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.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article