Scottish Chamber Orchestra

City Halls, Glasgow

Friday, March 10

Miranda Heggie

Four stars

The programme for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Paris Concert’ comprised a selection of works inspired by the French capital. The themed idea is a good one, although each work performed was written between 1760 and 1800, and it may have been welcome to have heard a broader range of orchestral repertoire with a Parisian flavour. Having said that, it’s at that repertoire that this orchestra really excels, and Laurence Cummings, conducting from the harpsichord, is evidently a master of the genre. Rameau’s suite from his final opera, Les Boreades, completed shortly before the composer’s death, was marvelously executed, with a theatrical, rambunctious spirit and a real sense of fun.

Mozart’s ‘Paris’ symphony was nimble and bright, exposed violin passages sounding crisp and very together. Scored for a relatively large collection of instruments, and the first of Mozart’s symphonies to use clarinets, the balance between sections here was spot on, with resplendent woodwind and brass paired with taut string playing. The second symphony of the evening, Haydn’s ‘Oxford’, (the French connection being it was written in Paris after a commission from a Parisian count), was given an intelligent interpretation, Cummings deftly exploring the nuances of the music throughout the work.

Johann Christian Bach’s Sinfonia Concertante for flute, two clarinets, two horns and bassoon was the highlight of the evening, and it is always a joy to hear this orchestra playing with soloist from among their own ranks. Each of the six soloists really dazzled here, with clarinettist Maximiliano Martin and William Stafford creating a warm blend, and principal flute Alison Mitchell giving a zesty lightness to J C Bach’s melodies.