Perhaps the first image of Glasgow’s music scene can be either popular music or the Scottish traditional music as typified in Celtic Connection. However you also can experience some stunning classical music here, as Glasgow is the home of two world-class orchestras - the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Both are very good orchestras with great venues, but this time let us look at the BBC one, which has been getting more publicity since the Scottish maestro Donald Runnicles became its chief conductor last September.
On the Thursday 18th of March, I went to see Maestro’s Choice, one of the main BBS Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s programme this year, at Grand Hall of the Glasgow City Hall. (The hall has its famous acoustic that is absolutely amazing, and this can be one of the huge advantages of the BBC orchestra.) The programme started with ‘Overture And Venusberg Music From “Tannhauser” / Wargner’. Then the orchestra hosted an American soprano Christine Brewer and played ‘Song’ / Richard Strauss. The climax of the night, after the 15 minutes interval, was Symphony No.7 / Beethoven. Donald Runnicles conducted throughout the programme and the venue was almost full.
Runnicles’ music sounds as he looks like – wise and having bold presence, but also very graceful – you may feel the orchestra gets deeper sound when he conducts. (This can be said from my experience of some BBC SSO’s performance with different conductors.) In terms of that night, I thought the Tannhauser Overture was especially admirable. I would even say that it was the highlight of the concert. ‘The international reputation of Donald Runnicles as a Wagner conductor has been forged in the world’s leading opera houses from Vienna, Berlin and Bayreuth to New York.’ (extract from the concert programme book 18/03/2010) While I was listening to Runnicles’ Tannhauser, one word, which briefly describes the characteristic of his Wagner, came to my mind, ‘the sea’. It was vast, deep and varied as the waves that break on the shore and retreat. It is needless to say that there was a thunderous clapping of hands when the tune ended. Many audiences around me were talking how good Runnicles’ Tannhauser was.
Richard Strauss’s ‘Song’ and the Beethoven’s masterpiece ‘Symphony No.7’ were also superb so I guess everybody there did enjoyed the performance. Although I would like to talk about these two works, I will now move on to the conclusion of this article.
It can be said music is an art of theory and emotion. However, perhaps music should not let us aware of this point when it is used in our community. ‘The music that does not interfere with your brain’s work’* – this may be nice word to explain my view. Function (or wedding) bands are good example of this. No audience wonders about the meaning of lyrics and the compositional process when they are dancing. Also, in terms of classical music, who knows the real backgrounds and feelings of composers, who lived hundreds years ago? Music performances provide you a comfortable moment so that you will be slightly happier than usual and have a good sleep. This is everything I want from the music in the community.
*Yoro, T (anatomist), Hisaishi, J (composer) (2009) ‘Mimi De Kangaeru (thinking with your ears)’ Tokyo: Kadokawa Group Publishing, translated by Ryutaro Kikuta
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