From Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Der Schildwache Nachtlied (Thomas Lehman), Das irdische Leben (Annika Schlicht), Trost im Unglück (Thomas Lehman), Rheinlegendchen (Annika Schlicht), Lob des hohen Verstandes (Thomas Lehman), Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen (Annika Schlicht), Urlicht (Annika Schlicht), Revelge (Thomas Lehman)
Sir Donald Runnicles brought with him two colleagues from Deutsche Oper Berlin – where Runnicles is Music Director to sing a selection of songs from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, The Boy's Magic Horn. Mezzo soprano Annika Schlicht and baritone Thomas Lehman took it in turns to sing eight of the delightful tales based on German folk poems. Indeed some of them brought a real smile to my face.
After the interval we heard Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, his last and incomplete. Interrupted many a time during its creation and still not finished after almost ten years, Bruckner died before working on its fourth movement. It tooks others to complete it. Over an hour in length Runnicles powered his Orchestra forward and memorable were the unexpected pizzicato moments for the strings. An impressive performance.
Sir Donald Runnicles was born and bred in Edinburgh, Has father, just like Bruckner, was an organist and a brass plaque in St Vincent's Chapel remembers his time there. Runnicles has been Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for the last eight years. The audience was clearly delighted to be sharing his seventieth birthday with him in the Usher Hall.
Event: Friday 23rd August 2024 at 7.30pm