Young Ambassador Review: Christmas Concert

Stirling's Young Ambassador, Seona Glen, reviews the Christmas Concert on Sat, 21 December at Glasgow Concert Hall.

In a complete contrast to the Brahms concert I attended the previous weekend, the RSNO took to the stage with Christopher Bell, Chorus master of the RSNO Junior Chorus, as conductor. Very much in the Christmas spirit, the Orchestra performed a number of Christmas pieces, both classics and new arrangements.

The highlight for me was undoubtedly the Orchestra's enchanting performance of The Snowman by Howard Blake. The work was performed alongside the film shown on the big screen, a guest narrator, and a young boy who sweetly sang Walking in the Air. The audience entered a different world as the piano played the famous opening chords. We were brought through a great variety of music, from the beautiful, well known song as the Snowman and boy flew through the air, to the cheerful Dance of the Snowmen, and finally the magical yet sad reappearance of Walking in the Air on the piano. I left the auditorium, as I imagine many others did, in a trance.

After the interval, the mood changed and things became much livelier. The Orchestra performed many pieces with RSNO Choruses, but none left us feeling more in the Christmas spirit than The Penguin Song, in which Chistopher Bell had every person, adults included, hopping about and looking rather daft, while some trombonists unexpectedly appeared at the front of the stage, dressed as penguins! It was a very warm and entertaining evening, and I can't imagine a single person didn't leave the concert hall feeling lifted.

Seona Glen

Seona is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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An Aixtraordinary visit – 24 Hours With the RSNO & Nikolai Lugansky

In the auditorium of Grand Théâtre de Provence

Last month the RSNO and Music Director Peter Oundjian traveled to Aix-en-Provence for a concert of music by Messiaen, Beethoven and Rachmaninov. The concert, which took place at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, featured Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, Messiaen’s Les offrandes oubliées and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 with soloist Nikolai Lugansky. 

The trip followed a critically acclaimed appearance together by the orchestra, conductor and soloist at the 2013 BBC Proms earlier in the year, where they performed a programme of Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Naresh Sohal. 

Our Subscriber and Membership Manager, Mairi Foster, reflects on the short trip:  

From 8am on Tuesday 26 November, musicians and staff started arriving at Glasgow Airport ready for a whirlwind tour to Aix-en-Provence. 

The RSNO private charter flight departed on time and landed at Marseille Provence Airport at 2.30pm local time. After checking into the hotel, we had a couple of hours for a coffee, crêpe and a quick look around the before heading to the Grand Théâtre de Provence for rehearsal.  

The concert of Messiaen, Beethoven and Rachmaninov was conducted by Music Director Peter Oundjian and featured pianist Nikolai Lugansky. As ever the Orchestra ended the performance with an encore of Eightsome Reels, which had the audience clapping and cheering. This was the RSNO’s debut in this artistic region of France, and hopefully it will not be our last!

We had an early breakfast in the hotel, watching a brief flutter of snow, before heading off to the airport for the journey home. It was a hectic twenty-four hours full of great music with beautiful views of the picturesque countryside.  

I’m sure I am not alone in considering a future holiday to Provence, preferably when it is a little warmer! 

A bientôt 

Mairi

Young Ambassador Review: Benedetti and Elschenbroich Play Brahms

Stirling's Young Ambassador, Seona Glen, reviews Benedetti and Elschenbroich Play Brahms, Sat 14 Dec at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

The evening at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall kicked off with a pre-concert talk with a difference. Having enjoyed previous talks, I brought my family along, only to find out that Nicola Benedetti and Leonard Elschenbroich themselves would be speaking about the Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello! William Chandler, Associate Leader of the RSNO, asked the couple questions, and the audience listened intently to an in depth discussion about what the masterpiece means to the musicians, and what they have tried to do with it. Nicola described how to her the piece was mostly two voices in agreement, often finishing each other's phrases, with the occasional 'argument'. Leonard and Nicola both agreed that having played together a great deal, they are both very in tune with each other's playing, which did make the rehearsal process easier, but that in order to really connect on stage, they have had to discuss extensively their ideas about each musical phrase. William proceeded to give insight into the two other works which the RSNO would perform with spirit that night: Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales, and Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra.

When it came to the concert, I was really able to understand what the musicians had described, and it made the performances all the more interesting. First, the RSNO began with Ravel. The audience enjoyed some sweet melodies from the wind and strings, while there was no shortage of enthusiasm from the orchestra in the more animated sections, in which the percussion section shone through.

There was more to come, however, when the RSNO was joined by the two virtuoso players, Benedetti and Elschenbroich to perform the Brahms Double Concerto. The rhythmic and decisive opening had me captivated, and the pair played with undeniable passion, which the orchestra mirrored. I was particularly interested in what was said during the pre-concert talk about the two instruments being mostly in agreement, and I especially listened out for that, which brought an extra element of interest to the piece for me. The musicians on stage received a well-deserved applause, and the crowds dispersed for a short interval.

On return, the audience's attention was quickly captured with the very sinister opening of Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra, which gave the percussion and lower strings the chance to shine. The piece was tackled with great energy and made for a powerful performance, which had me and the rest of the audience gripped. We couldn't have asked for a more unforgettable finale.

Seona Glen

Seona is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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New Season soloists

 
When the RSNO artistic and planning teams started to consider this Season, Peter’s second as Music Director, their focus was strongly on bringing new guest performers and young talent to Scottish audiences.

As a result, this year’s Season brochure features many new names, a brilliant selection of up-and-coming and first-time RSNO guest artists for you to pick from. And who knows? They could be the next must-see soloist; the next revered conductor; the next Scottish favourite; the next Benedetti, Järvi, Lill, Gergiev or Lugansky.

This weekend, Lise de la Salle is soloist for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No1 in the first of our festive concerts, The Nutcracker. At only 25, she’s already an acclaimed recording artist and international performer, but Lise has yet to make her debut here. She performs with fellow RSNO newcomer, conductor Alexander Shelley. His father, Howard, is no stranger to the Orchestra so it will be great to continue the family connection with Alexander and recognise another father/son team – Järvis stand aside! Follow Lise on Twitter @lisedelasalle and Conductor Alexander Shelley @ShelleyConduct. 

Once upon a time, Nicola Benedetti was the new girl of classical music; now she’s Scotland's sweetheart. Playing since the age of four, Nicola has captured hearts not only in Scotland but across the world. Now, see her perform with the man who has captured hers: cellist LeonardElschenbroich. Don’t miss this brilliant musical partnership, as they share Brahms' starry-eyed Concerto for Violin and Cello. Follow Nicola on Twitter @NickyBenedetti and Leonard Elschenbroich @LElschenbroich.  

On the subject of romance – we welcome the stunning soprano Kishani Jayasinghe as soloist at next year’s Valentine’s concerts. Kashani leads a group of young, talented singers who perform with us this year – many of whom can be seen our Season Finale performing Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand, supported by many of their experienced compatriots.

Along with Nicola, we also welcome three more stellar violinists, Jack Liebeck (@Jack_Liebeck) Vilde Frang and Augustin Hadelich. Since Jack last performed with us his star has continued to rise, becoming one of the most sought after soloists of his generation, while Vilde and Augustin make their debuts performing the rarely performed Britten and Adès Violin Concerto – expect a serious musical education from both musicians. 

We couldn’t complete this without mentioning two brilliant talents, Igor Levit (@igorpianist) and Anoushka Shankar (@ShankarAnoushka). BBC New Generations Artist Igor Levit makes first appearances with the RSNO in April performing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late Ravi Shankar, has made a serious name for herself, following in her brilliant father’s footsteps. She joins us to perform his Second Sitar Concerto Raga-Mala.

See all of our forthcoming concerts on the RSNO website, here. 

Young Ambassadors Forum #1: Rebecca Smith

West Lothian's Young Ambassador, Rebecca Smith, describes the first Young Ambassadors Forum and Lugansky Plays The Emperor, Sat 23rd Nov at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 

Repertoire:

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) 

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
Encore: Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 6 

The RSNO were on top form last night on the evening of our first RSNO Young Ambassador meeting. It was great to meet all the fellow ambassadors from across Scotland who are all so passionate about bringing music to young people! After our photo shoot we got down to the nitty gritty, and discussed in groups the ways in which we think we can improve the appeal of the RSNO and classical music to our peers. We were excited to find out that work experience for each of us will be arranged in June where we will get to work within our chosen area of the orchestra. We are potentially going to put on our own concert in an unusual venue to invite our friends to, allowing us to bring our favourite music to people our own age. We are really going to make a difference to youth music!

To begin the concert, the colours of the music by synesthete Messiaen were incredible, and were beautifully contoured by the world-class musician’s from the orchestra. The power of the orchestra was not with-held through the Emperor which was fantastic, and the powerful playing from Lugansky added his own passion to the piece. The intricate passage work from the wind section in particular in Symphonic Dances was extraordinary, and I loved the trumpet fanfare. The violin solo from the leader of the orchestra was exceptional, with a wild Russian edge to the sound and rich tone colour. The encore of Brahms was wonderful, and probably my favourite part of the whole concert!

I look forward to the developments of the Young Ambassador team over the next few weeks, and am excited to be attending the RSNO’s ‘Benedetti and Elschenbroich play Brahms’ on Saturday 14th of December at 7.30pm in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Hope to see you there!

Rebecca Smith

Rebecca is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Young Ambassadors Forum #1: Heather Mitchell

South Lanarkshire's Young Ambassador, Heather Mitchell, describes the first Young Ambassadors Forum and Lugansky Plays The Emperor, Sat 23rd Nov at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 

   

 Nikolai Lugansky. Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Saturday 23rd of November marked the first RSNO Young Ambassadors forum, where chosen Young Ambassadors from across Scotland gathered in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and met for the first time. It was great to meet so many talented young people who share so much passion and enthusiasm for classical music.

After a photo shoot we put our musical heads together and came up with some fresh ideas with regards to attracting young people across the country to classical music and in particular the RSNO.

Following our meeting we were invited to attend the concert Lugansky plays The Emperor where the RSNO and Musical Director Peter Oundjian conducted the concert with a fantastic performance of Les offrandes oubliées by Messiaen. The orchestra were then joined by Russian pianist extraordanaire Nikolai Lugansky who played the Emperor (Piano Concerto No5) by Beethoven. I particularly enjoyed the intricate piano sections which created tension and had us Young Ambassadors on the edge of our seats! A short interval (and copious amounts of chocolate) later we welcomed back the RSNO who put on an outstanding performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances which featured exceptional playing from each individual section in the orchestra, I was particularly impressed by both the woodwind and percussion sections!  The highlight of the concert was most definitely the encore of Brahms, an exciting and lively dance!

I look forward to working with the learning and engagement team and meeting with the Young Ambassadors to share ideas again soon! Upcoming concerts which I hope to attend include Benedetti and Elschenbroich Play Brahms, Pictures at an Exhibition featuring soloist Jackand of course the RSNO Christmas concert which will take place on the 21st of December in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Heather Mitchell

Heather is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Young Ambassador Review: Highland Youth Orchestra

Inverness Young Ambassador, Elizabeth Barke, describes the Highland Youth Orchestra concert, Sat 23rd Nov at Macdonalds Highlands Hotel

Repetoire: 

Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite op. 71a

Miniature Overture

March

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Arabian Dance

Russian Dance (Trepak)

In this session with the orchestra it was a great honour to work with Gary Walker as conductor. As well as conducting many prestigious orchestras throughout the world he was the principle guest conductor of the RSNO 2003 - 2007

The Nutcracker composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of my favourite pieces of classical music especially around Christmas time, as the story follows a young girls dreams on Christmas Eve about a nutcracker doll she has been given. The Nutcracker Ballet was first performed at the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia.

The lively start of the Miniature Overture from the Nutcracker really captured the audience as we painted the picture of an exciting Christmas Eve. Proceeding into the March left the audience wanting more as they were left with the abrupt ending. The delicate pizzicato led into the magical tune on the celesta of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I feel that the orchestra really created the image of the elegant ballerina performing that famous dance. Next the quiet Arabian Dance prior to finishing with the fast and exciting Trepak. The Trepak is my personal favourite movement in The Nutcracker, I particularly love the accelerando as the orchestra crashes into a dramatic ending.

Elgar The Wand of Youth Suite no.1

Overture

Serenade

Minuet (old style)

Sun Dance

Fairy Pipers

Slumber Scene

Fairies and Giants

The Wand of Youth Suite no.1 was first performed in London during 1907. Edward Elgar based the music on a family play he wrote at the age of 12. The seven contrasting movements are rarely performed in concert. I really enjoyed the fourth movement, Sun Dance. This lively dance is dominated by the woodwind section. I love the feeling of the violins fighting for the main tune however the woodwind section refuse to let them take over. After a brief dark passage the orchestra unites and scurries into a rousing close.

The highlight of the concert for me was the encore of the Trepak from the Nutcracker.

I am very excited to be a young ambassador for the RSNO. Our aim is to engage young people in classical music and I hope that blogging will become a vital part of this.

Elizabeth Barke

Elizabeth is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Young Ambassador Review: Oundjian Conducts Dvořák Seven

Stirling's Young Ambassador, Seona Glen, reviews Oundjian Conducts Dvořák Seven, Sat 12 Oct at Usher Hall, Edinburgh.

Solo Cellist Sol Gabetta. Photograph by Marco Borggreve

Firstly, I completely loved the whole concert!  It was quite unlike any I have been to before.  The Britten was a fantastic way to open.  The first few powerful bars had me gripped, and the huge sound was overwhelming.  The piece was well chosen, and I thought it was a great way to introduce any newcomers to orchestral music present to the RSNO, in preparation for the perhaps less accessible cello concerto.  Judging by the applause at the end, the rest of the audience enjoyed this piece as much as I did.  I particularly liked the way Oundjian asked each section to stand, as it allowed people in the stalls to see all the players and their instruments in the more hidden sections towards the back.

I thought the cellist, Sol Gabetta, was phenomenal.  Her enthusiasm and body language brought a lot to the whole performance for me, and in some of the sections where the cello stood on it’s own, she had the audience completely captivated.  I especially enjoyed the way you could see a strong connection between her and both the the first violins and the cellos. It was most certainly worth it to get such a close up view of the outside players and of Gabetta’s playing.  As a violin learner I found it fascinating to watch, and I would encourage any other strings learner to sit in the first few rows, so as to watch how the professionals perform.

I am very much looking forward to seeing another RSNO concert soon, and as I have seen many performances in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, I would be interested to hear how the orchestra sounds in the Usher Hall.

Seona Glen

Seona is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Young Ambassador's Forum #1: Niamh Mackaveney

Argyll and Bute Young Ambassador, Niamh Mackaveney, describes the first Young Ambassadors Forum and Lugansky Plays The Emperor, Sat 23rd Nov at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Saturday the 23rd of November saw the first meeting of the RSNO Young Ambassadors at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. It was so refreshing to meet other young people from all over Scotland who had similar interests and were clearly passionate about the subject at hand.
 
The idea behind the Young Ambassadors is to try to encourage young people to take an interest in classical music and make it accessible for everyone and in particular our peers. The level of enthusiasm that came from these talented people was overwhelming and made me feel as though we could really make a difference. After a photo-shoot in the main auditorium, which provided a good ice breaker, we were split into groups to discuss youth engagement, how we felt our generation viewed classical music, and how the RSNO specifically could make it more accessible.
 
At the concert, the RSNO opened with Messiaen's Offrandes Oubliees, a powerful piece which created an almost palpable tension throughout the audience. The string section was particularly spectacular in this piece as it added an unsettling and eerie feel. The impressive presence of Nikolai Lugansky then joined the Orchestra on stage. With an understated brilliance he showed us why he is a world class pianist with a beautiful rendition of Beethoven's Emperor. I sincerely look forward to my year as a Young Ambassador for the RSNO, and hope to attend as many of their brilliant concerts as possible.
 
Niamh Mackaveney
 
Niamh is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Young Ambassadors Forum #1: Natalie Brayshaw

One of the Highland Region's Young Ambassadors, Natalie Brayshaw, describes the first Young Ambassadors Forum and Lugansky Plays The Emperor, Sat 23rd Nov at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

On November 23rd, I travelled to Glasgow to meet with some of the other newly appointed Young Ambassadors for the RSNO. Having never encountered any of these people before (aside from having a nosey on Facebook!) I had no idea what to expect and was pretty nervous to meet them. But after all the introductions had taken place, I was just excited for us to get started.

We started by having our photograph taken in the concert hall itself, while the RSNO rehearsed behind us. I was struck by how odd it was to see them in casual clothes, not in the smart performance outfits I was used to. After several hushed photos, we headed back to the meeting room to come up with our first ideas.

In our groups, we came up with ideas such as making classical music more relatable to young people - for example by using classical music that has been made well known by films. We also discussed making it more accessible, by trying to change the perception of classical music as something only for older generations.

After this, we were given the opportunity to attend ‘Lugansky plays the Emperor’ conducted by Peter Oundjian. The concert opened with the RSNO’s enthralling performance of Messiaen’s ‘Les Offrandes Oubliées’ (which translates as the Forgotten Offerings), before Nikolai Lugansky was welcomed to play Piano Concerto No.5 (The Emperor). The atmosphere in the hall was breathtaking, and it was amazing to enjoy such music surrounded by other young people who all shared the same love for it. The final piece was Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, an interesting piece in which we heard prominent parts particularly from the brass. This was then followed by a wonderful encore of Brahms.

The music, meeting the other Young Ambassadors, and everything else about the evening was absolutely fantastic, and I can’t wait to meet the others and to continue working with this project.

Natalie Brayshaw

Natalie is part of the RSNO's Young Ambassador scheme, arranged by the Learning and Engagement Department. For more information, visit the RSNO website.

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Work Experience with Learning and Engagement

The RSNO are dedicated to introducing young people to music beyond the realms of the concert hall. The Learning and Engagement department welcome work experience students to learn about how music is programmed within schools and local communities, as well as extended as a facility for learning new skills and providing a creative outlet.

Earlier this month, Guy Sutherland age 14 from Shawlands Academy joined the Learning and Engagement office for a four-day work experience placement. He shared his thoughts in the diary, below. Find out more about the Learning and Engagement department, here. 

Day 1: Monday 9 September

Over the past two days I have been at the RSNO for work experience. I have done many different things using many of my skills. I have been on the phone a lot, phoning registrars around the country and asking about the RSNO ASTAR CD, which was given to babies throughout Scotland in 2012. It was very enjoyable and gave me a great taste of what working within an Learning and Education department would be like. Later on, my supervisor and I went to a samba workshop at a different school which was very enjoyable. I met loads of different children doing the workshop and had a chance to learn more about the music and the way it is created.

Day 2: Tuesday 10 September

On my second day, I started out by making a survey on Survey Monkey about a workshop the members of the Orchestra had taken part in. It was successful, and has been sent round everyone in the Orchestra. Then I was given a spreadsheet that was to be checked and corrected for the holidays and in-service days around Scottish schools. After this, I was given the task of phoning different high schools in and around Inverness about a free coaching session on selected instruments at Eden Court. My first two days have been very successful!

Day 3: Wednesday 11 September

On my third day I started by listening to the Orchestra rehearse and then I rearranged all the RSNO’s concert guides since 1882 to 19-something which took quite a long time, but was satisfying when completed. After that I sorted out all the dates for the Scottish school holidays, in-service days and days they are in school which took very long also. But by the end of the third day I am very tired but I am enjoying myself at the RSNO.

Day 4: Thursday 12 September

On my fourth day, I finished phoning all the schools in Inverness to ask about free coaching sessions. It has greatly boosted my people skills and it has also increased my confidence massively. I helped the Library department by listing all the people who are going away at the weekend with the Junior Chorus. Then I stapled all of the music together which was fun. Tomorrow I go to Inverness which I am really looking forward to!  

Monster Music's Teddy Bears' Picnic

On 17 & 18 Apr 2013, Monster Music hosted a Teddy Bears' Picnic at Henry Wood Hall.  Families and children were invited to join presenter and actor Claire Knight, alongside a special 'guest appearance' from a giant bear (well, it was a Teddy Bears' Picnic), to sing and dance along in an informal setting, with live musical accompaniment of the RSNO. 

The concert proved to be a huge success, and received a 5* review in The Herald Scotland, which you can read here.

Henry Wood Hall

The Orchestra in action

Presenter, Claire Knight, and the RSNO's Burra bear, Yunson

See the rest of the photographs from the concerts on the RSNO Pinterest board, here.

Don't forget to keep up to date with everything that's going on in RSNO Engage section of the website, Liking us on Facebook and Following us on Twitter.

RSNO Engage has launched!

These are extremely exciting times for the RSNO, as the organisation continues to move from strength to strength.  We've had a more than successful 2012:13 Season,  with Peter Oundjian joining us for a second Season as Musical Director for 2013:14. 

On Thursday 6th June, the RSNO launched its new Learning and Education programme, RSNO Engage.  

The launch will lead to an overhaul of its schools concerts, a new programme to support young musicians starting their professional music careers, a nationwide RSNO Young Ambassadors initiative, a Highlands residency in 2014, development of a long-term relationship with young musicians in Perth and a pilot interactive music initiative for 0-2 year olds in Aberdeen. Share your thoughts on Twitter @RSNO #RSNOEngage. 

Read the full press release on the RSNO website here. 

View more photos on our dedicated 'RSNO Engage' Pinterest board here.