Another YouTube spectacular: The Scott Brothers
NOBLY keeping acoustic music alive during lockdown, on August 15 the fantastic Scott Brothers Duo premiered a concert for organ and piano at Rochdale Parish Church on YouTube as part of an imaginative and generous series of online concerts from various venues, including their home.
The series is still available, including a previous broadcast from the church on July 18 featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Tom a superb piano soloist and Jonathan playing the orchestra parts on the organ.
Manchester-born, both studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the RNCM, where they now teach.
Tom studied on the joint course with the University of Manchester.
As well as being a pianist, with tours across Europe, and a composer with a PhD, he is also a keen artist and animator and manages the settings and editing.
Older brother Jonathan continued his studies in the USA and Holland building an impressive international career and is Associate Artist of The Bridgewater Hall where his series of popular lunchtime organ concerts attract audiences approaching 1000 (watch out for his BBC Prom on the Royal Albert Hall organ on August 29).
Jonathan is also the Honorary President of ORTOA (Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside Organists’ Association) and played the 6th online concert on the Rochdale Town Hall Organ in June, which is also definitely worth a visit.
But for the 12th in the series it was back to Rochdale Parish Church, which is ideal for their duo instruments and setting.
Beginning with Jonathan’s duo arrangement of Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, it is followed by a sensitive piano solo with organ accompaniment of Debussy’s Clair de Lune.
Then more Handel with an organ concerto with Tom playing the orchestral parts.
After which Tom challenges his brother to play the most demanding work for organ pedals, a true Olympic workout, which he duly obliges with in Yon’s Concert Study No. 1. Tom’s composition Timepiece for the duo where apparently random hypnotic chimes eventually synchronise, leads to a tremendous bravura finale, Jonathan’s arrangement of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor.
A beautiful encore interpretation of Gluck’s Mélodie concludes the pure magic of an oasis in the cultural wasteland of Covid-19 restrictions.
We are so fortunate in having a local connection with these supreme musicians. Watch at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ObR_7TAVT6Q.