Classical review: Scottish Chamber Orchestra - Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Published on Sunday 2 May 2010 19:45

SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA QUEEN'S HALL, EDINBURGH

AFTER last week's performance of Ligeti's gloriously dissonant piano concert, a less than half-full Queen's Hall would suggest that many of the orchestra's regular supporters decided to give this a miss – a shame, as Ligeti's more classically inclined Concerto Romanesc couldn't have been more different, with its wild gypsy rhythms and luscious string textures.

Estonian conductor Olari Elts had a clear affinity for the soundworld which dominated the premiere of Symphony No 8 by his friend and composer Erkki-Sven Tuur. For his latest work, Tuur drew on a colour palette as psychedelic as the Northern Lights, using a dazzling array of effects as well as an exotic line-up of percussion instruments to conjure up images of restless encounters with nature.

It's a similar landscape to that evoked by Sibelius in his groundbreaking Symphony No 3 in C. With cut-glass precision, Elts took the orchestra and the listener on a thrilling journey from the beautiful cello themes through the rhythmic slow movement that melts into a dreamy waltz to the glossy finale with its impressive build-up of tension.