RSNO All Star Gala Usher Hall Edinburgh 26th May 2023 Review
RSNO All Star Gala at the Usher Hall Edinburgh this evening with Nicola Benedetti, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Benjamin Grosvenor was, as to be expected, a sold-out concert as the chance to catch three of Britain’s top musical talents together on one stage was obviously one not to be missed.
Music is always a collection of meandering threads of creativity which often connect together, and that connection this evening is that all of our soloists launched their careers with the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, and that thread continues further as this concert opened with a performance of three works by contemporary composers by the RSNO Youth Chorus.
First in that trio of works was “Inherit the World” (Errollyn Warren). Musically, this work has much of interest, but it is the lyric that has the real power for me as the words raise so many questions about what we all are leaving the next generation to deal with. The answer is broken global, political, and monetary systems where sheer greed and over consumption of finite resources for decades have left the next generation our mess to try and clean up. Whilst applauding the message of this music I do though wish another title had been given to it as the next generation does not in my opinion “Inherit the World”. No generation inherits planet Earth; it never belongs to them. At best, they become the guardians of it for future generations to come. This is where this and earlier generations completely failed, assuming that the resources of this planet were their inherited right to use as they pleased without any thought of who was coming after them.
Robin Hood, a figure from folk-lore who raises so many ethical questions in his stories. Is it right to steal from anyone? Composer Russell Heppelwhite with “The Death Of Robin Hood” takes us all on a journey here, but this is a very special journey and Sheku Kanneh-Mason on Cello adds so much here to a new take on a very old story.
The last of the RSNO Youth Chorus works “Its Motion Keeps” (Caroline Shaw) featured Nicola Benedetti (violin) and shining through a work that begins with an almost rhythmic pizzicato on violin was that interaction between Nicola and the Youth Chorus. Clearly, nurturing the next generation to both explore and appreciate music is something very close to Nicola Benedetti’s own heart.
The highlight performance of the evening was always going to be Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano with Nicola Benedetti, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Benjamin Grosvenor, and this unique performance of a not too often performed Beethoven classic was an obvious crowd pleaser that more than earned its applause.
Musically this work is full of so many colours, moods and emotions, and Beethoven did create a unusual work here for violin, piano and cello, and the pleasure that all three of tonight’s soloists were getting from performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto was obvious. The technical requirements demanded of the performer for the piano here is less than that required for some other Beethoven works, but it was originally written for his new 16 year old pupil, Archduke Rudolf (who became an important friend and patron in later years), and it does emphasise just how much fun there is in his music.
The final work in tonight’s programme, Brahms Symphony No1, was the last in this current cycle of Brahms works that the RSNO have been performing and I will be sorry to say goodbye to him for a little while. I have to admit that, for some reason, Brahms is a composer that up until now I have sort of let pass me by a little, and like many other people Bach and Beethoven have taken the forefront of my attention when I think of German composers. That has been an oversight and thanks to the RSNO I have been given a small insight into a truly remarkable composer who despite his own self-doubts about his abilities, in truth never had any need to feel overshadowed by the musical legacies of Bach and Beethoven, even if it did take him some 14 years to finish this remarkable work.
Conducting this evening’s programme of music with his usual flair and individuality was conductor Thomas Søndergård
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Music is always a collection of meandering threads of creativity which often connect together, and that connection this evening is that all of our soloists launched their careers with the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, and that thread continues further as this concert opened with a performance of three works by contemporary composers by the RSNO Youth Chorus.
First in that trio of works was “Inherit the World” (Errollyn Warren). Musically, this work has much of interest, but it is the lyric that has the real power for me as the words raise so many questions about what we all are leaving the next generation to deal with. The answer is broken global, political, and monetary systems where sheer greed and over consumption of finite resources for decades have left the next generation our mess to try and clean up. Whilst applauding the message of this music I do though wish another title had been given to it as the next generation does not in my opinion “Inherit the World”. No generation inherits planet Earth; it never belongs to them. At best, they become the guardians of it for future generations to come. This is where this and earlier generations completely failed, assuming that the resources of this planet were their inherited right to use as they pleased without any thought of who was coming after them.
Robin Hood, a figure from folk-lore who raises so many ethical questions in his stories. Is it right to steal from anyone? Composer Russell Heppelwhite with “The Death Of Robin Hood” takes us all on a journey here, but this is a very special journey and Sheku Kanneh-Mason on Cello adds so much here to a new take on a very old story.
The last of the RSNO Youth Chorus works “Its Motion Keeps” (Caroline Shaw) featured Nicola Benedetti (violin) and shining through a work that begins with an almost rhythmic pizzicato on violin was that interaction between Nicola and the Youth Chorus. Clearly, nurturing the next generation to both explore and appreciate music is something very close to Nicola Benedetti’s own heart.
The highlight performance of the evening was always going to be Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano with Nicola Benedetti, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Benjamin Grosvenor, and this unique performance of a not too often performed Beethoven classic was an obvious crowd pleaser that more than earned its applause.
Musically this work is full of so many colours, moods and emotions, and Beethoven did create a unusual work here for violin, piano and cello, and the pleasure that all three of tonight’s soloists were getting from performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto was obvious. The technical requirements demanded of the performer for the piano here is less than that required for some other Beethoven works, but it was originally written for his new 16 year old pupil, Archduke Rudolf (who became an important friend and patron in later years), and it does emphasise just how much fun there is in his music.
The final work in tonight’s programme, Brahms Symphony No1, was the last in this current cycle of Brahms works that the RSNO have been performing and I will be sorry to say goodbye to him for a little while. I have to admit that, for some reason, Brahms is a composer that up until now I have sort of let pass me by a little, and like many other people Bach and Beethoven have taken the forefront of my attention when I think of German composers. That has been an oversight and thanks to the RSNO I have been given a small insight into a truly remarkable composer who despite his own self-doubts about his abilities, in truth never had any need to feel overshadowed by the musical legacies of Bach and Beethoven, even if it did take him some 14 years to finish this remarkable work.
Conducting this evening’s programme of music with his usual flair and individuality was conductor Thomas Søndergård
Review by Tom King © 2023
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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