Themes and Variations from Brahms and Dvořák, haunting Britten with Stuart Jackson and Alberto Menéndez Escribano, John Wilson standing in to conduct at City Halls, Glasgow.
With a last-minute change of conductor from the excitable Andris Nelsons to the more reserved Jac van Steen, one might have forgiven a not exactly revolutionary performance. Last night’s concert was meant to be the first half of Nelsons’ Brahms cycle with the Philharmonia in the Sheldonian Theatre, part of Music at Oxford’s series, but illness unfortunately prevented him from performing.
