news
AIMING TO INSPIRE AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES
www.sco.org.uk | Issue 63 | January 2016
Symphony for a hero Join Emmanuel Krivine as we say an Eroic farewell to our Chief Executive Roy McEwan
Also inside: Roy McEwan to retire| New SCO Commision | Su-a Lee
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CONTENTS
Issue 63 | January 2016
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Regulars
COVER
3 Foreword 4 SCO news 8 60 second interview 9 Recent Recordings 14 Your Orchestra, Your Say
10 An evening with Krivine We spent some time catching up with our new Principal Guest Conductor, Frenchman Emmanuel Krivine. He gave us an insight into his life as an international conductor, both on and off the podium.
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Other 13 Five Songs for Soprano and Orchestra
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
Core funded by
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Foreword Your Orchestra
Roy McEwan
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Roy McEwan Chief Executive AIMING TO INSPIRE AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES
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SCO NEWS Roy McEwan retires with Eroica –––––– After almost a quarter of a century working for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, our Chief Executive Roy McEwan has announced he will retire in the Summer. We hear from Roy: “My decision to step down has been quite a while in the planning and one which I discussed with Donald MacDonald and our new chair, Colin Buchan, when we managed a change of Chair in 2014. The Orchestra is in great shape and it includes a special group of musicians who touch people’s lives through their performances and their engagement through our creative learning programme. Whatever the challenges of the next few years, the SCO couldn’t be in a better position to confront them. It was with my retirement in mind that I programmed the last concert in the current season, and carefully chose to finish my last season with Beethoven’s Eroica and the Sibelius Violin Concerto… It was our Guest Conductor
Poster artwork for Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ conducted by Emmanuel Krivine
Emmanuel Krivine who encouraged us to bring Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami to Scotland to play the Sibelius. He may be an unfamiliar name in the UK, but his music making is magical. Thanks to the power of Youtube, there’s a video of him playing Paganini allegedly at the age of just nine, on Albanian TV.
The Orchestra is in great shape and it includes a special group of musicians who touch people’s lives
The music of Sibelius has been with me since I discovered it in my teens and the Violin Concerto is quintessential Sibelius, encompassing the rich romanticism of his early years and the highly original language which made his later works so visionary. Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ was the first great symphony I stumbled across on an old Allegro budget LP with the Saxon State Orchestra. It
was just my luck that it was one of the most breath-taking and mould breaking symphonies ever written and its impact is undimmed today. It is a work which the SCO has played superbly throughout its history and with Emmanuel Krivine at the helm it should be thrilling. I hope you will be able to join me for my final concert as Chief Executive.”
Würzburg
Save the Date –––––
Supporters’ Concerts 2016 As a thank you for your continued support, please join us at one of these special concerts, when there will also be an opportunity to enjoy refreshments with the players. –––––– St Andrews Younger Hall 11am, Saturday 20 February 2016 Edinburgh Queen’s Hall 11am, Saturday 27 February 2016 Aberdeen Queen’s Cross Church 2.30pm, Saturday 12 March 2016 Glasgow City Halls 11am, Saturday 16 April 2016 Please add your local date to your diary! If you can’t make your local date, please get in touch as there might be space at one of the other concerts.
–––––– BEETHOVEN’S ‘EROICA’ 11-13 May Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow
Supporters Trip –––––– Würzburg, Germany 3 June to 7 June 2016 –––––– To coincide with the SCO’s appearance at Würzburg’s Mozartfest in June 2016, we have organised another Supporters Trip with our friends at Grosvenor Travel. The trip will consist of three nights in Würzburg and one night in Augsburg, taking in the sights and enjoying the Orchestra performing at the festival. The cost of the trip covers four nights bed and breakfast, one evening meal, flights, transfers, excursions and, most importantly, a concert ticket. –––––– For more information, please visit www.sco.org.uk/support-us/events or contact Grosvenor Travel on 01492 547744. ––––––
Mozartfest Würzburg runs from 3 June - 3 July 2016
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from Connect
Family Concert
Jonathan Dove’s
Win £250 ––––––
250 SOCIETY Please join us in congratulating recent winners of our 250 Society draw who each won £250. October – John & Elizabeth Murphy November – Katherine Howe December – Jill Purves-Hume It costs just £5 a month to become a member of the SCO’s 250 Society and be in with a chance of winning a monthly prize of £250. All proceeds go towards funding the work of SCO Connect. To join, simply download the SCO 250 Society membership form at www.sco.org.uk/support-us or contact Adam James on 0131 478 8344.
–––––– Outside of their orchestral commitments, the SCO players continue to inspire people of all ages across Scotland. One particular project which will culminate in a weekend of family concerts in February is Crocodiamond. Since November, the well known children’s illustrator and author, Debi Gliori, together with our musicians, Aisling O’Dea and Emily Dellit Imbert, have been working with pupils from Sandaig Primary School in Glasgow. The children have been introduced to the music and inspired to create illustrations for the project. This is an exciting collaboration with the Edinburgh International Book Festival; a first for the SCO. The hills of Perthshire have been very much alive with the sound of Schubert’s Symphony No.8 and Brahms’ Haydn Variations, performed at our recent Scrapers and Tooters in Perth. Adult players enjoyed expert coaching from Robert McFall, Alison Mitchell, Rachel Smith, Eric De Witt, Duncan Ferguson, Adrian Bornet, Tom Hunter and Peter Franks under the expert baton of Chris George.
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under the direction of Fraser Trainer and SCO musicians. Wanting to hear more from the SCO, the participating students came to an open rehearsal and concert! –––––– FAMILY CONCERT: THE CROCODIAMOND 13-14 February Edinburgh and Glasgow
Trumpets
Our new Trumpets
“This was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! The opportunity to play as a 100% amateur musician under highly regarded and experienced conductor and tutors, who already have an illustrious careers, is still something I can’t believe exists.” Another exciting Perthshire adventure continues in Rattray Primary School, Blairgowrie. Brian Schiele and Matt Hardy along with composer and workshop leader, Matilda Brown, are in their first year of a two year residency programme, nurturing
creativity among school pupils who are delighted to get a rare opportunity to work with professional musicians. Aisling O’Dea will be joining the programme in the New Year. The school will benefit from visits by our musicians introducing them to the instruments of the orchestra. University students have also been enjoying multiple opportunities especially created for them. While Lotta Wennäkoski was in town for the premier of her piece, Verdigris, the Edinburgh College hosted a three day composition project
–––––– Welcome to our new Ricco Kühn B-flat rotary-valve trumpets. Made by a specialist brass instrument maker near Dresden in Germany, they make an extremely useful addition to our musical armoury, matching the C models purchased a year or so ago, and replace the instruments made for us by Yamaha, 27 years ago. These trumpets are best suited to romantic repertoire due to their sonorous blending sound, and you can hear them in the remainder of the Brahms series under the direction of Robin Ticciati.
Welcome! –––––– We are pleased to welcome Gordon Bragg as our new sub-
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principal second violin. Born and bred in Scotland, Gordon has built a varied career as a violinist and a conductor. He holds the post of second violinist of the Edinburgh Quartet, with which he has performed throughout the UK as well as regularly broadcasting live on BBC Radio and made several recordings. Gordon studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, learning violin with SCO Leader Stephanie Gonley and Simon Fischer, and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He was Leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and NYOS Camerata, and member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra. Gordon is also active as a conductor, having conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, SCO, RSNO, NYOS Camerata, Scottish Ballet and Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie. Gordon Bragg
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SECOND INTERVIEW Gregory Batsleer What do you enjoy about being part of a chamber orchestra chorus and how is it different to leading a symphony orchestra chorus? Naturally a chamber chorus is much smaller than a symphony chorus. We at the SCO Chorus focus predominately on the Baroque and Classical periods, this repertoire is particularly close to my heart. It gives the performers a greater sense of freedom and responsibility to express the music. Do you have a favourite work for Chorus? I don’t really have a favourite, usually the piece we’re working on becomes my favourite work and as it happens the Brahms Requiem is one of the finest choral works ever written. At what age did you start singing? Did you ever consider another instrument or was it always voice? I first joined a choir at aged 8 and became amazed by the feeling of making music with other people. It wasn’t just singing, I played the cello until the age of 18. Some of my most memorable moments are playing cello in a local youth orchestra. However what the singing voice can do has always inspired me. What do you see your role as with the SCO Chorus? Artistically I’m responsible for the development and standard of the SCO Chorus and I take great pride in this. In order to make great music with people there has to be a personal connection and we have developed this. I feel like I am amongst great friends and family and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and what the future holds.
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Recent Recordings Awards, awards… Two of our recordings have been nominated for a 2016 International Classical Music Award! Best Symphonic Nominee: Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 31, 70 & 101 by Robin Ticciati and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Best Vocal Recital Nominee: Mozart: Opera Arias and Overtures by Elizabeth Watts, Christian Baldini and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.The final result with the winners will be published on January 20 2016 with the Award Ceremony and Gala concert scheduled for April in San Sebastian. Haydn Symphonies features in the Telegraph’s Best Classical Albums of 2015 “Brilliance, finesse, freshness and
bravura… a thoroughly nourishing taster of Haydn’s seemingly limitless imagination and creative verve”. Geoffrey Norris, Telegraph Schumann Symphonies wins an Edison Award! Our recording of Schumann Symphonies with Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati has won a prestigious Edison Klassiek Award! According to our Dutch Cellist Eric de Wit, the Edison is one of the eldest music prizes in the world - it’s the Dutch ‘Grammy’. BBC Radio 3 CD Review Building a Library CKD 350 / Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Sir Charles Mackerras / Mozart: Symphonies 29, 31 (Paris), 32, 35 (Haffner) & 36 (Linz), Chosen by Richard Wigmore, 24 October 2015
“…they get everything excitingly and unaffectedly right: tempos, spirit, balance and a never-failing knack for preparing and clinching climaxes, not least in the closing stages of the Finale. For colour and sheer exhilaration, they are unrivalled in this movement.” (Richard Wigmore) These recordings are all available to purchase from the SCO Shop or at the Merchandise desk on concert nights. And Finally… If you haven’t heard it yet, David Watkin’s Gramophone Award winning recording of Bach Cello Suites is also the Herald’s No 1 Classical Recording of 2015. It is available to purchase from McAlister Matheson Music, 1 Grindlay St, Edinburgh (T 0131 228 3827).
Due for release: April 2016 –––––– Conducted by Antonio Mendez xxx xxx xxx The Sunday Times
Schumann & Mendelssohn Piano Concertos
fresh and exciting… Classic FM Disc of the Week
–––––– Available from the SCO merchandise desk or shop.sco.org.uk £12
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An Evening with Krivine We spent some time catching up with our new Principal Guest Conductor, Frenchman Emmanuel Krivine. He gave us an insight into his life as an international conductor, both on and off the podium. You have worked with many of the greatest orchestras and soloists in the world today – Steven Isserlis, Martha Argerich, Maria João Pires, Berlin Philharmonic, Chamber Orhcestra of Europe, Royal Concertgebouw… Now looking back to the start, who were your musical influences when you were growing up? Who are your musical ‘idols’ now? My role models when I was young were Fischer-Dieskau, Furtwängler, Fritz Reiner, Victor de Sabata, Solti; later I was very interrested by G.Leonhardt,
Norrington, Harnoncourt, Gardiner and I have utmost respect and admiration for Kleiber, Abbado, Muti... Every conductor has a different approach to the music they conduct. How do you approach a score? What’s the first thing you do when you open the score for the first time? I approach a score by asking myself what the composer would want to hear, and it is also for this reason that I am interested in period instruments. But before looking at what lies within each score in detail, I look at the whole framework of the piece, and then I can flesh it out. I analyse exactly what’s happening before trying to imagine what it will sound like. You are founder and musical director of La Chambre Philharmonique, a period instrument chamber orchestra in
The SCO is a model orchestra because there is a mutual sound which allows the conductor to just guide the music Paris. What interests you the most about working with a chamber orchestra? For me, the ‘Chamber Orchestra’ is the perfect model. Every orchestra should work like a chamber orchestra, whether they are Symphony or Philharmonic! Even these words should not really exist. We should talk about groups of musicians large or small who listen to each other in the same way. The way that the players of the SCO listen together makes it such a model orchestra and means that the conductor can simply guide the music without
having a huge weight to carry along. You’re next with the SCO in May conducting the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami. Have you collaborated with Tedi before? What do you like about working with him? I have worked often with Tedi Papavrami who I like very much for his intellectual honesty, his thoughtfulness and his full-bodied playing. We have just recorded Bartók with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. It was a beautiful experience and I look forward to returning to it with Sibelius. Recently, Jurgen Klopp (the new manager of Liverpool Football Club) said in an interview that football isn’t life or death. He said of his fans, “We have to entertain
them – we have to make their lives better… It’s our job to let them forget their problems for 90 minutes.” Do you believe you have a similar responsibility as a musician to your audiences? Football is a sport and music an art. They have little in common, other than taking part. Music can be enjoyed through listening, just as much as playing. One doesn’t exist without the other.
It’s great fun working with Krivine. He’s got a great sense of humour and his concerts are always memorable – very free and with lots of energy! Eric de Wit, SCO Cello Player
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He brings an extra dimension to the music itself, always with a refine control of phrasing and a total understanding of the score Maximiliano Martín, SCO Principal Clarinet
Having an audience listening really influences the musicians’ playing because they are getting something back. Also, contrary to what one might believe, an audience in a concert hall is perhaps more active than one in a stadium, although it cannot be heard as much! Do you ever attend concerts as an audience
The SCO hasn’t become routine. They are very open-minded. They don’t judge
member? Does that change your perspective on what you do on the stage? I go to concerts of classical music very rarely because I am constantly torn between the stage and the audience to wonder what I would have done here or there. However, I love jazz concerts. I’m not there in any way trying to “judge” or analyse what is happening. I can be totally receptive. What do you enjoy about working with the SCO? That’s simple: they play well; they have a familial ambience; they are very relaxed. The quality of an orchestra is all about their attitude of listening, and the SCO are good listeners.
They actually like music. You can’t always say that. Even the grandest orchestras can become routine. The SCO hasn’t become routine. They are very openminded. They don’t judge. That’s very nice for me. I don’t have to be a pedagogue. I can just play music with them –––––– Krivine next conducts the SCO in May 2016 when he closes the SCO Season with a programme of Mussorgsky, Sibelius and Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’. –––––– THE QUILTER CHEVIOT KRIVINE SERIES proudly sponsored by
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“Have you forgotten how one Summer night We wandered forth together with the moon, While warm winds hummed to us a sleepy tune?” Christina Rossetti
Five Songs for Soprano and Orchestra A new SCO commission by Hafliði Hallgrímsson Five Songs for Soprano and Orchestra by Hafliði Hallgrímsson is one of two SCO commissions in the 2015/16 Season. Often inspired by visual art (himself an accomplished painter), Hallgrímsson has instead chosen to use texts for this work by three of the great English poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake and Christina Rossetti. Hallgrímsson’s music is an immersive experience – allowing not only the soloist, but also the orchestra and the audience to be taken into the world of poetic imagination. With each text, he paints a different picture; from the ship sailing out on the open ocean in Coleridge’s ‘Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship…’, to vivid depictions of man’s arrogance towards nature in Blake’s ‘The Fly’, and ending with Rossetti’s ‘Have you forgotten’, delving into that universal preoccupation of mankind – the quest to find real and everlasting love. Hafliði Hallgrímsson is a familiar face to many in the SCO and in the audience – he was Principal Cello with the Orchestra from 1977 to 1983. Despite a successful career as a cellist, he continued to be drawn to composition and in 1983 decided to become a fulltime composer. He has
since enjoyed fruitful compositional partnerships with several groups and orchestras, including the SCO and the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra where he is resident composer. Another former SCO Principal Cellist, William Conway, and long-time friend and colleague who has commissioned and performed Hallgrímsson’s music writes: “Hafliði Hallgrímsson’s music conjures up landscapes of ominous dark clouds, the sounds of creaking ice, dramatic surges of light and shifting energy contrasted with beautiful, soulful lines of melody. Although there is clear structure and rigour in his work, Hafliði the visual artist and Hafliði the composer share a richly creative palette of colour, creating music of intensity and integrity.” –––––– The poems included are ‘Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship…’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ‘The Fly’ and ‘Little Boy Lost’ by William Blake and ‘De Profundis’ and ‘Have you forgotten’ by Christina Rossetti. The SCO will perform Five Songs for Soprano and Orchestra on 26 & 27 February 2016 in Glasgow and Edinburgh. –––––– Hafliði Hallgrímsson’s new work is kindly supported by Cruden Foundation
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YOUR ORCHESTRA, YOUR SAY... –––––– SCO news would like to give you the opportunity to join with us, comment and have your say. Whether it is via social media or by sending us a letter we love to hear from you –––––– Last night I attended the Launch of the SCO’s new season. Now I’m not going to kid you and say I know anything about classical music but when I was asked to attend I thought it would be good to try something different….so I did. Sometimes in your life you see really special moments and for me that was one of them. My eyes just floated from musician to musician, watching them collectively provide a tidal wave of sound and enjoyment to the captive audience. Scott Anderson (Email)
Once again much enjoying @baldinic’s warmly incisive disc of Mozart arias and overtures with @SCOmusic and @LizWattsSoprano. Recommended. Mark Berry @boulezian Bravo - tonight’s concert in Saint Andrews was superb, especially the Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony. Jan Palmer, Facebook Most of us play in amateur orchestras and ensembles but playing with the SCO members takes us to a completely new level – feels like driving a Formula One supercar! Many thanks to all in involved! Perth Scrapers and Tooters Participant
FABULOUS concert @SCOmusic Chorus @stmarys_music choristers last night. A Boy was Born sounded incredible!! Well done @gregbatsleer et al David Watkin @daiwatkin
I greatly appreciated last week’s concert; the Neilson concerto is not one my favourites BUT the soloist really made it work better than I have ever heard it. I have recordings by Tauno Hannikainen of S1belius symphonies 2 & 5 from 1959, presumably last week’s conductor’s father. Ernest Bell (Email)
Join the conversation –––––– Sign up for our email newsletter for all our latest news, films, photos, blogs and special offers. sco.org.uk/register Email us Elizabeth Whitty, Customer Communications elizabeth.whitty@sco.org.uk Comment us on Facebook View our latest photographs. facebook.com/scottishchamberorchestra Share your experience on Twitter @SCOmusic Share your experience on Instagram #mySCO
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THROUGH THE EYES OF... The front desk of the Cellos Su-a Lee When/where were you on sabbatical? I took a 6 month sabbatical from the SCO between April and October in 2015. I was in Paris and Glasgow for some of it, but I spent about 4 months in the US and Canada. I studied with many teachers and took several different courses in folk, traditional, Classical and Arabic music…from New York, to San Francisco and Montreal, via Indianapolis, Massachussetts, Maine and Florida! One could almost say that I’ve come home for a holiday! What’s your Cello’s Story? I picked up my new cello in Paris! It was made especially for me, by a wonderful maker called Stephan von Baehr. I believe that there may be one or two more von Baehr commissions coming to the SCO soon?! ;-) Stephan is a wizard. He is fervently enthusiastic about making instruments, and customises them to suit your personality and playing. The first time we met, I went with my husband Gordon, and we spent about 3 hours with him chatting and playing. All the while, he fixes you with these beautiful blue eyes that are piercingly perceptive, and you have the feeling that he is already gathering vital information regarding the formation of your instrument. By the time we left, we were both in love with him. It was love at first sight with the new cello too, and I have had a very happy summer getting to know “Stella”…! What music do you listen to (and perhaps why)? My musical taste is very eclectic. I enjoy a wide variety of different genres. These range from Frank Zappa, through blues, country, jazz, soul, electronica, rock, 80’s pop, punk, Indian, Arabic, Latin American, and of course a lot of Celtic, Scandinavian and American traditional
music. I guess you could say that I have “global” tastes. Random iPod shuffling is a good way to surprise yourself with things you haven’t heard in a long time! I also always try to buy the albums that friends have produced, so for a high proportion of the time, I have a close personal connection with whoever I’m listening to. On occasion, it might even be me…eek! After a summer learning from so many different traditions, I came back with scores of new albums…it will take some months to get through them all! But the album which is top of my list, in fact it would be my “desert island disc”, is David Watkin’s recent recording of the Bach Solo Cello Suites, for which he has deservingly just won a Gramophone Award.
THROWBACK –––––
In April 2016 our chorus celebrate their 25th birthday. We’ve been looking through the archives and found this picture of the founding members in 1991. –––––– Join Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer and members of the SCO Chorus as they explore the Chorus’ first 25 years in a special pre-concert insight in April.
Hear us in concert
Diary: Jan-March Venues:
Perth St Andrews Ayr
Edinburgh Glasgow Aberdeen
Dumfries
1,3-5 January Various times
14-15 January 7.30pm
NEW YEAR IN VIENNA
BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO 3
JOSEPH SWENSEN Director/Violin
ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor DOROTHEA RÖSCHMANN Soprano
Sunday 17 January 3pm
21-23 January 7.30pm
3-5 February 7.30pm
CHAMBER SUNDAYS
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO 7
FRANCESCO PIEMONTESI PLAYS MOZART
Alison Mitchell Flute Jane Atkins Viola Eleanor Johnston Harp
ANTONIO MÉNDEZ Conductor REGULA MÜHLEMANN Soprano
ANDREW MANZE Conductor FRANCESCO PIEMONTESI Piano
13-14 February Various Times
17 February 5.30pm
26-27 February 7.30pm
FAMILY CONCERT: THE CROCODIAMOND
EARLY EVENING RECITAL
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SYMPHONY NO 5
DOVE Composer Story by Anthony Horowitz
ALISON GREEN Bassoon Jane Atkins Viola
2-4 March 7.30pm
10-12 March 7.30pm
BEETHOVEN PIANO BRAHMS SYMPHONY NO 4 CONCERTO NO 4 ALEXANDER JANICZEK Director/Violin LLYR WILLIAMS Piano
ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor ALINA IBRAGIMOVA Violin
JOHN STORGÅRDS Conductor HELENA JUNTUNEN Soprano 12 March 10.30am
17-18 March 7.30pm
BRAHMS EXPLORE DAY
BRAHMS REQUIEM ROBIN TICCIATI Conductor KATE ROYAL, MATTHIAS GOERNE, SCO CHORUS
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
www.sco.org.uk