Classical review: Royal Scottish National Orchestra & Nicola Benedetti

THE Caird Hall crowd said it all, when they let out a mournful “aah” in response to Stéphane Denève’s opening speech. This is his last season with the RSNO, and it’s safe to say he’ll be missed.

Not only has Denève programmed great concerts over the past six years, but he’s also been a very personable presence at the baton.

French-born Denève has never been shy about his love of Scotland, and this programme celebrated both nations in style.

Atmospheric traditional work Meggernie Castle came first, played by three talented members of the National Youth Pipe Band. The piece segued perfectly into Debussy’s Marche écossaise, in which the composer used Meggernie Castle’s march theme several times. Although relatively short, the work is wonderfully evocative, conjuring up the beauty of the Scottish countryside.

We stayed in Scotland, via Germany, in the first half with the arrival of Nicola Benedetti for Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy Op46. Always a popular RSNO guest, Benedetti seems incapable of playing anything other than a perfect note.

The second half, however, belonged to another young artist – French composer Fabien Waksman, 31. Commissioned by Denève to create a five-minute piece for the RSNO’s 2008 Paris programme, Waksman was such a hit Denève asked him to create a full-length work that could precede Debussy’s well-loved La mer (tonight’s closer), and the resulting piece, Le parfum d’Aphrodite, was more than up to the job.

The work has a filmic quality with a real sense of narrative, taking all manner of unexpected twists and turns. An epic journey from a young composer we’ll no doubt hear a lot more from in the future.