SCO Edinburgh Brochure 2011-12

Season 2011/12 Edinburgh Tickets 0131 668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net www.sco.org.uk

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Welcome

to our 2011/12 Season!

The 19th century maverick Hector Berlioz returns as a main theme as the SCO and SCO Chorus open the Season with his Symphonie Fantastique and the relatively unknown choral work, Tristia. I am particularly excited to welcome back Karen Cargill who is returning to sing Les Nuits d'été.

György Ligeti is another of our celebrated composers – we will be performing two of his masterworks, the Chamber Concerto and Hamburg Concerto. It was both intriguing and exciting that the Piano Concerto we performed in the 2009/10 Season received such a mixed reaction. As he is one of the most influential composers of the 20th century and a voice we believe in, I invite you to explore once again the extraordinary sound world he creates. There will be a study day to look beyond the notes for those who are curious – do join us for Explore: Ligeti.

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It gives me great delight to welcome Viktoria Mullova, Llŷr Williams and Pieter Wispelwey, some of the most celebrated soloists performing in the world today, for their first performances with the Orchestra. We look forward to these new partnerships and to the insights they will bring, as well as welcoming back the familiar faces who make the SCO dance, laugh and cry – Robert Levin, Alexander Janiczek and Lars Vogt to mention but a few.

Among the five world premieres that we will bring you this Season, one is by the young Scottish composer Martin Suckling. With his unique voice and sensitivity to orchestral colour, it is a great thrill that we can plan his new music alongside new works by Knussen, Kerry, Beamish and Hallgrímsson.

With Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schumann at every corner, there is something for everyone in our Season.

Your support means so much to us – I look forward to welcoming you.

robin ticciati principal conductor scottish chamber orchestra

Photograph by Paul Hampton

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has, over a very short space of time, become my musical family and it gives me such joy to know that we will be making music together well beyond this Season, because the players, our supporters and I have agreed to continue our relationship until 2015. Our journey as an intimate group of musicians will continue to search deep within the music with the aim of giving you, our audience, evenings of wonderment: what is music for unless it helps us as a community to look into each and every person's soul in an attempt to glimpse some sort of ungraspable utopia?

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Season Highlights

Beethoven No composer lies more surely at the heart of SCO repertoire than Beethoven. Over this Season he appears in many different guises: theatre music, concerto, symphony, and sacred music; we hear the young Beethoven, still in his 20s, and the mature master. No orchestra in the world is better placed to respond to the myriad different approaches conductors bring to this music these days – the radical, historically informed approach of Levin or Manze; the sheer elegance and rigour of Langrée; or the magisterial breadth and fire of Storgårds.

Photographs by Chris Christodoulou

Symphonie Fantastique

Ticciati and the Romantics Robin Ticciati once remarked that fine programming should be like excellent menu planning – you don’t want to eat just steak! True to his word, he conducts the music of four centuries this Season including some of the definitive works in the repertoire.

Draw a line from Beethoven through Berlioz and Schumann to Brahms, and there you have it: a fascinating path through eight decades of Romanticism, rich in cross-currents and influences as these four men defined the sound of an age of wars, revolutions, ferment and change.

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Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati sets the tone for a Season dominated by masterpieces of an age of Romanticism and revolution – especially the works of Schumann and Berlioz. He directs the Orchestra in its first ever performance of Berlioz’s heady fantasy Symphonie Fantastique: its tale of idyllic love curdled into nightmare and horror inspires orchestral colours the like of which had never been heard before. As ever, when the SCO ventures into this repertoire, expect the dust of ages to be blasted off so you hear the work with fresh ears.

Cl@Six An hour of music in the early evening – what better way to end the day? The SCO’s CL@SIX concerts offer an informal, relaxed hour of music in Edinburgh’s city centre. By the time they’re finished, around seven o’clock, the rush hour is over, the crush has evaporated and getting home’s a breeze.

They are the perfect way to unwind, and are also ideal for introducing children to a live concert experience: not too long, not too late, but featuring the same world-class musicians and performances as the Orchestra’s main evening concerts.

New Music Thanks to its famed versatility and virtuosity, no orchestra time-travels better or more widely than the SCO. Perfectly happy in the early 18th century, it also lives very much in the present and commissions new work every season. In 2011/12 we are delighted to welcome back familiar faces Sally Beamish and Hafliði Hallgrímsson, who both create new concerti. There is also a chance to meet Martin Suckling, a young Glaswegian making a serious impact internationally, and distinguished Australian Gordon Kerry makes his SCO debut with a new concerto for the Orchestra’s charismatic Principal Flute, Alison Mitchell.

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Explore: Berlioz national library of scotland Saturday 1 October 10.30am-4.30pm

Reproduced with permission from the Hector Berlioz Website (www.hberlioz.com).

To celebrate the Opening Concert of the Season, author and musicologist David Cairns returns to Edinburgh to lead a study day about Berlioz, his life and work. The day takes place at the National Library of Scotland, home of a world-renowned Berlioz collection, and during the day participants will have exclusive access to some of the treasures from the archives.

Symphonie Fantastique: Ticciati Conducts 6

24120 Edinburgh A5 36pp FINAL.indd 6-7

tickets £20 To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353.

For more information about the SCO’s Lifelong Learning programme, visit www.sco.org.uk/connect.

See page 29 for further details of SCO Connect.

usher hall Thursday 6 October 7.30pm

schumann Overture, Genoveva (10’) berlioz Tristia (18’) berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (50’) robin ticciati Conductor sco chorus Sponsored by

Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati opens the Season.

In his own words: “Berlioz’s masterwork Symphonie Fantastique is most commonly associated with the symphony orchestra, but I am extremely excited by the prospect of playing it with the SCO as our opening concert of this new Season. It represents a natural continuation of our Berlioz journey which began with La Mort de Cléopâtre and L’Enfance du Christ. I am hoping that with a rigorous attention to phrasing, articulation, the colour of dissonance and classical and early romantic style, we will enter into this world of goblins, frenzied passion and loneliness and offer you a thought-provoking and new way of listening to the piece. Join us for the next leg of the journey!”

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Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony

Cl@Six: Inspirational Cities

queen’s hall Saturday 22 October 7.30pm

st cuthbert’s parish church Tuesday 25 October 6pm

usher hall Thursday 13 October 7.30pm

suckling New Work (10’) world premiere SCO commission schumann Symphony No 4 (original version) (28’) beethoven Violin Concerto (42’) robin ticciati Conductor viktoria mullova Violin

Limpid in tone, matchless in technique, fearlessly honest in her musicality: it is easy to see why Mullova has become one of the biggest stars of the violin worldwide. Her performance launches a season-long journey through many of the concertos, symphonies and choral works of Beethoven. Schumann’s symphony was a labour of love – it took around a decade to complete and is dedicated to the great violinist Joseph Joachim, who was a child prodigy when it was begun but a mature artist (and grown man) by the time of its completion. Yet, debate still rages about whether Schumann's first or last thoughts on this piece were superior. On this occasion, Ticciati opts for the first version – the one Schumann's own friend, Brahms, preferred. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Martin Suckling talks about his new work.

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Photograph by Hang-Jin Cho

Mullova Plays Beethoven mozart Symphony No 1 K16 (13’)

haydn March for the Royal Society of Musicians (4’)

haydn Cello Concerto in D (25’)

mozart Symphony No 31 ‘Paris’ (17’)

beethoven Symphony No 6 ‘Pastoral’ (39’)

haydn Symphony No 104 ‘London’ (29’)

thierry fischer Conductor pieter wispelwey Cello

olari elts Conductor

A spry and brilliant symphony by an eight-year-old; a magnificent concerto, lost for nearly two centuries; a symphony that has become a popular favourite the world over, though in its time it was astonishingly revolutionary. The familiar names of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart conceal a wealth of stories in this delightful programme.

Two of the greatest musical cities of the 18th century celebrated by two of its greatest composers, both of them Austrian. Haydn was a huge celebrity in London, and of his twelve ‘London’ symphonies this was the last and finest. For Mozart, Paris left bitter memories of disappointment and loss as his mother died while they were there – but you could never tell that from the sheer brilliance and aplomb of this music.

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New Babylon queen’s hall Saturday 29 October 7.30pm

saint-saëns The Assassination of the Duke of Guise (film music) (15’) kerry Flute Concerto, ‘Captain Flinders’ Musick’ (15’) world premiere Commissioned by the Ian Potter Cultural Trust shostakovich Suite from New Babylon Op 18 (film music) (40’) olari elts Conductor alison mitchell Flute

Shostakovich wrote his brilliantly witty and sophisticated film score to accompany New Babylon, a 1928 satire set in the Paris Commune in 1871.

He relishes his pastiches of Parisian popular classics – especially Offenbach – treading a fine line between homage and parody. Opening the evening is a fascinating rarity: Saint-Saëns, composer of Carnival of the Animals, writing one of the first ever film scores! Gordon Kerry is a prestigious voice from Australia, where he was recently awarded the country’s top composition award, the Ian Potter Music Commissions. He used part of his prize to write this concerto for the SCO’s charismatic Principal Flute. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Gordon Kerry talks about his Flute Concerto, ‘Captain Flinders’ Musick’.

Master Pianist

Chamber Concert

queen’s hall Thursday 3 November 7.30pm

queen’s hall Sunday 6 November 3pm

mozart Divertimento in F K138 (11’)

Robert Levin presents an illustrated lecture-recital about Salomon’s arrangements of Haydn’s London Symphonies.

schubert Symphony No 3 (26’) beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 (34’)

Still from the film New Babylon

robert levin Piano/Director

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Robert Levin is both international star performer and high-flying academic. Few people know more about the age of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert than he does – but don’t expect a dusty lecture here!

Levin’s researches have led him to conclude that Beethoven’s performances were more like jazz than today’s classical performances. One recent reviewer wondered, “Was Levin channeling the wild-maned Beethoven of contemporary portraits? His boldly spontaneous playing certainly made it seem so.”

(Chicago Tribune).

haydn (arr. salomon) Symphony No 104 ‘London’ robert levin Piano sco chamber ensemble

Among his many talents, Robert Levin is a fascinating speaker. Here he explores the chamber music versions of Haydn’s London symphonies, and includes a full performance of Symphony No 104 in its lilliputian version. Why were these arrangements made? How are they different from the original symphonies? How and where might they have been performed? Insights into Haydn’s social and musical world will abound.

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Photograph by Joanne Savio

Photograph by Ken Dundas

Keyboard Titans usher hall Thursday 24 November 7.30pm

Romantic Love Stories queen’s hall Thursday 17 November 7.30pm

gluck Overture, Alceste (10’) berlioz Les Nuits d’été (31’) schumann Symphony No 2 (38’) robin ticciati Conductor karen cargill Mezzo Soprano

Secret love stories lie hidden here as Robin Ticciati continues his season-long pairing of Berlioz and Schumann. Berlioz’s ultra-Romantic songs were first orchestrated for his mistress, the singer Marie Recio.

Schumann’s symphony pays tribute to the composer’s devoted wife Clara by including a melody which sets the phrase “Take, then, these songs of mine” from Beethoven’s love songs, An die ferne geliebte. To open, music by one of Berlioz’s idols – Gluck, in tempestuous mode.

beethoven Coriolan Overture (10’) beethoven Piano Concerto No 2 (28’) mozart Symphony No 41 ‘Jupiter’ (29’) leon fleisher Conductor nicholas angelich Piano Sponsored by

A real treat for lovers of piano music: Fleisher, a living legend of the keyboard, is now in his 80s but still shines as pianist, conductor, mentor and teacher.

For this, his SCO debut, he conducts while his pupil Angelich plays Beethoven’s youthful concerto.

pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Robin Ticciati in conversation about the music of Berlioz and Schumann.

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queen’s hall Thursday 1 December 7.30pm

queen’s hall Thursday 8 December 7.30pm

bach Christmas Oratorio: Cantatas 1, 3, 5 & 6 (117’) Sung in German richard egarr Conductor/Harpsichord lucy crowe Soprano clare wilkinson Mezzo Soprano andrew staples Tenor andrew foster-williams Bass sco chorus

Picture nativity scenes by a great master, a Breughel or a Botticelli: landscapes filled with angels, people and animals; colour; movement; human touches and tiny incidental details all animated and elevated to a higher level by the mystery of the Holy Child at the heart of the scene. This is what Bach translates into music in the Christmas Oratorio – a lavish sequence of choruses and arias featuring wonderful solos for the instrumentalists. Outstanding soloists under the direction of one of the world’s finest Bach interpreters guarantee an exceptional evening.

Photograph by Tom Bangbala

Northern Landscapes

“Adoration of the Magi” by Botticelli

Christmas Oratorio

Mozart at Christmas queen’s hall Saturday 17 December 7.30pm

rossini Overture, The Silken Ladder (7’) mozart Sinfonia Concertante (30’) mozart Marches in D K335 (8’) mozart Serenade No 9 in D K320 ‘Posthorn’ (40’)

sibelius Suite, King Kristian II (22’)

alexander janiczek Director/Violin jane atkins Viola

A zesty, uplifting curtain-raiser to the festive season.

Janiczek’s evenings with the SCO are cherished for their sheer stylishness and musicality. He is especially at home in Viennese repertoire, music he grew up with and has performed from an early age. No one does it better.

“The pairing of Janiczek's silvery delivery with the seductive confidence of SCO Principal Violist Jane Atkins was a match made in Heaven.” the scotsman

hallgrímsson Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Op 46 (25’) world premiere Commissioned by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra grieg Symphony in C minor (38’) enrique mazzola Conductor jennifer pike Violin Hallgrímsson’s relationship with the SCO has been outstandingly fruitful over the past two decades, yielding a sequence of major works for string soloist and orchestra. In his 70th birthday year, Jennifer Pike (BBC Young Musician of the Year 2002) is the soloist for this latest concerto, following in the footsteps of such distinguished artists as Truls Mørk and Lars Anders Tomter. Mazzola frames Hallgrímsson with Nordic treasures: Sibelius’ atmospheric and melodious theatre score and Grieg’s youthful symphony. pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Hafliði Hallgrímsson talks about his new concerto.

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Cl@Six: A Day in Symphonies

queen’s hall Thursday 12 January 7.30pm

st cuthbert’s parish church Tuesday 17 January 6pm

Photograph of Emmanuelle HaÏm by Simon Fowler

New Year in Vienna

Handel’s Water Music

usher hall Sunday 1 January 7pm In aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care A Night in Old Vienna, including: j strauss Overture, Die Fledermaus j strauss ii Künstlerleben (Artists’ Life) Waltz lehár Gold and Silver Waltz j strauss ii Champagne Polka nicholas mcgegan Conductor elena xanthoudakis Soprano

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Welcome 2012 with a glittering, glamorous, uplifting Viennese gala evening! Strauss and Lehár bring alive a world of ballrooms, chocolate cake, chandeliers, champagne and celebrations. All the essential favourites without which no New Year is complete are here – The Blue Danube, Radetzky March et al.

Soprano Elena Xanthoudakis – a regular at the Royal Opera House – adds a shot of undiluted glamour to the evening.

handel Water Music in D and G (19’)

haydn Symphony No 6 ‘Le Matin’ (24’)

rameau Suite from Dardanus (20’)

haydn Symphony No 7 ‘Le Midi’ (21’)

handel Cantata: Delirio Amoroso (35’)

haydn Symphony No 8 ‘Le Soir’ (23’)

emmanuelle haïm Conductor/Harpsichord camilla tilling Soprano

david watkin Conductor

Emmanuelle Haïm brings a special élan and grace to everything she touches. She returns to the SCO to spark up January with zesty dance suites and a sensational showpiece for soprano Camilla Tilling – a passion-fired display of fireworks and musical fantasy composed by Handel as a young man in Italy.

Haydn’s morning, noon and night symphonies are akin to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – but instead of a whole year, Haydn describes a single day in the life of your average aristocrat. Starting with a ravishing sunrise he progresses through hunting, dancing, bucolic pleasures and formal occasions, sunset and night. He wrote this music for the superb orchestra where he worked at Eisenstadt, so the music is peppered with lovely solos for the star musicians.

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In the Steppes Explore: of Central Europe Ligeti

haydn Symphony No 22 in E-flat ‘Philosopher’ (16’)

the wallace dunlop hall at stewart’s melville college Sunday 22 January 10.30am-4.30pm

ligeti Chamber Concerto for 13 instruments (21’)

robin ticciati Conductor pierre-laurent aimard Piano Supported by Dunard Fund

kodály Summer Evening (16’)

Aimard Plays Brahms

ligeti Hamburg Concerto (15’) kodály Dances of Galanta (15’) dvorˇák Symphony No 5 (36’) robin ticciati Conductor alec frank-gemmill Horn

“He is one of the most influential composers of the 20th century and a voice we believe in. I invite you to explore once again the extraordinary sound world he creates.” Robin Ticciati

Millions ‘discovered’ Ligeti without realising it when Kubrick peppered the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey with his work. It gave him popular success, and few would dispute that he is one of the five most important composers of the past 40 years. Here is a chance, over two weeks, to hear two very different but equally fine scores by him. The ‘Hamburg’ Concerto pays tribute to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Ticciati performs it with popular favourites from Central Europe.

Join Dr Michael Searby, author and Principal Lecturer in Music at Kingston University, for a day of exploration alongside Robin Ticciati and musicians from the SCO.

Dr Michael Searby talks about the music of György Ligeti.

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tickets £20 To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353.

For more information about the SCO’s Lifelong Learning programme, visit www.sco.org.uk/connect.

See page 29 for further details of SCO Connect.

Photograph by Felix Broedeand

pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

In this and the concert on 9 February, the SCO offers the two mightiest piano concertos of the Romantic age: two pieces which utterly broke the mould.

Brahms humorously referred to his concerto as “some little piano pieces” – it is quite the opposite: a symphony for piano and orchestra. Aimard – well known to Scottish audiences through his many Edinburgh Festival appearances – takes the titanic solo part.

brahms Piano Concerto No 2 (44’)

Photograph by H T Kropp

queen’s hall Saturday 21 January 7.30pm

usher hall Thursday 26 January 7.30pm

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queen’s hall Sunday 5 February 3pm Photograph by Ferro Sims

Photograph by Benjamin Ealovega

queen’s hall Thursday 2 February 7.30pm

gluck Overture, Iphigénie en Aulide (10’)

brahms Sonata Op 120 No 1 in F minor (22’)

beethoven Symphony No 4 (34’)

brahms Intermezzi (10’)

beethoven Mass in C (43’)

kurtág Hommage à R. Schumann (10’)

louis langrée Conductor elena xanthoudakis Soprano jurgita adamonyte Mezzo Soprano andrew staples Tenor alastair miles Bass sco chorus

brahms Sonata Op 120 No 2 in E-flat (22’)

This week and next combine into a rich treat for Beethoven lovers. Concerto, choral and symphonic music, all written within eight years of what we know as Beethoven’s ‘Middle Period’ – his 30s and early 40s. It could have been a time of unadulterated despair as he struggled with growing deafness and ill-health; but, musically, it emerged as a time of awe-inspiring musical revolution, triumph and hope.

“Napoleon on his Imperial Throne” by Ingres

Langrée Conducts Chamber Beethoven Concert

llyˆr williams Piano maximiliano martín Clarinet jane atkins Viola Brahms, in the autumn of his life, came close to giving up composing altogether. The love of three instruments in particular – viola, clarinet and piano – dispelled his gloom and continued to inspire him right into his last days. This concert celebrates those late works: theirs is a world of deep mellow harmonies, touching melody, sweeping musical argument spiked with bursts of pure dance and nostalgic echoes of the gypsy music that so inspired Brahms as a young man.

Emperor and Eroica usher hall Thursday 9 February 7.30pm

cherubini Overture, Démophoon (10’) beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 ‘Emperor’ (38’)

Hear Beethoven alongside the contemporary he most admired (Cherubini’s Requiem was sung at Beethoven’s funeral), as the great man celebrates both an emperor and a revolutionary in the same evening. Llŷr Williams’ Beethoven is not to be missed. He recently completed his first full cycle of the piano sonatas to huge acclaim, and brings immense authority but also something fascinatingly unworldly to this music.

beethoven Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’ (47’) andrew manze Conductor llyˆr williams Piano

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queen’s hall Thursday 23 February 7.30pm

CL@SIX: The Lark Ascending

Beethoven and Beamish

Chamber Concert: SCO Chorus

st cuthbert’s parish church Tuesday 28 February 6pm

queen’s hall Saturday 17 March 7.30pm

queen’s hall Sunday 18 March 3pm

stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks (12’)

Programme to include:

beamish Percussion Concerto (20’) world premiere SCO commission Photograph by Chris Christodoulou

beethoven Symphony No 7 (36’) joseph swensen Conductor colin currie Percussion

beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 (36’)

mendelssohn Overture, Son & Stranger (7’)

brahms Serenade No 1 (49’)

vaughan williams The Lark Ascending (13’)

robin ticciati Conductor lars vogt Piano

schubert Symphony No 5 (27’) alexander janiczek Director/Violin

On the eve of its departure for a major tour of Germany, the SCO is joined by the prodigious Lars Vogt, very much in his home territory with Beethoven’s concerto. Berlioz and Brahms are as different in their music and personalities as it is possible to be, but they shared a complicated admiration for Beethoven.

Brahms’ youthful serenade makes a delightful complement to Berlioz’s impassioned outpouring.

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Nothing captures the mystical, melancholy yearning aspect of Vaughan Williams more intensely than his transcendental masterpiece, The Lark Ascending.

The generous acoustic of St Cuthbert’s will allow it to soar sensationally. Janiczek frames it with young men's music: both Mendelssohn and Schubert were around 20 years old when they wrote their respective pieces. The Mendelssohn's a particularly delightful rarity – the overture from an operetta he wrote to celebrate his parents’ silver wedding.

bach Motet: Jesu, meine Freude (24’) gregory batsleer Chorusmaster Critics have called the SCO Chorus ‘brilliant’ and ‘stylish’ – without doubt they are one of Scotland’s premier choirs. Here they make a rare appearance away from the Orchestra with an hour of choral music including Bach’s moving motet: Jesu, meine Freude.

Poulenc makes a perfect complement – quite as beautiful but with a spirit that seems to look yet further back in time to Medieval music in its crystalline purity.

Please note: This concert has a running time of approximately one hour, with no interval.

pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders) Sally Beamish and Colin Currie talk about Beamish’s new concerto.

Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details.

Photograph by Chris Dawes

berlioz Love Scene from Romeo & Juliet (18’)

Joseph Swensen returns to the SCO with one of the works that blew Scottish audiences away when he first performed it with the Orchestra over a decade ago. Since then he has spent time with the latest critical edition of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and this new performance promises fresh insights but undiminished power. The programme is rich in possibilities, not least Sally Beamish’s hotly anticipated new concerto for the brilliant Colin Currie.

poulenc Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence (15’)

Photograph by Paul Hampton

Serenade

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queen’s hall Thursday 22 March 7.30pm

queen’s hall Thursday 12 April 7.30pm

Photograph by Chris Christodoulou

Baroque Greats

Photograph by Chris Christodoulou

Beethoven Five

schumann Overture, Faust (6’)

telemann Water Music Suite in C ‘Ebb and Flow’ (20’)

gruber Nebelsteinmusik (17’)

heinichen Concerto in F for two horns and strings (9’)

berlioz Rêverie et Caprice (10’)

bach Harpsichord Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 (21’)

beethoven Symphony No 5 (31’)

bach Sinfonia from Cantata 42 (5’)

robin ticciati Conductor alexander janiczek Violin

vivaldi Concerto ‘di Dresda’ RV 577 (9’)

Ticciati combines Beethoven’s blazing symphony with a deep personal passion: Schumann’s Faust, which ranked among the composer’s greatest popular successes during his lifetime. Between the two, Gruber’s compelling response to German music during some of the darkest years of the Third Reich.

Following this concert, Ticciati and the Orchestra head off on tour to Spain with more Beethoven.

“The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has Beethoven coming out of every pore!

They live for risk taking and they dare to take music to its limits. Without these qualities we cannot hope to find Beethoven’s own struggle as he confronts his mortality.” robin ticciati

bach Suite No 4 in D (20’) richard egarr Conductor/Harpsichord alec frank-gemmill Horn harry johnstone Horn The musical riches of three great German cities in a single evening: Hamburg, Dresden and Leipzig each had distinct characters and attracted the greatest composers of the age from across Germany and further afield. This is an evening of splendour and flamboyance directed by the man who has been called ‘The Leonard Bernstein of Early Music’.

24120 Edinburgh A5 36pp FINAL.indd 24-25

queen’s hall Saturday 21 April 7.30pm

knussen Two Organa (6’) grime A Cold Spring (10’) knussen New Work (15’) world premiere

pre-concert talk: 6.30pm (free to ticket holders)

stravinsky Movements for Piano and Orchestra (10’)

Richard Egarr talks about the music in this concert.

beethoven Symphony No 8 (26’)

Comparing Notes discussion group meets before these concerts – see page 29 for details.

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A Cold Spring Knussen is a giant of the musical world, equally sought after as conductor, composer and musical thinker. His programmes invariably summon unexpected and thought-provoking juxtapositions.

Here Stravinsky, Grime, Knussen himself and...

Beethoven! The musical journey will be rewarding and rich, and every performance ravishing in its own right.

Comparing Notes discussion group meets before this concert – see page 29 for details.

oliver knussen Conductor peter serkin Piano 25

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Photograph by Benjamin Ealovega

Benedetti: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons usher hall Thursday 26 April 7.30pm

gluck Overture, Ballet and Chaconne from Orfeo ed Eurydice (11’) vivaldi Concerto in D ‘Il Grosso Mogul’ RV 208 (15’) rameau Suite from Les Paladins (20’)

Biss Plays Mozart

vivaldi The Four Seasons (40’) christian curnyn Harpsichord/ Director nicola benedetti Violin

queen’s hall Thursday 3 May 7.30pm

Sponsored by

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mozart Piano Concerto in D minor K466 (30’) beethoven Symphony No 2 (32’) Photograph by Rhys Frampton

A baroque extravaganza of exotica and virtuosity starring Scotland’s favourite violinist. Benedetti is exploring the Vivaldi repertoire at the moment, and here she juxtaposes his most famous set of concerti with a scintillating rarity: Il Grosso Mogul. No-one knows where the nickname comes from (and we are pretty sure Vivaldi had no links to Delhi royalty), but its suggestion of oriental brilliance is picked up in the rest of this colourful programme with Rameau’s sensational dances from Les Paladins.

dvorˇák Czech Suite (23’)

An evening in the key of D! Mozart’s turbulent concerto touches on veins of dark drama and poignant song. For Dvořák, drawing deep on his national folk heritage of dances and romances, there is lyrical warmth and charm to be found.

For Beethoven, D is the key of humour and grand brassy gestures – but the complexity of this symphony dumbfounded many of his contemporaries.

jakub hrusa Conductor jonathan biss Piano

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Get behind the scenes Meet professional musicians Get involved

SCO Connect is the education and outreach department of the SCO. With an extensive schools, community and Lifelong Learning programme there are plenty of ways to get involved.

usher hall Thursday 10 May 7.30pm

beethoven Music from The Ruins of Athens (25’) beethoven Symphony No 9 ‘Choral’ (65’) john storgårds Conductor elizabeth watts Soprano julia riley Mezzo Soprano allan clayton Tenor jan martinik Bass sco chorus

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The Season opens with one revolutionary work and closes with another. A gilded cast of singers joins the SCO for Beethoven’s exhilarating final symphony.

From its first mysterious bars to its closing shout of joy, you can hear the sound of Beethoven creating the future of music.

Comparing Notes

university of edinburgh open studies, 11 buccleuch place, eh8 9lw

word power books, 43-45 west nicolson street, eh8 9db

exploring music i September-December 2011 A general introduction.

Saturday 17 March

exploring music ii January-March 2012 A more in-depth course focusing on concertos.

Thursday 12 April

Baroque Greats

Saturday 21 April

A Cold Spring

SCO Connect and the University of Edinburgh Open Studies have teamed up to provide two evening courses, led by composer Jennifer Martin.

Both 10-week courses will guide you through music performed in the SCO Season and introduce you to the world of the SCO with player visits, concerts, a trip to the National Library of Scotland, and an opportunity to meet Principal Conductor Robin Ticciati.

Do you enjoy a good chat about music? This is an opportunity to talk about music and share views with others in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

A discussion group will meet four times before SCO concerts to chat about the music featured in that evening’s performance.

Beethoven and Beamish

Thursday 22 March Beethoven Five

Jennifer Martin

Photographs by Lucy Lowe

Beethoven’s Choral Symphony

Exploring Music

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

“Gave a wonderful insight into concert material... each night was a learning curve” 2010/11 participant To book, call SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353.

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How to Book

Ticket Prices

Seating Plans

0131 668 2019 www.thequeenshall.net

season 2011/12 concerts

queen’s hall clerk street, edinburgh eh8 9jg

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chamber & cl@six concerts

usher hall box office, lothian road, edinburgh eh1 2ea

Adults £12, Senior citizens £10, Students, children and unemployed people £5.

Chamber Concerts at The Queen’s Hall: Reserved seating (Stalls only).

CL@SIX concerts at St Cuthbert’s Parish Church: Unreserved seating.

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tickets for usher hall concerts only also available at: 0131 228 1155 www.usherhall.co.uk

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10am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday.

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.

All single tickets, including discounts, are on sale from 23 May 2011. Subscription bookings are taken from 30 March 2011.

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 23 May 2011. Tickets are also available from the Queen’s Hall Box Office.

ticket discounts (all concerts except new year in vienna).

24120 Edinburgh A5 36pp FINAL.indd 30-31

GRAND An induction loop is fitted forCIRCLE people with hearing difficulties.

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 or school-age youth group. For more information, contact SCO Connect on 0131 478 8353 or kirsten.hunter@sco.org.uk

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People with a disability – 50% off standard ticket prices for people with a disability and a carer.

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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.

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usher hall lothian road, edinburgh eh1 2ea

STAGE STAGE

Guide dogs are welcome.

An induction loop is fitted for people with hearing difficulties.

Please notify the Box Office when booking.

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SCO Subscription

Subscription Booking Form

The SCO offers completely flexible subscriptions – just choose any four or more Season concerts*.

As well as substantial discounts on regular ticket prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits.

Title

why take a subscription?

how to book a subscription

• Save money Save up to 40% (45% for seniors) on single ticket prices – the more you book, the more you save.

by post • Tick the concerts you wish to attend on the Booking Form.

Telephone (day) Telephone (eve)

• Free choice of concerts Select any four or more Season 11/12 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.

• Change your mind If a date becomes inconvenient, swap your tickets for another 11/12 Edinburgh Season concert (24 hours’ notice required).

• Spread the cost Pay by Standing Order in four instalments.

• Save on SCO CDs Receive a £5 CD voucher.

• Free concert A personal invitation to the annual Subscriber concert and reception.

• SCO news Receive the SCO’s newsletter three times a year.

Please note: Chamber, CL@SIX and New Year in Vienna concerts cannot be included in a subscription, but you can book them at the same time as your subscription. *11/12 Season concerts are marked

• Select your preferred Seating Area (e.g. Stalls, Gallery, Grand Circle, etc) and Price Band (I, II, III or IV).

• Calculate the cost of your subscription and complete the grid on the Booking Form.

• Add on any of the Chamber, CL@SIX or New Year in Vienna concerts you wish to attend.

Postcode

important – please complete!

We would like to send you, from time to time, information about the SCO, its events and other developments.

Please tick here if you would like 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.

Please tick here to indicate your permission for us to add your details to our mailing list.

Please tick boxes below to indicate your choice of concerts: Thurs 6 Oct (UH) Thurs 13 Oct (UH) Sat 22 Oct (QH) Sat 29 Oct (QH) Thurs 3 Nov (QH) Thurs 17 Nov (QH)

• If you would like to pay in four instalments

by Standing Order, please tick the appropriate box and we will send you a Standing Order form.

by phone Call the Queen’s Hall Box Office on 0131 668 2019 (10am - 5pm, Monday to Saturday) with your selected concerts and credit or debit card details.

Surname

Email

• Complete your personal, seating and payment details on the Booking Form.

• Send the Booking Form to: SCO Subscription, FREEPOST, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (no stamp required).

Forename

Address

Thurs 24 Nov (UH) Thurs 1 Dec (QH) Thurs 8 Dec (QH) Sat 17 Dec (QH) Thurs 12 Jan (QH) Sat 21 Jan (QH)

Thurs 26 Jan (UH) Thurs 2 Feb (QH) Thurs 9 Feb (UH) Thurs 23 Feb (QH) Sat 17 Mar (QH) Thurs 22 Mar (QH)

Tues 17 Jan

Tues 28 Feb

Sun 5 Feb

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Thurs 12 Apr (QH) Sat 21 Apr (QH) Thurs 26 Apr (UH) Thurs 3 May (QH) Thurs 10 May (UH)

CL@SIX concerts Tues 25 Oct Chamber concerts Sun 6 Nov Number of concerts

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how do you wish to pay?

Box Office Postage Fee

£ 0.60

TOTAL

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

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

Card Number Issue Number (debit card only)

Expiry Date

Start Date

Security Code (last three digits on signature strip)

Signature

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I wish to spread the cost of subscription over four months using a Standing Order.

Please send me a Standing Order form.

Please return this form to: SCO Subscription, FREEPOST, Queen’s Hall Box Office, Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG (no stamp required).

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Subscription Prices No. of concerts 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior Standard Senior

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£81.60 £76.80 £102.00 £96.00 £122.40 £115.20 £142.80 £134.40 £153.60 £144.00 £172.80 £162.00 £192.00 £180.00 £211.20 £198.00 £216.00 £201.60 £234.00 £218.40 £252.00 £235.20 £270.00 £252.00 £268.80 £249.60 £285.60 £265.20 £302.40 £280.80 £319.20 £296.40 £312.00 £288.00 £327.60 £302.40 £343.20 £316.80 £331.20 £303.60

£64.60 £60.80 £80.75 £76.00 £96.90 £91.20 £113.05 £106.40 £121.60 £114.00 £136.80 £128.25 £152.00 £142.50 £167.20 £156.75 £171.00 £159.60 £185.25 £172.90 £199.50 £186.20 £213.75 £199.50 £212.80 £197.60 £226.10 £209.95 £239.40 £222.30 £252.70 £234.65 £247.00 £228.00 £259.35 £239.40 £271.70 £250.80 £262.20 £240.35

£45.90 £43.20 £57.38 £54.00 £68.85 £64.80 £80.33 £75.60 £86.40 £81.00 £97.20 £91.13 £108.00 £101.25 £118.80 £111.38 £121.50 £113.40 £131.63 £122.85 £141.75 £132.30 £151.88 £141.75 £151.20 £140.40 £160.65 £149.18 £170.10 £157.95 £179.55 £166.73 £175.50 £162.00 £184.28 £170.10 £193.05 £178.20 £186.30 £170.78

Save 15% (20%)

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.

principal sponsor Virgin Money Save 20% (25%)

benefactor Dunard Fund sponsors Chatham Skoda Lumison State Street

We invite individuals to become SCO Patrons, join the SCO 250 Society, or to consider leaving a legacy 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.

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

Save 25% (30%)

Save 30% (35%)

corporate members & in-kind supporters Aberdeen Asset Management Caledonian Brewing Company Capital Solutions Edinburgh University Settlement Homeopathy John Lewis Edinburgh The Leith Agency Radio Forth MacDonald Orr Limited MacDonald Roxburghe Hotel Miller Group Standard Life SATV Television Production Scottish Council for Development and Industry Thom Micro Systems

patron HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay principal conductor Robin Ticciati composer laureate Sir Peter Maxwell Davies chairman Donald MacDonald CBE managing director Roy McEwan

4 Royal Terrace Edinburgh EH7 5AB

t 0131 557 6800 f 0131 557 6933 e info@sco.org.uk w 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.

Save 35% (40%)

Save 40% (45%)

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

Keep in Touch Sign up to our email list or join our postal mailing list at www.sco.org.uk, by calling 0131 557 6802 or writing to SCO, FREEPOST EH457, 4 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BR Become an SCO fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/scottishchamberorchestra Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/scomusic

Read our blog at www.sco.org.uk for artist interviews, videos, photos and more

Enjoy more music – spend less!

Book an SCO Subscription – from just four concerts.

As well as substantial discounts on regular ticket prices, you can enjoy priority booking, special events and many other exclusive benefits. An SCO subscription is completely flexible – you choose the concerts you like – and benefit from huge savings if you book for four or more concerts. You can save up to 45% or you can book 16 concerts for less than it costs to go to 15 – you can’t beat value like that!

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