Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Tour of Sweden: 13 - 17 October 2004
Tour of Sweden
Performances
Martin Gibson's Tour Diary
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The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) is one of Europe's leading symphony orchestras. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950. It was awarded Royal Patronage in 1991. In September 1997 the Orchestra appointed Alexander Lazarev as Principal Conductor. |
The RSNO gives two main concert seasons a year - The Season from September to April, and The Proms in the summer. In total, around 130 performances are given around Scotland to audiences of over 165,000. In addition the RSNO appears regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and the London Proms.
The RSNO left the British Isles for the first time in three years to perform a five-venue, sell-out tour of Sweden with Principal Conductor Alexander Lazarev. The tour started in Stockholm on Wednesday 13 October 2004.
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The programme for the tour included:
- James MacMillan - Confessions of Isabel Gowdie
- Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
- Shostokovich - Symphony No.12
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Accompanying the orchestra was Swedish native and world-class mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus, who performed her debut with the RSNO in her home town of Stockholm.
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Following the performance at the Konserthuset, Stockholm on the 13 October, the Orchestra performed to audiences in:
Linköping - 14 October
Malmö - 15 October
Gothenburg -16 October
and the final performance in Vara on 17 October |
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Martin Gibson is the RSNO's principal timpanist and he kept a diary for the duration of the tour to Sweden, letting you go 'behind the scenes' of a national company on tour. Be it rehearsal of performance, Martin will let you know what's what!
Wednesday 13 October 2004
Just walked off the platform after a triumphant concert in the beautiful Konserthuset in Stockholm, home of the Royal Stockholm Phil. We played to a near capacity audience and received a standing ovation after our second encore. We received a veiled compliment from Maestro Lazarev as he turned to the audience to announce that he was leaving the platform in order that the orchestra play the Eightsome Reels as only we know how.
Friday 15 October 2004
The orchestra played to a near capacity audience last night and was again treated to a standing ovation. The hall was quite modern and had a warm but responsive acoustic, particularly suited to the Mahler, which Katarina sang beautifully. The band went up a gear in the symphony, delivering another punchy performance with some wonderful solos from the woodwind. There is rather a subdured atmosphere on our coach this morning with many musicians catching up on sleep, having been up quite late in the hotel bar - putting the world to rights over a glass of Scotland's national drink!
Saturday 16 October 2004
Wow! The RSNO surpassed itself in last night's concert in Malmö. We all gave the performance of our lives and the audience reacted accordingly...
| For more of Martin's tour diary and for other information on the Orchestra, have a look at the RSNO website. | |