Perth Concert Series 23/24

WELCOME TO THE PERTH CONCERT SERIES 2023/24

This year we bring you an ambitious Perth Concert Series with an exciting line-up from all three of Scotland’s national orchestras, spanning the breadth of the classical repertoire. Join us for a journey through some of the most rousing and passionate symphonies and concertos, to more tender, delicate and playful pieces. In the company of some of the greatest musicians, we’ll also travel to meet a Spanish princess and an Egyptian queen and introduce you to the wonders of the freshest new works.

Book to experience all six of these Resident Orchestra concerts in the incredible acoustics of Perth Concert Hall and save a tremendous 25%!

In addition, we present two excellent orchestras from overseas. First on our stage is the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine which is touring to raise funds for its musicians. They’ll share work by the famous Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky, plus Beethoven and Sibelius, in a Romantic evening demonstrating international support through music.

Second comes the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra with an exciting programme full of energy and drive, including music from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Kirill Gerstein – Piano © Marco Borggreve

We are also thrilled to present two spectacular special concerts. In October the Royal Scottish National Orchestra will join forces with the period instruments of the Dunedin Consort to stage the striking Songs of Wars I Have Seen by the German composer Heiner Goebbels. This is not your normal classical concert – as much theatrical as musical, expect words, music and atmosphere aplenty.

The second special concert sees the return of Nicola Benedetti performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She’ll both play the virtuosic solo part and direct the orchestra from the violin, in an evening set to repeat the sell-out success of her 2022 appearance at Perth Concert Hall.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra will also get 2024 off on a sparkling note with our well-known, and well-loved, Viennese New Year concert.

We are very grateful for the continuing support of The Gannochy Trust in making the Perth Concert Series possible and we look forward to sharing many wonderful concerts with you in the coming months.

The Gannochy Trust has supported the Perth Concert Series annually since 1995.

In recent years the Trust’s major grant has enabled the four partners to develop opportunities for young people to engage with live orchestral music, encouraging a lifetime connection while at the same time developing a range of important transferable skills.

Further information about the Trust is available at: gannochytrust.org.uk

RESIDENT ORCHESTRAS SERIES

Thomas Søndergård – Conductor

© Andy Buchanan

Tamsin Waley-Cohen – Violin

© Ben Russell

Tabita Berglund – Conductor

© Nikolaj Lund

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

MAXIM’S ‘EROICA’

Wednesday 27 September 2023, 7.30pm

Jay Capperauld

The Origin of Colour (World Premiere)*

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1

Beethoven Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’

Kirill Gerstein piano

Maxim Emelyanychev conductor

Join the birthday celebrations! Maxim Emelyanychev sets out on an unforgettable evening of joy and passion as he opens the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s 50th season with some of the biggest-hearted, most compelling music around.

With its heart-on-sleeve emotion and its soaring romantic melodies, Tchaikovsky’s First is understandably one of the world’s best-loved piano concertos – and it’s sure to make a strong impression in the hands of powerful Russian-US pianist Kirill Gerstein.

Beethoven’s majestic ‘Eroica’ Symphony brings the festivities to a rousing, soul-lifting conclusion, while SCO Associate Composer Jay Capperauld – one of Scotland’s most exciting and original voices – unveils a brilliantly coloured new piece written specially for

*Commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Conductor

Royal Scottish National Orchestra RACHMANINOV PIANO CONCERTO NO.2

Thursday 9 November 2023, 7.30pm

Anna Clyne Stride

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2

Dvořák Symphony No.8

Nelson Goerner piano

Big Noise Raploch

Anja Bihlmaier conductor

A hymn, a dance rhythm, a flurry of birdsong…and Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony is on its gloriously tuneful way. Not that we’re short of tunes this evening!

Alongside guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier, the young musicians of Big Noise Raploch join the RSNO for a special side-by-side performance, British composer Anna Clyne takes Beethoven on the ride of his life, and pianist Nelson Goerner performs Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. Some pieces are famous for a reason and from whispered opening to passionate climax, you can expect much more than just a brief encounter tonight!

Anja Bihlmaier – Conductor © Nikolaj Lund

3.

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra VOLKOV CONDUCTS ‘PETRUSHKA’

Friday 26 January 2024, 7.30pm

Stravinsky

Mozart

Scènes de ballet

Piano Concerto No.9

‘Jeunehomme’ K.271

Stravinsky Petrushka (1947 version)

Joanna MacGregor piano

Ilan Volkov conductor

Take Ilan Volkov, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s charismatic Principal Guest Conductor, and a byword for music-making without compromise. Add Joanna MacGregor: the energising, genre-busting British pianist who plays by no rules but her own. Now put them together with the melody, the wit and the irrepressible imagination of a 21-year old genius called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that’s just the centrepiece of a concert that pairs the most dazzling musical mind of the late 18th century with the composer who revolutionised the 20th. Driving rhythms, fabulous colours, and fairground puppets that spring to startling, heart-breaking life: this is the musical world of Igor

Joanna MacGregor – Piano © Pal Hansen

4.

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH

Friday 23 February 2024, 7.30pm

Geirr Tveitt Velkomne med Æra, Op.151

‘Welcome with Honour’

Dvořák Cello Concerto

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5

Truls Mørk cello

Tabita Berglund conductor

No composer does emotion quite like Tchaikovsky. “With desire and passion,” his Fifth Symphony begins in melancholy and ends in roof-raising celebration. No wonder it’s one of the most popular symphonies ever composed - and conductor Tabita Berglund will bring out its raw power as well as all those unforgettable tunes. It’s a stirring climax to a concert that begins with a haunting folksong from the fjords of Norway, and stars the great Truls Mørk in Dvořák’s Cello Concerto: music of heartfelt tenderness and epic grandeur. Some say it was inspired when the composer saw Niagara Falls – but decide for yourself today.

Truls Mørk – Cello

© Johs Boe

5. Royal Scottish National Orchestra LA MER

Thursday 7 March 2024, 7.30pm

Bonis

Femmes de légende, Three Pieces for Orchestra

Chausson Poème de l’amour et de la mer

Ravel Une barque sur l’océan

Debussy La mer

Catriona Morison mezzo-soprano Thomas Søndergård conductor

Cleopatra, the fabled queen. Salomé, the temptress. Ophelia, Shakespeare’s gentle, lovelorn heroine. Tonight, the RSNO becomes each of them in turn, in a fantastical lost masterpiece by the 19th-century French composer Mel Bonis. And that’s just the start of it: Thomas Søndergård joins Scotland’s international award-winning mezzo Catriona Morison to unleash floodtides of passion in an all-French evening inspired by the sea. When Chausson, Ravel and Debussy gazed at the waves, they each saw a different kind of beauty: let them sweep you away tonight.

© Andrew Low

– Mezzo-soprano

6.

Scottish

Chamber Orchestra

RAVEL PIANO CONCERTO WITH STEVEN OSBORNE

Wednesday 24 April 2024, 7.30pm

Honegger Pastorale d’été

Ravel Piano Concerto in G

Ravel Pavane

Haydn Symphony No.87 in A major

Steven Osborne piano

Andrew Manze conductor

Ravel effortlessly blends together raucous jazz and heart-breaking tenderness in his quicksilver Piano Concerto – and Scotland’s international piano virtuoso Steven Osborne is just the musician to convey the work’s exquisite wit and sparkle.

Elsewhere in conductor Andrew Manze’s concert of poetry and playfulness, Ravel offers a touching tribute to an imagined Spanish princess, Honegger celebrates the beauty of the summertime Alps, and Haydn unleashes sonic glories in the last and most exuberant of his ‘Paris’ symphonies.

Steven Osborne – Piano © Benjamin Ealovega

INTERNATIONAL ORCHESTRAS

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE

Saturday 28 October 2023, 7.30pm

Lyatoshynsky

Beethoven

Grazhyna Symphonic Picture

Piano Concerto No.4

Sibelius Symphony No.1

Antonii Baryshevskyi piano

Volodymyr Sirenko conductor

Perth Concert Hall shows its support for the people of Ukraine with this concert by their renowned symphony orchestra which forms part of its extensive UK Tour to raise funds for its musicians. The programme opens with a work by the famous Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky whose music is written with a modern European style, and skilfully includes Ukrainian themes. Beethoven's most luminous piano concerto follows and the concert finishes with Sibelius's ebullient First Symphony. A beautiful romantic evening to demonstrate international support through music.

Tickets: £6 – £33.50. Concessions available, U18s go free.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine © NSOU

INTERNATIONAL ORCHESTRAS

CHINA SHENZHEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Monday 18 March 2024, 7.30pm

Tan Dun Overture ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’

Chausson Poème

Mahler

Symphony No.1 ‘Titan’

Tamsin Waley-Cohen violin

DaYe Lin conductor

A fantastic opportunity to hear a great orchestra from China. Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a box office sensation and Tan Dun’s music was at the core of its success. Chausson’s gorgeous Poème is followed by Mahler’s stunning first symphony. Nicknamed ‘Titan’ the music is full of all the energy and drive of the composer’s youth and features one of the most thrilling finales in all music. Led by one of the most exciting young conductors in China, this evening promises to be one to treasure.

Tickets: £6 – £33.50. Concessions available, U18s go free.

Tamsin Waley-Cohen – Violin © Ben Russell

SPECIAL CONCERTS

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

HEINER GOEBBELS

– SONGS OF WARS I HAVE SEEN

Friday 13 October 2023, 7.30pm

Heiner Goebbels Songs of Wars I Have Seen

Dunedin Consort

Consort to perform Heiner Goebbels’ profoundly moving

SPECIAL CONCERTS

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO WITH NICOLA BENEDETTI

Wednesday 13 December 2023, 7.30pm

Jessie Montgomery Strum

Mozart Symphony No.34

Beethoven Violin Concerto

Nicola Benedetti director / violin

Benjamin Marquise Gilmore director / violin

Sublime, serene, majestic – Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is all of those, but it’s also a lot of fun. Scottish superstar violinist Nicola Benedetti has been immersed in the piece for many years, and discovers new depths at every performance.

Beforehand, Benjamin Marquise Gilmore directs the Orchestra in Mozart’s thrilling journey from stately, ceremonial pomp to opera-style exuberance in his captivating Symphony No.34. New York composer Jessie Montgomery provides a rhythmic workout to begin the evening in her fiery Strum.

Tickets: £6 – £33.50. Concessions available, U18s go free.

The Quilter Cheviot Benedetti Series

Nicola Benedetti – Violin © Andy Gotts

SPECIAL CONCERTS

Scottish Chamber Orchestra VIENNESE NEW YEAR CONCERT

Thursday 4 January 2024, 7.30pm

Programme to include:

Dvořák Prague Waltzes (selection)

J Strauss II

Voices Of Spring

Lehár Vilja (The Merry Widow)

Sieczynski Vienna, City Of My Dreams

Suppé Overture, Light Cavalry

R Strauss

J Strauss II

Amor

The Blue Danube

Jiří Rožeň conductor

Jennifer France soprano

Celebrate a New Year of musical adventures with the SCO and vibrant young Prague-born conductor Jiří Rožeň.

Our Viennese New Year Concert offers a tempting selection of musical confections to enthral and delight – from the rich musical flavours of Rožeň’s homeland, in the form of Dvořák’s delicious dance-hall Prague Waltzes, to exquisite titbits from Hungary and Germany. Brilliant British soprano Jennifer France brings her silvery vocal sparkle to showpieces by Lehár and Zeller, as well as Richard Strauss’s touching love song ‘Amor’.

Your captivating trip concludes with the opulence of the Strauss family’s Vienna – where else? – amid the timeless beauty of The Blue Danube

Tickets: £6 – £33.50. Concessions available, U18s go free.

Collection in aid of:

Jennifer France – Soprano

© Nick James

SCHOOLS CONCERTS

SCO IMMERSE

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Secondary school pupils are invited to experience the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a thrilling live performance of Associate Composer Jay Capperauld’s The Origin of Colour – then delve deep into the music with a wealth of resources for students and teachers. For more information visit www.sco.org.uk/immerse

SCO THE GREAT GRUMPY GABOON

Friday 9 February 2024

Join the Grumpy Gaboon and friends on this brand-new musical adventure, as together they discover the importance of friendship and forgiveness. Music by Jay Capperauld and story and illustrations by Corrina Campbell.

RSNO SCHOOLS CONCERT

Monday 25 March 2024

The RSNO’s interactive schools concert is coming to Perth in March 2024! A lively and engaging introduction to the orchestra aimed at Broad General Education students, booking will open in October 2023. With accompanying resources and CPD sessions, teachers can find out more at rsno.org.uk/join-in

To book for a Schools Concert, please contact engagement@perththeatreandconcerthall.com

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

RSNO Young Creatives

Open to young people aged 15–21, RSNO Young Creatives is a youth-led creative arts and leadership programme. Join us for a year to plan and perform your own concert, experience life behind the scenes at the RSNO and work with our fantastic musicians and staff. Applications open Spring 2023 at rsno.org.uk/young-people

RSNO Notes from Scotland

An exciting free mentorship scheme for young composers aged 14–18 living in Scotland, six young musicians will be selected to work with project mentors and compose new music for a chamber ensemble. The final compositions will be performed and recorded by RSNO musicians for a public audience. We are very excited to partner with Dunedin Consort for Season 2023:24 to explore the power of early music and instruments. Applications open Spring 2023 at rsno.org.uk/young-people

SCO Chorus Young Singers’ Programme

Our Young Singers’ Programme aims to nurture and develop aspiring young singers. It is designed for young people (aged 18–23) with a high level of singing/choral experience and ambitions to further their singing with a world-class ensemble. Further information at sco.org.uk

Kindly supported by Baird Educational Trust

How You Can Play Your Part

Did you know that young people under the age of 18 go free to all the concerts in this brochure? Students can also attend for just £6. So next time you book, why not bring along a young person you know and introduce them to the wonder of classical music – we’d love to see them!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

CONCESSIONS FOR THE PERTH CONCERT SERIES

Young People Aged 18 and Under

Young people aged 18 and under go free to all six subscription concerts as well as other selected concerts. Subject to availability. All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Under 26s and Students

£6 tickets are available for people aged 26 and under or who are in full-time education. Appropriate identification may be required.

School Parties

One free adult ticket with every 10 school pupils (advance bookings only). Subject to availability.

Registered Disabled

Anyone who is registered disabled is entitled to 50% off ticket prices to all six subscription concerts. Free tickets are available to full-time carers. Please ask at the box office.

Booking Fees

£3 per subscription (or £2.50 per individual ticket if purchased separately).

Fees are waived for tickets priced under £8.50. Ticket postage is £1.50

Perth Theatre Box Office Opening Times

Monday to Saturday, 10am – 4pm. Call 01738 621031 or visit in person.

Ticket Prices*

All 6 concert tickets:

A – £139.50 (saving £46.50)

B – £121.50 (saving £40.50)

C – £105.75 (saving £35.25)

D – £85.50 (saving £28.50)

E – £63.00 (saving £21.00)

Single concert tickets:

A – £31.00

B – £27.00

C – £23.50

D – £19.00

E – £14.00

*Prices exclude booking fees

RESIDENT ORCHESTRAS SERIES SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 25% WHEN YOU BOOK ALL SIX CONCERTS!

Six stunning concerts performed by three world-class orchestras in one unmissable subscription. Book all six subscription concerts today and you can:

– Save 25%

– Avoid queues and secure the seats you want throughout the series

– Plan your Perth concert-going in one easy booking

– Save 80% on Booking Fees - only £3 per subscription

– Spread the cost of your subscription over three months at no extra cost

– Save when booking for the other orchestral concerts in the season! When booking for the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Songs of Wars I Have Seen, Beethoven Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti, or the SCO Viennese New Year Concert, save...

– 10% when booking at least two

– 15% when booking for three or four

– 25% when booking for all five additional concerts!

Priority subscription booking opens Monday 1 May at 10am, and runs until Sunday 4 June 2023. Single tickets are available from Monday 5 June 2023, at 10am.

Please note:

• The six Resident Orchestra subscription concert dates are 27 Sep 2023, 9 Nov 2023, 26 Jan 2024, 23 Feb 2024, 7 Mar 2024, 24 Apr 2024.

• For concerts by the BBC SSO and RSNO, rows A-D in the Stalls are not available because of a stage extension.

• The information carried in this brochure was correct at the time of publishing. The Scottish Orchestras and Perth Concert Hall reserve the right to amend artists and programmes for any of the listed concerts if necessary.

• Tickets are non-refundable.

• 25% subscription discount applies to full price tickets.

Wednesday 27 September 2023: 7.30pm

Scottish Chamber Orchestra MAXIM’S ‘EROICA’

Friday 13 October 2023: 7.30pm

Royal Scottish National Orchestra HEINER GOEBBELS – SONGS OF WARS I HAVE SEEN

Saturday 28 October 2023: 7.30pm

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE

Thursday 9 November 2023: 7.30pm

Royal Scottish National Orchestra RACHMANINOV PIANO CONCERTO NO 2

Wednesday 13 December 2023: 7.30pm

Scottish Chamber Orchestra BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO WITH NICOLA BENEDETTI

Thursday 4 January 2024: 7.30pm

Scottish Chamber Orchestra VIENNESE NEW YEAR CONCERT

Friday 26 January 2024: 7.30pm

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra VOLKOV CONDUCTS ‘PETRUSHKA’

Friday 23 February 2024: 7.30pm

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH

Thursday 7 March 2024: 7.30pm

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

LA MER

Monday 18 March 2024: 7.30pm

CHINA SHENZHEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Wednesday 24 April 2024: 7.30pm

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

RAVEL PIANO CONCERTO WITH STEVEN OSBORNE

The information carried in this brochure was correct at the time of publishing. The Scottish Orchestras and Perth Theatre and Concert Hall reserve the right to amend artists and programmes for any of the listed concerts if necessary.

RSNO Scottish Charity No SC010702. SCO Scottish Charity No SC015039. Horsecross Arts Ltd is the charitable organisation that runs Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, Scottish Charity No SC022400.

The Perth Concert Series has been made possible with generous financial support from The Gannochy Trust. The SCO and RSNO receive funding from the Scottish Government. Concerts by the BBC SSO are scheduled to be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.