The Scottish Chamber Orchestra take us on a journey of the imagination – an intriguing evening
Music of the Imagination performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was an intriguing concert. Comprising works from six composers – three ‘traditional’ Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven; and three contemporary, John Woolrich, Judith Weir, and Thomas Adès (our energetic and engaging conductor for this evening).
The excellent digital programme (a fantastic initiative by the SCO to make these available online and ahead of the performances) was supplemented by thoughtful comments from Adès. The theme of the evening around imagination, and the potential thought processes of the composers – flitting through incomplete half-formed thoughts, akin to a social media algorithm. Having this perspective added to the audiences understanding of the pieces, particularly where snippets of motifs reappeared, and in the frequent changes of pace and focus.
The programme was well considered, interspersing the traditional with contemporary. Beginning with Haydn (Symphony No 64 ‘Tempora Mutantur’), the light and frothy strings of the Allegro moved into more portentous tones through the Menuotto and Finale, fortified by the bassoon and cello. All members of the orchestra were fantastic, but a particular acknowledgement to Cerys Ambrose-Evans for her contribution on the bassoon throughout the evening.
Moving into John Woolrich’s The Theatre Represents a Garden: Night, the orchestra moved deftly between changes between pace and focus; frantic then slowing; reinforcing the theme of skipping through an algorithm, and ending on a gorgeously-held final note.
Onto Mozart (Concert Aria: Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio K418) and the arrival of soprano Emma Posman, dressed in a powder blue gown, serendipitously complementing blue of the venue. A pitch-perfect performance from Emma, delightfully complemented by the woodwind section.
Following the interval, Adès spoke movingly about his own composition (The Origin of the Harp) – first written in the 90s for nine soloists, but reworked in 2020 for an orchestra. A number of percussion elements added a complexity to his striking arrangement, which felt almost befitting of a film-score, and an imaginative use of piano strings in the final moments.
Judith Weir’s Heroic Strokes of the Bow then followed, echoing elements of the previous pieces, with almost staccato pieces, energetic stop-start snippets, with the feeling that the orchestra was almost straining to be set free, whilst held in a tight tether, in this vital composition.
Beethoven’s Creatures of Prometheus was our finale. The Overture took us back towards more traditional swells, whilst remaining energetic. A particular highlight was the Adagio, which spotlighted the harp (Eleanor Hudson), flute (André Cebrián) and cello (Philip Higham), before the Finale, where the orchestra soared together almost as a muscular unit, bringing us to the close.
It felt very fitting that tonight’s concert was held in The Queen’s Hall, a converted church, which blends tradition with the modern – retaining church pew seating in some areas, but with the woodwork charmingly painted in blue, and cushioned seats. The sound quality was excellent (as always in this venue), and whilst the orchestra were well-lit, the house lights remained higher than expected, and felt barely dipped. However, this was a minor point, and didn’t substantially detract from from the performance at hand, such was the skill of the orchestra.
Overall, a fantastic evening, which was more than befitting the description as creating “…a notion of time, of artists casting their imaginations across centuries, and noting down the results.”