The concert began with the world premiere of storm, rose, tiger composed by Glasgow born Martin Suckling and commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The title comes from a phrase in the fantasy short story written in 1940 by the Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges.
A magician attempts to dream a human being in minute detail. Martin Suckling has written that it is a strange and compelling story, with a great deal of resonance for him as a composer. For the first time of hearing it was both sophisticated and delicate. At one point almost to silence before getting busy again. I look forward to hearing it again. He came on stage both to thank the Orchestra and take the audience’s praise.
It took Robert Schumann’s marriage in 1840 to Clara Wieck to move over from writing for the piano to the orchestra. We heard the first version of his Symphony No 4 written in 1841. Ten years later Schumann revised the work and this is more often performed. It was a particular joy to hear the cello and oboe in the slow movement, later to be joined by the bassoons.
After the interval the very experienced violinist Viktoria Mullova took her place in front of the Orchestra and showed us how to play Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Born near Moscow in 1959 she defected from Soviet Russia whilst performing in Finland in 1983. Over the years she has built up an international career based in London.
Robin Ticciati’s conducting was memorable for the pace he set his players - and they responded with alacrity. But the evening could have been happier had he given us a few words of introduction; it came over as if we were not within his very talented sights.
Event: Thursday 13 October 2011 at 7.30pm