Music, Classical

Jacques Loussier Trio

19 Mar 2010

Nestling among the classical superstar line-up of pianist Joanna MacGregor, Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey and violinist James Ehnes, who appear in Glasgow’s International Classical Season to celebrate the music of JS Bach, there’s a name that doesn’t…

Jacques Loussier Trio bring their pioneering crossover sound to Glasgow

City Halls, Glasgow, Sun 21 Mar 2010

10 Mar 2010

Nestling among the classical superstar line-up of pianist Joanna MacGregor, Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey and violinist James Ehnes, who appear in Glasgow’s International Classical Season to celebrate the music of JS Bach, there’s a name that doesn’t…

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

2 Mar 2010

(Drag City) Revising and entwining the rites of folk, pop, blues, baroque, classical romanticism and nursery rhymes, California’s Joanna Newsom possesses an uncanny knack for arousing and confounding our cultural memory: for unfurling strangely…

Hebrides Ensemble – Pierrot Lunaire

2 Mar 2010

Whether in poetry, film, animation, popular and classical music, dance and even jewellery, the figure of Pierrot, the sad clown pining for love, is one that has proven irresistible since his rise to fame in the commedia dell’arte tradition of 16th…

Star Wars in Concert

2 Mar 2010

John Williams’ classic score from all six Star Wars movies are brought to life by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra with special effects, high definition movie projections, live narration from Anthony Daniels (the one and only C3PO) and a display…

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

18 Feb 2010

Young violinist Nicola Benedetti performs an emotionally-loaded concerto from the Finnish composer, Sibelius, followed by Shostakovich’s epic Tenth Symphony. Shostakovich’s Tenth was the first the Russian composer had composed since he was denounced by…

Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Leschenko plays Chopin

18 Feb 2010

Russian pianist Polina Leschenko is just 29 years old, but has played with big name international orchestras throughout the world, including as soloist with the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra at the tender age of eight. Expect fluent, delicate playing…

Edinburgh Quartet - 50th anniversary gala concert

17 Feb 2010

As the highlight of their golden anniversary season, the Edinburgh Quartet celebrate in style with a special gala concert and new commission from composer Howard Blake, he of Snowman and ‘Walking in the Air’ fame. Blake also appeared as pianist in the…

Scottish Ensemble: Toby Spence sings Jacques Brel

1 Feb 2010

Way back in the 60s, when the Scottish Ensemble was born, it was christened the Scottish Baroque Ensemble. Although a group always admired for pushing boundaries, a programme featuring music by Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel forty years down the…

Fringe Magnetic - Empty Spaces

27 Jan 2010

(Loop Records) Fringe Magnetic is an eclectic project even by the Loop Collective’s famously open-ended standards. The nine-piece band had its origins in a commission from University College London in 2006 allowing trumpeter and composer Rory Simmons…

RSNO Naked Classics

6 Jan 2010

Stripping Beethoven’s 7th Symphony bare, the RSNO’s enthusiastic presenter Paul Rissmann reveals its all. Telling the stories behind the music with a bit of assistance from projections, lighting, interviews with players and the conductor, and, not to…

Classical Christmas Concerts

17 Dec 2009

Even the bah humbugs of the festive season can’t deny that it brings some fabulous music along with the tinsel and the tat. Christmas straight from movie scores, Christmas music for children, carols with and without candlelight for choirs of all sounds…

The Voice Inside - Lyell Cresswell

9 Dec 2009

(Naxos) Quirky, atmospheric, funny, intense, dramatic are all adjectives which can be used to describe Edinburgh adoptee but New Zealand-born composer Lyell Cresswell’s concerto for violin, soprano and orchestra, The Voice Inside. Settings of seven…

Children's Classic Concerts: Let it Snow

4 Dec 2009

There is no shortage of role models at the Children’s Classic Concerts Christmas show. Not only will young audiences experience the boundless enthusiasm of percussionist hosts Owen and Olly, but their Glasgow concert also features internationally…

Robin Ticciati – Scottish Chamber Orchestra

4 Dec 2009

Love affairs, even in the highly emotionally charged world of classical music, are not always shouted about from the rooftops. But in the love-at-first-sight relationship between the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and their new principal conductor…

Huw Warren - Hermeto +

13 Nov 2009

(Basho Records) Welsh pianist Huw Warren is one of the most consistently intriguing and persistently undervalued musicians on the UK scene. Whether leading his own imaginative projects, co-founding Perfect Houseplants or working with musicians from…

Ryuichi Sakamoto interview

Piano man

13 Nov 2009

His collaboration with David Byrne on the score to The Last Emperor scored them an Oscar, but as Neil Cooper discovers, the pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto is happiest keeping things minimal, but always experimental It may be a quarter of a…

Classical hitlist

4 Nov 2009

RSNO: Benedetti Plays Bruch Whatever did classical music do without the wonderful young Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti? There could just be a few seats left for her performances with the RSNO and returns are always a possibility too. If no joy…

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – Bohemian Rhapsodies

30 Oct 2009

Long before Freddie Mercury ever came along, Bohemian rhapsodies were flowing from the pens of composers in the part of world from where the name originates. Strictly speaking, not necessarily rhapsodic in form, it is the symphonies, concertos…

Natalie Merchant, The Chieftains and Ry Cooder set for Celtic Connection 2010

30 Oct 2009

Celtic Connections launched with a suitable level of expectation this fortnight – and it doesn’t look set to disappoint. Comprising 1500 artists, 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, workshops, free events and late-night sessions, the programme of events will…

Hitlist: Classical Music

16 Oct 2009

Scottish Ensemble: Side by Side, Scottish Opera: The Italian Girl in Algiers, The New Music Experience

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ 75th birthday

A festival of events to celebrate the great musician

16 Oct 2009

One of the UK’s best known and loved musicians, Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, celebrates his 75th birthday with a festival of events presented by some of his dearest friends. That they happen to be the country’s leading…

Hitlist: Classical Music

The fortnight ahead

2 Oct 2009

Valery Gergiev with the Mariinsky Orchestra, The Sixteen: The Choral Pilgrimage 2009, RSNO: Angelic Memories

Music In The Digital Age

Technology's impact on the artform

2 Oct 2009

To paraphrase the Creme Egg adverts, when it comes to music, how do you hear yours? Streaming over the internet? Nicking stuff from torrents on the web? A bag full of goodies from Fopp? Crates of obscure vinyl from your local specialist…

Autumn Season Preview: Classical Music

What's ahead in the next few weeks

17 Sep 2009

It’s autumn, the leaves are turning and it’s that time of year when classical music’s own type of seasons start up again to keep everyone going through until the Spring. A major difference this year is that the orchestras are returning to their…