BBC SSO

City Halls Glasgow

Four Stars

With a duo of markedly different symphonies, the BBC Scottish Symphony ended this season most definitely on a high. Haydn’s 88th Symphony was light and zesty, with an infectious energy. The first Adagio- Allegro movement was lively and nimble, before the orchestra took on a more honeyed hue for the Largo, with a rich warmth shining through from the bassoons and lower strings. The orchestra’s chief conductor Thomas Dausgaard cleverly shaped the music, through marked accents and stylish flourishes. The ornamentation in the third movement was tight and precise, before the orchestra rounded off Haydn’s symphony with an infectious energy.

For a more meaty second half, Mahler’s seventh symphony was a vivid wealth of soundworlds. The influences that the beauty and splendour of nature had on Gustav Mahler were evident in this portrayal, Dausgaard continuing to exhibit his ingenuity as a conductor.

Exploring every musical nook and cranny in the piece, this was a rigorous and thorough interpretation of a symphony which has sometimes been known to be overlooked. The third Scherzo movement with its shadowy intensity feels more like a dark comedy than a joke, and there’s more than a nod to the composer’s Jewish heritage here, with slight hints to klezmer in the cellos and clarinets.

Dausgaard’s shaping of the music is seriously stylish, with the rests giving as much impact as the notes. The fourth movement had an altogether more serene feel, though there’s still a disconcerting undercurrent to the music that won’t let you feel fully at ease. The final movement expelled any sense of doubt, the orchestra taking on a strong, triumphant quality. A stirring finale, both to Thursday’s concert and the season as a whole.