Latest news with #PastoralSuite
Scotsman
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
SCO & Sean Shibe, East Neuk Festival review: 'tenderness and intimacy'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SCO & Sean Shibe, Bowhouse, St Monans ★★★★ With oystercatchers whirling above the heads of concertgoers as they arrived, and housemartins flitting back and forth to nests in the evening's venue, nature felt gloriously close at the East Neuk Festival's opening concert in St Monans' cavernous Bowhouse. There was a bracingly outdoor, authentic feel to the music inside too – kicked off in semi-ceremonial style with fiddler Donald Grant delivering a gradually coalescing tune while processing through the large and enthusiastic audience. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Andrew Manze | Chris Christodoulou Grant's tune felt like the natural upbeat to the sometimes rustic sounds of Larsson's Pastoral Suite, which opened the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and conductor Andrew Manze's buoyant programme – Manze virtually caressed the music into being, though the skittering melodies were punchy and the central Romance's strings offered a wonderfully gilded, velvety sound, all the more pronounced in the Bowhouse's rich acoustics. If there was tenderness and intimacy in Manze's opener, there was even more in guitarist Sean Shibe's remarkably crisp, nuanced account of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Not that Shibe didn't deliver on the piece's flamboyant fingerwork and fiery rhythms, but he teased apart intertwined lines and shaped phrases with microscopic detail, all the while ensuring the music felt fresh and spontaneous – and, most importantly, played deeply from the heart. Sean Shibe | Iga Gozdowska SCO cor anglais player Katherine Brymer made for a particularly sonorous, soulful partner in the concert's heartrending slow movement, matching Shibe's sense of freedom and warmth. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Daily Record
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Composer returns to his Ayrshire roots as part of Scottish Chamber Orchestra Summer tour
The orchestra is bringing world-class music to venues across Scotland and part of the Ayrshire region will be on the tour. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has announced its annual Summer Tour- and for one composer it's a real homecoming to his Ayrshire roots. The orchestra is bringing world-class music to venues across Scotland and part of the Ayrshire region will be on the tour. And for former Cumnock Academy pupil, Jay Capperauld, it'll be his second year as SCO Associate Composer. Until August29 2025, the orchestra is bringing together a host of exceptional conductors and soloists to present world-class, live classical music to 20 remote Scottish locations From Kames in the West to Golspie in the North, the SCO Summer Tour aims to build relationships with local communities, put SCO musicians centre-stage and bring world-class concerts to audiences who might otherwise not be able to experience them. The 2024/25 season marks Jay Capperauld's second year as SCO Associate Composer. Following a season that included the world premiere of Bruckner's Skull and performances of three other works, the SCO will perform two newly commissioned pieces by Jay during the Summer Tour, including his Wind Dectet Carmina Gadelica. Gavin Reid, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, said: 'As we look ahead to summer 2025, we look forward to hitting the road once again and bringing the SCO's music to communities across Scotland. 'With our world-class musicians and a dynamic programme that truly showcases the depth of our orchestra, this tour promises to offer something for everyone. Whether it's your first concert or you're a long-time supporter, we can't wait to share the joy of live music with you all.' The SCO's Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze takes the Orchestra to Stirling (26 June), Dunoon (27 June), and Hawick (28 June) for a concert of timeless melodies including Larsson's Pastoral Suite, Mozart's Bassoon Concerto with SCO's very own Cerys Ambrose-Evans as soloist and concluding with Schubert's Symphony No. 6. Conductor Jakob Lehmann and SCO Principal Clarinettist Maximiliano Martín lead a romantic programme in Airdrie (27 August), Blair Atholl (28 August), and Inverness (29 August). The programme includes Rossini's Overture to The Barber of Seville, Spohr's Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat, and Schubert's Symphony No. 2 in B-flat. Conductor Adam Hickox leads a French Romantic programme with SCO Principal Flautist André Cebrián placing his instrument firmly in the spotlight. Touring to Kingussie (19 June), Golspie (20 June), and Findhorn (21 June). The programme features Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, Ibert's Flute concerto, as well as Schubert's Symphony No. 5. Conductor Jonathan Bloxham takes the Orchestra to Hamilton (17 July), Castle Douglas (18 July), and Ayr (19 July) with a programme showcasing the Orchestra's versatility and artistry. The concert features the world premiere of Rewired, a dynamic new concerto for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra written by Jay Capperauld, with Lewis Banks as soloist. The programme also includes symphonies by Haydn and Beethoven. The SCO Wind Soloists visit Kames (11 June), Kilmelford (12 June), Crianlarich (13 June) and Gartmore (14 June) with an intimate programme, featuring Carmina Gadelica, a vibrant new dectet by Jay Capperauld, who takes inspiration from Gaelic hymns, incantations and songs in his striking new work. The SCO Strings directed by Stephanie Gonley embark on a Summer Serenade which takes audiences on a journey through vibrant rhythms, tender romance and timeless beauty, with works including miniatures from Coleridge-Taylor's Novelletten and Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Sibelius's Rakastava (The Lover) and Dvořák's Serenade for Strings round off performances in Brechin (12 June), Fochabers (13 June), and Fortrose (14 June). Also over the summer period, the SCO takes to the stage at the East Neuk Festival for the Opening Concert (25 June). SCO Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze leads the celebrations with The East Neuk of Fife, followed by guitarist Sean Shibe performing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, perhaps the most famous piece ever written for guitar, before closing the concert with Schubert's joyful Symphony No 6. 18 and Under Go Free. Under 26s/students/Universal Credit £6. People with disabilities half price, essential companion goes free.
