Edinburgh 2013/14 by Scottish Chamber Orchestra

www.sco.org.uk

Join us for our 40th Anniversary Season

As Byron writes in his Stanzas for Music,

There be none of Beauty’s daughters With a magic like thee; And like music on the waters Is thy sweet voice to me. ‘Thee’ here is our beloved Music and it is through a wonderful array of programmes that I invite you to join us for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary Season. Thanks to your support the SCO is able to fight strongly through the financial situation we find ourselves in, to bring you thrilling concerts, education events and a chance to meet members of the Orchestra. It’s a huge pleasure to welcome so many guest artists who have a long and deep relationship with the Orchestra’s history: Oliver Knussen premieres a work by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; Jaime Laredo celebrates Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish’ Symphony; and Joseph Swensen brings us Mozart and Sally Beamish. This autumn the SCO and I embark on our first symphonic cycle together. As we look ever closer into the world of the Romantic Age, join us for a journey through Robert Schumann’s symphonies. From ‘Spring’ through to ‘Rhenish’, Schumann is in quest of an idealised relationship between symphonic form and his own soul – febrile energy and romantic fragments combine for two weeks of high drama.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

The unlikely and unassuming figure of Antonin Dvořák makes his mark with the SCO as we take a closer look into his world. The intimate miniatures, the ebullient dances and the soaring cello concerto weave their way through the Season. Two titans of British music – Steven Isserlis and Tasmin Little – come to play Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Ligeti’s Violin Concerto respectively.

It’s a huge pleasure to welcome so many guest artists who have a long and deep relationship with the Orchestra’s history.

Is there a birthday wish from the SCO as it reaches the grand age of 40? There is! To exceed the remarkable achievements of our first 40 years and continue to celebrate, with you our audience, the gift of music – one of Byron’s daughters of Beauty. For our special birthday concert in February it is a delight that Maria João Pires, an artist with whom the Orchestra has such a history, will join us to play Chopin. Our exciting new relationship with Scottish-born composer Martin Suckling continues to grow with another commissioned work to open the festivities. Our Season begins with Hector Berlioz’s sparkling Beatrice and Benedict. Filled with his love for Shakespeare, Berlioz weaves sharp classical wit with romantic melancholy to clothe his own very particular take on the famous play, Much Ado About Nothing. I look forward to welcoming you all! ROBIN TICCIATI PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Cover image by Marco Borggreve / Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Celebrating Through New Music

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

While there are many good ways for the SCO to celebrate its 40th year, doing it through new music could hardly be more apt, given its distinguished tradition of supporting composers and bringing their work to the public. Above all we can salute a special relationship which goes back over a quarter of a century with a new work, especially written for the 40th birthday by SCO Composer Laureate, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, premiered under another outstanding composer, Oliver Knussen. There will be new works by other good friends. Sally Beamish, a previous Composer in Residence, commemorates the Battle of Flodden and the exciting young Scottish talent Martin Suckling will write his second work for the SCO, to be performed at the 40th Birthday Concert on 6 February 2014. We will also return to Kevin Volans’ symphony, written for the Orchestra to premiere at the 2010 Edinburgh

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Photograph by CS-Neumüller

International Festival and supported with characteristic generosity by Donald and Louise MacDonald. Finally, another great figure in the history of the Orchestra is James MacMillan and we will return to one of our most popular commissions, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, with the sensational percussionist Colin Currie. There will also be a performance of Tuireadh, MacMillan’s lament dedicated to the victims of the Piper Alpha disaster.

Sally Beamish

Photograph by Ashley Coombes

James MacMillan

Photograph by Philip Gatward

The SCO is a great Mozart and Beethoven orchestra, but the music of our own time is also at its heart.

ROY McEWAN OBE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Kevin Volans

Photograph by Nick Miller

Martin Suckling

Photograph by Tessa Oksanen

Scottish Chamber Orchestra Formed in 1974, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is internationally recognised as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. With a core of 37 players, the repertoire spans the centuries with music from the Baroque to the present day – from Bach to Beamish, Mozart to MacMillan. The SCO performs throughout Scotland – in the towns and villages of the Highlands and South of Scotland as well as concert seasons in the main cities. The Orchestra is regularly invited to appear at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals including the Edinburgh, East Neuk, St Magnus and Aldeburgh Festivals and the BBC Proms and has toured extensively internationally. In February 2014, as part of the 40th Anniversary celebrations, the Orchestra

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

sco chorus

undertakes a major tour to the Far East with Robin Ticciati and Maria João Pires. This includes performances at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and concerts in Japan and China.

The night belonged to the SCO Chorus for its shattering and profoundly moving performance.

The Orchestra’s international profile is further boosted by regular broadcasts and a discography that now exceeds 150 recordings.

The SCO Chorus was on outstanding form.

This is a team at the top of its game. The Herald

The real heart of the performance lay in the sublime playing from the orchestra under conductor Robin Ticciati. The Telegraph

The Herald

The Financial Times

The SCO Chorus has built a reputation as one of Scotland’s finest and most versatile choirs under the direction of Chorusmaster Gregory Batsleer. This Season, the chorus can be heard at the opening concert of Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict, Bach’s exultant Mass in B minor and the symphonic powerhouse that is Beethoven’s Ninth.

robin ticciati 2013/14 will be Robin Ticciati’s fifth season as Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. During this time, alongside main season concerts, Ticciati and the Orchestra have appeared together at the Edinburgh International Festival, toured throughout Europe on several occasions to great critical acclaim and recorded two albums of Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique (Linn CKD 400) and Les nuits d’été & La mort de Cléopâtre (Linn CKD 421). Alongside further tours with the SCO to Austria and the Far East, 2014 also sees Robin Ticciati begin his tenure as Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

Robin Ticciati and Scottish Chamber Orchestra: ‘One of the great partnerships in British music.’ The Telegraph

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Beatrice and Benedict Usher Hall Thursday 3 October 7.30pm

ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor KAREN CARGILL Beatrice SALLY MATTHEWS Hero KATHLEEN WILKINSON Ursula JOHN TESSIER Benedict BRINDLEY SHERRATT Don Pedro LIONEL LHOTE Somarone Ashley Riches Claudio SCO CHORUS

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

Vienna to Prague

Romantic Landscapes

Queen’s Hall Thursday 10 October 7.30pm

Queen’s Hall Thursday 17 October 7.30pm

DVOŘÁK Notturno (7’)

DVOŘÁK Romance (12’)

MOZART Piano Concerto No 23 in A K488 (26’)

SAINT-SAËNS The Muse and the Poet (16’)

Berlioz biographer David Cairns talks about Beatrice and Benedict.

JANÁČEK Concertino (18’)

DVOŘÁK Silent Woods (7’)

MOZART Symphony No 38 ‘Prague’ (30’)

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 3 ‘Scottish’ (40’) JAIME LAREDO Conductor/Violin SHARON ROBINSON Cello

Photograph by Frank Salomon Associates

Sung in French

Opening the Season with an operatic extravaganza has become something of a Ticciati tradition. Following on from Don Giovanni in 2010 and Così fan tutte in 2012, he offers a feast for anyone who loves that perfect marriage of drama to exquisite singing and playing. A world-class cast (featuring Karen Cargill, fresh from her triumph in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at The Met) assembles for Berlioz’s affectionate take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. A labour of love for the composer, this was also his last opera. It has plenty of ‘hits’ including the witty overture and the ravishing duet ‘Vous soupirez, madame!’.

Photograph by John Ferro Sims

BERLIOZ Beatrice and Benedict (83’)

Illustration by David Lawrence

ALEXANDER JANICZEK Director/Violin LLŶR WILLIAMS Piano In 1786, when Mozart was writing Symphony No 38, he was neglected, even scorned in Vienna. Yet he found a more appreciative and understanding audience in Prague, a mere 200 miles away – so much so that he dedicated the symphony to “the good people of Prague”. Llŷr Williams eloquently draws the two cities together with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23, written in Vienna shortly before Mozart left for Prague and Janáček’s Concertino, written in Prague shortly after his opera, The Cunning Little Vixen.

Old friends return to the SCO in this atmospheric programme that paints Romantic landscapes from Bohemia to Scotland. Husband and wife, Laredo and Robinson have been performing with the SCO for decades; the first half puts each of them in the solo spotlight and also brings them together for Saint-Saëns’ rapturous The Muse and the Poet. It’s a sweeping, ecstatic duet – the perfect showpiece!

The Pity of War Queen’s Hall Thursday 24 October 7.30pm

BRIDGE Summer (12’) STRAUSS Metamorphosen (26’) JOSEPH SWENSEN Conductor SHUNA SCOTT SENDALL Soprano

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

Dr Elaine Kelly (University of Edinburgh) talks about how war is portrayed in music.

Queen’s Hall Sunday 27 October 3pm

Assembly Rooms Tuesday 5 November 6pm

Programme to include:

MOZART Eine kleine Nachtmusik (16’)

Photograph by Colin Jackson

BEAMISH Flodden (c20’) SCO commission

Music of special power and intensity casts a shadow of war and calamity over all but the first piece. Strauss’ lament is one of the very greatest tragic outpourings in all music, and one that is close to Swensen’s heart. Bridge’s Summer is an utter contrast: an idyllic moment of sunlit serenity on the eve of the catastrophe of World War I preserved forever in rapturous music. 2013 also sees the 500th Anniversary of a dark hour in Scottish history: the Battle of Flodden. Beamish’s new work has been commissioned especially to commemorate the occasion.

Cl@six – A Little Night Music

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

BRITTEN Suite on English Folk Tunes (A time there was...) (15’)

Chamber Concert

BRAHMS Sextet No 2 in G major (39’) JOSEPH SWENSEN Violin SCO Soloists Brahms’ Sextets contain especially rich, achingly affecting music: there is a vein of melancholy that runs through them, lifted by stretches of magically folk-like inspiration. This work echoes his emotional turmoil with themes for both his one-time fiancée Agathe von Siebold and the object of his eternal devotion, Clara Schumann.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Photograph by Ugo Ponte

MOZART Violin Concerto No 3 (24’) PROKOFIEV Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’ (15’) Alexander Janiczek Director/Violin Classical and ‘Classical’ in an hour of the most tuneful and beguiling music ever written. Mozart was a teenager when he wrote his third violin concerto, but it contains a heartstoppingly lovely slow movement followed by a dazzling finale. Prokofiev was also young when he wrote his symphony, but this piece shows what a master he was even at that age. Every movement’s a winner and his sly tribute to the 18th century masters is a gem of true wit they would have admired. To open? Surely one of the top ten most loved works in the world.

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Serkin plays Bartók Queen’s Hall Saturday 9 November 7.30pm Photograph by Kathy Chapman

Placing Bach’s searching, poignant cantata at its heart, Suzuki’s programme contrasts early and mature Mendelssohn. 13 maxwell Davies New Work (15’) world premiere BARTÓK Piano Concerto No 3 (23’) STRAVINSKY Symphony in C (28’) OLIVER KNUSSEN Conductor PETER SERKIN Piano

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies talks about his new work and relationship with the SCO.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

An unmissable concert! It has been a while since the SCO last premiered a work from its old friend, the Master of the Queen’s Music. With Knussen directing (he is a passionate devotee) this will be special. No less remarkable is the opportunity to hear Serkin play the Bartók. A wonderful concerto with Hungarian folk influences vying with Wagner’s Tristan, hints of jazz and an evocation of night music in what amounts to a passionate and joy-filled love song to his wife. Stravinsky closes the evening powerfully and grandly with his symphony.

Mr Suzuki’s Bach Queen’s Hall Thursday 14 November 7.30pm MENDELSSOHN Sinfonia No 8 (31’) Bach Cantata 82: Ich habe genug (24’) MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 5 ‘Reformation’ (27’) MASAAKI SUZUKI Conductor PETER HARVEY Baritone Robin Williams Oboe

One of the greatest living Bach interpreters makes his SCO debut with music by the great man and his greatest admirer, Felix Mendelssohn. Placing Bach’s searching, poignant cantata at its heart, Suzuki’s programme contrasts early and mature Mendelssohn. The Sinfonia was one of twelve written before he was fourteen, and you can just hear him striding into Haydn’s, Mozart’s and Schubert’s territory with all the confidence of youth. The ‘Reformation’ is simply one of the greatest symphonies of the age.

Schumann Symphony Cycle: I

Schumann Symphony Cycle: II

Usher Hall Thursday 21 November 7.30pm

Usher Hall Thursday 28 November 7.30pm

SCHUMANN Symphony No 1 ‘Spring’ (30’)

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

SCHUMANN Symphony No 2 (38’)

MOZART Piano Concerto No 25 in C K503 (30’)

Dr Laura Tunbridge (University of Manchester) provides insight into Schumann’s symphonies.

BRAHMS Violin Concerto (38’)

SCHUMANN Symphony No 4 (28’) ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor PAUL LEWIS Piano

EXPLORE SCHUMANN SYMPHONIES See page 33 for details.

SCHUMANN Symphony No 3 ‘Rhenish’ (32’) ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor ALINA POGOSTKINA Violin Sponsored by

Please note: There will be two intervals in this concert.

Music – so different from painting – is the art which we enjoy most in company with others. Robin Ticciati has often spoken about how important poetry, colour and story are to his music-making – and this makes Schumann one of his perfect composers. “I’m going to spend a lot more time with him next year…” Ticciati hinted last year. Now we can reveal exactly what he meant: he will direct a full cycle of Schumann’s symphonies over two weeks, and then record these pieces with the Orchestra. Symphonies preoccupied Schumann throughout his 30s; the first took just four days to be born, others cost him years of effort. Together they stand as a grand, profound and very pleasurable legacy. Concertos by two of Schumann’s best-loved composers complete the concerts. Brahms, played by the electrifying and refined Russian violinist Alina Pogostkina and Mozart from the brilliant Paul Lewis. Schumann once wrote: “Music – so different from painting – is the art which we enjoy most in company with others.” Come and share in what promises to be one of the highlights of the Season.

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Chamber Concert

B Minor Mass

Queen’s Hall Sunday 8 December 3pm

Queen’s Hall Thursday 12 December 7.30pm Photograph of SCO Chorusmaster Gregory Batsleer by Eoin Carey

Programme to include: BACH Suite No 6 for solo cello (30’) TELEMANN Horn Concerto in D (14’) TELEMANN Concerto in F for violin, horn and cello (11’) David Watkin Cello Alec Frank-Gemmill Horn Sijie Chen Violin Sarah Bevan-Baker Violin Brian Schiele Viola Eric de Wit Cello Peter Whelan Harpsichord This is the fortnight to enjoy four giants of the Baroque in chamber, orchestra and grand choral mode, as the versatility of the SCO’s superb musicians turns from one to the other with aplomb. Famously, Bach was a grudging second choice for a plum job in Leipzig and only got it when Telemann turned it down. History has rather reversed their roles, but that’s not to say that both aren’t marvellous masters. This concert sees the SCO players turn from modern to period instruments – fascinating to hear how different the music sounds.

BACH Mass in B minor (108’) RICHARD EGARR Conductor LORNA ANDERSON Soprano Kitty WhatEly Mezzo Soprano ANDREW TORTISE Tenor ANDREW FOSTER-WILLIAMS Bass SCO CHORUS Simply one of the great, thrilling choral experiences of all time: Bach’s Mass is so many things all at once. Grand and intimate, awe-inspiring and consoling, moving and uplifting, divine and deeply human. An outpouring of utterly inspired music, it is also a summation and culmination of his life’s work in sacred music.

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

The string tone was distinctive from the start: supple, simple and tender… The Guardian

New Year in Vienna

CL@SIX – Zacharias Christmas Concerto plays Mozart Assembly Rooms Tuesday 17 December 6pm

Usher Hall Wednesday 1 January 7pm

Queen’s Hall Saturday 21 December 7.30pm

Programme to include: Photograph by Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Nicole Chuard

Photograph by David Barbour

BACH Sinfonia from Christmas Oratorio (5’) HANDEL Concerto a Due Cori No 1 (15’) CORELLI Christmas Concerto (13’) BACH Orchestral Suite No 3 (20’) John Butt Director/Harpsichord

HAYDN Symphony No 85 in B-flat ‘La Reine’ (20’) MOZART Piano Concerto No 9 in E-flat K271 ‘Jeunehomme’ (28’)

LEHÁR You Are My Heart’s Delight The Land of Smiles LOEWE On The Street Where You Live My Fair Lady COWARD I’ll See You Again Bittersweet

Welcome 2014 in sparkling, classic style with the SCO! This year’s New Year concert will have all the waltzes, polkas and marches you could hope for alongside favourite songs made famous by Richard Tauber. And of course all the irresistible Strauss waltzes, polkas and overtures will set you up for the New Year with a spring in your step. McGegan and Ainsley are keeping their cards pretty close to their chest but some delightful songs from the shows are under discussion!

STRAUSS Blue Danube Waltz NICHOLAS McGEGAN Conductor JOHN MARK AINSLEY Tenor

RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte (6’) POULENC Sinfonietta (29’) CHRISTIAN ZACHARIAS Conductor/Piano

A seasonal close to this Baroque minifest with classic Christmas favourites by Corelli and Bach, followed by Handel’s Concerto with its sly nod in the direction of Messiah. Closing with the grandest of Bach’s orchestral suites, this makes for a thunderingly good start to the festive season.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

In 2000, when Zacharias performed the complete Mozart Piano Concertos with the SCO, their first appearances together, one reviewer noted: “…the SCO obviously relish their special relationship with Zacharias…”. As true today as ever, they still bring a zesty freshness and spontaneity to every encounter. Here, with Haydn, Mozart, Ravel and Poulenc, Zacharias is among friends. Closer, perhaps – he calls them “family”. Composers with whom he feels the very strongest affinity – and it shows in every note.

Paris Masterworks Queen’s Hall Thursday 9 January 7.30pm

Photograph by Ray Ownbey

MOZART Symphony No 32 (9’) MOZART Concerto for Flute and Harp K299 (30’) DEBUSSY Danses Sacrée et Profane (9’) BIZET Symphony in C (30’) JOSEPH SWENSEN Conductor ALISON MITCHELL Flute SIVAN MAGEN Harp

A Night in Italy

Meditations on the Sea

Queen’s Hall Saturday 18 January 7.30pm

Queen’s Hall Thursday 23 January 7.30pm

RESPIGHI Trittico botticelliano (18’)

SIBELIUS Pelléas et Mélisande (29’)

RESPIGHI Il Tramonto (16’)

VOLANS Symphony: Daar Kom die Alibama (22’)

ROSSINI Overture, Tancredi (6’)

MacMILLAN Tuireadh (22’)

ROSSINI Di tanti palpita (Tancredi) (3’)

KODÁLY Dances of Galánta (15’) Garry Walker Conductor Maximiliano Martín Clarinet

MENOTTI Suite from Sebastian (24’) Enrique Mazzola Conductor Renata PokupiĆ Mezzo Soprano

SCO Conductor Emeritus, Joseph Swensen returns to Scotland with a programme with Paris at its heart. Mozart wrote this symphony immediately after leaving Paris – a terrible time for him, though you would never know it from the music. His delightful concerto pairs the world-class SCO Principal Flute Alison Mitchell with harpist Sivan Magen – a musician who dazzles audiences wherever he goes. Debussy’s virtuoso showpiece should give him plenty of opportunity to shine. Swensen closes with the miraculous symphony Bizet wrote at the age of just 17 – and to this day it is one of the most popular works in the world.

A grand night out for lovers of opera, great singing and Italian music. Renata Pokupić has graced the stage of the Royal Opera House and many other great houses around the world; she comes to Scotland with Respighi’s luscious and Romantic evocation of sunset – then follows it with Rossini’s show-stopping bravura aria. Quite a contrast! We end with Scotland’s adopted Italian composer: Gian Carlo Menotti. Sebastian is a brilliantly colourful score – if you don’t know it, think Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet with a distinct exotic edge.

To Scots, living on so many islands and dependent on it for so much, the sea is a constant presence to be loved and admired, but also feared and respected. This complicated relationship with the sea is reflected here in pieces by two of the most important and widely performed living composers. MacMillan’s Tuireadh laments the dead of the Piper Alpha disaster in great tidal movements of sound and grief. South African composer Volans’ Symphony offers a beautiful and oblique reflection “…on the sea and the role of ships and their cargoes in our history…”.

Radiant playing from flautist Alison Mitchell. The Herald

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

40th Birthday Concert Usher Hall Thursday 6 February 7.30pm SUCKLING New Work SCO 40th birthday commission (10’) CHOPIN Piano Concerto No 2 (32’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 5 (31’) Robin Ticciati Conductor Maria João Pires Piano

As they toured Europe in 2012 Pires, Ticciati and the SCO thrilled audiences across the continent including Vienna, Brussels and Lucerne before bringing a magnificent programme of Mozart and Beethoven home to Scotland. How better to celebrate the Orchestra’s 40th birthday than by reuniting them in what promises to be an unforgettable night.

Pires was an ideal match for the [Scottish Chamber] Orchestra … adding shapely phrasing, understated virtuosity and a warm, singing touch. The Herald

Pires’ Chopin is legendary; and as we have heard, Ticciati’s Beethoven is superb. A new commission, which is by a composer whose last work for the SCO got a thoroughly rousing reception, opens the show: Martin Suckling unveils his special birthday piece!

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

haydn and the horn

Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’

Queen’s Hall Thursday 6 March 7.30pm

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Slavonic Dances

Isserlis plays Dvořák

Queen’s Hall Thursday 20 March

Usher Hall Thursday 27 March 7.30pm

DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dances from Op 72 (20’)

LIGETI Melodien (11’)

LIGETI Violin Concerto (28’)

HAYDN Symphony No 73 in D ‘La Chasse’ (25’)

HAYDN Symphony No 31 ‘Horn Signal’ (25’)

DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto (40’) Robin Ticciati Conductor Steven Isserlis Cello

DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dances from Op 46 (20’) Robin Ticciati Conductor Tasmin Little Violin

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Robin Ticciati in conversation with James Naughtie.

SCHUBERT Symphony No 2 (29’) HAYDN Piano Concerto in D (20’) MOZART Symphony No 41 ‘Jupiter’ (30’) Richard Egarr Conductor/Piano Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) SCO brass players provide insight into performing with natural horns and trumpets.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Egarr’s musical homeland is Bach and Handel – the very composers who so deeply inspired Mozart in his later years. The magnificent power of the ‘Jupiter’ owes so much to them and the magic of Egarr’s interpretation lies in his ability to bring all his understanding of their work to Mozart’s masterpiece. Schubert’s teenage symphony is a delight of a very different colour. It’s a staggering testament to his brilliance at such an early age.

These concerts bring together the music of three composers who occupied neighbouring territories in Eastern Europe at different times over the past three centuries – a fascinating time-travelling blend of much-loved masterworks with the perhaps less familiar, but no less brilliant music of Ligeti.

A distinguished pair of British soloists take the concerto spotlight in these concerts: Steven Isserlis utterly on home ground in Dvořák‘s Cello Concerto, and Tasmin Little venturing into the wilds and fantasies of Ligeti’s masterpiece. It’s a rollercoaster ride of a piece, his violin concerto, but worth every minute you spend getting to know it.

But there is a further hidden theme here: the Horn. Instrument of postmen and hunters, beloved of misty-eyed Romantics, full-blooded dramatists and sharp-witted avant-gardistes… both concerts bring the SCO’s horn section to the fore.

Photograph by Satoshi Aoyagi

Chamber Concert

Mass in C Minor

Queen’s Hall Sunday 23 March 3pm

Queen’s Hall Thursday 3 April 7.30pm Photograph by Chris Christodoulou

JANÁČEK Mladi (20’) BARTÓK Contrasts (16’) FIBICH Quintet Op 42 (40’) Alison Mitchell Flute Robin Williams Oboe Maximilano Martín Clarinet William Stafford Clarinet Peter Whelan Bassoon David Watkin Cello

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

A cracker of a showcase, mostly for the SCO’s winds, but one or two string principals too. Janáček, in one of his later works, looks back seven decades to celebrate youth and memories of school days. Bartók swings into jazz for a piece for Benny Goodman – but pulls Goodman into the world of Hungarian folk music too. Fibich may be less familiar. He was a contemporary and countryman of Dvořák’s – and his quintet for mixed winds and strings is a sunny delight.

SILVESTROV The Messenger (8’) MOZART Symphony No 40 in G minor (35’) MOZART Mass in C minor [ed. Landon] (60’) Olari Elts Conductor ELIZABETH WATTS Soprano Lisa Milne Soprano Andrew Staples Tenor STEPHAN LOGES Bass-Baritone SCO CHORUS

A tale of two wives lies behind this grand programme. Mozart’s future wife Constanze Weber was the intended soloist for the ravishing soprano writing in the Et Incarnatus Est of his mass – an utterly sublime and arresting moment of pure love in music. Silvestrov’s The Messenger harks back to Mozart in a touching memorial for his own wife who died suddenly in her 40s. The symphony between them needs no introduction: one of Mozart’s most famous and dramatic statements.

Mozart’s future wife Constanze Weber was the intended soloist for the ravishing soprano writing in the Et Incarnatus Est of his mass – an utterly sublime and arresting moment of pure love in music.

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Currie plays Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Benedetti plays Mozart

Usher Hall Thursday 10 April 7.30pm

Usher Hall Thursday 24 April 7.30pm Photograph by Marco Borggreve

BEETHOVEN Overture, Egmont (9’) MOZART Violin Concerto No 5 in A ‘Turkish’ (31’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 4 (34’) Jérémie Rhorer Conductor Nicola Benedetti Violin

Brilliant, tuneful, rhythmic, exotic – that’s what ‘Turkish’ meant to Mozart, and his violin concerto is a joyous showstopper for Scotland’s favourite violinist. Jérémie Rohrer is a formidable conductor who has been building a terrific career in Europe, especially in the opera house. Egmont’s fiery blast will be special – a perfect complement to the softer loveliness of the fourth symphony.

Sponsored by

Mozart’s violin concerto is a joyous showstopper for Scotland’s favourite violinist. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis (14’) MacMILLAN Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (26’) SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela (9’) SIBELIUS Symphony No 6 (28’) John Storgårds Conductor Colin Currie Percussion Rosie Staniforth Cor Anglais EXPLORE MACMILLAN VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL See page 33 for details.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Vaughan Williams’ timeless Fantasia and Sibelius’ uplifting sixth symphony frame one of the SCO’s signature works. In 1992, the SCO premiered MacMillan’s Veni, Veni, Emmanuel at the BBC Proms, and it has since been played more than 400 times! Scottish percussionist Colin Currie has made the piece his own and hearing him is a thrilling experience. This will be a night of drama and riches. Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

SCO Chief Executive Roy McEwan discusses how to programme an SCO Season, and commissioning new works.

Photograph by Decca & Simon Fowler

Mozart and Strauss Queen’s Hall Saturday 3 May 7.30pm

STRAUSS Duet-Concertino (18’) STRAUSS Horn Concerto No 1 (16’) MOZART Symphony No 36 ‘Linz’ (26’) Clemens Schuldt Conductor Maximiliano Martín Clarinet Peter Whelan Bassoon Alec Frank-Gemmill Horn

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Clemens Schuldt’s Strauss and Mozart is a deeply enjoyable pairing. Strauss’ lyrical outpouring in these two concertos flows with all the natural ease that he admired so much in Mozart. No composer mattered more to him. A home team of three SCO wind principals take the solos – superb chamber music on a grand scale.

Pre-Concert Talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

SCO Principal Bassoon Peter Whelan talks about Strauss’ Duet-Concertino.

Beethoven’s Ninth

Anderszewski plays Mozart

Usher Hall Thursday 8 May 7.30pm

Queen’s Hall Thursday 15 May 7.30pm

SCHUMANN Overture, Scherzo & Finale (17’)

MENDELSSOHN Sinfonia No 12 in G minor (20’)

BEETHOVEN Symphony No 9 ‘Choral’ (65’)

MOZART Piano Concerto No 12 in A K414 (25’)

Emmanuel Krivine Conductor Ruth Ziesak Soprano Carolin Masur Mezzo Soprano Dominik Wortig Tenor Konstantin Wolff Bass SCO CHORUS

MENDELSSOHN Overture, Son & Stranger (7’)

Photograph by Robert Workman

Photograph by Chris Christodoulou

MOZART Symphony in D KV203 (21’)

With its message of universal brotherhood, joy and fellowship, Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony is an ideal work to close our 40th Anniversary Season at the Usher Hall as it never fails to leave you uplifted and moved. Krivine brings a particular brilliance and élan to his interpretation – buoyant and rhythmic, it is one of the most exhilarating approaches to Beethoven’s masterpiece.

SCHUMANN Piano Concerto (31’) Piotr Anderszewski Director/Piano Alexander Janiczek Director/Violin Schumann’s quintessentially Romantic concerto is a big piece for a musician to direct and play – but Anderszewski and the SCO have a deep rapport. Their musical partnership spans more than a decade and they have toured the great concert halls of the world together. Mozart has been a constant in that relationship – and so it is here: K414 (one of Mozart’s earliest masterpieces) will make an excellent contrast to the Schumann. SCO Associate Artist Alexander Janiczek takes over in the orchestral works: Mendelssohn in serious symphonic and buoyantly theatrical modes.

Exploring Music

Exploring Music I September – December 2013 A general introduction Exploring Music II January – March 2014 A more in-depth course that will explore the distinctive features of Classical, Romantic and Contemporary music SCO Connect and the University of Edinburgh Open Studies have teamed up to provide two evening courses, led by Dr Michael Downes, Bede Williams and Tom Wilkinson from the University of St Andrews Music Centre. Each 10-week course guides you through music performed in the SCO Season, and introduces you to the world of the Orchestra through interviews with key artists.

It opened my eyes and ears to music from a different and better perspective. Participant 2011

I now listen to music in a different way and get more out of it. Participant 2012

Photograph by Marco Borggreve

SCO Connect is the education and outreach department of the SCO. With extensive Schools, Community and Lifelong Learning programmes, it offers plenty of ways to get involved.

EXPLORE

To celebrate the Schumann Symphony Cycle we welcome Dr Laura Tunbridge to lead a study day about the composer. The day will investigate Schumann’s four symphonies and explore the way in which they relate to, and reflect, the composer’s biography, particularly the people and places he knew.

Your chance for an in-depth look at one of the SCO’s most celebrated commissions. Since its world premiere by the SCO in 1992, James MacMillan’s Veni, Veni, Emmanuel has become the most performed percussion concerto in the world. With the SCO performing the piece again this Season, we’re thrilled to welcome renowned animateur Paul Rissmann to lead an exploration into the heart of this rich and rhythmically exciting music.

Schumann Symphonies

Tickets £25 (including refreshments and lunch)

EXPLORING MUSIC University of Edinburgh Open Studies, Paterson’s Land, 38 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ

Cost £75/£50 concession To book, call Open Studies on 0131 650 4400 (from August) or visit www.ed.ac.uk/openstudies

Saturday 23 November 2013 10.30am – 4.30pm The Wallace Dunlop Hall Stewart’s Melville College, Queensferry Road Edinburgh EH4 3EZ

To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353 or email connect@sco.org.uk

MacMillan Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Tickets £25 (including refreshments and lunch) Saturday 12 April 2014 10.30am – 4.30pm Studio 2, City Halls Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NQ

To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8342 or email connect@sco.org.uk

For photos, blogs and films about SCO Connect’s programme follow us on:

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

how to book Queen’s Hall Box Office Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG

0131 668 2019

ticket prices I £30

II £26

III £20

seating plans IV £15

V £10

All single tickets, including discounts, are on sale from 13 May 2013. Subscription bookings are taken from 15 March 2013.

Queen’s Hall

Usher Hall

Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG

Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA

www.thequeenshall.net 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. (Open until the end of the interval on performance days). All major credit cards, except American Express, are accepted. Postage charge of 75p where applicable. The Queen’s Hall Box Office sells tickets for all SCO concerts in Edinburgh, including those at the Usher Hall and Assembly Rooms.

CL@SIX Concerts V

Assembly Rooms, George Street Tickets: £10 in advance / £12 on the door U16s, U26s, students and unemployed people £5 (No senior citizen discounts available)

Chamber Concerts

III

IV IV

II III

III

III II

III

STAGE

III

III I

II III IV

II I

III

STAGE

Tickets: £12 / Senior Citizens £10 U16s, U26s, students and unemployed people £5

STALLS

GRAND CIRCLE

STALLS

Tickets for Usher Hall concerts only also available at:

Usher Hall Box Office Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA

0131 228 1155

www.usherhall.co.uk 10am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday. (and on concert evenings). 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 13 May 2013. Tickets are also available from the Queen’s Hall Box Office.

Senior Citizens – £2 off standard prices.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

III

IV IV

Under 16s – Free if accompanied by a paying adult. Maximum of 2 free children’s tickets per adult ticket. Additional children £5 each. People with a disability – 50% off single 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 group. For more information, contact SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353 or connect@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.

Under 26s, students and unemployed people – £5 for any ticket.

* Excludes New Year in Vienna (in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care). Discounts for this concert only available for people with a disability (see above) and U16s at £5 each.

Ticket Discounts*

IV V IV

IV V

GALLERY

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. Guide dogs are welcome. An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties. Please notify the Box Office when booking.

UPPER CIRCLE

Wheelchair accommodation is available. Parking spaces for blue badge holders are located across from the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Grindlay Street and in Cambridge Street across from the Traverse Theatre. Guide dogs are welcome. An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties. Please notify the Box Office when booking.

Large-print, Braille and Talking Notes versions of this brochure are available. Call 0131 557 6802.

booking four or more concerts? The SCO offers flexible subscriptions – simply choose any four or more Season 13/14 concerts*. As well as substantial discounts on regular ticket prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits.

save up to 45% with an sco subscription

subscription booking form Title

Forename

Surname

Address Postcode Telephone (day)

Telephone (eve)

Email important – please complete!

why take a subscription? Save money

Spread the cost

Save up to 40% (45% for seniors) on single ticket prices – the more you book, the more you save. (See page 38 for discount details.)

Pay by Direct Debit in four installments.

Receive a £5 CD voucher.

Best seats

SCO News

Save on SCO CDs

Receive the SCO’s newsletter three times a year.

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.

Change your mind

If a date becomes inconvenient, swap your tickets for another Edinburgh Season 13/14 concert (24 hours’ notice required)

Free concert

A personal invitation to the annual Subscriber concert and reception.

Join our mailing list for the latest SCO news about concerts, education events, special offers, recordings, behind-the-scenes information and other developments. We will not pass your details to any third parties. Please indicate how you would like to receive news: By Email

By Post

Please tick boxes below to indicate your choice of concerts: Thurs 3 Oct (UH) Thurs 10 Oct (QH) Thurs 17 Oct (QH) Thurs 24 Oct (QH) Sat 9 Nov (QH) Thurs 14 Nov (QH) Thurs 21 Nov (UH) Thurs 28 Nov (UH)

Thurs 12 Dec (QH) Sat 21 Dec (QH) Thurs 9 Jan (QH) Sat 18 Jan (QH) Thurs 23 Jan (QH) Thurs 6 Feb (UH) Thurs 6 Mar (QH) Thurs 20 Mar (QH)

Thurs 27 Mar (UH) Thurs 3 Apr (QH) Thurs 10 Apr (UH) Thurs 24 Apr (UH) Thurs 18 Apr (QH) Sat 3 May (QH) Thurs 8 May (UH) Thurs 15 May (QH)

Number of concerts

Number of people at standard price

Number of people at senior price

Price band

By Phone

Send your completed Booking Form (on the right) to SCO Subscription, Queen’s Hall Box Office, FREEPOST EH3185, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (No stamp required).

Call the Queen’s Hall Box Office (10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday) with your selected concerts and credit or debit card details.

Total Price

UH:

Cl@six Concerts New Year in Vienna

Seating Area (e.g. stalls, balcony) QH

Chamber Concerts

By Post

CL@SIX Concerts Tues 5 Nov Tues 17 Dec

Please calculate the cost using the price list on page 38 and complete the grid below.

13/14 Concerts

how to book a subscription

Chamber Concerts Sun 27 Oct Sun 8 Dec Sun 23 Mar

how do you wish to pay?

Box Office Postage Fee

£0.75

Total

I enclose a cheque, payable to ‘Queen’s Hall Box Office’. Please debit my Mastercard/Visa/debit card (delete as appropriate) Card Number Expiry Date

Issue Number (debit card only)

Start Date

Security Code (last three digits on signature strip)

Signature

* Season 2013/14 concerts are marked:

Please note We regret that subscription tickets are non-refundable. As subscription bookings need to be processed carefully, it is not possible to process these while you wait at the box office or on the phone.

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

I wish to spread the cost of subscription over four months by Direct Debit. Please send me a Direct Debit form. Please return this form to: SCO Subscription, Queen’s Hall Box Office, FREEPOST EH3185, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (no stamp required). 37

subscription prices Price band I 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Number of concerts

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

III

Saving

thank you

play your part

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.

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 SCO Patrons, join the SCO 250 Society, or to consider making a gift 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.

Standard

£102.00

£88.40

£68.00

£51.00

15%

Senior

£96.00

£83.20

£64.00

£48.00

20%

Standard

£127.50

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£120.00

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20%

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£132.60

£102.00

£76.50

15%

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£144.00

£124.80

£96.00

£72.00

20%

Standard

£178.50

£154.70

£119.00

£89.25

15%

Senior

£168.00

£145.60

£112.00

£84.00

20%

Standard

£192.00

£166.40

£128.00

£96.00

20%

Senior

£180.00

£156.00

£120.00

£90.00

25%

Standard

£216.00

£187.20

£144.00

£108.00

20%

Senior

£202.50

£175.50

£135.00

£101.25

25%

Sponsors & Corporate Supporters Aberdeen Asset Management

Standard

£240.00

£208.00

£160.00

£120.00

20%

Balmoral Hotel

Senior

£225.00

£195.00

£150.00

£112.50

25%

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£264.00

£228.80

£176.00

£132.00

20%

Capital Solutions

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£247.50

£214.50

£165.00

£123.75

25%

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£270.00

£234.00

£180.00

£135.00

25%

Dawsons Music

Principal Sponsor Virgin Money Benefactor Dunard Fund

City of Edinburgh Council

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£252.00

£218.40

£168.00

£126.00

30%

John Lewis Partnership

Standard

£292.50

£253.50

£195.00

£146.25

25%

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£273.00

£236.60

£182.00

£136.50

30%

Linn Records

Standard

£315.00

£273.00

£210.00

£157.50

25%

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£294.00

£254.80

£196.00

£147.00

30%

Notion Music

The Miller Group Ltd.

Standard

£337.50

£292.50

£225.00

£168.75

25%

Pulsant

Senior

£315.00

£273.00

£210.00

£157.50

30%

Radio Forth

Standard

£336.00

£291.20

£224.00

£168.00

30%

Senior

£312.00

£270.40

£208.00

£156.00

35%

Standard

£357.00

£309.40

£238.00

£178.50

30%

Senior

£331.50

£287.30

£221.00

£165.75

35%

Standard

£378.00

£327.60

£252.00

£189.00

30%

Senior

£351.00

£304.20

£234.00

£175.50

35%

Standard

£399.00

£345.80

£266.00

£199.50

30%

Senior

£370.50

£321.10

£247.00

£185.25

35%

Standard

£390.00

£338.00

£260.00

£195.00

35%

Senior

£360.00

£312.00

£240.00

£180.00

40%

Standard

£409.50

£354.90

£273.00

£204.75

35% 40%

Senior

£378.00

£327.60

£252.00

£189.00

Standard

£429.00

£371.80

£286.00

£214.50

35%

Senior

£396.00

£343.20

£264.00

£198.00

40%

Standard

£414.00

£358.80

£276.00

£207.00

40%

Senior

£379.50

£328.90

£253.00

£189.75

45%

Edinburgh Concert Season 2013/14

Roland Scottish Council for Development and Industry

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 scottish chamber orchestra HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay PATRON Robin Ticciati PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Joseph Swensen CONDUCTOR EMERITUS Sir Peter Maxwell Davies COMPOSER LAUREATE Richard Egarr ASSOCIATE ARTIST Alexander Janiczek ASSOCIATE ARTIST Donald MacDonald CBE CHAIRMAN Roy McEwan OBE CHIEF EXECUTIVE 4 Royal Terrace Edinburgh EH7 5AB

Tel: 0131 557 6800 Fax: 0131 557 6933 Email: 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.

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ser to the music

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www.sco.org.uk

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