Classical review: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Published on Tuesday 29 September 2009 20:47

QUEEN'S HALL, EDINBURGH ****

FOR more than ten years the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and presenter Paul Rissmann have delivered Masterworks, a hugely successful "music under the microscope" education project, to secondary school pupils throughout Scotland.

In this pilot concert featuring James MacMillan's Tryst, they performed their double act for the general public for the first time, providing a fascinating insight into how one of the most significant masterpieces in the repertoire had been constructed.

Rissmann got the tone spot on in with his mixture of witty banter, superb visual graphics and even a bit of audience participation in the form of counting, stamping and clapping. He explained how James MacMillan's piece evolved from a simple folk melody, using the text of William Soutar's 1932 poem Tryst, via a haunting violin and piano duo into a fully-fledged 25-minute work for chamber orchestra. Dividing the piece into five sections, Rissmann broke down all the component parts which included a 12-tone melody, fanfares, sirens, stabbing chords and a wailing theme, all illustrated by clever colour-coded notes or appropriate icons.

Tryst is a challenging powerhouse of a piece, the sparky raw energy and the thwack of the double basses in particular, reminiscent of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. After an interval the SCO, conducted by James Lowe, gave a thrilling performance of the whole work.

Given Rissmann's inspired and engaging presentation, it was impossible not to hear the piece with completely different ears as well as marvel at MacMillan's consummate skill as a composer.