SCO 2015/16 Season Brochure – Edinburgh

EDINBURGH 2015/16 –––––

BRAHMS CALLS UPON A UNIQUE GRASP OF HARMONY, COUNTERPOINT AND RHYTHM. HIS INTIMATE

OCTOBER 2015 ORCHESTRATION to MAY 2016 PRESENTS US WITH

A DISTINCTLY AUTUMNAL WORLD Tickets: 0131 668 2019 OF ORCHESTRAL www.thequeenshall.net COLOUR. www.sco.org.uk Robin Ticciati

CELEBRATING BRAHMS

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

It gives me such joy to welcome you to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s 2015/16 Season!

We at the SCO invite you all to join us on a journey through the music of Johannes Brahms – his Symphonies and Ein deutsches Requiem, the performance of which mark the 25th Anniversary of the SCO Chorus. We hope this in-depth journey into Brahms’ orchestral world will inspire you to come with us, search, celebrate and be moved by this extraordinary character.

There is a rich history of the symphonies being performed by the Orchestra – most notably with Sir Charles Mackerras and Paavo Berglund – and whether you see this as a point of departure or reference, come and hear the next chapter with us.

In Brahms we have an inward and highly intellectual composer. Never before had, or possibly has, a composer been so acutely aware of what had come before him. A learned figure who risked a first symphony of precise classical structure ten years after Wagner’s Tristan was written. Yet, it was Schoenberg who labelled him as a progressive, a revolutionary, and a composer who changed music forever. Brahms brought the classical symphony (with all its canons and counterpoint) into the Romantic era and that is precisely the reason why the SCO has an affinity with these pieces – practical choices such as the small string section (we know he argued against supplementing the 48 players in the Meiningen orchestra), natural brass and timpani, and a knowledge of the composers that came before him, are just some of the ingredients that go into an interpretation for our ears of today.

In a season that is full of programmatic surprise we also have evenings with a special sense of homecoming: Richard Egarr conducts Handel’s Theodora and Bach’s Magnificat. Fresh from his Bach recordings, I am thrilled that the brilliant John Butt teams up with our very own Principal Bassoon Peter Whelan to give us an enchanted evening of Baroque into Classical.

Highlights continue as members of the SCO family – Joseph Swensen, Emmanuel Krivine, Alexander Janiczek and Karen Cargill to mention only a few – return to the Orchestra bringing a concoction of repertoire that will thrill and take you on many unexpected journeys.

As ever, there is something, I hope, for everyone.

Your support and your ears mean everything to us as, without an audience, without you, the music is silent.

I look forward to greeting you all, through the music we play this season!

Robin Ticciati Principal Conductor 2

HIS INTIMATE ORCHESTRATION PRESENTS US WITH A DISTINCTLY AUTUMNAL WORLD OF ORCHESTRAL COLOUR. Robin Ticciati

CELEBRATING BRAHMS

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BRAHMS CALLS UPON A UNIQUE GRASP OF HARMONY, COUNTERPOINT AND RHYTHM.

YOUR ORCHESTRA The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has brought music to the people of Edinburgh and beyond for over 40 years. The musicians have produced many remarkable performances packed with passion and power that radiate energy and connect with audiences in many different ways – the exciting Virgin Money Fireworks Concert marking the end of Edinburgh’s International Festival; ravishing, momentous nights at the Usher Hall with the world’s most talented soloists and conductors; evenings of intense beauty at the Queen’s Hall; and inspiring social change in people of all ages in schools, hospitals, work places and other community settings. The SCO is a truly important part of the life of Edinburgh and it belongs to you.

As well as performances at Edinburgh’s International Festival the SCO performs main season concerts at the Usher and Queen’s Halls and at Greyfriars Kirk. Since February 2015, the SCO is Orchestra in Association with the University of Edinburgh. Initiatives through this partnership help to engage research, and to develop and nurture talent in university students and staff.

AT HOME AND ABROAD – GIVING EVERYONE THE CHANCE TO HEAR US PLAY “It is always exciting to play to audiences in Edinburgh, as well as other venues around the world. A different, but equally rewarding experience is created when the Orchestra tours the far corners of Scotland to play in many different types of venue. There is often no stage at these venues enabling the audience literally to get closer to the Orchestra, creating a wonderfully intimate connection.” Eric de Wit, Cello Player.

Throughout the winter and spring months, the SCO complements this Edinburgh series with tours to Dumfries, Ayr, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen and St Andrews.

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THE ORCHESTRA IS FEARLESS AND THAT MEANS THAT EVERY CONCERT IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR THE AUDIENCE. MUSIC ALWAYS COMES ALIVE WITH THE SCO. Robin Ticciati

Giving everyone in Scotland the chance to listen. –– In the end, making music is all about the people, whether performers and creators or audiences and participants. Everything the SCO does is, above all, about the joy and enrichment of life through music.

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HOW TO BOOK Queen’s Hall Box Office Clerk Street Edinburgh EH8 9JG 0131 668 2019 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 80p where applicable.

The box office will charge a £1 transaction fee on all telephone, internet and postal bookings (including subscriptions). The fee does not apply on counter bookings. The Queen’s Hall Box Office sells tickets for all SCO concerts in Edinburgh, including those at the Usher Hall, Greyfriars Kirk and the Assembly Rooms.

Please note: telephone, internet and postal bookings carry a £1 transaction fee (before postage charge of 80p).

––––– 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 are 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 Monday 11 May 2015.

Tickets are also available from the Queen’s Hall Box Office.

UNDER 26?

––––– IF YOU’RE UNDER 26 TICKETS COST £6

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The SCO aims to inspire and support creativity throughout Scotland’s communities.

SCO Connect, the Orchestra’s creative learning team, runs a wide-ranging, interactive programme for people of all ages and abilities. There are opportunities for families to engage with SCO musicians through Big Ears, Little Ears concerts for babies and toddlers and our unique SCO Family Days. Young people compose and perform music through creative projects in schools, community venues and our fusion orchestra project, SCO VIBE. Music students develop their skills by participating in SCO Masterclasses and Open Rehearsals. Adult musicians enjoy music-making through Scrapers and Tooters, Vocal Weekends and Wind Farm. Patients, families and staff within a dementia care community make and enjoy music through SCO ReConnect and adults develop their love and understanding of music and the arts through Explore days and Pre-Concert Insights.

For more information about all of SCO Connect’s activities please visit www.sco.org.uk/connect.

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THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HEARING A LIVE ORCHESTRA. MANY OF MY PUPILS WOULD NOT DREAM OF GOING TO AN ORCHESTRAL CONCERT OFF THEIR OWN BACK. THEY WERE ALL EXTREMELY POSITIVE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE. Secondary teacher, Masterworks

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Bringing music into people’s lives.

–– SCO Connect’s extensive and imaginative education and community programmes engage with people of all ages across Scotland, offering people the chance to enhance their lives through music.

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SCO INSIGHTS

SCO EXPLORE: WAGNER (beyond the Opera House)

SCO INSIGHTS provide fascinating glimpses into the thinking of our internationally renowned performers, composers and conductors.

Saturday 31 October 2015 10.30am – 4.30pm

Look out for Pre-Concert Insights – a great opportunity to get to know the people behind the music and to delve deeper into the music you are about to experience. Pre-Concert Insights usually begin one hour before the performance and there is no need to book in advance.

For a more detailed look at selected SCO repertoire, Explore days, featuring leading academics and performers, offer in-depth explorations of music being performed by the SCO. –––––

TO HAVE INSIGHTS INTO THE PERSONAL JOURNEY OF THE SINGER KAREN CARGILL, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF MAHLER SONGS, WAS A PRIVILEGE. THAT EVERYONE SHOULD TALK SO OPENLY, SHARING EXPERIENCES AND DEEP FEELINGS WAS EXCELLENT. SCO Explore day participant

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University of Edinburgh Reid Concert Hall Bristo Square Edinburgh EH8 9AG Join the SCO for a day exploring Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Siegfried Idyll, two of the composer’s most performed non-operatic works. Over the course of the day, we will examine how Wagner’s personal relationships fed into his compositions; their most striking musical features; their autobiographical content; and their relationship to his operas. SCO Associate Artist Karen Cargill will join us to discuss the role of the singer in Wagner’s works.

Led by Dr Elaine Kelly from the University of Edinburgh in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Open Studies, this Explore day links to the SCO performance of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Siegfried Idyll with Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine and Karen Cargill on Thursday 5 November at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

––––– Tickets £30 (includes tea and coffee) Places are limited. Please fill in the booking form on page 33 or contact the Queen’s Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019 or visit www.thequeenshall.net.

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SCO EXPLORE: BRAHMS

SCO EXPLORE: JS BACH

Saturday 12 March 2016 10.30am – 4.30pm

Saturday 23 April 2016 10.30am – 4.30pm

University of Glasgow John McIntyre Building University Avenue Glasgow G12 8QQ

University of Edinburgh Reid Concert Hall Bristo Square Edinburgh EH8 9AG

Director of Music at the University of St Andrews and choral conductor Michael Downes leads us through one of the most important choral works of the nineteenth century, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. Exploring the work in the context of Brahms’ musical development and of his troubled personal and spiritual life, there will be particular discussion of the significance – political and theological – of the unusual decision to set texts that were non-liturgical and in his own language, rather than the customary Latin.

JS Bach’s celebrated Magnificat was first heard on Christmas Day 1723 in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, shortly after he took up the post of Kantor (Choir Director). The revised version we usually hear today is by Bach himself. How did he revise it? Given that it was written for the Protestant Lutheran church, and intended for the service of Vespers, why is it in Latin?

How does Bach respond to this traditional text, the Song of Mary from the Gospel according to St Luke?

Which instrumental resources are involved, and how many singers participated in the early performances?

Come along to this SCO Explore day with Dr John Kitchen and hear this magnificent work discussed, with excerpts performed by SCO musicians.

Guest speakers include SCO Principal Horn Alec Frank-Gemmill, who will give a practical insight into what makes Brahms’ instrumental writing so distinctive.

This Explore day links to the SCO performance of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem on Thursday 17 March at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

––––– Tickets £30 (includes tea and coffee) Places are limited. Please fill in the booking form on page 33 or contact the Queen’s Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019 or visit www.thequeenshall.net.

––––– Proudly sponsored by

Delivered in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Open Studies, this Explore day links to the SCO performance of Bach’s Magnificat on Thursday 28 April at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall.

––––– Tickets £30 (includes tea and coffee) Places are limited. Please fill in the booking form on page 33 or contact the Queen’s Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019 or visit www.thequeenshall.net.

––––– In association with

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Thursday 8 October 2015 Usher Hall – 7.30pm –––––

THE BRAHMS SERIES proudly sponsored by

Brahms SYMPHONY No 1 EACH BRAHMS SYMPHONY HAS ITS DISTINCT VOICE THAT ALLOWS ONE TO COME FOR AN EVENING AND BE TOTALLY IMMERSED IN THE ROMANCE OF WHAT IT IS TO LOVE, SUFFER AND LOVE AGAIN. Robin Ticciati

BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture (10’) BERG Violin Concerto (23’) BRAHMS Symphony No 1 (45’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor ISABELLE FAUST – Violin Opening the Season and the SCO’s Brahms Series is the ebullient Academic Festival Overture. Brahms had felt so intimidated by Schumann’s prediction that he was the man destined to “take over the mantle of Beethoven” that he was 43 before going public with his First Symphony, a masterwork of blazing intensity.

Alban Berg dedicated his violin concerto “To the Memory of an Angel”, Manon Gropius, the daughter of Alma Mahler, who died in the spring of 1935 at the age of only 18. “I do not attempt… to find the words where language fails” Berg wrote to Alma Mahler, “but yet: one day… may you hear in the Violin Concerto that which I feel today and cannot express”. This concerto is becoming a favourite with audiences, with its strong Romantic foundations and seductive blend of tonality and modernity.

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BRAHMS INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Dr Martin Ennis of Girton College, Cambridge in conversation with Robin Ticciati.

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EXPLORE BRAHMS

Thursday 15 October 2015 Usher Hall – 7.30pm

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Brahms SYMPHONY No 2 THE ‘HOVERING BLACK WINGS’ OF THE SECOND SYMPHONY ENDING IN THE BLAZING HOPE OF D MAJOR; THE FINAL TRAGIC FAREWELL TO CLARA IN THE THIRD; AND THE SEEMINGLY ABSTRACT SUMMATION OF SYMPHONIC FORM IN THE FOURTH. Robin Ticciati

SCHUMANN Manfred Overture (11’) SCHOENBERG Piano Concerto (21’) BRAHMS Symphony No 2 (40’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor LARS VOGT – Piano The Brahms Series continues with the second symphony. When working on the piece, Brahms wrote contentedly to a friend, “The melodies flow so freely that one must be careful not to tread on them.”

Opening the concert is the supreme and energetic Manfred Overture by Brahms’ friend Schumann.

Arnold Schoenberg was a great admirer of Brahms, but his music is often not given the same chance to shine. Lars Vogt and Robin Ticciati will passionately argue the Piano Concerto as a work of tremendous rhythmic and textural variety.

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HANDEL’S THEODORA

Sibelius + Nielsen 150 –––––

with the SCO CHORUS

THE MAIDEN IN THE TOWER

Thursday 22 October 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 29 October 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

HANDEL Theodora (160’) ––––– RICHARD EGARR – Conductor STEFANIE TRUE – Theodora RENATA POKUPIC – Irene IESTYN DAVIES – Didymus NEAL DAVIES – Valens SAMUEL BODEN – Septimius / Messenger SCO CHORUS GREGORY BATSLEER – Chorus Director

WENNÄKOSKI New Work (c.12’) SCO Commission: World Premiere

A passionate love story and a meditation on Christian virtue, Handel’s dramatic oratorio Theodora is one of the composer’s most direct and vivid works. Its powerful music tells an ancient story of persecution and unshakeable belief.

SCO Associate Artist and historical performance expert Richard Egarr is famed for his lively, incisive music-making. He directs a cast of renowned soloists in this oratorio that Handel himself prized above all others.

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HANDEL INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Richard Egarr explores Theodora with SCO Viola Player Steve King.

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HOW SPLENDIDLY ALERT THE ORCHESTRAL PLAYING IS: THE SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA MUST BE ONE OF THE FINEST ENSEMBLES OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD TODAY. BBC Music Magazine

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NIELSEN Violin Concerto (34’) SIBELIUS arr HANNIKAINEN The Maiden in the Tower: Orchestral Suite UK Premiere (38’) ––––– TUOMAS HANNIKAINEN – Conductor PEKKA KUUSISTO – Violin Just as Brahms and Sibelius did in their concertos, Danish composer Carl Nielsen combines genuine gravitas with luminous virtuosity to present the violin “in the best light, that is, rich in content, popular and dazzling.” These gorgeous melodies are augmented by a treasure from Sibelius’ only opera The Maiden in the Tower, from which an orchestral suite has been arranged by tonight’s conductor.

To complete this programme is the world premiere performance of distinguished Finnish composer Lotta Wennäkoski’s tribute to the work of Jean Sibelius, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of his birth.

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SIBELIUS INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Composer Lotta Wennäkoski discusses the influence of Jean Sibelius on her new work.

Pekka Kuusisto Violin ––

EXPLORE WAGNER

Thursday 5 November 2015 Usher Hall – 7.30pm

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THE QUILTER CHEVIOT KRIVINE SERIES

See Page 10

An evening with

EMMANUEL KRIVINE THE FLAMBOYANT AND ORIGINAL FRENCHMAN EMMANUEL KRIVINE IS ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED CONDUCTORS OF THE DAY, WHOSE ELEGANT AND COLOURFUL INTERPRETATIONS MAKE HIM A FAVOURITE WITH AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD.

BRAHMS Variations on a theme of Joseph Haydn (17’) WAGNER Wesendonck Lieder (21’) Siegfried Idyll (18’) SCHUBERT Symphony No 8 ‘Unfinished’ (25’) ––––– EMMANUEL KRIVINE – Conductor KAREN CARGILL – Mezzo Soprano Famed for the elegance and energy of his colourful performances, Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine directs the SCO in a powerful programme of richly Romantic music.

Wagner’s touchingly tuneful Siegfried Idyll was written as a surprise birthday present for his wife Cosima, and renowned Scottish Mezzo Soprano Karen Cargill joins the SCO for the same composer’s intensely expressive Wesendonck Lieder.

Krivine opens the programme with the infectious jollity of Brahms’ gloriously melodious ‘St Anthony’ Variations, and closes with the high drama of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony.

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Sibelius + Nielsen 150

STEVEN ISSERLIS plays

SIBELIUS SYMPHONY No 3

SCHUMANN CELLO CONCERTO

Thursday 12 November 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 26 November 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

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SIBELIUS Pelléas et Mélisande (29’) NIELSEN Flute Concerto (19’) SIBELIUS Symphony No 3 (29’) ––––– JOSEPH SWENSEN – Conductor ALISON MITCHELL – Flute Two contrasting but equally powerful works by Jean Sibelius frame Conductor Emeritus Joseph Swensen’s all-Nordic concert, celebrating the 150th anniversaries of both the great Finnish composer and his Danish colleague Carl Nielsen.

The atmospheric Pelléas et Mélisande Suite recounts a tale of doomed love through some of Sibelius’ most expressive music, while his seldom-heard Third Symphony, often overshadowed by its more assertive cousins, is a study in wit, melodiousness and musical economy. In between, SCO Principal Flute Alison Mitchell is the soloist in the idyllic evocations of Nielsen’s intimate Flute Concerto.

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Kindly supported by SCO PATRONS Joseph Swensen Conductor –– Joseph Swensen was SCO Principal Conductor from 1996-2005 and is now Conductor Emeritus.

DVORÁK Legends from Op 59 ​(17’) SCHUMANN Cello Concerto (25’) KURTÁG Movement for Viola and Orchestra (12’) MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 3 ‘Scottish’ (40’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor STEVEN ISSERLIS – Cello JANE ATKINS – Viola Renowned British cellist Steven Isserlis has a profound and enduring love for Schumann’s music, and the hugely expressive Cello Concerto, by turns poetic and stormy, is an ideal match for Isserlis’ sensitive yet powerful playing.

Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati shapes the programme with the high emotions of two more Romantic masterpieces. Mendelssohn’s evocative ‘Scottish’ Symphony was inspired by a visit to Edinburgh’s Holyrood Abbey, while Dvořák’s colourful Legends tell vivid stories in sound.

SCO Principal Viola Jane Atkins presents György Kurtág’s brief, Bartók-inspired Movement for Viola and Orchestra.

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SCHUMANN INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Steven Isserlis and journalist Tom Service explore Schumann’s Cello Concerto.

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EXPLORE JS BACH

Thursday 10 December 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

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John Butt conducts

GENERATIONS of BACH JOHN BUTT’S BACH IS MUSCULAR, VISCERAL STUFF. ALTHOUGH A PRIZE-WINNING BACH SCHOLAR AND PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, ONCE ON THE PLATFORM, HE “FORGETS HIS BOFFIN DAY JOB AND DIRECTS WITH HEAD-BANGING FERAL MIGHT.” The Guardian

JS BACH Suite (Ouverture) No 4 in D, BWV 1069 (21’) WF BACH Sinfonia in D minor ‘Adagio and Fugue’ (10’) CPE BACH Bassoon Concerto in A minor, Wq 170 (23’) MOZART Symphony No 40 in G minor (30’) ––––– JOHN BUTT – Conductor / Harpsichord PETER WHELAN – Bassoon Period performance expert John Butt is famed for the brilliance and drama of his music-making. He explores some of the earliest, most pioneering orchestral music, from the fizzing fugues and stately court dances of JS Bach’s great Orchestral Suite No 4, to music by two of the composer’s sons: Wilhelm Friedemann’s distinctive D minor Sinfonia and the stormy A minor Bassoon Concerto by Carl Philipp Emanuel, with SCO Principal Bassoon Peter Whelan as soloist.

Butt concludes his concert with one of the greatest symphonies of them all: Mozart’s masterful, unforgettable Fortieth.

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BACH INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Conductor and Baroque specialist John Butt examines the Bach family.

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LLYR WILLIAMS plays

BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO No 3 Thursday 17 December 2015 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm –––––

Kindly supported by DUNARD FUND

NEW YEAR in VIENNA Friday 1 January 2016 Usher Hall – 7.00pm Programme includes: J STRAUSS II Overture, Die Fledermaus Roses from the South Polkas and Waltzes BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor ROSSINI Overture, The Thieving Magpie MASSENET Meditation from Thaïs CLARA SCHUMANN arr SWENSEN Three Romances for Violin and Orchestra, Op 22 GRIEG Morning (from Peer Gynt Suite)​ DVORÁK Slavonic Dance No 1 ––––– JOSEPH SWENSEN – Director / Violin

CPE BACH Symphony in E-flat, Wq183/2 (10’) MOZART Violin Concerto No 1 in B-flat, K207 (21’) Rondo Concertante in B-flat, K269 (07’) BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor (34’) ––––– ALEXANDER JANICZEK – Director / Violin LLYR WILLIAMS – Piano Directing the Orchestra from the violin, SCO Associate Artist Alexander Janiczek continues his survey of concertos by Mozart and Beethoven.

Mozart’s youthful First Violin Concerto is full of joyous high spirits, and his brief Rondo Concertante gives the violin soloist plenty of memorable melodies.

Llŷr Williams joins Janiczek and the Orchestra for the startling drama of Beethoven’s turbulent Third Piano Concerto, and the concert opens with CPE Bach’s equally stormy, exhilarating E-flat Symphony.

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There’s something magical about a New Year concert, giving you a skip in your step to start the year feeling upbeat.

New Year would simply not be complete without your favourite Viennese waltzes and polkas. The programme is enhanced by Joseph Swensen both conducting and performing favourites on the violin, including Massenet’s gorgeous Meditation and his own arrangement of Three Romances by Clara Schumann.

She wrote these three lovely miniatures for violin and piano as a gift for violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms hinted to his friend about the anticipated gift, “you can certainly look forward with great pleasure to what is coming.” The Romances are beautifully dreamy, characteristically noble and passionate.

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Collection in aid of MARIE CURIE CANCER CARE

EXPLORE BRAHMS

Thursday 14 January 2016 Usher Hall – 7.30pm

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THE BRAHMS SERIES proudly sponsored by

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Brahms SYMPHONY No 3 I HAVE SPENT SUCH HAPPY HOURS WITH YOUR WONDERFUL CREATION. WHAT A POEM! FROM BEGINNING TO END ONE IS WRAPPED ABOUT WITH THE MYSTERIOUS CHARM OF THE WOODS AND FOREST. THE SECOND MOVEMENT IS PURE IDYLL: I CAN SEE THE WORSHIPPERS KNEELING ABOUT THE LITTLE FOREST SHRINE. I HEAR THE BABBLING BROOK AND THE BUZZ OF INSECTS. Clara Schumann in a letter to Brahms

BRAHMS Tragic Overture (13’) BERG Seven Early Songs (17’) BRAHMS Symphony No 3 (33’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor DOROTHEA RÖSCHMANN – Soprano German soprano Dorothea Röschmann is described as “a Schwarzkopf for our time,” “intelligent, elegant, versatile,” “immaculate and soulful”. She delivers the liltingly beautiful Seven Early Songs by Berg, whose lush harmonies reveal influences of Wagner and Debussy.

After the premiere of Brahms’ Third Symphony, the leading music critic and friend of Brahms, Eduard Hanslick, commented: “Many music lovers may prefer the titanic force of the First, others the untroubled charm of the Second. But the Third strikes me as artistically the most perfect.” Opening the concert is Brahms’ Tragic Overture, showing the composer at his most turbulent and emotional.

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BOOKING FOUR OR MORE CONCERTS? The SCO offers flexible subscriptions – simply choose any four or more Season 2015/16 concerts. As well as substantial discounts on regular ticket prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits.

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WHY TAKE A SUBSCRIPTION? Save money Save up to 40% (45% for seniors) on single ticket prices – the more you book, the more you save.

Free choice of concerts Select any four or more Season 2015/16 concerts.

Best seats Priority booking and the best available seats in the area of your choice and, wherever possible, you can keep your seats from year to year.

Spread the cost Pay by Direct Debit in four instalments.

Save on SCO CDs Receive a £5 CD Voucher.

Free concert A personal invitation to the Supporters’ recital and reception.

SCO news Receive the SCO’s newsletter.

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HOW TO BOOK A SUBSCRIPTION By post Send your completed Booking Form found at the back of this brochure to: SCO Subscriptions, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG. By phone Call the Queen’s Hall Box Office (10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday) with your selected concerts and credit or debit card details.

Please note: Chamber Concerts, Family Concerts and Explore Days cannot be included in a subscription, but you can book them at the same time as your subscription.

We regret that tickets, including subscription tickets, are non-refundable.

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ANTONIO MÉNDEZ conducts

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No 7 Thursday 21 January 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm HAYDN Symphony No 99 in E-flat (25’) MOZART Basta, vincesti... Ah non lasciarmi, K486a/295a (7’) Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! K418 (7’) Voi avete un cor fedele, K217 (7’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 7 (36’) ––––– ANTONIO MÉNDEZ – Conductor REGULA MÜHLEMANN – Soprano Young Spanish conductor Antonio Méndez is one of the classical world’s fastest-rising stars, in demand across Europe and the US by some of the world’s leading orchestras. He makes his SCO Season debut with two powerful symphonies: Haydn’s delightful and entertaining 99th and Beethoven’s bracingly energetic Seventh, described by Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”.

Highly regarded Swiss-born opera soprano Regula Mühlemann joins the Orchestra for a collection of vivid concert arias by Mozart.

Regula Mühlemann Soprano ––

Thursday 4 February 2016 Usher Hall – 7.30pm –––––

Proudly sponsored by

Francesco Piemontesi plays

MOZART WHEN PERFORMING MOZART, FRANCESCO PIEMONTESI THINKS METICULOUSLY ABOUT MATTERS OF EXPRESSION AND COLOUR. HE POSSESSES THE NATURAL ARTISTIC STIMULUS TO BE ABLE TO CONVEY HIS INTERPRETATIVE IDEAS WITH EAR-CATCHING SPONTANEITY.

BEETHOVEN Overture, Coriolan (08’) MOZART Piano Concerto No 25 in C, K503 (30’) BEETHOVEN Overture, Prometheus (05’) MOZART Piano Concerto No 26 in D ‘Coronation’, K537 (28’) ––––– ANDREW MANZE – Conductor FRANCESCO PIEMONTESI – Piano Refinement and poetry combine with incisive power in the remarkable playing of young Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi. He joins the SCO for two contrasting piano concertos by Mozart: the grand, songful No 25 in C Major and the brilliant, witty ‘Coronation’ Concerto, No 26 in D. Conductor Andrew Manze, considered one of the world’s leading specialists in historical performance, prefaces the concertos with two of Beethoven’s most powerful overtures: the dramatic Coriolan and the arresting, energetic overture to The Creatures of Prometheus.

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FAMILY CONCERT Saturday 13 February 2016 Assembly Rooms – 12pm and 2.30pm Running Time: approx. 50 mins –––––

JONATHAN DOVE’S

JOHN STORGÅRDS conducts

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SYMPHONY No 5 Saturday 27 February 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm ELGAR Introduction and Allegro (14’) HALLGRÍMSSON Song Cycle (c.30’) SCO Commission: World Premiere

Story by ANTHONY HOROWITZ

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No 5 (39’) ––––– JOHN STORGÅRDS – Conductor HELENA JUNTUNEN – Soprano A new work by celebrated Icelandic composer Hafliði Hallgrímsson takes English literature as its foundation, forming a song cycle based on poetry by E.E. Cummings, Christina Rosetti and William Blake.

The brilliant Finnish soprano Helena Juntunen delivers the deeply emotional lyrics.

THEY SAY THAT THE CROCODIAMOND BLINKED AND TWINKLED LIKE A CROCODILE’S EYE, AND THAT, AS THE SUN SET, IT WOULD REFLECT THE COLOUR OF BLOOD! DOVE The Crocodiamond (Rita and The Wolf) ––––– The biggest diamond in the world, once lurking in the stomach of a crocodile, is now on display in an amazing museum – surrounded by infra-red rays, rotating cameras and even lie-detectors. But a mysterious gang of thieves get past the high-tech security and, with the help of the beautiful Clara, distract the bird-watching security guard from Paris (a French Hornithologist, no less). Discover how our smart young heroine Rita attempts to foil their plot and brings a car chase to a rubbery end. And, if you listen really carefully, you might just uncover the true identity of the invisible gangmaster, The Wolf.

Join us before and after the performance for interactive workshops and the chance to meet SCO players!

Recommended for children aged 4–10.

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Proudly sponsored by

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One of Vaughan Williams’ most tranquil works, his Symphony No 5, conjures tonal images of the English countryside and often alludes to the sounds of Elizabethan polyphony. The concert opens with Elgar’s richly melodic Introduction and Allegro, a heartfelt tribute to the ‘sweet borderland’ of Herefordshire where the composer was living at the time. The concert is conducted by the wonderfully sympathetic John Storgårds.

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COMPOSER INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Hafliði Hallgrímsson introduces his new song cycle.

John Storgårds Conductor ––

Alina Ibragimova Violin ––

LLYR WILLIAMS plays

BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO No 4 Thursday 3 March 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm CPE BACH Symphony in G, Wq183/4 (11’) MOZART Violin Concerto No 2 in D, K211 (21’) Rondo in C, K373 (06’) BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No 4 in G (34’) ––––– ALEXANDER JANICZEK – Director / Violin LLYR WILLIAMS – Piano SCO Associate Artist Alexander Janiczek is widely respected for his deeply felt musicianship and intellectual insights, while Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams has been acclaimed worldwide for his searching, sometimes provocative performances of Beethoven.

Together they continue their survey of Mozart and Beethoven concertos with the SCO, performing Mozart’s vivacious Second Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s sublime Fourth Piano Concerto, the most lyrical of his keyboard concertos.

Janiczek opens the concert with a seldom heard but sparkling early Symphony by CPE Bach, JS Bach’s most pioneering son.

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Proudly sponsored by

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FEAST YOURSELVES ON THE CONCERTOS FROM JANICZEK AND WILLIAMS, AS AN EVENING BECOMES NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRONT OF THE SCORE, BUT TWO EQUAL MINDS STRIVING FOR THE MEANING BEHIND THESE WONDERFUL CONCERTOS. Robin Ticciati

ROBIN TICCIATI conducts

BRAHMS SYMPHONY No 4 Thursday 10 March 2016 Usher Hall – 7.30pm WIDMANN Ikarische Klage Scottish Premiere (14’) SCHUMANN Violin Concerto (31’) BRAHMS Symphony No 4 (39’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor ALINA IBRAGIMOVA – Violin Brahms was an utterly romantic, secretive, selfcritical and revolutionary composer, who inspired many including Schoenberg and Stravinsky. He was, however, fundamentally conservative, drawing inspiration from Bach and Beethoven. Symphony No 4 closes with a passacaglia directly modelled on Bach. The back-story of criticism and suppression of Schumann’s majestic Violin Concerto is at last fading in the face of genuine fascination. Russianborn Alina Ibragimova is a persuasive advocate of the work. The concert opens with Jörg Widmann’s Ikarische Klage – Icarus’ Lament – the ultimate cautionary tale of ambition outstripping ability.

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THE BRAHMS SERIES proudly sponsored by

EXPLORE BRAHMS See Page 11

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EXPLORE BRAHMS

Thursday 17 March 2016 Usher Hall – 7.30pm

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THE BRAHMS SERIES proudly sponsored by

See Page 11

Brahms REQUIEM with the

SCO Chorus BRAHMS’ REQUIEM OFFERS HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR HUMANITY. IT CONFIRMS THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER TO HEAL AND COMFORT THAT MUSIC PROVIDES.

HAYDN Symphony No 102 (24’) BRAHMS Ein deutsches Requiem (68’) ––––– ROBIN TICCIATI – Conductor KATE ROYAL – Soprano MATTHIAS GOERNE – Baritone SCO CHORUS GREGORY BATSLEER – Chorus Director The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Brahms Series sponsored by Baillie Gifford climaxes in Ein deutsches Requiem, completed in memory of the composer’s mother and his most famous champion, Robert Schumann. In this epic masterwork he pours his heart out as never before.

A masterwork on a different scale opens the concert – Haydn’s miniature musical roller-coaster Symphony No 102, which is now believed by many scholars to be ‘The Miracle’ Symphony.

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BRAHMS INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Dr Martin Ennis of Girton College, Cambridge explores new research on Ein Deutsches Requiem.

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BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No 5

Alexandre Bloch Conductor ––

Thursday 7 April 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm DEAN Testament (14’) MUSSORGSKY arr LEDGER Songs and Dances of Death (19’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 5 (31’) ––––– OLARI ELTS – Conductor AIN ANGER – Bass Australian composer Brett Dean’s 2008 work Testament reflects on the famous Heiligenstadt Testament of 1802, in which Beethoven described his ever-increasing deafness in movingly desperate terms. Beethoven’s return to Vienna from Heiligenstadt was marked by a change in musical style, often referred to as his heroic period, which included the famous Fifth Symphony.

Juxtaposed with these works is the seldom heard Songs and Dances of Death. One of Mussorgsky’s most powerful compositions, it sets the texts of his close friend the Russian poet Arseni Gollenischtschew-Kutusow to harrowingly evocative music. Each song deals with death in a poetic manner, reflecting experiences not uncommon in 19th century Russia: child death, death in youth, drunken misadventure and war.

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COMPOSER INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Dr Jane Stanley from the University of Glasgow provides insights into Australian music and culture.

Olari Elts Conductor –– Estonian conductor Olari Elts’ eclectic tastes are reflected in his programme.

BIZET SYMPHONY in C Thursday 14 April 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm STRAVINSKY Concerto in E-flat ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ (12’) SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No 2 (18’) RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte (6’) BIZET Symphony in C (27’) ––––– ALEXANDRE BLOCH – Conductor ANIKA VAVIC – Piano Music to amuse, entertain and inspire: young French conductor Alexandre Bloch’s sparkling concert shows four composers at their most jovial in beautifully crafted works full of wit and ingenuity.

Bizet wrote his exuberant Symphony in C at the age of just 17, and it clearly displays his youthful high spirits. Serbian pianist Anika Vavić is the soloist in Shostakovich’s warm-hearted Second Piano Concerto, full of rich melody and even a joke at the expense of his son, the Concerto’s first soloist. Bloch opens his concert with the intimate invention of Stravinsky’s zesty, Bach-inspired ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ Concerto.

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Proudly sponsored by

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Saturday 23 April 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Oliver Knussen conducts

Mendelssohn SYMPHONY No 1 THERE IS NO CONDUCTOR WHO HAS BEEN AS GENEROUS TO A GENERATION OF YOUNGER BRITISH COMPOSERS AS KNUSSEN HAS, AND NO-ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE REPERTOIRES OF NEW MUSIC AS WELL AS HE DOES. WHAT HE HAS ALREADY GIVEN THE WORLD IS AN OUTPUT OF REMARKABLE, MOVING REFINEMENT; WHAT’S TO COME WILL ONLY BE EVEN MORE SPECIAL. The Guardian

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HENZE Symphony No 1 (17’) SUCKLING Six Speechless Songs (14’) BRITTEN Lachrymae (15’) MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 1 in C minor (32’) ––––– OLIVER KNUSSEN – Conductor JANE ATKINS – Viola Two first symphonies frame renowned British conductor Oliver Knussen’s provocative, wide-ranging programme: the powerful, rapturous First Symphony

by German composer Hans Werner Henze and Mendelssohn’s dramatic First, astonishingly written when he was just 15.

SCO Principal Viola Jane Atkins is the soloist in Britten’s moving Lachrymae, based on a melancholy lute song by Dowland, and the concert is completed with the rich lyricism of Six Speechless Songs by SCO Associate Composer Martin Suckling, written to celebrate the Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary.

BACH MAGNIFICAT with the SCO CHORUS Thursday 28 April 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Kit Armstrong Piano –– Kit Armstrong’s Mozart will exude a relaxed and expressive authority.

BACH Overture from Suite No 3 (07’) MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 5 ‘Reformation’ (27’) MENDELSSOHN Verleih uns Frieden (06’) BACH Magnificat (30’) ––––– RICHARD EGARR – Conductor MHAIRI LAWSON – Soprano DANIELA LEHNER – Mezzo Soprano ANDREW TORTISE – Tenor PETER HARVEY – Baritone SCO CHORUS GREGORY BATSLEER – Chorus Director A rousing concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SCO Chorus, brings together radiant music of celebration and faith for chorus and orchestra, directed by renowned historical performance expert and SCO Associate Artist Richard Egarr.

There’s a sense of awe and exultation throughout Bach’s magnificent Magnificat, for which the SCO and its Chorus are joined by a fine line-up of international soloists. Mendelssohn weaves hymn melodies into his mighty ‘Reformation’ Symphony, and his Verleih uns Frieden is a moving prayer for peace. Egarr begins the concert with the resplendent Overture from Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite.

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CHORUS INSIGHTS: 6.30pm Gregory Batsleer and members of the SCO Chorus celebrate the Chorus’ first 25 years.

EXPLORE BACH See Page 11

KIT ARMSTRONG plays

MOZART PIANO CONCERTO No 20 Saturday 7 May 2016 Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm JM KRAUS Overture ‘Olympie’ (07’) MOZART Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor, K466 (30’) STRAUSS Intermezzo from Capriccio (11’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 1 (26’) ––––– CLEMENS SCHULDT – Conductor KIT ARMSTRONG – Piano Drama and darkness sit alongside lightness and good humour in energetic young German conductor Clemens Schuldt’s concert of contrasts.

Astonishing young British-Taiwanese pianist and Alfred Brendel protégé Kit Armstrong is the soloist in Mozart’s tempestuous D minor Piano Concerto, K466.

The concert begins with the wild, gripping emotions of the Olympie Overture by Joseph Martin Kraus, a contemporary of Haydn.

By way of complete contrast, Schuldt concludes his programme with the warm-hearted Intermezzo from Richard Strauss’s final opera, Capriccio, and the graceful, sometimes mischievous playfulness of Beethoven’s high-spirited First Symphony.

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Thursday 12 May 2016 Usher Hall – 7.30pm –––––

THE QUILTER CHEVIOT KRIVINE SERIES

Emmanuel Krivine conducts

Beethoven’s ‘EROICA’ PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR EMMANUEL KRIVINE OPENS THE CONCERT WITH MUSSORGSKY’S ATMOSPHERIC KHOVANTCHINA PRELUDE AND CLOSES WITH BEETHOVEN AT HIS MOST HEROIC IN THE NOBLE PASSIONS OF THE GREAT ‘EROICA’ SYMPHONY.

MUSSORGSKY Khovantchina Overture ‘Dawn on the Moskva River’ (10’) SIBELIUS Violin Concerto (31’) BEETHOVEN Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’ (47’) ––––– EMMANUEL KRIVINE – Conductor TEDI PAPAVRAMI – Violin Respected equally for the power and the poetry of his searing performances, exceptional Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami joins the SCO for one of the most evocative works in the violin repertoire, Sibelius’ compelling Violin Concerto.

Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine opens the concert with Mussorgsky’s atmospheric Khovantchina Prelude and closes with Beethoven at his most heroic in the noble passions of the great ‘Eroica’ Symphony.

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LEIGHTON & POULENC ORGAN CONCERTOS

CHAMBER SUNDAYS

Greyfriars ‘Spark’ Festival 2015

Sunday 15 November 2015 Queen’s Hall – 3.00pm

Saturday 3 October 2015 Greyfriars Kirk – 7.30pm

MENDELSSOHN Konzertstücke (18‘)

BARTÓK Divertimento (24’) LEIGHTON Organ Concerto (27’) Organ Improvisation POULENC Organ Concerto (22’) ––––– ALEXANDRE BLOCH – Conductor DAVID BRIGGS – Organ SCO STRINGS ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A BOY WAS BORN: MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS

PONCHIELLI Il convegno (10’) BRAHMS String Sextet No 1 in B-flat, Op 18 (36’) ––––– JOSEPH SWENSEN – Violin MAXIMILIANO MARTÍN – Clarinet WILLIAM STAFFORD – Clarinet SCOTT MITCHELL – Piano SCO STRING ENSEMBLE ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Sunday 17 January 2016 Queen’s Hall – 3.00pm BAX Elegaic Trio (10’)

Greyfriars ‘Spark’ Festival 2015

TAKEMITSU And Then I Knew ‘Twas Wind (13’)

Thursday 3 December 2015 Greyfriars Kirk – 7.30pm

DEBUSSY Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (16’) Syrinx (02’)

POSTON Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (03’)

DUBOIS Terzettino (05’)

BRITTEN A boy was born (32’)

RODNEY BENNETT Sonata After Syrinx (15’)

BACH Komm, Jesu, Komm (08’) Chorale Prelude Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 (06’)

RAVEL (arr Salzedo) Sonatine en Trio (12’) ––––– ALISON MITCHELL – Flute JANE ATKINS – Viola​ ELEANOR JOHNSTON – Harp

PRAETORIUS Three Christmas Motets (10’) M. HAYDN Ave Regina Caelorum (11’) ––––– SCO CHORUS GREGORY BATSLEER – Conductor CHORISTERS OF ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH DUNCAN FERGUSON – Director / Organ

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Sunday 20 March 2016 Queen’s Hall – 3.00pm SCHREKER Der Wind (10’) ZEMLINSKY Trio (29’)

DOHNÁNYI Sextet (31’) ––––– Players include: JANE ATKINS – Viola​ MAXIMILIANO MARTÍN – Clarinet ALEC FRANK-GEMMILL – Horn

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HOW TO BOOK

TICKET PRICES

Queen’s Hall Box Office Clerk Street Edinburgh EH8 9JG

All single tickets, including discounts, are on sale from 11 May 2015. Subscriptions are taken from 18 March 2015. Priority booking closes 24 April 2015.

0131 668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net

I £31.50

10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday open until the end of the interval on performance days.

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All major credit cards except American Express are accepted. Postage charge of 80p where applicable.

The box office will charge a £1 transaction fee on all telephone, internet and postal bookings (including subscriptions). The fee does not apply on counter bookings. The Queen’s Hall Box Office sells tickets for all SCO concerts in Edinburgh, including those at the Usher Hall, Greyfriars Kirk and the Assembly Rooms.

Please note: telephone, internet and postal bookings carry a £1 transaction fee (before postage charge of 80p).

––––– 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 are 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 Monday 11 May 2015.

Tickets are also available from the Queen’s Hall Box Office.

UNDER 26?

––––– IF YOU’RE UNDER 26 TICKETS COST £6 30

II £27

III £21

IV £16

V £11

FAMILY CONCERTS Tickets: £12.50 U16s: £5 U26s, students and unemployed people: £6 Family Ticket (2 adults, 2 children): £31 –––––

CHAMBER SUNDAYS Tickets: £13 Concessions: £11, U26: £6 –––––

GREYFRIARS CONCERTS Orchestra concert: £20 nave, £15 aisles Choral concert: £14 –––––

EXPLORE DAYS Tickets: £30 (no discounts) –––––

TICKET DISCOUNTS All concerts except New Year in Vienna.

Senior Citizens – £2 off full price.

Under 26s, students and unemployed people – £6.

Under 16s – free if accompanied by a paying adult.

Maximum of 2 free children’s tickets per adult ticket.

Additional children £5 each (excludes New Year in Vienna – Under 16s £5 each).

People with a disability – 50% off full price tickets for people with a disability and, where one is required, 50% off for their carer.

Group discounts – groups of 6 or more save 20% off full price tickets.

School groups – teachers and/or accompanying adults go free when bringing a school group. For more information, contact SCO Marketing on 0131 557 6802 or info@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 the time of going to press. The SCO does, however, reserve the right to change dates, artists or programmes if necessary.

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Wheelchair accommodation is available in theIVcentre and side stalls. Ramps are fitted at the front and rear of the hall, and there is a toilet at stalls level.

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Greyfriars Kirk III III Greyfriars Place, Edinburgh EH1 2QQ

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There is level access for wheelchairs and adapted toilet facilities.

Guide dogs are welcome, but prior notification of attendance is appreciated so that seating arrangements can be adjusted.

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SUBSCRIPTION PRICES Band

FULL PRICE TICKETS

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£27

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STANDARD DISCOUNTS Saving off full price

Number of concerts

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£107.10 £133.88 £160.65 £187.43 £201.60 £226.80 £252.00 £277.20 £283.50 £307.13 £330.75 £354.38 £352.80 £374.85 £396.90 £418.95 £409.50 £429.98 £415.80 £434.70

£91.80 £114.75 £137.70 £160.65 £172.80 £194.40 £216.00 £237.60 £243.00 £263.25 £283.50 £303.75 £302.40 £321.30 £340.20 £359.10 £351.00 £368.55 £356.40 £372.60

£71.40 £89.25 £107.10 £124.95 £134.40 £151.20 £168.00 £184.80 £189.00 £204.75 £220.50 £236.25 £235.20 £249.90 £264.60 £279.30 £273.00 £286.65 £277.20 £289.80

£54.40 £68.00 £81.60 £95.20 £102.40 £115.20 £128.00 £140.80 £144.00 £156.00 £168.00 £180.00 £179.20 £190.40 £201.60 £212.80 £208.00 £218.40 £211.20 £220.80

SENIOR DISCOUNTS Saving off full price

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£86.40 £108.00 £129.60 £151.20 £162.00 £182.25 £202.50 £222.75 £226.80 £245.70 £264.60 £283.50 £280.80 £298.35 £315.90 £333.45 £324.00 £340.20 £326.70 £341.55

£67.20 £84.00 £100.80 £117.60 £126.00 £141.75 £157.50 £173.25 £176.40 £191.10 £205.80 £220.50 £218.40 £232.05 £245.70 £259.35 £252.00 £264.60 £254.10 £265.65

£51.20 £64.00 £76.80 £89.60 £96.00 £108.00 £120.00 £132.00 £134.40 £145.60 £156.80 £168.00 £166.40 £176.80 £187.20 £197.60 £192.00 £201.60 £193.60 £202.40

Please note: disability subscription packages start from four concerts. The discount is 50% off full price tickets when you purchase tickets for four or more concerts in one transaction. If you are under 26 you can also take advantage of the subscription benefits outlined on page 20, when you purchase tickets for four or more concerts in one transaction.

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SUBSCRIPTION BOOKING FORM Title Forename Surname Address Postcode Telephone (day)

Telephone (eve)

Email 1. Please choose your season concerts (tick boxes) Thursday 8 Oct (UH) Thursday 15 Oct (UH) Thursday 22 Oct (QH) Thursday 29 Oct (QH) Thursday 5 Nov (UH) Thursday 12 Nov (QH)

Tick for ALL 23 CONCERTS:

Thursday 26 Nov (QH) Thursday 10 Dec (QH) Thursday 17 Dec (QH) Friday 1 Jan (UH) Thursday 14 Jan (UH) Thursday 21 Jan (QH)

Thursday 14 Apr (QH) Saturday 23 Apr (QH) Thursday 28 Apr (QH) Saturday 7 May (QH) Thursday 12 May (UH)

Thursday 4 Feb (UH) Saturday 27 Feb (QH) Thursday 3 Mar (QH) Thursday 10 Mar (UH) Thursday 17 Mar (UH) Thursday 7 Apr (QH)

Please write the total number of concerts selected 2. Your subscription type

Standard

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Under 26

Under 16

Please write in the box the number of subscriptions required for each category.

3. Please choose your price band (tick one box)

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IV

4. Please choose your additional concerts (tick boxes) Family Concerts Sat 13 Feb 12pm 2016 Sat 13 Feb 2.30pm 2016

Greyfriars Concerts Saturday 3 Oct 2015 Thursday 3 Dec 2015

Chamber Sundays Sunday 15 Nov 2015 Sunday 17 Jan 2016 Sunday 20 Mar 2016

Explore Days Saturday 31 Oct 2015 Saturday 12 Mar 2016 Saturday 23 Apr 2016

5. Where applicable, do you have a preference on seating area Usher Hall:

Stalls

Queen’s Hall:

Grand Circle (I and II only)

Stalls

Upper Circle

Greyfriars:

Nave

Aisles

Gallery

6. Your Payment (reference subscription prices opposite) Total cost of subscription

+

£

Additional concerts

+

£

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£1.80

=

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7. How do you wish to pay?

I enclose a cheque payable to ‘Queen’s Hall Box Office’.

Please debit my Mastercard/Visa/debit card (delete as appropriate).

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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 Subscriptions, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG Please note: postal transaction fee subject to change if postage costs rise.

Please tick this box if you do not wish to join the SCO’s e-news list to receive updates about concerts, events, offers and news by email. (We will not give your details to any third parties.)

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THANK YOU

PLAY YOUR PART

Sincere thanks to everyone who supports the work of the SCO. Your generosity significantly adds to the considerable investment of the Scottish Government and means the SCO can continue performing across the world, making award-winning recordings and delivering meaningful creative learning projects.

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 as well as bespoke corporate hospitality packages.

––––– Principal Sponsor Virgin Money

For further information on how you can support the SCO, visit www.sco.org.uk or contact the Development & Sponsorship Department on 0131 478 8344 or sponsorship@sco.org.uk.

Benefactor Dunard Fund Corporate Sponsors Baillie Gifford First State Investments Quilter Cheviot Turcan Connell

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SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay Patron

Corporate Friends Aberdeen Asset Management Key Player

Robin Ticciati Principal Conductor

Corporate Supporters Balmoral Hotel Capital Solutions The Co-operative Membership Corney & Barrow David Macdonald Limited John Lewis Partnership Kinloch Anderson Linn Records The Miller Group Pulsant Radio Forth Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh Stac Polly Restaurants Thom Micro Systems Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Emmanuel Krivine Principal Guest Conductor Joseph Swensen Conductor Emeritus Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Composer Laureate Martin Suckling Associate Composer Karen Cargill Associate Artist Richard Egarr Associate Artist Alexander Janiczek Associate Artist Donald MacDonald CBE Life President

––––– The SCO would also like to thank Local Authorities, Corporate Partners, Patrons, Subscribers, 250 Society Members and many trusts and foundations.

Colin Buchan Chairman Roy McEwan OBE Chief Executive

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KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE SCO FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, FILMS, PHOTOS, BLOGS, SPECIAL OFFERS AND LOTS MORE...

Sign up for our e-newsletter and get all the latest news straight to your inbox sco.org.uk/register Find us on Facebook facebook.com/scottishchamberorchestra Follow us on Twitter @SCOmusic –––––

LARGE PRINT, BRAILLE AND TALKING NOTES VERSIONS OF THIS BROCHURE ARE AVAILABLE. CALL 0131 557 6802 Please note that all timings (shown in brackets) are approximate and do not include intervals or platform changes.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Design Owen | O’Shea owenoshea.com

Photography Jason Alden Satoshi Aoyagi Marco Borggreve Angus Bremner Felix Broede Eoin Carey Fabrice Dell’Anese Jack Dine Benjamin Ealovega

Sebastian Ene Kaapo Kamu Jen Owens Euan Robertson Shirley Suarez Eva Vermandel Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Graphische Sammlung und Fotoarchiv

FSC

4 Royal Terrace Edinburgh EH7 5AB telephone: 0131 557 6800 email: info@sco.org.uk www.sco.org.uk

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The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a charity registered in Scotland No. SC015039 Company registration No. SC75079

EDINBURGH 2015/16 Thursday 8 October Usher Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 15 October Usher Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 22 October Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 29 October Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

BRAHMS SYMPHONY No 1

BRAHMS SYMPHONY No 2

HANDEL’S THEODORA

Sibelius + Nielsen 150

Thursday 5 November Usher Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 12 November Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Sunday 15 November Queen’s Hall – 3pm

Thursday 26 November Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

An evening with

Sibelius + Nielsen 150

CHAMBER SUNDAYS No 1

SCHUMANN CELLO CONCERTO

Thursday 3 December Greyfriars – 7.30pm

Thursday 10 December Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 17 December Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Friday 1 January Usher Hall – 7pm

SCO CHORUS at GREYFRIARS

John Butt conducts

BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO No 3

NEW YEAR in VIENNA

Thursday 14 January Usher Hall – 7.30pm

Sunday 17 January Queen’s Hall – 3pm

Thursday 21 January Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 4 February Usher Hall – 7.30pm

BRAHMS SYMPHONY No 3

CHAMBER SUNDAYS No 2

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No 7

MOZART PIANO CONCERTO No 25

Saturday 13 February Assembly Rooms – 12pm and 2.30pm

Saturday 27 February Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 3 March Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 10 March Usher Hall – 7.30pm

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS BEETHOVEN PIANO SYMPHONY No 5 CONCERTO No 4

BRAHMS SYMPHONY No 4

Thursday 17 March Usher Hall – 7.30pm

Sunday 20 March Queen’s Hall – 3pm

Thursday 7 April Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 14 April Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

BRAHMS REQUIEM

CHAMBER SUNDAYS No 3

BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No 5

BIZET SYMPHONY in C

Saturday 23 April Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 28 April Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Saturday 7 May Queen’s Hall – 7.30pm

Thursday 12 May Usher Hall – 7.30pm

MENDELSSOHN SYMPHONY No 1

BACH MAGNIFICAT

MOZART PIANO CONCERTO No 20

BEETHOVEN’S ‘EROICA’

EMMANUEL KRIVINE

FAMILY CONCERT The Crocodiamond

SIBELIUS SYMPHONY No 3

GENERATIONS of BACH

MAIDEN IN THE TOWER