What a joy this was. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Principal guest conductor Andrew Manze introduced us to the programme with unsurpassed joy. In reverse order he gave us all the reasons why we were in for a very special evening. Beethoven’s Symphony No 3: Eroica was first up on his list, but actually last on the programme. He declared that any day when he could hear this piece filled him with joy.
And ‘not only that’, but Sheku Kanneh-Mason was soon to join him on stage to play Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1. And if that wasn’t enough, the concert was to begin with Jay Capperauld’s Sinfonietta: Pathways – a world premiere tonight, with the composer in the house. Capperauld has been the SCO’s Associate Composer since 2022 and works not just with the main orchestra but also extensively with young musicians.
Manze went on to offer yet more joy, introducing us to the SCO Academy’s string players, already on stage, with whom Capperauld had collaborated on this piece. If Manze’s enthusiastic introduction to the programme wasn’t enough to get your joyful juices going, you were probably in the wrong place.
A Flawless World Premiere
So, the programme began with the Capperauld. If you know his 2018 piece ‘Endlings’, you might have some idea of what to expect from this piece. Although ‘Endlings’ is a piece for piano and orchestra, the ethereal beginning of ‘Sinfonietta: Pathways’ uses similar themes and techniques to evoke, for me at least, water and flocks of seabirds. The second movement started as if it might be heading towards a Scottish reel, but soon turned into a beautiful soaring, full-bodied melody: very pastoral. The third movement was punchy and a bit Bernstein-esque, with bows being tapped against instruments and plenty of foot stamping. A lot of fun.
The fourth movement knitted the whole thing together. Given that more than half the players on stage were Academy students, this level of accomplishment of playing a world premiere in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall might have been too much to expect. Not at all: they rose to the occasion and gave a flawless performance.
Kanneh-Mason’s Sensual Haydn
The decks were cleared – no mean feat, given moving 30-odd chairs and music stands – and Kanneh-Mason joined the ranks of the SCO for Haydn’s Cello Concerto No 1. I’ve watched the 2013 recording of this piece, when Kanneh-Mason was only 13 (he re-posts it occasionally too). Ridiculously good, but much more mannered – not surprisingly – than the more mature player on stage tonight. He’s been accused in the past of giving somewhat lack-lustre performances: I’m pleased to say I’ve heard him play several times now and never once could I accuse him of that.
I’m no aficionado, so I’m not quite sure what combination of beautiful 17th-century instrument and expertise on the musician’s part makes for such evocative and sensual playing, but Kanneh-Mason is very close to knocking Yo-Yo Ma off the top of my list of favourite cellists. The Concerto comprises three movements with the soloist taking centre stage and then blending in more with the rest of the orchestra, but it’s in the third and final movement when Kanneh-Mason really came into his own. The promise is there from the outset, but the five minutes plus of virtuoso playing in the Allegro Molto was a real showcase not only of the beauty of the piece, but the range of the cello – not just there to add a bit of depth to the orchestra as a whole – and Kanneh-Mason’s sensitive and yet lively mastery of his beloved instrument.
Follow that if you can. And indeed more joy was to come, as promised, with Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ and the full complement of the SCO, none of whom were left loitering before playing one or two notes: they were fully employed for the whole piece. This is Beethoven at his popular best, just on the cusp of his Romantic era. As the name suggests, this is a heroic piece, dedicated originally to Napoleon, and then the decision was reversed by Beethoven himself when he believed the ‘Emperor’ take to be a huge step in the wrong direction. And so ‘Eroica’ it became. The four movements range from setting out his heroic ambition, through his funereal second movement, on to the bright and peppy Scherzo and finally his victory parade, the Allegro Molto.
“I’m no aficionado, so I’m not quite sure what combination of beautiful 17th-century instrument and expertise on the musician’s part makes for such evocative and sensual playing, but Kanneh-Mason is very close to knocking Yo-Yo Ma off the top of my list of favourite cellists.“
All of this was played with flair and vigour as demanded by Manze’s compelling and effervescent baton waving and pointing. At times he conducted with his whole body and never did he stay still; ever enjoying himself, I’m certain. It feels harsh to pick out specific musicians of note, as all of the orchestra is so well employed, but I guess mention should be made of the horns (all four of them), the oboe players and flautists, who rarely had time to draw breath.
This was a concert with variety and youth – a new piece, young musicians – but demonstrating, in the Haydn and Beethoven, that centuries-old music can still sound fresh in the right hands.
And I’ll say it again, what a joy it was.
Featured Image: Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Haydn © Christopher Bowen
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