The concert at the Queen's Hall began with Brahms orchestral Variations on a theme of Haydn, Opus 56a, St Anthony Chorale. Composed in the summer of 1873, it begins with the St Anthony Chorale theme, in B-flat major, followed by eight distinctive harmonic variations and a majestic passacaglia finale.
The brass section frequently features in the variations - played flawlessly by members of the orchestra - where haunting melodies juxtapose dramatic passages. Olari Elts, the Estonian guest conductor, mirrored the emotions of the music in the most thrilling way with his conducting, alternating between minimalistic and expansive movements.
Jean-Guihen Queyras, the French cellist, was the soloist in Haydn's cello concerto in C major which was next on the programme. Although it wasn't discovered until the 1960's it has subsequently become one of the most popular concertos. Described as music of the Age of Enlightment it contains delightful musical moments and Jean-Guihen Queyras played the finale at a terrific pace. Technically he was brilliant, but he lacked sustainable emotion.
Hugo Wolf's composition Italian Serenade was the third piece of the evening. Composed in 1887, it was originally written for a string quartet but he later transcribed it for orchestra. Wolf developed a reputation for lieder music and there's a songlike, lilting quality in this piece which was beautifully enhanced by the playing of Jane Atkins, principal viola of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
The concert concluded with Menelssohn's Symphony No 4 in A major, the 'Italian' symphony, written when he was twenty-one on his second grand tour of Europe and first performed with Mendelssohn as the conductor. Whilst in the middle of composing it he wrote to his sister Fanny: "It will be the jolliest piece I have ever done, especially the last movement" and the orchestra, combined with the passionate conducting of Olari Elts, succeeded in evoking that atmosphere.
Tour dates
Friday 6 May - Glasgow City Hall, 7.30pm
Saturday 7 May - Aberdeen Music Hall, 7.30pm
Sunday 8 May - Inverness Eden Court Theatre, 8pm