Scottish Chamber Orchestra concert tracing the evolution of the symphony through the Classical era, with Rachel Podger directing from the violin.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra are at The Queen's Hall on Thursday 10 December, with Rachel Podger directing from the violin. It's part of their 26/27 season, and the programme is built around a single idea: tracing the evolution of the symphony through the Classical era. Rather than a random collection of pieces, the three works on the bill follow a line from the early Classical style through to the moment the form began to change.
They open with J.C. Bach's Overture from Amadis de Gaule, the kind of music that charmed audiences in its day and left its mark on a young Mozart. From there, the evening moves to Haydn's Symphony No. 99 in E-flat, a work of wit and sophistication that shows off his command of orchestral colour. The night culminates in Beethoven's Symphony No. 1, a bold debut that hints at the revolutionary spirit he'd bring to the symphony in the years that followed. Hearing them in one sitting makes the shift from Bach to Beethoven feel like a proper arc.
Podger leading from the violin is a particular detail to keep in mind. It's a different way of running an orchestra than the usual conductor-with-a-baton setup, and it puts the violin right at the front of the sound. The programme is billed as an illuminating look at how the symphony developed over these decades, and having the same ensemble carry it through from the early Classical style to Beethoven's first foray into the form gives it a coherent thread.
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The concert starts at 7:30pm, with the box office opening at 6:00pm and the venue doors and bar open from 6:30pm. Tickets run from £45 down to £8, and those prices include a £2 fee per transaction.
