Classical review: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Published on Monday 12 October 2009 18:56

BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ***** USHER HALL, EDINBURGH

FEARS of a wafer-thin audience for last night's homecoming by Donald Runnicles, in his new capacity as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, disappeared at the 11th hour as hundreds formed a last-minute queue for tickets that snaked its way outside the Usher Hall, delaying the start of the concert by ten minutes.

No-one could have been disappointed by what followed. Runnicles delivered Beethoven, Berg and Mahler that had the 1,000-plus crowd cheering and stamping with delight.

Pinpoint precision and textural detail were the hallmarks of Beethoven's Symphony No 1, which the former San Francisco Opera supremo coloured with masterly brushstrokes – a will-o'-the-wisp delicacy in the andante, and a feel for the overall shape both expansive and highly sensitised.

Berg's luxurious Seven Early Songs introduced us to the breathtaking voice of the young American soprano Heidi Melton, whose seamless lyricism floated effortlessly over the molten restlessness of Berg's golden orchestrations.

Then Runnicles took us to the swirling peaks and troughs of Mahler's Symphony No 1, and an epic, measured performance that matched fragile anticipation and aching tranquility with the torment and triumph of the symphony's final moments. For those who missed it, Thursday's Glasgow performance is broadcast on Radio 3 tonight.

&#149 A version of this review appeared in late editions of yesterday's Scotsman