The Scottish Ensemble with guitarist Sean Shibe perform a thoughtful programme of ancient and modern Christmas-themed music in a candlelit St John’s Kirk.
The 28th annual concert of the Cross Chamber Orchestra was most praiseworthy in its youthful energy and especially because of the wise choice of soloist; a fascinating feat of religious stoicism and extreme vitality!
In a brief mid-concert interview for BBC Radio 3, conductor Sian Edwards was asked why Britten and his contemporaries wrote so much music for small string orchestra, and her answer illuminated the choice of programming for this Proms Saturday Matinee performance.
David Curtis displayed his usual deceptively effortless ease on the podium. Perhaps this felt like a handy warm-up for the marathon that he would run, hard on the heels of this concert, in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Orchestra of the Swan’s home territory.
A very striking wild-eyed hirsute man has been staring out at us across Scotland on posters for this concert tour, showing that the Scottish Ensemble has adapted well to the modern world of promotion, using titles, straplines and imagination. On the face of things, the choice of eight seemingly very disconnected pieces in the programme, from 1700 to the present day, was disconcerting.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea was founded in 1682 by Charles II to provide soldiers with a rewarding retirement location, and the grounds and buildings are all fitting for the residency of the Chelsea Pensioners. Their concert season ranges from choral music for Remembrance to string quartets and piano trios, but tonight’s performance saw string orchestra classics from the London Serenata.
