Delyana Lazarova conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with violinist Liya Petrova in Korngold's Violin Concerto, Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3 and Debussy's 'Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune'.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are at Usher Hall on Sunday 7 February, with the programme built around the violin concerto of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It's a matinee, starting at 15:00, and it brings together three composers who each left a distinct mark on the 20th century: Debussy, Korngold and Rachmaninov.
The concert opens with Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, a piece whose warmth and sensuality sent shivers through western music when it first appeared. From there, the focus shifts to the Korngold Violin Concerto in D major, which is described as dreaming of Vienna under blue Californian skies. The afternoon closes with Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3 in A minor, a big, expressive work that rounds out the set.
There's a thread running through the choices, too. The programme frames them as 'songs of exile and nostalgia' by composers forced into America, and it marks the Usher Hall debut of the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor, Delyana Lazarova, who leads the afternoon alongside Bulgarian violinist Liya Petrova. It's part of the BBC SSO's 2026/27 season, which Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth is leading in his fifth year. The whole season is built around 'Beethoven 200', a year-long tribute to the composer with concerts across Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow from September 2026 to May 2027.
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Tickets are £16 to £34, with venue fees on top, and £6 for students and under-26s. If you're planning on seeing more than one, there's up to a 30% discount for booking three or four BBC SSO concerts at Usher Hall. The music starts at 15:00 on Sunday 7 February.
