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Joseph Swensen shoogles and swings in Poulenc and Milhaud in an exploration of different musical cultures and a fusion of classical and jazz.

Nicola Benedetti on astonishing form with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Edinburgh.

Assistant Conductor Joseph Young led a flat performance of the beloved Dvořák New World Symphony and violin soloist Joseph Swensen played an eccentric version of the Barber Violin Concerto. 

A sparkling new work from John McLeod throws light on the celebration of 150 years of Sibelius and Nielsen.

A Sunday afternoon Queen’s Hall event is usually a more intimate affair than an evening concert; only the downstairs level is open and, although the Side Stalls on this occasion were fairly sparsely populated, the Centre Stalls were full with attentive and responsive audience members.

Pre-concert talks need not brim with revelation to be rewarding. Another’s perspective can be enough to alter perception of a programme and resonance thereafter. Such was the case with Dr. Elaine Kelly's talk before this SCO concert entitled “The Pity of War”. Key to reflections on the relationship between war and music was diversity of approach.

The seemingly endless variety of conducting styles in existence intrigues me. This is particularly striking when one conductor displays three styles, in as many pieces, in a single concert. Joseph Swenson (Conductor Emeritus of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra) began this programme by guiding the SCO through Stravinsky's Concerto in E flat, 'Dumbarton Oaks' (1937).