RSNO Nicola Benedetti plays Elgar Usher Hall Edinburgh 15th May Review
RSNO: Nicola Benedetti Plays Elgar at the Usher Hall Edinburgh tonight was, as to be expected, a sold out concert. It is, I think, fair to say that Nicola Benedetti is one of Scotland's favourite performance classical violinists, and her name simply sells tickets.
For any violinist, even one at Nicola Benedetti's level of talent, the performance of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor, which was originally composed for Fritz Kreisler, is a major undertaking. First performed in 1910, this 48 minute work, one of the longest in the classical violin repertoire, is not only technically difficult, but also physically and mentally challenging.
Elgar was himself a violinist, and he was clearly having a lot of fun here stretching the boundaries of just what was possible with this instrument, and the many unusual technical challenges which he infuses this work with have tested violinists for over 100 years now. This is one of those works that separates the very good from the special and, tonight, Nicola Benedetti once again demonstrated why her talents as a violinist are in such demand across the world.
Despite this work’s reputation for its technical difficulty and, at times, unconventional musical structure, it is a work of sheer intensity and emotions. The second movement is simply a work of great beauty, and Nicola Beneditti's ability to capture all of this in her performance made this work a huge crowd-pleaser that deserved all the applause that it was given.
Elgar often liked a bit of mystery about his work, enigmas to be solved. We are all, despite some very heavy hints, still guessing as to whom exactly this work was dedicated by him.
Folk/fairy tales were the source of inspiration for the music that book-ended Elgar's violin concerto. Firstly, the opening work for tonight's concert was Franghiz Ali-Zadeh and Nagillar. This was the Scottish Premiere of this 2002 work from one of Azerbaijan's leading composers, and both were new to me.
Finding and exploring new music is always a pleasure, and this work is simply 14 minutes of magical soundscape. The source material here is "1,001 Nights" and the story of a magic carpet and the heroic adventures that then take place. There is something very exotic about this music that takes you into the world of a magic carpet taking off and then flying high above the land. In your mind’s eye it is easy to imagine birdsong, rivers, and a city bustling with activity. This is simply a film score for the imagination.
The final work tonight, The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, delves into Slavik mythology and folk-lore, but here his musical imaginations were being created for a very physical interpretation on-stage by Sergei Diagilev's Paris-based Ballets Russes. This ballet, performed in the summer of 1910, gave the then barely known composer, who was not first choice to write this score, a stage and spotlight to himself. The ballet and the music were both an immediate success and Stravinsky went on to create more classic music for Sergei Diagilev ballets, including "Petrushka" and "The Rite of Spring".
With a performance time of 44 minutes, it was good to hear this work in its entirety as all too often it is just musical highlights. Over 14 separate sections of the story, Stravinsky proves effortlessly what a master story teller he is as well as a composer, and even without the ballet being performed on-stage you can still imagine, even if you do not know the story, the magical world of mystery and adventure that is being created.
Drawing all of these very different musical strands together for a cohesive performance with the RSNO was conductor Kirill Karabits.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
For any violinist, even one at Nicola Benedetti's level of talent, the performance of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor, which was originally composed for Fritz Kreisler, is a major undertaking. First performed in 1910, this 48 minute work, one of the longest in the classical violin repertoire, is not only technically difficult, but also physically and mentally challenging.
Elgar was himself a violinist, and he was clearly having a lot of fun here stretching the boundaries of just what was possible with this instrument, and the many unusual technical challenges which he infuses this work with have tested violinists for over 100 years now. This is one of those works that separates the very good from the special and, tonight, Nicola Benedetti once again demonstrated why her talents as a violinist are in such demand across the world.
Despite this work’s reputation for its technical difficulty and, at times, unconventional musical structure, it is a work of sheer intensity and emotions. The second movement is simply a work of great beauty, and Nicola Beneditti's ability to capture all of this in her performance made this work a huge crowd-pleaser that deserved all the applause that it was given.
Elgar often liked a bit of mystery about his work, enigmas to be solved. We are all, despite some very heavy hints, still guessing as to whom exactly this work was dedicated by him.
Folk/fairy tales were the source of inspiration for the music that book-ended Elgar's violin concerto. Firstly, the opening work for tonight's concert was Franghiz Ali-Zadeh and Nagillar. This was the Scottish Premiere of this 2002 work from one of Azerbaijan's leading composers, and both were new to me.
Finding and exploring new music is always a pleasure, and this work is simply 14 minutes of magical soundscape. The source material here is "1,001 Nights" and the story of a magic carpet and the heroic adventures that then take place. There is something very exotic about this music that takes you into the world of a magic carpet taking off and then flying high above the land. In your mind’s eye it is easy to imagine birdsong, rivers, and a city bustling with activity. This is simply a film score for the imagination.
The final work tonight, The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, delves into Slavik mythology and folk-lore, but here his musical imaginations were being created for a very physical interpretation on-stage by Sergei Diagilev's Paris-based Ballets Russes. This ballet, performed in the summer of 1910, gave the then barely known composer, who was not first choice to write this score, a stage and spotlight to himself. The ballet and the music were both an immediate success and Stravinsky went on to create more classic music for Sergei Diagilev ballets, including "Petrushka" and "The Rite of Spring".
With a performance time of 44 minutes, it was good to hear this work in its entirety as all too often it is just musical highlights. Over 14 separate sections of the story, Stravinsky proves effortlessly what a master story teller he is as well as a composer, and even without the ballet being performed on-stage you can still imagine, even if you do not know the story, the magical world of mystery and adventure that is being created.
Drawing all of these very different musical strands together for a cohesive performance with the RSNO was conductor Kirill Karabits.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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