Music review: RSNO & Katherine Bryan, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Jay Capperauld’s new composition, Our Gilded Veins, received an impressive world premiere courtesy of RSNO principal flute Katherine Bryan, writes Kelly Apter
Katherine Bryan and the RSNOKatherine Bryan and the RSNO
Katherine Bryan and the RSNO

RSNO & Katherine Bryan, Usher Hall, Edinburgh *****

Beethoven was 31 when The Creatures of Prometheus premiered in 1801. As a composer, he was already carving out a reputation for emotional depth and drama, but there were untold treasures yet to come. Hopefully, the same can be said for Ayrshire-born Jay Capperauld, whose new work received its world premiere at the Usher Hall on Friday. Sitting alongside Beethoven’s Overture to Prometheus and his Symphony No. 9, Our Gilded Veins is the latest in a line of impressive works by Capperauld and this 33-year-old undoubtedly has much more to offer.

Created for the RSNO’s principal flute, Katherine Bryan, the 20-minute piece felt like a truncated therapy session. Our Gilded Veins was inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken objects are repaired with golden lacquer to accentuate – rather than disguise – the joins, and Capperauld likens this technique to the fragility and resilience of our mental health. After an opening note that bursts forth like a scream into darkness, Bryan led us into a world of trouble. Each phrase was echoed by two fellow flautists, evoking the ricochets of trauma. Fast-paced and franetic, she elicited both excitement and trepidation, aided by deeply ominous double bass and percussion. Throughout, the violins carried an undertow of hope that Bryan would triumph over adversity and emerge into harmony, which she eventually did. Having hobbled onto the stage after breaking her foot last week, the emotional fracture Capperauld was searching for was captured by Bryan in every possible way.

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The account of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 was full-bodied and arresting. The RSNO Chorus, back in business after a two-year hiatus from Season concerts, blew the roof off in the final movement, with their exuberant Ode to Joy. The four soloists were sheer perfection and conductor Thomas Søndergård milked every droplet of drama.

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