Classical review: Edinburgh Incidental Orchestra; St Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh

It’s wholly run and administered by its members, and with this well-attended show being their sixth concert since its inception, and the second to feature chorus as well as orchestra, they’re clearly an energetic and enterprising bunch. Conducted by EIO founder Calum Zuckert, the programme was partly chosen around the theme of royal celebration, with the inclusion of the middle section from Parry’s I Was Glad, to which the then Kate Middleton walked down the aisle, and ahead to June’s diamond jubilee festivities with a selection of regally-associated Handel pieces.

While there were plenty of rich and rousing moments, the performance also often reflected the ensemble’s diverse levels of experience. The chorus sounded somewhat ragged in the Parry, which overall teetered between stately and sluggish, but the singing was markedly brighter, tighter and brisker in Handel’s For Unto Us a Child Is Born and Hallelujah Chorus. Reflecting the time of year, Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons displayed some crisply well-drilled orchestral playing, and while soloist Scott Galbraith’s delivery started out both rushed and lightweight, it gained in strength and depth as the piece progressed. Similarly, the concert’s centrepiece, Bach’s Magnificat, showcased some excellent and some weaker vocal solos, although the orchestra handled the music’s engrossing dynamic and emotional contrasts with consistent assurance.

Rating; ***