melodic fantasy. To open, Knussen’s own take on one of Debussy’s favourite Russian composers.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
rossini rossini haydn
Overture, Così fan tutte (5’) Voi che sapete (Le nozze di Figaro) (3’) Recit & Smanie implacabili (Così fan tutte) (3’) Symphony No 35 ‘Haffner’ (18’) Overture, Il barbiere di Siviglia (8’) Cruda sorte (L’italiana in Algeri) (5’) Una voce poco fa (Il barbiere di Siviglia) (6’) Symphony No 82 ‘The Bear’ (27’)
jean-christophe spinosi Conductor renata pokupic Mezzo Soprano
Queen’s Hall Thursday 5 May 7.30pm brahms
Variations on a theme of Haydn (17’) haydn Cello Concerto in C major (24’) wolf Italian Serenade (8’) mendelssohn Symphony No 4 ‘Italian’ (27’)
olari elts Conductor jean-guihen queyras Cello jane atkins Viola
Many concerts this Season take a pair of ideas and play them off against each other to achieve as satisfying a musical menu as you could wish for. Here, Brahms plays Haydn – the grand master of variation form – at his own game before we hear Haydn’s long lost cello concerto. Then two great German composers travel south for a taste of Italian song and dance.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
Favourite arias by two of the greatest operatic composers of their respective ages sung by an acclaimed young mezzo of the moment. This concert is a must for any opera lover – and it comes with the symphonic bonus of Haydn’s hugely entertaining ‘Bear’ symphony, full of rustic influences. Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ symphony, on the other hand, is a suitably grand work written for one of the grandest of the great Salzburg families.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available)
26
27
Mackerras conducts Mozart
Usher Hall Saturday 14 May 7.30pm
mozart
mozart
mozart
Overture, The Magic Flute (7’) Symphony No 41 ‘Jupiter’ (29’) Requiem (55’)
sir charles mackerras Conductor susan gritton Soprano karen cargill Mezzo Soprano steve davislim Tenor jan martinik Bass sco chorus
Mozart. Mackerras. SCO. Need we say more? In their decades together this Orchestra and conductor have performed Mozart’s work in the great halls of the world to standing ovations and critical acclaim. They offer a feast of ‘late’ masterworks: as grand and moving an experience as one could hope for to close the Season.
tickets £9 - £27 (concessions available) “The combination of Sir Charles Mackerras and the SCO means only one thing – power-packed Mozart that has you sitting on the edge of your seat craving for more.” – the scotsman
Evening Courses SCO Connect and the University of Edinburgh Open Studies have teamed up to provide two evening courses, led by composer Jennifer Martin. Both courses will guide you through music performed in the SCO Season and introduce you to the world of the SCO with player visits, concert trips and an opportunity to meet Principal Conductor, Robin Ticciati. Exploring Music I This ten-session course will take place between September and December 2010. It is a general introduction, and no previous knowledge is necessary. Exploring Music II This ten-session course will take place between January and March 2011, and is a more in-depth course ideal for those who have taken part in Exploring Music I, or already have some knowledge of music. It focuses on the works of Stravinsky and will include three concert trips to the Stravinsky Chamber Ballets series. Venue 11 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW Dates Exploring Music I Tuesdays from 28 September 2010 Exploring Music II Tuesdays from 11 January 2011 Time 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Comparing Notes Do you enjoy a good chat about music? Many people are enjoying the growing trend for reading groups to share their love of books, and we think that there are just as many who would enjoy the opportunity to talk about music and share their views with others. An Edinburgh discussion group will meet four times before SCO concerts to chat about the music featured in that evening’s performance: Thursday 24 February Prokofiev ‘Classical’ Symphony Thursday 3 March Zadok the Priest Thursday 10 March Stravinsky: The Chamber Ballets III Saturday 19 March New Romantics IV Reserve your place now by calling SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353. Find out more about the SCO’s education and lifelong learning programme at www.sco.org.uk
“A thoroughly enjoyable and informative course with a relaxed and friendly From late July (subject to University validation), atmosphere.” – participant 2009 you can book and pay for this course or get a copy of the Open Studies brochure by logging on to the website www.ed.ac.uk/openstudies or calling 0131 650 4400.
28
29
How to Book
Ticket Prices
0131 668 2019 Online booking: www.thequeenshall.net
10/11 SEASON CONCERTS
Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday (open until the end of the interval on performance days). All major credit cards, except American Express, accepted. Postage charge of 50p where applicable. Tickets for Usher Hall concerts only:
0131 228 1155 Online booking: www.usherhall.co.uk Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA 10am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday. All major credit cards accepted. Telephone and online bookings carry a £1 transaction fee. Tickets for collection are available from the box office from one hour before the performance. Please note: An allocation of tickets for SCO concerts at the Usher Hall is available from the Usher Hall Box Office in person, by phone and online from 1 June 2010. Tickets also available from the Queen’s Hall Box Office.
I £27
II £23
III £18.50
IV £13
V £9
Seating Plans
Queen’s Hall
Usher Hall
Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG
New Year IN Vienna Concert In aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care (No discounts available). I £27
II £23
III £20
IV £15
II
Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA
II
II
V
I
IV
III
V £10
III
family concert Adults £10, Senior citizens £8, Under 16s & students £5, Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £25 TICKET DISCOUNTS (all concerts except New Year in Vienna). Senior citizens – £2 off standard prices. Students, children and unemployed people – £5 for any ticket. People with a disability – 50% off standard ticket prices for people with a disability and a carer. Group discounts – Groups of 6 or more save 20% off standard ticket prices. School groups – Teachers and/or accompanying adults go free when bringing a school or school-age youth group. For more information, contact SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353 or kirsten.hunter@sco.org.uk
Please note: All discounts are subject to availability. We regret that tickets are non-refundable. Every effort is made to ensure that all information is correct at time of going to press. The SCO does, however, reserve the right to change dates, artists or programmes if necessary.
I
III IV
Chamber & CL@SIX Concerts Adults £12, Senior citizens £10, Students, children and unemployed people £5
All single tickets, including discounts, are on sale from 1 June 2010. Subscription bookings are taken from 7 April 2010.
30
Seating Plans
III III
STAGE
III
IV
IV
III IV V
IV
II IV
III
III
I
I
I
II
II III IV
II I
II
III
II II
GALLERY V IV
IV
I
I
III
II
I
STAGE STALLS
GRAND CIRCLE IV
Wheelchair accommodation is available in the centre and side stalls. Ramps are fitted at the front and rear of the hall, and there is a toilet at stalls level.
III IV
IV V
V
IV
IV
V
V
Guide dogs are welcome. UPPER CIRCLE
An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties.
Wheelchair accommodation is available. Guide dogs are welcome.
St Cuthbert’s Parish Church
5 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Wheelchair accommodation is available in the stalls.
An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties.
Guide dogs are welcome. An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties.
Please notify the Box Office when booking.
31
Subscription Booking Form
SCO Subscription
Title
The SCO offers completely flexible subscriptions – just choose any four or more Season concerts*. As well as substantial discounts on regular ticket prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits.
Forename
Address
Why take a Subscription?
How to book a Subscription
• Save money Save up to 40% (50% for seniors) on single ticket prices – the more you book, the more you save.
By Post
• Free choice of concerts Select any four or more 10/11 Season concerts.
• Select your preferred Seating Area (e.g. Stalls, Gallery, Grand Circle, etc) and Price Band (I, II, III or IV).
• Best seats Priority booking and the best available seats in the area of your choice and, wherever possible, you can keep your seats from year to year.
• Calculate the cost of your subscription and complete the grid on the Booking Form.
• Change your mind If a date becomes inconvenient, swap your tickets for another 10/11 Season concert (24 hours’ notice required).
• Complete your personal, seating and payment details on the Booking Form.
• Spread the cost Pay by Standing Order in four instalments. • Save on SCO CDs Receive a £5 CD voucher. • Free concert A personal invitation to the annual Subscriber concert and reception. • SCO news Receive the SCO’s newsletter three times a year. * 10/11 Season concerts are marked . Please note: Chamber, CL@SIX, Family and New Year in Vienna concerts cannot be included in a subscription, but you can book them at the same time as your subscription.
• Tick the concerts you wish to attend on the Booking Form.
• Send the Booking Form to: SCO Subscription, FREEPOST, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (no stamp required). By Phone Call the Queen’s Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019 (10am to 5pm, Mon to Sat) with your selected concerts and credit or debit card details.
Postcode
Telephone (day) Telephone (eve) E-mail
Important – Please Complete! We would like to send you, from time to time, information about the SCO, its events and other developments. Please tick here if you would like to join the SCO’s e-news list to receive updates about concerts, events, offers and news by email. We will not give your details to any third parties. Please tick here to indicate your permission for us to add your details to our postal mailing list. Please tick boxes below to indicate your choice of concerts: Thurs 7 Oct (UH) Sat 16 Oct (QH) Thurs 21 Oct (QH) Sat 20 Nov (QH) Thurs 25 Nov (UH) Thurs 2 Dec (QH)
• Add on any of the Chamber, CL@SIX, Family or New Year in Vienna concerts you wish to attend.
• If you would like to pay in four instalments by Standing Order, please tick the appropriate box and we will send you a Standing Order form.
Surname
CL@SIX concerts Tues 12 Oct Chamber concerts Sun 27 Feb
Sat 11 Dec (UH) Thurs 16 Dec (QH) Thurs 13 Jan (QH) Sat 22 Jan (QH) Thurs 27 Jan (QH) Thurs 10 Feb (QH)
Thurs 24 Feb (QH) Thurs 3 Mar (QH) Thurs 10 Mar (QH) Sat 19 Mar (QH) Thurs 31 Mar (UH) Thurs 7 Apr (QH)
Sat 16 Apr (QH) Thurs 28 Apr (QH) Thurs 5 May (QH) Sat 14 May (UH)
Tues 16 Nov
Tues 7 Dec
Tues 1 Feb
Sun 10 Apr
Number of concerts
Number of people Number of people Price Band at standard price at senior price
10/11 Season
QH: UH:
CL@SIX & Chamber
–
Family Concert New Year in Vienna
Seating Area (e.g. Total Price stalls, gallery)
–
– – TOTAL
How do you wish to pay?
£
I enclose a cheque, payable to ‘Queen’s Hall Box Office’. Please debit my Mastercard/Visa/debit card (delete as appropriate). Card Number Issue Number (debit card only)
Expiry Date
Start Date
Security Code (last three digits on signature strip)
Signature
32
I wish to spread the cost of subscription over four months using a Standing Order. Please send me a Standing Order form.
Please return this form to: SCO Subscription, FREEPOST, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (no stamp required).
33
Subscription Prices No. of concerts 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
I
II
III
Large-print, Braille and Talking Notes versions of this brochure are available. Call 0845 270 1812*.
IV
Standard
£91.80
£78.20
£62.90
£44.20
Save 15%
Senior
£81.00
£69.00
£55.50
£39.00
(25%)
Standard
£114.75
£97.75
£78.63
£55.25
Senior
£101.25
£86.25
£69.38
£48.75
Standard
£137.70
£117.30
£94.35
£66.30
Senior
£121.50
£103.50
£83.25
£58.50
Standard
£160.65
£136.85
£110.08
£77.35
Senior
£141.75
£120.75
£97.13
£68.25
Standard
£172.80
£147.20
£118.40
£83.20
Save 20%
Senior
£151.20
£128.80
£103.60
£72.80
(30%)
Standard
£194.40
£165.60
£133.20
£93.60
Senior
£170.10
£144.90
£116.55
£81.90
Standard
£216.00
£184.00
£148.00
£104.00
Senior
£189.00
£161.00
£129.50
£91.00
Sign up to our email list or join our postal mailing list at www.sco.org.uk, by calling 0845 270 1812* or writing to SCO, FREEPOST, 4 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BR Become an SCO fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/scottishchamberorchestra
Standard
£237.60
£202.40
£162.80
£114.40
£207.90
£177.10
£142.45
£100.10
Standard
£243.00
£207.00
£166.50
£117.00
Save 25%
Senior
£210.60
£179.40
£144.30
£101.40
(35%)
13
Standard
£263.25
£224.25
£180.38
£126.75
Senior
£228.15
£194.35
£156.33
£109.85
14
Standard
£283.50
£241.50
£194.25
£136.50
Senior
£245.70
£209.30
£168.35
£118.30
Standard
£303.75
£258.75
£208.13
£146.25
Senior
£263.25
£224.25
£180.38
£126.75
Standard
£302.40
£257.60
£207.20
£145.60
Save 30% (40%)
15 16
Enjoy more music – spend less!
Senior
£259.20
£220.80
£177.60
£124.80
17
Standard
£321.30
£273.70
£220.15
£154.70
Senior
£275.40
£234.60
£188.70
£132.60
18
Standard
£340.20
£289.80
£233.10
£163.80
Senior
£291.60
£248.40
£199.80
£140.40
Standard
£359.10
£305.90
£246.05
£172.90
Senior
£307.80
£262.20
£210.90
£148.20
Standard
£351.00
£299.00
£240.50
£169.00
Save 35%
Senior
£297.00
£253.00
£203.50
£143.00
(45%)
Standard
£368.55
£313.95
£252.53
£177.45
19 20 21 22
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/scomusic
Read our blog www.sco.org.uk
Senior 12
Keep in Touch
Senior
£311.85
£265.65
£213.68
£150.15
Standard
£356.40
£303.60
£244.20
£171.60
Save 40%
Senior
£297.00
£253.00
£203.50
£143.00
(50%)
Book an SCO Subscription – from just four concerts. As well as substantial discounts on regular tickets prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits. An SCO subscription is completely flexible – you choose the concerts you like – and benefit from huge savings if you book for four or more concerts. You can save up to 50% or you can book 16 concerts for less than it costs to go to 15 – you can’t beat value like that!
*All calls charged at local rate.
35
The SCO gratefully acknowledges the support of the Scottish Government, local authorities, corporate sponsors, patrons, 250 Society members and the many trusts and foundations that help to fund its extensive education and touring programmes. Principal Sponsor Bank of Scotland Benefactor Dunard Fund Sponsors Chatham Honda Clyde & Forth Press Lumison State Street Corporate Members Aberdeen Asset Management Chivas Brothers Standard Life Royal Bank of Scotland MacDonald Roxburghe Hotel Newton Private Investment Management In-Kind Supporters Caledonian Brewing Company Capital Solutions City Inn Contemporary Hotels Edinburgh University Settlement Homeopathy John Lewis Partnership Miller Radio Forth SATV Television Production Scottish Council for Development and Industry Thom Micro Systems
Play your part‌ There are many ways in which you can support the work of the SCO and help us bring live classical music to people of all ages throughout Scotland. We invite individuals to become members of the SCO Patrons scheme, to join the SCO 250 Society, or to consider leaving a legacy to the Orchestra in their will. We offer companies a range of sponsorship and in-kind support opportunities and a flexible Corporate Membership scheme with regular hospitality and dedicated account management. For further information on how you can support the SCO, visit www.sco.org.uk or contact the Sponsorship & Fundraising Department on 0131 478 8344 or sponsorship@sco.org.uk.
Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXXX