RSNO Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Usher Hall February 2026 Review
RSNO Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at the Usher Hall Edinburgh this evening was an opportunity to hear in concert a highly popular work in the classical music repertoire, but with a modern flavour to it.
In many ways, this evening’s programme of music was a showcase for the impressive talents of conductor/composer Jörg Widmann and violinist Veronika Eberle, and the full programme of music was as below.
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Jörg Widmann Con brio
Mendelssohn Symphony No5 Reformation
The beginning is probably the best place to start this review, as it is the music of Beethoven and the structure of his work that sets the tone for much of what was to come this evening. The opening work was Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major. With a performance time of around 42 minutes, this is a large work that, because of its length, is physically and mentally demanding of any violinist performing it, plus, of course, the technical abilities required to do so. In all of these aspects, Veronika Eberle clearly demonstrated this evening why her talents as a violinist are so in demand with so many major orchestras across the world.
With this work, from the opening five beats on the timpani of the first movement, moving into a theme played by the oboes, clarinets and bassoons, Beethoven is making a statement here long before the violin is introduced. This is about power and dynamics and playing with the vigour that Beethoven himself liked to associate with much of his work. This is, however, this violin concerto with a 21st century twist to its sonic landscape.
For this work, Jörg Widmann has written new cadenzas for this concerto and although they pay homage to their source material, they are also very different both in the sounds that you would expect to come from a violin (and other instruments), and the usual techniques used to play them. Taking the centre stage, of course, with all of this was Veronika Eberle, for whom Jörg Widmann composed them (and Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO) during Covid. Principal double bass player Nikita Naumov also needs a special mention here too.
All of this, of course, brings in the bigger question of another composer re-working Beethoven's work. Is this still then Beethoven's violin concerto or is it a Beethoven/Widmann concerto? The answer to this is always going to be in the ears of the listener. Of course, composers have always down the centuries taken inspiration from earlier works and made their own additions to them, so nothing new here. The contrast between old and new in tonight's performance was obvious and certainly thought provoking.
Opening the second half of this evening's music was Jörg Widmann's Con brio (2008), and once again, over the 12 minutes performance time of this work, the composer’s love of merging the past (in this case Beethoven's music) with far more avant garde 21st century sounds was full of surprises. Once again, Jörg Widmann was pushing the barriers of what we expect to hear from some well known orchestral instruments, and also how they are played. A tribute here to the musicians of the RSNO and their ability to be constantly changing and adapting to musical challenges in the rehearsal times that are available before any performance.
Last, but certainly not least this evening, Mendelssohn Symphony No5 aka Reformation, and its opening was like a calm breeze after the vigour of Beethoven. Composed in 1830, and first performed in Berlin 1832, this work was intended to mark an important event of the Protestant Reformation, the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (thank you Wikipedia).
Despite the title, this work is full of so many wonderful surprises as it changes mood, colours and tone so seamlessly. At times there is almost a revelation of sounds whilst at other times a far more sombre mood and tone are set. Oddly, Mendelssohn never seemed to care much for this work, maybe its initial public reception had an adverse effect on his often insecurity about his musical abilities.
For Mendelssohn, Beethoven was a noted musical influence on his own work, and it is odd that both composers were unhappy with their works that the RSNO performed this evening. Why they felt this way, we will probably never truly understand.
Throughout these three performance works, as conductor, Jörg Widmann was energetic and very precise with just how he wanted this music to sound, and this very expressive and emotional performance from him brought out the best in the RSNO.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
In many ways, this evening’s programme of music was a showcase for the impressive talents of conductor/composer Jörg Widmann and violinist Veronika Eberle, and the full programme of music was as below.
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Jörg Widmann Con brio
Mendelssohn Symphony No5 Reformation
The beginning is probably the best place to start this review, as it is the music of Beethoven and the structure of his work that sets the tone for much of what was to come this evening. The opening work was Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major. With a performance time of around 42 minutes, this is a large work that, because of its length, is physically and mentally demanding of any violinist performing it, plus, of course, the technical abilities required to do so. In all of these aspects, Veronika Eberle clearly demonstrated this evening why her talents as a violinist are so in demand with so many major orchestras across the world.
With this work, from the opening five beats on the timpani of the first movement, moving into a theme played by the oboes, clarinets and bassoons, Beethoven is making a statement here long before the violin is introduced. This is about power and dynamics and playing with the vigour that Beethoven himself liked to associate with much of his work. This is, however, this violin concerto with a 21st century twist to its sonic landscape.
For this work, Jörg Widmann has written new cadenzas for this concerto and although they pay homage to their source material, they are also very different both in the sounds that you would expect to come from a violin (and other instruments), and the usual techniques used to play them. Taking the centre stage, of course, with all of this was Veronika Eberle, for whom Jörg Widmann composed them (and Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO) during Covid. Principal double bass player Nikita Naumov also needs a special mention here too.
All of this, of course, brings in the bigger question of another composer re-working Beethoven's work. Is this still then Beethoven's violin concerto or is it a Beethoven/Widmann concerto? The answer to this is always going to be in the ears of the listener. Of course, composers have always down the centuries taken inspiration from earlier works and made their own additions to them, so nothing new here. The contrast between old and new in tonight's performance was obvious and certainly thought provoking.
Opening the second half of this evening's music was Jörg Widmann's Con brio (2008), and once again, over the 12 minutes performance time of this work, the composer’s love of merging the past (in this case Beethoven's music) with far more avant garde 21st century sounds was full of surprises. Once again, Jörg Widmann was pushing the barriers of what we expect to hear from some well known orchestral instruments, and also how they are played. A tribute here to the musicians of the RSNO and their ability to be constantly changing and adapting to musical challenges in the rehearsal times that are available before any performance.
Last, but certainly not least this evening, Mendelssohn Symphony No5 aka Reformation, and its opening was like a calm breeze after the vigour of Beethoven. Composed in 1830, and first performed in Berlin 1832, this work was intended to mark an important event of the Protestant Reformation, the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession (thank you Wikipedia).
Despite the title, this work is full of so many wonderful surprises as it changes mood, colours and tone so seamlessly. At times there is almost a revelation of sounds whilst at other times a far more sombre mood and tone are set. Oddly, Mendelssohn never seemed to care much for this work, maybe its initial public reception had an adverse effect on his often insecurity about his musical abilities.
For Mendelssohn, Beethoven was a noted musical influence on his own work, and it is odd that both composers were unhappy with their works that the RSNO performed this evening. Why they felt this way, we will probably never truly understand.
Throughout these three performance works, as conductor, Jörg Widmann was energetic and very precise with just how he wanted this music to sound, and this very expressive and emotional performance from him brought out the best in the RSNO.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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