This was the concert to bring to a close Peter Oundjian’s first season as the RSNO’s Music Director. His predecessor, Stéphane Denève, spoke to us at the outset; Oundjian chooses his moment. For this concert he spoke to a full Usher Hall after Ravel’s Spanish inspired dance, Alborada del gracioso. Ravel, very much the Frenchman, had looked towards his mother’s Spanish roots for inspiration. Memorable was David Hubbard’s solo bassoon.
Nicola Benedetti, fresh from receiving her MBE from the Queen, and with a smaller orchestra behind her, played Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending. It was easy to picture the bird flying ever so gracefully above us in the English countryside. It starts very quietly, gets busier with violin and orchestra - and ends in a silence as the bird disappears from sight.
Nicola Benedetti and the Orchestra were down at the Mediterranean for Saint-Saëns’ Rondo. And if it was not already obvious we really could see Nicola’s talent on her Stradivarius violin. Not suprisingly, the applause encouraged her to play an encore, a Bach serenade - an examination piece if ever there was one.
After the interval came William Walton’s film score for Laurence Olivier’s Henry V. A year after the film ws released Walton had prepared the music for orchestra, but it took Christopher Palmer in 1988 to improve and adapt it further. This version gave space for a narrator to read from Shakespeare’s play.
In his as-always-excellent pre-concert talk, William Chandler, told us that Glasgow born but now Edinburgh resident, Cal MacAninch, had always wanted this opportunity. The television star did not disappoint and was clearly enjoying himself. Beforehand in the bar the talk was of patriotism and whether Alec Salmond was in the audience. But, of course, the matter in hand was Agincourt and the battle between England and France. The seats behind the players were filled with the Chorus and Junior Chorus, the latter all girls who had memorised their words, and organist Michael Bawtree at the top. Was it the exuberant end of season work - well almost.
It has been a thoroughly satisfactory first season for Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which included a Hogmanay trip to China. My initial fear was that Peter would fall into the trap of appearing to be too English. But he’s turned out wiser than that, and knows his Edinburgh from his Glasgow. His performance at the Fringe as a late teenager must have helped. As Nicola Benedetti told us, we are fortunate to have him and fortunate indeed to have his splendid Orchestra. Well done to one and all, on stage and in the office behind the scenes.
Event: Friday 31 May 2013 at 7.30pm