Classical review: RSNO: Au Revoir Stephane, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

IT WAS inevitable that Stéphane Denève would make a lasting statement at his final Edinburgh concert as musical director of the RSNO. He did it with a kilt, which, together with his wild, tousled reddish hair, marked him out as the honorary Scot he has become during his seven years in charge of the orchestra.

The kilt appeared in the second half of a farewell concert that had laughs, tears (Denève’s) and musical thrills in abundance – a programme deliberately representative of his current transition as a Frenchman relinquishing his Scots post in favour of his new musical directorship in Germany.

Thus the heady musical cocktail of James MacMillan’s Britannia, Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel and, as a monumental send-off, Ravel’s complete ballet score Daphnis et Chloé, all of which saw Denève in super-animated and, in some cases, mischievous form. For there is nothing straight-laced about MacMillan’s musical tirade, a cacophony of familiar tunes that send up Elgar, the national anthem and the Scottish predilection with sticking two fingers up at the English, with the help of taxi horns and other noisy paraphernalia.

No holds barred in the Strauss either, lit up here by the sharp-edged virtuosity of the on-heat RSNO players, and thoroughly exhaustive in its conjuring up of the story.

But it was the Ravel that made the most lasting impact. With the full might of the RSNO Chorus and Junior Chorus, Denève shaped this delicious score with all the sensuousness of a Hollywood score.

Rating: ****