It is not often that a Royal Scottish National Orchestra concert begins without a single player to be seen. But on this occasion it was the one hundred and thirty or so members of the RSNO Chorus who were on the stage with Stephen Doughty, their Director, conducting. We heard three songs composed by Clara Schumann - Ave Maria!, a meditation, Onward, an uplifting march and Gondola Song, a love tease. In his pre-concert talk, Stephen Doughty had been keen that we took inspiration from the wise advice of the middle song. Indeed his whole talk was a thorough and enthusiastic background to the songs.
The Orchestra's players came on stage to be followed by a soloist with Thomas Sondergård, to conduct. Haydn's Trumpet Concerto was written to celebrate the development and improvement of the trumpet as a worthy orchestral instrument. Who better than the Orchestra's Principal Trumpet, Christopher Hart to be the soloist. It was delightful.
The main work of the evening was the longest but incomplete Mass setting by Mozart - his Grand Mass in C Minor. Probably written to show off his expertise to his new wife's parents and played to them before Mozart had finished it, he never did complete it. Brenda Rae, Katie Coventry, Edgardo Rocha and Andreas Landin were the soloists. It was good to see Andreas Landin with us again, but it was Katie Coventry's Credo that was particularly memorable. There are very many completed versions of this Mass; we heard the version of Richard Maunder, who died in 2018. This was a magnificent performance by Orchestra and Chorus which most certainly lived up to its title - Great.
Event: Friday 28th November 2025 at 7.30pm