A joint concert to be held in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall next spring is set to recognise the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
Organised by Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland, this exciting May event follows on from this year’s hugely successful Scotland Salutes: D-Day 80 concert held back in June.
Scotland’s Salute: VE80 is Scotland’s National VE activities, endorsed by the Scottish Government. It will take place on 6th May (two days before VE Day) at the Usher Hall and will be a musical extravaganza that will focus on telling the events that led to victory in Europe. Bringing the stories of those who were there to life and culminating in an act of remembrance. Music will be provided by a tri-service orchestra.
The event will be narrated by Alasdair Hutton OBE TD, previously the voice of the world-renowned Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with BFBS’s own Mark Mckenzie acting as the evenings compere.
Dr Claire Armstrong, OBE, Chief Executive of Legion Scotland said: “Legion Scotland are exceptionally proud to bring the latest in our commemorative concerts in honour of this historic milestone in partnership with Poppyscotland.
“Our Scotland Salutes concert is set to be a fantastic evening, with wonderful music and stories playing out on stage, whilst representing our nation coming together to reflect on the momentous occasion that was Victory in Europe, 80 years on.”
Gordon Michie, Head of Fundraising and Learning at Poppyscotland added: “It is always important to reflect on the sacrifices that Service requires, and indeed to celebrate VE Day, in particular in 2025 given that it is the 80th anniversary of such a historic event.
“All profits made from ticket sales will be split 50/50 between Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland. Profits will go directly to supporting the Armed Forces community in Scotland, through Legion Scotland’s comradeship events and Poppyscotland’s welfare provisions.”
Tickets for this one-off concert spectacular, which are priced at £20.25 for the Stalls, £25 for the Grand Circle and £19.45 for the Upper Circle, and are the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones, are available from November 25th and can be booked through the Usher Hall booking office online or by calling 0131 228 1155.
November 2024 marks 100 years since the death of Giacomo Puccini, one of opera’s most popular composers. Scottish Opera is offering audiences at Usher Hall in Edinburgh and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall a magnificent journey through beloved arias and ensembles from Puccini’s operas.
The Company’s Music Director Stuart Stratford presents this carefully curated selection of highlights, which includes some of Puccini’s most famous works, such as La bohème, Manon Lescaut and Tosca.
Audiences can also enjoy a taster of his earlier compositions including Le villi and Edgar, as well as glorious excerpts from underappreciated masterpieces such as La fanciulla del West, and his final, unfinished opera Turandot.
This gala performance promises to be an unforgettable evening celebrating a century of passion, drama, and exquisite music that has captivated audiences worldwide, including here in Scotland.
This concert is an ideal opportunity for anyone not familiar with Puccini — whose music is frequently incorporated into popular culture, including films and musicals — as well as seasoned operagoers.
Stuart Stratford conducts an exceptional cast of international talent including soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace (known for her stunning portrayal of diva Floria Tosca in Tosca 2019), tenor Mykhailo Malafii (performing the role of Cavaradossi in Lviv National Opera’s Tosca this October) making his Company debut and baritone Roland Wood, who in 2023 brought depth and nuance to the complex characters of Michele and Gianni Schicchi in theCompany’s award- winning production of Il trittico. They are accompanied on stage by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera.
Soprano KiraKaplan, one of Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists for the 2024/25 Season, who was in the Company’s recent production of Albert Herring, also joins the cast, along with tenor Fraser Simpson (La traviata 2024).
‘This concert is big, passionate sections from one of opera’s greatest composers, sung by a first-rate cast, including Sinéad Campbell Wallace and Roland Wood,” said Stuart Stratford who curated The Puccini Collection with Scottish Opera’s Head of Music, Fiona MacSherry.
“Puccini’s music has stood the test of time, and this concert is a tremendous opportunity to see these brilliant singers onstage with a full orchestra, and mark the centenary of this iconic composer’s death, which is on 29 November this year,
‘You’ll hear huge excerpts from Tosca and La bohème, and sections from Manon Lescaut and La fanciulla del West, among other arias and interludes. Whether you are looking to relive your Italia 90 moment, or discover even more about the great Italian master, it promises to be an evening of unforgettable treasures.’
A Rich History of Puccini in Scotland
The work of Puccini has a special place in the history of Scottish Opera: the Company’s very first production was Madama Butterfly in 1962. More recently, the Company’s staging of Il trittico received an International Opera Award Nomination, and won Outstanding Achievement in Opera at the Critics’ Circle Awards 2023.
Other notable Scottish Opera productions of Puccini’s work include a contemporary Labohème outdoors in the car park of its Edington Street Production Studios in Glasgow during the pandemic, a new Madama Butterfly by Sir David McVicar in 2000, director Anthony Besch’s legendary staging of Tosca (first performed in 1980 and revived nine times since then), and it was in the Company’s 2010 concert staging of La fanciulla del West that acclaimed soprano Susan Bullock first performed the role of Minnie.
Puccini’s music also helped Scottish Opera mark its 60th Anniversary. In 2022, the Company commissioned a custom made gin from Biggar Gin, called Suonare, featuring a red label with die-cut holes which when removed and placed in a music box played ‘Un bel di’ from Madama Butterfly, a favourite of Scottish Opera’s founder, Sir Alexander Gibson.
This rich history with Puccini’s works demonstrates Scottish Opera has developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the composer’s music.
The Puccini Collection was originally performed in Dundee in December 2021, under pandemic conditions. The Dundee Courier praised the concert as ‘a perfect tribute to a man whose melodies are to die for.’
The Puccini Collection is supported by Friends of Scottish Opera and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust.
Following the success of Daphne in 2023,the Opera in Concert series is rounded off for the 2024/25 Season, with The Strauss Collection in March, which features some of the finest pieces Richard Strauss ever wrote, with music from Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella, and Der Rosenkavalier.
The first half moves between a clash of artistically opposed theatre troupes in Ariadne to a nostalgic Viennese romance complete with disguises and mistaken identities in Arabella. The second half captures the highlights of Der Rosenkavalier’s three acts, following two colliding love stories with all the complications and grandeur of human relationships.
Stuart Stratford conducts The Orchestra of Scottish Opera through these lush sound worlds. The all-star cast includes sopranos Helena Dix and Rhian Lois (La bohème 2020), mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp (Kátya Kabanová 2019), and baritone Roland Wood (Oedipus Rex 2024), all making the most of Strauss’ astounding understanding of the human voice.
The Puccini Collection cast and creative team
Conductor Stuart Stratford
Soprano Sinéad Campbell Wallace
Tenor Mykhailo Malafii
Baritone Roland Wood
Soprano Kira Kaplan
Tenor Fraser Simpson
The Puccini Collection performance diary
Usher Hall, Edinburgh 22 November 2024,7.30pm
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 23 November 2024, 7.30pm
The Usher Hall in Edinburgh is delighted to announce a series of eight breathtaking, intimate performance films recorded throughout Scotland’s only 5 star concert hall.
With a dynamic and diverse lineup traversing genres including indie, folk, pop and hip-hop set to drop over the coming two months, kicking off the series today is Glasgow based rapper Bemz, streaming exclusively on The Usher Hall’s YouTube channel here.
The mini concerts will feature Bemz, Hamish Hawk, Kathryn Joseph, Lizzie Reid, SILVI, Fergus McCreadie, Anna B Savage and VLURE performing from hidden corners of the beautiful venue, giving viewers access to spaces that have never witnessed a live performance before.
Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener, comments: “It is a huge joy to launch Tremolo, which will give Scotland’s most exciting talent the chance to perform and showcase work in the same venue where so many legendary musicians have played, such as Adele, The Killers and Paloma Faith.
“The series is a fantastic opportunity to show the Usher Hall in a fresh light. Our new digital programme is eclectic and dynamic with artists spanning a wide range of genres, from folk and jazz to rap and indie. I’d like to thank Creative Scotland and all other partners who have contributed to this project.
“We’re confident that this fantastic new project will leave the audiences of Edinburgh and beyond coming back for more!”
Bemz, is one of several artists helping to further establish Scotland as a bona fide hotbed for Black music, while also proving that rap’s cultural reach stretches way beyond London and the English borders. Bemz’ strengths lie in the honesty within his music.
Indie folk singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph transports listeners with beguiling soundscapes of piano, harmonium and voice; a visceral, often melancholy blend of poetry and wistful refrains, conjuring up cinematic visions of Scottish landscapes and raw emotions.
Rule breaking Glasgow five piece VLURE blur the lines between live electronics, jarring guitars and the performance sensibilities of their post-punk contemporaries. Synth laden hooks and heavy club influenced rhythms find their way twisting around emotionally confronting lyrics.
Lizzie Reid is one of Scotland’s most promising talents. An emotionally raw songwriter, Reid’s songs explore themes of love, loss, identity and modern life, drawing comparisons to contemporaries like Laura Marling, Angel Olsen and Julia Jacklin.
Parliamentary and Scottish Jazz Awards Album of the Year winner Fergus McCreadie is a composer of elegant, nuanced, and captivating Jazz music as well as a pianist and improviser of exceptional ability and originality.
SILVI‘s music could easily be filed alongside Lana Del Rey’s epic approach to songwriting but also the brooding style of Two Feet or Bishop Briggs. Her incredible single “Burning” was crowned ‘Song Of The Year’ at the Weekender Awards last year.
Edinburgh singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk, twice nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, creates musical portraits as vivid in lyric as they are in melody. His music is packed with characters, incident, emotion, and tunes to hang your coat on.
Vulnerability and curiosity have consistently been operative words to describe Anna B Savage’s work and on her second album, in|FLUX, she ruminates on the complexities and variables of humanity, the pain or pleasure of love, loss and earthly connection, capturing it all in devastating, elating and powerful ways.
Tremolo isn’t just a series of concerts; it’s a statement of support for artists, a celebration of the Usher Hall, and a dynamic addition to Edinburgh’s cultural calendar.
Viewers are sure to discover their favourite new artists in an iconic venue without even having to leave the house!
The first group of students from a trailblazing football coaching degree – delivered by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) and the Scottish Football Association – have celebrated their graduation.
Following four years of study, which included teaching for UEFA and Scottish FA qualifications alongside skills such as performance analysis, sport science, and leadership, fifteen students have completed the course.
They joined fellow students from ENU’s School of Applied Sciences in collecting their degrees during a graduation ceremony at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall today.
New graduates from the course have spoken with pride on difference the course has made to their fledgling careers in the game.
Ewan McLevy, who is now working as an academy coach at Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, is among them.
The 24-year-old from Troon said: “I look at back at the course with fond memories, it was excellent.
“We came in in September 2020 and we were a brand new group. There was a bit of trial and error as we got used it.
“After a couple of months, I caught the bug and never looked back.
“The beauty of the course is that it touched on the things you might not consider, like psychology, analysis and sports science. I think I speak for all the group when I say it was a real eye-opener.
“The lecturers were amazing and really helped us understand it all. They took examples from other sports, which helped it all come together.
“I couldn’t recommend the programme any higher. For someone starting on the pathway, given the links with the Scottish FA, it couldn’t give you a better opportunity.
“If football is your passion, it will open doors.”
Fellow graduate Aidan Spalding, who’s also 24 years old and from Glasgow, has recently started working as a first team analyst at Hamilton Academical. He said: “I’m gutted to leave to be honest! The four years have been unreal – I’ve loved it.
“Having that one interest of working in football all the time has made us really close as a group.
“It was very well rounded and gave us a chance to learn about other sides of the game.
“Without this I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get a full-time analysis job – or have had experiences like going away with Scotland Women’s development teams.
“If you enjoy football, the course is for you. It will take your coaching to the next level.”
Dr Cedric English, Programme Leader and Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “We were pretty excited to see the Scottish FA put out a tender for developing a degree programme that linked in a lot of their licences, so we put in an application and we were successful.
“That was the beginning of the process, six years ago, and it took us time to work out how we would incorporate the licences in because that’s the uniqueness of the collaboration.
“It’s a great feeling to now see the hard work coming to fruition and I would echo the congratulations to the students who have worked incredibly hard to get to this point.”
Prospective students can find out more about the BSc (Hons) Football Coaching, Performance and Development, which offers a holistic view of coaching within a football setting, here.
Pictured top: Football Coaching graduates outside the Usher Hall with their degrees
Middle: The group with Ewan McLevy (left) and Aidan Spalding (right) in front
Bottom: Dr Cedric English speaking at the introduction to the programme in 2020
One of Edinburgh’s oldest pubs, Shakespeare’s on Lothian Road, has been transformed in to The Napier Graduate once again to celebrate the University’s class of ’24.
More than 2,700 students and 9,000 guests will descend on the Usher Hall in Edinburgh to attend seven graduation ceremonies over the course of three days. The unique public house, The Napier Graduate, will play host to celebrating graduates before and after each ceremony where they will have the chance to toast their success with a pint of Edinburgh Napier’s very own ale, ‘Must Be Napier’.
The ‘Must Be Napier’ ale is a nod to Edinburgh Napier University’s award-winning brand campaign that is shining a spotlight on the achievements and major contributions to society of the University’s students, staff, and alumni.
For three days, from Wednesday 3 July to Friday 5July, Shakespeare’s will be known as The Napier Graduate. Unmissable from Lothian Road, the pub has been completely reimagined in Napier’s distinctive red and white colour palatte, changing everything from the outdoor signs to the beermats, the artwork and even the beer taps in celebration of the new alumni and providing a welcoming space to enjoy with families and loved ones.
Edinburgh Napier University was recently awarded Higher Educational Institution of the Year at the 2024 Herald Higher Education Awards and is known for celebrating its graduates in unique ways.
From first launching the pub last year to when the University held a city takeover in 2021, displaying the names of graduates across 18 billboards, 100 bus stops, an Edinburgh Tram and a taxi.
Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal and Vice Chancellor at Edinburgh Napier University, said:“Celebrating our graduates is one of the highlights of the academic year and we had such a positive response to The Napier Graduate pub last year that we just simply had to bring it back again for the class of ’24.
“The now iconic Napier Graduate pub is a wonderful space for our new alumni and their guests to celebrate their success and contemplate the next chapter after university. I look forward to raising a glass to toast their future.”
Flo McMahon, General Manager of Shakespeare’s,said:“We’re really excited to transform into The Napier Graduate again this year.
“It is such a special time for both the staff and the wider community. Everyone gets caught up in the celebratory nature of the graduation days and we love being a part of that special moment.
“A record number of people visited us during last year’s graduations so we’ve made sure the bar is fully stocked!”
The Napier Graduate is open from Wednesday 3 – Friday 5 July at 65 Lothian Road.
First Minister John Swinney will represent the people of Scotland at national commemorations honouring the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Today (Wednesday 5 June) he will attend the main UK ceremony in Portsmouth, to celebrate the work of UK and other forces at the port city from which the Allies left for the beaches of Normandy.
Tomorrow (Thursday 6 June) he will attend the first ever National Commemoration ceremony to be held at the British War Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France, to pay tribute to all who served in the Normandy Campaign.
In Scotland, a National D-Day 80 Commemoration Concert is being held in Edinburgh, supported by the Scottish Government. Minister for Veterans Graeme Dey will be in attendance.
The First Minister said: “Scotland owes a great debt of gratitude to all those who served during the Second World War, especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Were it not for the actions of these brave men and women 80 years ago, we would not enjoy the freedoms which we now take for granted.
“It is important that current and future generations continue to learn of the events that took place in Normandy so that we ensure such a conflict is never repeated.
“The Scottish Government is wholehearted in our commitment to supporting our Armed Forces, veterans and their families in Scotland.
“We will never forget those who have, and continue to, lay down their lives in the service of their country.”
Scotland’s Salute to D-Day 80 takes place at the Usher Hall on 6 June. The Scottish Government provided £22,000 funding towards the concert.
The Usher Hall has further cemented its reputation as the Capital’s foremost concert hall with a five-star quality rating from VisitScotland as part of its Quality Assurance Scheme.
The report, compiled during anonymous visits by VisitScotland inspectors, particularly praised the hospitality, friendliness, service, and efficiency of colleagues alongside the general core experience and cleanliness of the venue. This marks fourteen consecutive years of Usher Hall being awarded five-star status by Scotland’s national tourism organisation.
The Usher Hall is Edinburgh’s key venue for visiting national and international orchestras and has been the main venue for the Edinburgh International Festival since 1947.
The venue is the Edinburgh home to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Hall is also a centre of excellence embracing the widest range of music and events, including rock, pop, jazz, world, blues, comedy, talks, school concerts, conferences, sponsorship events, ceremonies, lectures and recording sessions. The concert hall is renowned for its acoustics making it one of the finest in Europe.
Since opening in 1914, the Usher Hall has played host to some of the most important cultural icons in world history. From David Bowie to Johnny Cash, Ella Fitzgerald, the Rolling Stones, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Adele and countless more this is a venue that has a central role in Edinburgh’s cultural landscape.
Last year, the Usher Hall welcomed almost 300,000 visitors and this year’s programme is well underway, featuring performances from Underworld, Richard Hawley, Squeeze and many more. Visit the Usher Hall’s website for more information.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “We’re very proud that the Usher Hall has once again been recognised as one of the best venues in Scotland.
“It has held a five-star VisitScotland award rating each and every year since 2010 and this is testament to the hard work of colleagues who ensure that everyone who visits the Hall has an excellent experience. They have my profound thanks for their dedication and commitment to arts and culture in our city.
“Here in Edinburgh, we’re committed to maintaining the very best cultural facilities for our residents and visitors to enjoy. I’m sure that the Usher Hall will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Neil Christison, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said: “The Usher Hall is an important part of Edinburgh’s musical heritage, and its visitor experience is just as memorable as those icons of music and theatre who have graced its stage.
“For years, the venue has set a high watermark for customer service in the city. This is down to its dedicated staff who have excelled in ensuring visitors have a fantastic day or night out.
“By providing an exceptional visitor experience, the Usher Hall is contributing towards our national goal of making Scotland a world-class destination.”
The Edinburgh Festival Chorus will perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Glasgow and Edinburgh in March 2024 to mark the 150th anniversary of Verdi’s Requiem
This will be the final chance to catch them before their performance at the Edinburgh International Festival in August
The performances also mark their first appearances since the appointment of their new Choral Director, James Grossmith, in 2023
The Edinburgh Festival Chorus are set to perform Verdi’s Requiem this month in Glasgow and Edinburgh, 150 years after its premiere in Milan in 1874. These performances also mark their first public performances since the appointment of James Grossmith as Choral Director in September 2023.
The performances, which take place on the 21st of March at Glasgow City Halls and the 24th of March at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, will see the Chorus performing the Verdi’s highly operatic funeral mass with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the orchestra’s Chief Conductor, Ryan Wigglesworth.
Verdi’s Requiem is a highly theatrical and epic Catholic funeral mass which was written following the death of Verdi’s Italian poet, philosopher and novelist, Alessandro Manzoni.
The Edinburgh Festival Chorus are often credited as being the “choral backbone” of the Edinburgh International Festival’s programme. The chorus was founded in 1965 and has run continually since then. It’s comprised of 130 singers from all walks of life from all around Scotland who are selected through an auditions process and rehearse weekly.
Since the creation of the Chorus, its singers have had the opportunity to perform alongside the likes of Leonard Bernstein and the London Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan’s Berlin Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
This is the last chance to see The Edinburgh Festival Chorus in concert before the Edinburgh International Festival in August, where the Chorus will perform Alexander Grechaninov’s Passion Week.
Paul Hanlon has graduated with distinction – and added a medal to his collection
Hibernian captain Paul Hanlon has collected a different kind of silverware – marking his outstanding academic performance – after graduating from Edinburgh Napier University.
After three years of study on the programme, which is designed specifically for athletes, the Scotland international picked up his degree during a ceremony at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall yesterday.
Reflecting on his time with ENU, Paul said: “Studying has helped massively in dealing with the pressure of sport. It has given me a separate focus away from football.
“The course was a real eye-opener. It took a bit of getting used to. Things like the academic way of writing and reading were completely new to me.
“In football, things are black and white. Suddenly, I had to understand a bit more about dealing with grey areas – forming opinions and backing them up.
“At first it was nerve-racking! I left school a long time ago, so hadn’t done anything like this for a while.
“There is that daunting aspect of getting started, but the support you get here is amazing.”
During his time with ENU’s School of Applied Sciences, Paul won his first Scotland cap, and was named club captain at Hibs, all while competing at the top level of Scottish football.
The 2016 Scottish Cup winner says the course has opened new paths he could take when the time comes to hang up his boots. He said: “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do once I finish playing, but this helps me cover a lot of bases. I feel well prepared.
“There were modules which helped with leadership and coaching, while others dealt with the business side of the game.
“It has given me a new confidence and determination to keep learning. I’m now doing the Applied Football Management course at ENU because of this – I don’t want to stop.
“I don’t think I would be like that now if it wasn’t for this course.”
Dr Tom Campbell, Programme Lead for BA Business & Enterprise in Sport said: “Paul has set a fantastic example to our Dual Career students.
“During his time with us, he has displayed outstanding academic performance, all while competing at such a high level in his sport.
“We have a strong track record of supporting athletes through their studies, and it is pleasing to see Paul develop his thirst for knowledge with us.”
Edinburgh Napier’s autumn graduation ceremonies are being held from 24 – 26 October at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
Scotland’s only 5-star concert venue, Edinburgh’s stunning Usher Hall, is proud to announce the 2023-24 programme for its much-loved Sunday Classics season.
The Sunday afternoon season is renowned for bringing the finest orchestras from around the world to the Scottish capital, accompanied by exceptional soloists at the height of their talents.
Starting in September, the mighty Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2023-24 season with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. Brimming over with drama and emotional intensity, the symphony charts a course from darkness to a final, life-affirming glimmer of optimism.
Two weeks later the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the first orchestra to win the Swiss Music Prize in 2019, makes a triumphant return to Edinburgh. Joining them is pianist Angela Hewitt, a great favorite of the Zurich International Series’ audience, who will direct the orchestra in two concerto masterpieces – Mozart’s lyrical E-flat Piano Concerto and Bach’s pulsating D-minor Piano Concerto.
December sees a visit from the Symphony Orchestra of India, bringing with it all its renowned energy and vigour to one of the great 20th-century masterpieces by Stravinsky, Petrushka.
They are joined by perhaps the greatest musician in the Indian classical tradition, the tabla player Zakir Hussain, in a work commissioned especially for this tour, his exciting Triple Concerto.
The first concert of 2024 welcomes global superstar guitarist Miloš Karadaglić and the Arcangelo Ensemble, who will treat us to a celebration of Baroque masterpieces by Vivaldi, Marcello, Bach, Pachelbel, Rameau, and Couperin.
For lovers of the Baroque repertoire, this will be a very special evening featuring music recently recorded by Miloš and released by Sony later this year.
They will be joined by the brilliant young violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen in two masterworks for orchestra and violin – Chausson’s Poème and Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.
The second half will feature two of Respighi’s monumental tone poems, Fountains of Rome and his ultimate work, Pines of Rome.
To celebrate a new, cordial phase of Anglo-French relations, a group of brilliant, young British and French musicians have been brought together to form the virtuosic Orchestre de l’Entente Cordiale.
They are joined by acclaimed French cellist Gautier Capuҫon who will perform that quintessentially English work, the Elgar Cello Concerto. After the British first half, an all-French second half features popular music by Satie and Debussy, with a grand finale of opulent music from Poulenc’s ballet Les biches.
Russian-born violinst Maria Ioudenitch treats the Usher Hall to one of the most profound violin concertos composed in the 20th century, Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto, with its ravishing central passacaglia.
Joined by the Dresden Philharmonic, the show will also feature one of the most poignant and tragic of all symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, the ‘Pathétique’.
Acclaimed pianist Mark Bebbington joins the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s grand ‘Emperor’ Concerto and two much-loved Czech favourites – Smetana’s Bartered Bride and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, in authentic and inimitable Czech style.
The orchestra’s American music director Steven Mercurio will begin the concert with Copland’s delightful portrait of the Appalachian countryside.
This finale includes one of the greatest of all choral works, Mozart’s farewell to the world, his Requiem. To balance this sombre second half, the first half includes Beethoven’s sparkling Eighth Symphony.
Taking part in this concert will be one of England’s historic choruses, the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, who join the Flanders Symphony Orchestra in a moving end to the Sunday Classics season.
Karl Chapman, Cultural Venues Manager at Usher Hall said: “We are delighted to announce our new Sunday Classics season, packed full of the best orchestras, soloists, and conductors in the world today.
“Sunday Classics has become an integral part of the Scottish classical music scene and the Sunday afternoon concert experience has proved ever popular. It’s fantastic that the Usher Hall can offer such an unrivalled variety of international talent to the music-lovers of Edinburgh and Scotland in a concert hall with some of the very best acoustics around.
“This season we are hosting a diverse selection of ensembles – the Czech National Symphony Orchestra make a triumphant return to the Hall led by American music director Stephen Mercurio.
“We are also incredibly excited to welcome back the likes of the India Symphony and Concerto Budapest Symphony orchestras and we know that the amazing Edinburgh audiences will leave them wanting to come back!
Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener said: “I am delighted that the Sunday Classics programme is returning for the 2023-24 season.
“There can be no better location to experience a live classical performance than the world-famous Usher Hall. Designed and built with a view to bring classical music to Scotland’s Capital, our venue has been a key part of our musical culture for over a century. I am proud that the tradition of concert-going at Edinburgh’s most stunning indoor venue continues as strongly as ever.
“It’s a genuine pleasure to sit back in the impressive hall and lose yourself in the music, and this new Sunday Classics series will feature first-class orchestras and classical superstars from around the world. Plus, with lots of options and special rates on tickets, the Usher Hall is helping to make classical music accessible to all.”
