SCO Beethoven, Pekka & the Dreamers’ Circus Queen's Hall Edinburgh 19th March 2026 Review
Image © Christopher Bowen
SCO Beethoven, Pekka &the Dreamers’ Circus at the Queen's Hall Edinburgh was a true cross-over music event where the classical music world was interwoven with folk music in a celebration of cultural musical influences and dance.
Officially, the programme of tonight's music was as below, but in reality, it was far more than that.
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 7 (Interspersed with folk tunes played by Dreamers’ Circus and Pekka Kuusisto)
Interval of 20 minutes after 2nd movement
Pekka Kuusisto director/violin Dreamers’ Circus: Ale Carr cittern
Nikolaj Busk piano/accordion Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen violin
Here on stage this evening, the combined talents of the musicians of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, internationally renowned violinist and director of music this evening, Pekka Kuusisto, and "Dreamers' Circus". This folk music trio, formed in Copenhagen, have so far released seven albums and attracted a lot of attention from audiences for their deep musical connections to their folk music heritage and their love of finding new ways to explore both this and other musical horizons. A perfect combination tonight as the SCO are an orchestra that is never afraid of doing the musically unexpected of them. Dreamers' Circus were making their debut performance on an Edinburgh stage tonight.
Composed by Beethoven between 1811 and 1812, his Symphony No 7 can on the face of it be taken as his response to wider events that were happening at this time in Europe, foremost amongst them Napoleon's planned campaign against Russia.
When Symphony No 7 was first performed, some people made a direct connection between this music and Europe being freed from Napoleon’s grip, and as the first performance (conducted by Beethoven) was a benefit concert for Austrian and Bavarian troops wounded in the Battle of Hanau, it is easy to see why this connection was made. It is also easy to interpret some of the music in this context too, particularly the second movement which, for me, conjures up images of a weary army rhythmically trudging their way through the mud of a battlefield. Beethoven, however, was not happy with this association of his music.
Viewed from the distance of time, over 200 years in this case, it is perhaps easier for us all to see now what this work really is, and that is a master composer at work, who, despite his increasing deafness, was still able to compose his most abstract symphony to date. This is Beethoven using every musical tool at his disposal to play with moods, colours, timings, emotions and rhythms. This is a work that shifts effortlessly from dark and sombre moments to playful dance themes, and it provided the perfect structure for Pekka Kuusisto to play with and wrap around its four movements the music of Dreamers’ Circus.
Dreamers’ Circus opened this concert with works that set the tone for the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No 7 to sound like the two had always been together, and that format of interspacing the music of Dreamers’ Circus with the symphony’s four movements worked surprisingly well, and I like to think that Beethoven himself would have approved of this playful approach to his music.
As a group, Dreamers’ Circus are equally adept at performing traditional Nordic folk music and composing their own new works which sometimes follow that traditional source music effortlessly, but they also create very contemporary works too, and it is easy to see why they cross over musical genres so effortlessly and are so popular at music festivals.
Some of the music performed by Dreamers’ Circus tonight came from their latest 2025 album "Handed On" and it was for me a surprise to realise just what a Celtic music flavour to it many of these traditional Nordic folk songs have. With the SCO also performing with them on some music, this blend of classical and folk music was full of good surprises and Pekka Kuusisto both directing and playing violin was in many respects the connective thread between Beethoven, SCO, and Dreamers’ Circus.
Tonight's music was a celebration of rhythm and dance, and this programme illustrated how interwoven music and dance have always been. Whether it be the rhythms of Beethoven Symphony No 7, Nordic folk music, or contemporary music from Dreamers' Circus, that connective thread is so often there and as always Pekka Kuusisto, with his enthusiasm for music, was a pleasure to watch and listen to.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Officially, the programme of tonight's music was as below, but in reality, it was far more than that.
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 7 (Interspersed with folk tunes played by Dreamers’ Circus and Pekka Kuusisto)
Interval of 20 minutes after 2nd movement
Pekka Kuusisto director/violin Dreamers’ Circus: Ale Carr cittern
Nikolaj Busk piano/accordion Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen violin
Here on stage this evening, the combined talents of the musicians of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, internationally renowned violinist and director of music this evening, Pekka Kuusisto, and "Dreamers' Circus". This folk music trio, formed in Copenhagen, have so far released seven albums and attracted a lot of attention from audiences for their deep musical connections to their folk music heritage and their love of finding new ways to explore both this and other musical horizons. A perfect combination tonight as the SCO are an orchestra that is never afraid of doing the musically unexpected of them. Dreamers' Circus were making their debut performance on an Edinburgh stage tonight.
Composed by Beethoven between 1811 and 1812, his Symphony No 7 can on the face of it be taken as his response to wider events that were happening at this time in Europe, foremost amongst them Napoleon's planned campaign against Russia.
When Symphony No 7 was first performed, some people made a direct connection between this music and Europe being freed from Napoleon’s grip, and as the first performance (conducted by Beethoven) was a benefit concert for Austrian and Bavarian troops wounded in the Battle of Hanau, it is easy to see why this connection was made. It is also easy to interpret some of the music in this context too, particularly the second movement which, for me, conjures up images of a weary army rhythmically trudging their way through the mud of a battlefield. Beethoven, however, was not happy with this association of his music.
Viewed from the distance of time, over 200 years in this case, it is perhaps easier for us all to see now what this work really is, and that is a master composer at work, who, despite his increasing deafness, was still able to compose his most abstract symphony to date. This is Beethoven using every musical tool at his disposal to play with moods, colours, timings, emotions and rhythms. This is a work that shifts effortlessly from dark and sombre moments to playful dance themes, and it provided the perfect structure for Pekka Kuusisto to play with and wrap around its four movements the music of Dreamers’ Circus.
Dreamers’ Circus opened this concert with works that set the tone for the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No 7 to sound like the two had always been together, and that format of interspacing the music of Dreamers’ Circus with the symphony’s four movements worked surprisingly well, and I like to think that Beethoven himself would have approved of this playful approach to his music.
As a group, Dreamers’ Circus are equally adept at performing traditional Nordic folk music and composing their own new works which sometimes follow that traditional source music effortlessly, but they also create very contemporary works too, and it is easy to see why they cross over musical genres so effortlessly and are so popular at music festivals.
Some of the music performed by Dreamers’ Circus tonight came from their latest 2025 album "Handed On" and it was for me a surprise to realise just what a Celtic music flavour to it many of these traditional Nordic folk songs have. With the SCO also performing with them on some music, this blend of classical and folk music was full of good surprises and Pekka Kuusisto both directing and playing violin was in many respects the connective thread between Beethoven, SCO, and Dreamers’ Circus.
Tonight's music was a celebration of rhythm and dance, and this programme illustrated how interwoven music and dance have always been. Whether it be the rhythms of Beethoven Symphony No 7, Nordic folk music, or contemporary music from Dreamers' Circus, that connective thread is so often there and as always Pekka Kuusisto, with his enthusiasm for music, was a pleasure to watch and listen to.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Please note that unless requested by performers/pr/venues this website no longer uses the "star rating" system on reviews.