RSNO Digital Season: Grieg Piano Concerto by Royal Scottish National Orchestra

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GRIEG PIANO CONCERTO SPONSORED BY

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‘Exceptionally good’ The Scotsman

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‘Impressive unity’ The Times

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‘Simply wonderful’ Bachtrack

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GRIEG PIANO CONCERTO

Paul Lewis has been called ‘the finest British pianist for a generation’. He joins forces with the RSNO and conductor Edward Gardner for a performance of Grieg’s unabashedly romantic Piano Concerto, which dances and dazzles with hints of Norwegian melodies. It’s bookended by Grieg’s stunning music for Peer Gynt, from the sunlit vistas of Morning to the blood-crazed trolls of In the Hall of the Mountain King.

GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite No2 Op55 [16’] GRIEG Piano Concerto in A Minor Op16 [30’] GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite No1 Op46 [13’] Edward Gardner Conductor Paul Lewis Piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra RECORDED AT THE RSNO CENTRE, GLASGOW Broadcast Fri 12 Feb 2021, 7.30pm This performance has been recorded for the RSNO Archive. Supported by the Iain and Pamela Sinclair Legacy.

SPONSORED BY

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Welcome Dear friends It’s hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of our first-ever Digital Concert Season! When I first took up my post at the RSNO and set about recruiting a Digital Team consisting of a sound engineer and a video producer, little did we realise the significant role those appointments would play, just a few months later. It has been a real privilege to see the RSNO team, from the musicians on stage to the staff backstage, bring these concerts to life for us all to enjoy over the last five months. This week it’s with great pleasure that we welcome back pianist Paul Lewis. Paul is no stranger to RSNO audiences, and I am sure you will enjoy his performance of one of the bestloved of all concertos, Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Changes to travel restrictions sadly meant that conductor Cornelius Meister was unable to join us for this all-Grieg programme. Our thanks go to Edward Gardner for stepping in at the last minute. Edward brings a wealth of knowledge about Grieg’s music developed through his role as Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic, of which Grieg himself was Artistic Director from 1880 to 1882. Finally, I’d like to extend my welcome to Isio, our concert sponsors. The support of our corporate friends during this challenging year has meant a great deal to the RSNO. It is wonderful to be starting this new year with a new partnership. I hope you enjoy the concert.

Alistair Mackie CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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Royal Scottish National Orchestra

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ARTISTIC TEAM Thomas Søndergård

MUSIC DIRECTOR Elim Chan

PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR Neeme Järvi CONDUCTOR LAUREATE Alexander Lazarev CONDUCTOR EMERITUS

Gregory Batsleer

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CHORUS DIRECTOR, RSNO CHORUS

Patrick Barrett

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FIRST VIOLIN Maya Iwabuchi LEADER Sharon Roffman LEADER Lena Zeliszewska

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ASSOCIATE LEADER

Emily Davis ASSOCIATE LEADER 10 Tamás Fejes ASSISTANT LEADER 11 Patrick Curlett ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 12 Barbara Paterson SUB PRINCIPAL 13 Jane Reid 14 Caroline Parry 15 Ursula Heidecker Allen 16 Lorna Rough 17 Susannah Lowdon 18 Alan Manson 19 Elizabeth Bamping 20 SECOND VIOLIN Xander van Vliet PRINCIPAL Jacqueline Speirs ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

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Marion Wilson ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL 23 Harriet Wilson SUB PRINCIPAL 24 Nigel Mason 25 Wanda Wojtasinska 26 Paul Medd 27 Anne Bünemann 28 Sophie Lang 29 Robin Wilson 30 Emily Nenniger 31

VIOLA Tom Dunn PRINCIPAL Asher Zaccardelli

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Susan Buchan SUB PRINCIPAL Lisa Rourke SUB PRINCIPAL David Martin Nicola McWhirter Claire Dunn Katherine Wren Maria Trittinger Francesca Hunt

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CELLO Aleksei Kiseliov PRINCIPAL 42 Betsy Taylor ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL 43 Kennedy Leitch ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 44 Arthur Boutillier SUB PRINCIPAL 45 William Paterson 46 Rachael Lee 47 Sarah Digger 48 DOUBLE BASS Ana Cordova PRINCIPAL Margarida Castro

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ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Michael Rae ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Paul Sutherland SUB PRINCIPAL John Clark Sally Davis

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FLUTE Katherine Bryan PRINCIPAL Helen Brew ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Janet Richardson

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PRINCIPAL PICCOLO

OBOE Adrian Wilson PRINCIPAL Peter Dykes ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Henry Clay PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS

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CLARINET Timothy Orpen PRINCIPAL CLARINET Duncan Swindells

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PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET

BASSOON David Hubbard PRINCIPAL Luis Eisen ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Paolo Dutto

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PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON

HORN Christopher Gough PRINCIPAL 66 Alison Murray ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 67 Andrew McLean 68 ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL David McClenaghan 69 Martin Murphy ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL 70 TRUMPET Christopher Hart PRINCIPAL Marcus Pope SUB PRINCIPAL Jason Lewis ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

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TROMBONE Dávur Juul Magnussen PRINCIPAL Lance Green ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Alastair Sinclair

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PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE

TUBA John Whitener PRINCIPAL

TIMPANI Paul Philbert PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION Simon Lowdon PRINCIPAL John Poulter ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

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Peer Gynt Suites No2 Op55 and No1 Op46 ‘Composers such as Bach and Beethoven erected churches and temples on the heights,’ Edvard Grieg observed sagely, ‘whereas I want only to build dwellings for men in which they might feel happy and at home.’ So saying, he set the seal on a career that saw him synthesise home-grown, Nordic inspiration with Western composing techniques, putting Norway on the musical map once and for all.

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)

FIRST PERFORMED As incidental music to Ibsen’s play: Christiania, now Oslo, 24 February 1876 DURATION Suite No2: 16 minutes; Suite No1: 13 minutes Suite No2 The Abduction of the Bride – Ingrid’s Lament Arabian Dance Peer Gynt’s Homecoming Solveig’s Song Suite No1 Morning Mood Åse’s Death Anitra’s Dance In the Hall of the Mountain King

Grieg struggled early in his career to make his unique and original voice heard above the European mainstream. Nationalist music was just beginning to assert itself, and Grieg found himself having to single-handedly compete with new music emerging from Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. ‘The traditional way of life of the Norwegian people,’ he insisted, ‘together with Norway’s legends, Norway’s history and Norway’s natural scenery, stamped itself on my creative imagination from my earliest years.’ Although he found it decidedly tough going at times, Grieg never lacked distinguished supporters. Franz Liszt was one. Tchaikovsky was bowled over by the Norwegian’s natural flair, commenting, ‘What charm, what inimitable and rich musical imagery, what interest, novelty and independence’, while Debussy was particularly fond of Grieg’s piano miniatures, according to a 1903 edition of the Parisian periodical Gil Blas, remarking, ‘One has in one’s mouth the bizarre and charming taste of a pink sweet stuffed with snow.’ Grieg’s main realm of fantasy was the miniature, exemplified by his enchanting series of 66 Lyric Pieces for solo piano and more than 170 songs, which evoke the sights and sounds of his homeland with almost tactile precision. Yet his constant struggles with depression led him to despair at one point that ‘many a time

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I go and stare up at the clouds as if I could find there the Norwegian drama in Norwegian music which I have dreamt of, which I have always believed I could create one day, but which I now begin to believe is fated to come from another’. Indeed, when in 1874 the celebrated playwright Henrik Ibsen invited Grieg to compose the incidental music for his groundbreaking five-act drama Peer Gynt, the composer was initially less than enthusiastic. Yet as he began making initial sketches it dawned on him that this might be the masterwork he had struggled for so long to achieve. In a letter to his friend Franz Beyer he announced excitedly: ‘I’ve done something about the Hall of the Old Man of Dovre!’ Despite its seemingly endless flow of spontaneous invention, Peer Gynt caused Grieg endless problems, especially the theatre band orchestration. Indeed, following the death of his parents within a fortnight of one another, he even began to wonder whether he had lost his creative facility. His struggles were compounded by having to compose to the precise timings provided by the theatre management. Yet he eventually produced around 90 minutes of music, encouraged by the fact that Ibsen had advanced him a generous 50 per cent of his fee. The international acclaim achieved by the two orchestral suites Grieg extracted from the finished score – presented in a different order than in the original play and published in 1888 and 1891 respectively – left the remaining music languishing on the outer fringes of the repertoire, much to his frustration. The second suite opens this concert with the dramatic interruption of a wedding ceremony,

during which the irresolute Gynt abducts the intended bride, Ingrid, who then despairs of her lot in a haunting lament. Following a bewitching evocation of the Arabian Peninsula, Gynt manages to escape the seductive allure of the Middle East, returning to his homeland at full pelt and falling into the welcoming arms of his faithful Solveig. The first suite begins with Morning Mood, originally the opening section of the third act, which evokes a glorious sunrise over the Arabian Desert. There follows a heart-rending depiction of the death of Gynt’s beloved mother, Åse, and a sultry dance, whose exotic sensuality captures the beguiling charms of the Bedouin’s daughter, Anitra. The finale sees Gynt trying desperately to escape the troll-infested terrors of the Hall of the Mountain King. © Julian Haylock

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Piano Concerto in A Minor Op16 Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor is one of the best known and loved of all piano concertos, and has been since the young composer’s only large-scale work was premiered to instant success in 1869 in Copenhagen, with the pianist Edmund Neupert. ‘It is not surprising that everyone should delight in Grieg,’ said Tchaikovsky of the composer’s work. ‘There prevails a fascinating melancholy which seems to reflect in itself all the beauty of Norwegian scenery, now grandiose and sublime in its vast expanse, now grey and dull, but always full of charm … that rarest of qualities, a perfect simplicity, far removed from affectation and pretence …’.

Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)

FIRST PERFORMED Copenhagen, 3 April 1869 DURATION 30 minutes Allegro molto moderato Adagio Allegro moderato molto e marcato– Quasi presto–Andante maestoso

Franz Liszt was so taken with Grieg’s music that he invited him to his house in Weimar. Grieg brought the Piano Concerto on his second visit, but when he refused to play, Liszt sat down and played it through – orchestra part included – with great panache, according to Grieg. The young composer, not long out of the Leipzig Conservatory, described the experience in a letter home. ‘Keep on, I tell you,’ he recalled Liszt telling him, on his second play-through of a work that Grieg was to revise some seven times over his lifetime. ‘You have what is needed, and don’t let them frighten you.’ The solo part, and its interplay with the orchestra, contained a brilliance that spoke to Liszt, yet Grieg had found the inspiration for his Piano Concerto partly in Robert Schumann’s equally famous Piano Concerto, also in A Minor. Ever taken with Schumann’s concerto, which he had heard in what he described as a revelatory performance by Clara Schumann in Leipzig in 1858, Grieg loosely modelled his work on the earlier composer’s. And yet the concerto was distinctively Grieg, his unique

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musical language marking an important point in the Norwegian drive towards a ‘national’ music. Tchaikovsky had been right to spot this sense of Norwegian-ness, for Grieg had become fascinated with Norwegian folk song. Fascinated by their measure, fascinated by the notion of a true Norwegian national music in a country which then had been so closely a part of both Denmark and Sweden over the preceding centuries, Grieg mined the structures and tonalities of its folk music to inspire his own original interpretation, marked with his own harmonic ideas. The idea of Norwegian independence had held sway over much of the 19th century, although the country would not achieve that goal until 1905, and Grieg’s music was seen as fuel to the fire in a Europe that was taken by the idea of nationalism, and the expression of national character, in music. The Norwegian-ness in Grieg’s concerto comes in the falling, distinctive seconds and thirds of the opening bars, the fiddle-like tunes of the Adagio and the ‘halling’ dance of the final movement. Indeed, while Grieg subsequently started a B Minor piano concerto, it was never finished, the composer instead concentrating on folk-influenced song and small pieces of orchestral and solo music – which took the essence of the folk-song canon, though never actually using the melodies themselves – that proved influential on the next generation of both Scandinavian and European composers. © Sarah Urwin Jones

What was happening in 1869? 5 Jan Scotland’s oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock FC, was founded 3 Mar Henry Wood, founder of the Proms, was born 4 Mar UIysses S Grant was sworn in as 18th President of the United States 18 Mar Dmitri Mendeleev presented his periodic table of chemical elements to the Russian Chemical Society 10 May The First Transcontinental Railroad in North America was completed at Promontory, Utah 22 May The first Sainsbury’s store opened in Drury Lane, London 16 Oct Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon founded England’s first residential university-level college for women, at Hitchin 17 Nov The Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, was inaugurated 23 Nov The clipper Cutty Sark was launched at Dumbarton 8 Dec The First Vatican Council, at which papal infallibility was defined, opened in Rome 31 Dec French artist Henri Matisse was born

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Paul Lewis PIANO Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony Tokyo, New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Cleveland, Tonhalle Zürich, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philharmonia and Mahler Chamber orchestras.

Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. His cycles of core piano works by Beethoven and Schubert have received unanimous critical and public acclaim worldwide, and consolidated his reputation as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the central European classical repertoire. His numerous awards have included the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year, two Edison awards, three Gramophone awards, the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana and the South Bank Show Classical Music award. He holds honorary degrees from Liverpool Edge Hill and Southampton universities, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Paul works regularly as soloist with the world’s great orchestras, including the Berlin

Paul’s recital career takes him to venues such as London’s Royal Festival Hall, New York’s Alice Tully and Carnegie halls, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus. He is also a frequent guest at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals, including Tanglewood, Ravinia, Schubertiade, Edinburgh, Salzburg, Lucerne and the BBC Proms, where in 2010 he became the first person to play a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle in a single season. His multi-award-winning discography for Harmonia Mundi includes the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, concertos and the Diabelli Variations, Liszt’s B Minor Sonata and other late works, all of Schubert’s major piano works from the last six years of his life, including the three song cycles with tenor Mark Padmore, solo works by Schumann and Mussorgsky, and the Brahms D Minor Piano Concerto with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Paul studied with Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London before going on to study privately with Alfred Brendel. He is co-Artistic Director of Midsummer Music, an annual chamber music festival held in Buckinghamshire.

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Edward Gardner CONDUCTOR del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, and to the Royal Opera House for Massenet’s Werther. The 2020/21 season sees Edward open the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s season, returning later for more concerts at the Royal Festival Hall and a tour of Germany and the UK. Highlights with the Bergen Philharmonic include Verdi’s Macbeth in concert, undertaking a European tour, and celebrating Beethoven’s 250th anniversary with a two-week festival. Guest conducting highlights, and projects that will be rearranged due to COVID-19, include performances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago and Montreal Symphony orchestras, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic since October 2015, Edward Gardner has led the orchestra on multiple international tours, including performances in Berlin, Munich and Amsterdam and at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival. He was recently appointed Principal Conductor Designate of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with his tenure commencing in September 2021. In demand as a guest conductor, in the past two seasons Edward has made his debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, RundfunkSinfonieorchester Berlin, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna Symphony, and at the Royal Opera House in a new production of Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. He also returned to the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra

Music Director of English National Opera for ten years (2006-15), Edward has an ongoing relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where he has conducted La damnation de Faust, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther. Elsewhere he has conducted at La Scala, Chicago Lyric Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Opéra National de Paris. Edward Gardner appeared most recently with the RSNO at the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival in works by James MacMillan and Richard Strauss.

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Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950, and was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. The Orchestra’s artistic team is led by Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård, who was appointed RSNO Music Director in October 2018, having previously held the position of Principal Guest Conductor. Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan succeeds Søndergård as Principal Guest Conductor. The RSNO performs across Scotland, including concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness. The Orchestra appears regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms, and has made recent tours to the USA, China and Europe. The Orchestra is joined for choral performances by the RSNO Chorus, directed by Gregory Batsleer. The RSNO Chorus evolved from a choir formed in 1843 to sing the first full performance of Handel’s Messiah in Scotland. Today, the RSNO Chorus is one of the most distinguished large symphonic choruses in Britain. The Chorus has performed nearly every work in the standard choral repertoire, along with contemporary works by composers including John Adams, Howard Shore and James MacMillan. Formed in 1978 by Jean Kidd, the acclaimed RSNO Junior Chorus, under its director Patrick

Barrett, also performs regularly alongside the Orchestra. Boasting a membership of over 400 members aged from 7 to 18, it has built up a considerable reputation singing under some of the world’s most distinguished conductors and appearing on radio and television. The RSNO has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving a 2020 Gramophone Classical Music Award for Chopin’s Piano Concertos (soloist: Benjamin Grosvenor), conducted by Elim Chan; two Diapason d’Or awards for Symphonic Music (Denève/Roussel 2007; Denève/Debussy 2012) and eight GRAMMY Awards nominations. Over 200 releases are available, including the complete symphonies of Sibelius (Gibson), Prokofiev (Järvi), Glazunov (Serebrier), Nielsen and Martinů (Thomson) and Roussel (Denève) and the major orchestra works of Debussy (Denève). Thomas Søndergård’s debut recording with the RSNO, of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, was released in 2019. The RSNO’s pioneering learning and engagement programme, Music for Life, aims to engage the people of Scotland with music across key stages of life: Early Years, Nurseries and Schools, Teenagers and Students, Families, Accessing Lives, Working Lives and Retired and Later Life. The team is committed to placing the Orchestra at the centre of Scottish communities via workshops and annual residencies.

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On Stage

FIRST VIOLIN Sharon Roffman

CELLO Aleksei Kiseliov

HORN Christopher Gough

Emily Davis

Betsy Taylor Arthur Boutillier William Paterson Sarah Digger

Alison Murray Andrew McLean David McClenaghan

LEADER

ASSOCIATE LEADER

Tamás Fejes

ASSISTANT LEADER

Patrick Curlett Barbara Paterson Alan Manson Susannah Lowdon Ursula Heidecker Allen Jane Reid Lorna Rough SECOND VIOLIN Marion Wilson ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Harriet Wilson Sophie Lang Emily Nenniger Wanda Wojtasinska Paul Medd Robin Wilson Anne Bünemann VIOLA Asher Zaccardelli ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Susan Buchan Lisa Rourke Katherine Wren David Martin Maria Trittinger

PRINCIPAL

DOUBLE BASS Ana Cordova PRINCIPAL

Margarida Castro Paul Sutherland Sally Davis FLUTE Katherine Bryan PRINCIPAL

Helen Brew Janet Richardson PRINCIPAL PICCOLO

PRINCIPAL

TRUMPET Jason Lewis

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Marcus Pope TROMBONE Dávur Juul Magnussen PRINCIPAL

Lance Green Alastair Sinclair

PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE

TUBA John Whitener PRINCIPAL

OBOE Peter Dykes

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Henry Clay

TIMPANI Paul Philbert PRINCIPAL

CLARINET Timothy Orpen

PERCUSSION John Poulter

Duncan Swindells

Tom Hunter Stuart Semple Colin Hyson

PRINCIPAL

BASSOON Luis Eisen

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Paolo Dutto

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

HARP Pippa Tunnell

isio.com

Pensions are complicated. We’re not.

Isio is proud to provide actuarial and investment advice to the Trustees of The Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Pension Scheme. We are delighted to support the RSNO’s Digital Season and we hope you enjoy the concert.

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Supporting the RSNO I am honoured and extremely proud to be Music Director of the RSNO. It is through the continued generosity of you, our friends, donors and supporters, that we can continue to achieve and realise the most ambitious goals of the Orchestra. The absence of live performance and the separation of musicians from the stage make these difficult times for all. It has reinforced for us all how vital music is in helping us overcome hardship, fear and loneliness. The creativity and dedication shown by RSNO musicians in recent months has been incredible. This is despite the pattern of our working lives being dramatically

interrupted and being separated, not just from one another, but also from our audiences and communities. I hope you will choose to support us now as we adapt and embark upon this next chapter in RSNO history. Thank you for your support

Thomas Søndergård MUSIC DIRECTOR, RSNO

RSNO Conductors’ Circle The RSNO Conductors’ Circle is an inspirational group of individual supporters at the heart of the RSNO’s Individual Giving programme. Our members’ annual philanthropic gifts enable us to realise the Orchestra’s most ambitious goals. Conductors’ Circle members support inspirational concert performances for our audiences alongside transformational education programmes in communities across Scotland, via our ground-breaking initiative Music for Life. The relationship between the RSNO and Conductors’ Circle members involves exceptional levels of access to all aspects of Orchestra life. We design bespoke private events tailored to individual interests and passions, providing insight into the artistic process and bringing our supporters further into the RSNO family. Members of the Conductors’ Circle benefit from an intimate and long-lasting connection with the RSNO Artistic Team and particularly with RSNO Music Director Thomas Søndergård, Principal Guest Conductor Elim Chan and the many

renowned guest Conductors we are privileged to welcome to the RSNO each year. The RSNO is very grateful for the continued support of its Conductors’ Circle: Ardgowan Charitable Trust Geoff and Mary Ball Sir Ewan and Lady Brown Ian and Evelyn Crombie Carol Grigor and the Trustees of Dunard Fund Gavin and Kate Gemmell Kenneth and Julia Greig Ms Chris Grace Hartness Kat Heathcote and Iain Macneil Bruce and Caroline Minto David and Alix Stevenson Eric and Karen Young We would also like to thank those generous donors who wish to remain anonymous. For more information on Individual Giving and becoming part of the Conductors’ Circle please contact Jenny McNeely at jenny.mcneely@rsno.org.uk

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Patron Programme CHAIR PATRON From musical activities in schools with the musicians of the future to working in community venues across Scotland, as a Chair Patron you are enabling RSNO musicians to explore the many facets of their art and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. Supporting an individual musician puts you at the heart of the RSNO family. You’re connected directly to the musicians on stage and get to enjoy privileged behind-the-scenes access. RSNO musicians truly appreciate our Chair Patrons and enjoy developing personal relationships with our supporters.

Assistant Conductor The Solti Foundation Chair

Cello Aleksei Kiseliov PRINCIPAL

Horn Christopher Gough PRINCIPAL

First Violin Maya Iwabuchi LEADER Sharon Roffman LEADER

The James Browning Chair

Kennedy Leitch

Alison Murray

Dunard Fund Chair

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL The David and Anne Smith Chair

Tamás Fejes Assistant LEADER

Arthur Boutiller

David McClenaghan

Rachael Lee

Trumpet Christopher Hart PRINCIPAL

The Bill and Rosalind Gregson Chair

Patrick Curlett ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL The RSNO Circle Chair

Jane Reid

The James Wood Bequest Fund Chair

Alan Manson

The Ardgowan Charitable Trust Chair The Christine and Arthur Hamilton Chair

Double Bass Ana Cordova PRINCIPAL

The Kate and Gavin Gemmell Chair

The Hugh and Linda Bruce-Watt Chair

John Clark

Elizabeth Bamping

The WL and Vera Heywood Chair

Flute Katherine Bryan PRINCIPAL

Second Violin Xander van Vliet PRINCIPAL

Helen Brew ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

The Hilda Munro Chair

Sophie Lang

The Ian and Evelyn Crombie Chair

Viola Lisa Rourke SUB PRINCIPAL The Meta Ramsay Chair

The Gregor Forbes Chair

The David and Anne Smith Chair The Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust Chair

Oboe Adrian Wilson PRINCIPAL The Hedley Wright Chair

Peter Dykes

David Martin

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Witherby Publishing Group Charitable Trust Chair

Francesca Hunt

Cor Anglais Henry Clay PRINCIPAL

The Miss Grace MM Mitchell Bequest Chair The Rolf and Celia Thornqvist Chair

The Springbank Distillers Chair

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Mr & Mrs Pierre and Alison Girard The J & A Mitchell Chair

Ms Chris Grace Hartness

Marcus Pope SUB PRINCIPAL

The Nigel and Margot Russell Chair

Trombone Dávur Juul Magnussen PRINCIPAL The Mitchell’s Glengyle Chair

Lance Green

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL The William Cadenhead Chair

Timpani Paul Philbert

Ms Chris Grace Hartness

Percussion John Poulter

ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL The Dot and Syd Taft Chair

Director of Concerts and Engagement Bill Chandler The James and Iris Miller Chair

In memory of a dear friend, Fiona H

Bassoon David Hubbard PRINCIPAL

The James and Morag Anderson Chair

We would like to acknowledge the generous contribution of Mr Hedley Wright in supporting the RSNO Chair Patron Programme.

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LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT PATRON Our Learning and Engagement activity is structured around our Music for Life programme. From apps for babies to concerts and workshops for school children, and lunchtime concerts for older adults, the range of projects is vast. As a Patron, you will have access to our projects to bring you closer to the communities we serve across Scotland. Learning and Engagement Patrons Neil and Nicola Gordon Mr Maurice Taylor CBE Witherby Publishing Group Charitable Trust NEW WORKS PATRON The RSNO is dedicated to bringing new works and outstanding new talent to audiences across Scotland. Our New Works Patrons contribute a significant legacy to orchestral music that extends beyond the RSNO, providing new music for orchestras and audiences around the world – for generations to come. New Works Patron Susie Thomson We are also grateful to those who give but wish to remain anonymous. If you would like more information or would like to discuss how you can become part of the RSNO Family of Supporters, please contact Jenny McNeely, Head of Individual Giving and Partnerships, at jenny.mcneely@rsno.org.uk

We would like to thank all those who have made donations to the RSNO Covid Appeal over the recent months. The generosity of our supporters at this time is deeply appreciated.

Musical Memories Leave a gift to the RSNO and ensure future generations can create their own Musical Memories of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. We all have special Musical Memories. It could be learning to play an instrument when you were a child, or a special piece of music that just left you breathless the first time you heard the Orchestra play it. Maybe it was seeing a soloist you had always wanted to hear, or just a great concert shared with friends. Memories such as these make music such an important part of our lives. Leaving a gift to the RSNO in your will is the single most important way you can help us to make music and to create memories. Your legacy will support the work of the Orchestra for years to come, ensuring that we can continue to bring great music to a new generation of children, young people and adults right across Scotland. It is easy to leave a gift. After you have made provisions for family and friends, please think of the Orchestra.

Your gift is important to us and to everyone in Scotland who enjoys music. Contact your solicitor to draft a will or add a codicil to your current will. If your estate is subject to inheritance tax, a gift to a charity, such as the RSNO, is tax-free and will reduce the amount of tax payable to the Government. Please ask your solicitor for details. For more information please visit rsno.org.uk/memories If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Kirsten Reid, Individual Giving and Partnerships Officer, in the strictest confidence at kirsten.reid@rsno.org.uk To the many among you who have pledged to leave a gift already – thank you.

Scotland’s National Orchestra 21

Charitable Trusts and Foundations Charitable trusts and foundations have a long and illustrious history of supporting the RSNO, both on the concert platform and through our Learning and Engagement programmes in the community. Grants and awards of all sizes are greatly appreciated, and range from one-off donations for specific projects through to large-scale support over a number of years, including support of the acclaimed RSNO Junior Chorus and our flagship educational project, the National Schools Concert Programme. We are fortunate in having developed long-term relationships with a number of trusts who have sustained their invaluable support over many years, enabling a significant amount of our work and mission to go ahead each year that otherwise would simply not happen. Our 2020:21 Season of concerts and Learning and Engagement programmes is generously supported by the following trusts and foundations: Aberdeen Endowments Trust Alexander Moncur Charitable Trust Alma and Leslie Wolfson Charitable Trust Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust Balgay Children’s Society Bank of Scotland Foundation Castansa Trust Cruden Foundation Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation David and June Gordon Memorial Trust D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunclay Charitable Trust Educational Institute of Scotland Ettrick Charitable Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust Forteviot Charitable Trust Gannochy Trust Garrick Charitable Trust Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust Glasgow Educational and Marshall Trust Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Hugh Fraser Foundation Idlewild Trust James Wood Bequest Fund Jean & Roger Miller Charitable Trust Jennie S Gordon Memorial Foundation John Ellerman Foundation John Mather Charitable Trust John Scott Trust Fund J T H Charitable Trust Leche Trust Leng Charitable Trust McGlashan Charitable Trust Meikle Foundation Michael Tippett Musical Foundation Mickel Fund Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust New Park Educational Trust Noël Coward Foundation Northwood Charitable Trust PF Charitable Trust PRS Foundation

R J Larg Family Trust Robertson Trust Ronald Miller Foundation RVW Trust Scott-Davidson Charitable Trust Solti Foundation Stevenston Trust Tay Charitable Trust The Privy Purse Charitable Trust Tillyloss Trust W A Cargill Fund Walter Scott Giving Group Wavendon Foundation William Syson Foundation Witherby Publishing Group Charitable Trust We are also grateful to a number of trusts that wish to stay anonymous. If you would like more information about our work and how you can make a difference, please contact Ajda Šubelj, Head of Trusts and Projects, at ajda.subelj@rsno.org.uk

22 Grieg Piano Concerto

RSNO Circle The Circle is a vital part of the RSNO family. Our community of music-lovers inspire and support us. Supporting us by joining the Circle will help us to bring music to so many people, from our Learning and Engagement programmes to our brand-new digital performances. As part of our community and family, we will keep in touch with our exclusive magazine Inner Circle, our Circle member webpage and invitations to special events throughout the year. To find out more about joining the Circle please visit rsno.org.uk/circle or get in touch with our Individual Giving and Partnerships Officer, Kirsten Reid, RSNO, 19 Killermont Street, Glasgow G2 3NX Email: kirsten.reid@rsno.org.uk To all our existing Circle members, thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support that allows us to continue sharing the joy of music. Virtuoso

Ms Catherine Y Alexander Mrs A M Bennett Dame Susan and Mr John Bruce Mrs Stina Bruce-Jones Stephen and Morny Carter Philip and Mary Contini Sir Sandy and Lady Crombie Gavin and Kate Gemmell Dr M I and Mrs C R Gordon Scott and Frieda Grier Iain MacNeil and Kat Heathcote Miss A McGrory Miss M Michie Mr James Miller CBE Meta Ramsay Mr George Ritchie Mr and Mrs W Semple Myra and David Soutar Mr Ian Taft Claire and Mark Urquhart Raymond and Brenda Williamson Mr Hedley G Wright

Symphony

Ronnie and Evelyne Anderson Mr Alan and Mrs Carolyn Bonnyman Miss L Buist Mr and Mrs J K Burleigh Mr J L Donaldson Mr I Gow Mr J D Home Mrs J Kennedy Mrs A Lamont Norma and Christine Lessels Mr A D Mackay Mr I C MacNicol Professor J and Mrs S Mavor Mrs A McQueen Morag Millar Mr Miller Graham and Elizabeth Morton Miss K Ridland Mr and Mrs David Robinson Mr D Rogerson Mrs Ann M Stephen Mr Alistair M and Mrs Mandy Struthers Mr and Mrs M Whelan Mrs A Wolfson

Concerto

Dr K Chapman and Ms S Adam Mr A Alstead Miss D Blackie Neil and Karin Bowman Dr M Bronte-Stewart Dr F L Brown Mr John Brownlie Mr and Mrs Burnside Mr A Campbell Sir Graeme and Lady Catto Mr R Cavanagh Myk Cichla Dr J Coleiro Mr and Mrs B H Cross Christine and Jo Danbolt Mr P Davidson Mr J Diamond Miss C Dixon-Carter OBE Mr C Ffoulkes Mr and Mrs M Gilbert Professor J R and Mrs C M Gray Richard and Linda Holden Mrs F D Inverarity Mr N Jack Mr and Mrs S G Kay Mr and Mrs W Kean Mrs M King Mr Alistair Mackie Mr D MacPherson Mr R G Madden Mr S Marwick Mr and Mrs G McAllister Mr E and Mrs S McGeachan Mr Rod McLoughlin Mrs B Morinaud Mr A Morrison Mrs A C Morrison Dr and Mrs D Mowle Dr P Osborne Mr and Mrs D Pirie Ms A and Miss I Reeve Elspeth M Robertson Miss L E Robertson Ross family Dr and Mrs G K Simpson Mr and Mrs A Stewart Mrs M Stirling Mr G Stronach

Dr G R Sutherland Mr I Szymanski Professor D E M Taylor Mr and Dr Tom Thomson Mr J B and Mrs M B Watson Mr and Mrs Wigglesworth

Sonata

Ms S Ace Mr K Allen Ms D Baines Mr O Balfour Mr N C Banks Mr N Barton Dr A D Beattie Mrs H Benzie Lord and Lady Borthwick Rev P Boylan John Bradshaw and Shiona Mackie Mrs L Brocklebank Ms H Calvert Mr E M Cameron Miss S M Carlyon Mrs H S Chalmers Mr T Cole and Mrs J Leslie-Cole Lady Coulsfield Adam and Lesley Cumming Ms K Cunningham Mr F Dalziel and Mrs S Walsh Dr J K and Mrs E E Davidson Mr and Mrs K B Dietz Mrs C Donald Jane Donald and Lee Knifton Ms P Dow Mrs P du Feu Mr John Duffy Mr and Mrs M Dunbar Mr R M Duncan Brigadier and Mrs C C Dunphie Mrs E Egan Miss L Emslie Mr R B Erskine Dr E Evans Mr D Fraser Mr D and Mrs A Fraser Mr D Frew Ms J Gardner Dr P and Dr K Gaskell Mr W G Geddes

Mrs E Gibb Mrs M Gibson Mr D Gibson Lady A V Gibson Mrs J Gilchrist Mrs M Gillan Mr R M Godfrey Dr J A Graham and Mrs H M Graham Professor and Mrs A R Grieve Mr and Mrs G Y Haig Lord and Lady Hamilton Dr P J Harper Dr N Harrison Mr and Mrs R J Hart Mr D Hartman Ms V Harvey Mrs S Hawthorn Mrs M Hayes Dr and Mrs P Heywood Bobby and Rhona Hogg Ms J Hope Mr R Horne Mr and Mrs F Howell Mrs A S Hunter Professor R N Ibbett Professor and Mrs E W Laing Mr J P Lawson Mr and Mrs J Lawson Mr R M Love Dr D A Lunt Mr and Mrs R MacCormick Mr and Mrs MacGillivray Lady Lucinda L Mackay Mr R Maizels and Ms C Tilley Dr A K and Mrs J C Martin Mr and Mrs J Martin Mr and Mrs D H Marwick Ms S McArthur Mr G McCormack Mrs L McCormick Mrs M McDonald Mrs C McGowan-Smyth Dr Colin McHardy Dr A H McKee Mr Patrick McKeever Mr G McKeown Ms H L McLaren Mrs E McLean

Ms Fiona McLeod Mr and Mrs B Mellon Mr and Mrs I Mills Mrs P Molyneaux Mr R Morley Mr B Morrison Mr K M Murray Mr B and Mrs C Nelson Mr and Mrs K O’Hare Professor Stephen Osborne and Frank Osborne Mr and Mrs K Osborne Dr G Osbourne Ms S Park Mr R Parry Mr J Paterson Misses J and M Penman Mr I Percival Dr M Porteous Mr J W Pottinger Miss J A Raiker Mr M Rattray Ms F Reith Mrs D A Riley Dr and Mrs D Robb Mr I Robertson Mr H and Mrs J Robson Ms A Robson Mrs E K Ross Mrs S Scott Mrs J Shanks Mr J A Shipley Dr M J and Mrs J A Shirreffs Mr E B Simmons and Mrs R Nicolson Dr Colin and Mrs Kathleen Sinclair Mr M J Smith Mrs E Smith Mr M A Snider Dr and Mrs B Stack Mrs Lorna Statham Mrs T Stevenson Rev N and Mr R Stewart Mrs R F Stewart Mr and Mrs B Tait Dr and Mrs T Thomson Mrs E B Tupman Dr S Tweedie Dr Morag Ward

Mr W Watters Dr and Mrs T Weakley Mrs V Wells Mr G West Miss M Whitelaw Dr and Mrs D T Williams Mr D Woolgar Mr R Young

Thank you to all our members of the Circle, including those who wish to remain anonymous. Every one of you makes a real difference.

24 Grieg Piano Concerto

A big Thank You to our supporters FUNDERS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

PRINCIPAL MEDIA PARTNER

PRINCIPAL TRANSPORT PARTNER

BROADCAST PARTNER

PARTNERS Glasgow Chamber of Commerce • Institute of Directors • Scots Magazine The Scottish Council for Development & Industry • Smart Graphics

PROJECT PARTNERS Abertay University • Children’s Classic Concerts • Children’s Hospices Across Scotland • Dundee University • Gig Buddies Glasgow Association for Mental Health (GAMH) • Glasgow Life • Horsecross Arts • National Youth Orchestras of Scotland Prescribe Culture (University of Edinburgh) • Royal Conservatoire of Scotland • Scottish Book Trust Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust • Usher Hall • Young Scot

CHAIR SPONSORS

If you would like more information about sponsorships, corporate partnerships or fundraising events with the RSNO, please contact Kirsten Reid, Individual Giving and Partnerships Officer, at kirsten.reid@rsno.org.uk

RSNO: Scotland’s National Orchestra 25

Royal Scottish National Orchestra PATRON

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Graham Ramage

Her Majesty The Queen

Alistair Mackie Nicola Shephard

Kirsten Reid

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

GRAPHICS AND NEW MEDIA DESIGNER INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER

Naomi Stewart

TRUSTS AND PROJECTS COORDINATOR

RSNO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CONCERTS AND ENGAGEMENT

Elected Directors Dame Susan Bruce DBE

Bill Chandler

Ajda Šubelj

CHAIR

John Heasley

Michael Cameron

DRIVER AND DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER

HONORARY TREASURER

Samantha Campbell

FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES

Bekah Cork

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

DIRECTOR OF CONCERTS AND ENGAGEMENT

HEAD OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

Hugh Bruce-Watt Kat Heathcote Linda Holden Neil McLennan Costa Pilavachi David Robinson Gurjit Singh Lalli Jane Wood

ARTISTIC PLANNING AND TOURS MANAGER

Flora Farqhuarson

INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER HEAD OF TRUSTS AND PROJECTS

Angela Moreland Ted Howie

FACILITIES COORDINATOR

CREATIVE ASSISTANT

Jack Hunter

DEPUTY ORCHESTRA MANAGER

Irene McPhail

LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

Hedd Morfett-Jones

HEAD OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT

Susan Rennie

LIBRARIAN

Abby Trainor

ARTISTIC PLANNING MANAGER

Jade Wilson

Emma Hunter

Rosie Kenneally Ewen McKay

Player Directors Dávur Juul Magnussen Sophie Lang Kennedy Leitch Paul Philbert Janet Richardson Lorna Rough

Sam Stone

Richard Payne

Tammo Schuelke

Matthias van der Swaagh

VIDEO PRODUCER

ACCOUNTS AND PAYROLL ASSISTANT DIGITAL MANAGER

FINANCE MANAGER ADMINISTRATOR

FINANCE ASSISTANT

CONCERTS ADMINISTRATOR

Craig Swindells

STAGE AND PRODUCTION MANAGER

Nominated Directors Cllr Frank Docherty

Christine Walker CHORUS MANAGER

GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL

Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

Company Secretary Gordon Murray

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

PROGRAMMES EDITOR

Royal Scottish National Orchestra 19 Killermont Street Glasgow G2 3NX T: +44 (0)141 226 3868 W: rsno.org.uk

EXTERNAL RELATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

Scottish Company No. 27809 Scottish Charity No. SC010702

Dr Jane Donald

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Ian Brooke

RSNO COUNCIL

Constance Carter-Fraser

Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale

Jessica Cowley

Lady Gibson Ms Ruth Wishart

Carol Fleming

/royalscottishnationalorchestra

Catriona Mackenzie

@RSNO

CHAIR

MARKETING MANAGER HEAD OF MARKETING

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

@rsnoofficial

HEAD OF INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND PARTNERSHIPS

Youtube.com/thersno

Jenny McNeely

The RSNO is one of Scotland’s National Performing Companies, supported by the Scottish Government.