RSNO: Brahms' Violin Concerto

The RSNO are at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 24 October, with leader Maya Iwabuchi taking the solo for Brahms' Violin Concerto. That concerto is the anchor of the evening, and Iwabuchi frames it as an 'autumn getaway to the Austrian Alps' — a fitting way to look at it when the nights are drawing in across the city.

The second half shifts the focus far north. Finnish guest conductor Emilia Hoving takes over for a pairing of Finnish classics by Kaija Saariaho and Jean Sibelius, two composers whose work is deeply tied to the landscapes of their home. Hoving describes her approach as drawing on lakes, forests, midnight sunlight and the Northern Lights, so the programme moves from the Austrian Alps of the first half to the wide, open spaces of the far North in the second.

It's a long evening, with the concert running about two hours including a 20-minute interval. If you're arriving early, there's a free pre-concert talk at 6.45pm in the Clyde Foyer, which is a good way to get your bearings before the music starts. The main event kicks off at 7.30pm at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow City Centre G2 3NY.