Soaring soloist kicks off RSNO’s new season

Szymanowski, Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, Bruch, Tchaikovsky and Brahms are purveyors of violin concerti that are the gleaming gems in the CV of musical sensation Nicola Benedetti. Now there’s another jewel to add to the list, Elgar’s mammoth tour de force.

It’s not a regular on the concert listings and has been on Nicola’s radar for some time. Thankfully, the level of practice room familiarity has at last been transferred to the platform, with her performing it publicly for the very first time on Thursday night in the Caird Hall, Dundee. What a way to kick off the RSNO’s new season.

It is a work that needs stamina and technical brilliance as Elgar launches wave upon wave of seemingly insurmountable challenges, but Nicola tackled them head on with a performance of block-busting assurance, verve, vivacity and astute musical nous.

It’s almost a non-stop cadenza, a show-stopper of mega proportions and her performance sent her star soaring to the highest echelons of musical perfection. And the RSNO and conductor Peter Oundjian gave the soloist the perfect support.

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring follows, a composition that excites, stimulates and hits you with a ton of musical bricks. From the opening bassoon solo to the huge double-tympani full orchestra tuttis, the orchestra pulled out all the stops here with a performance of allround excellence. The contrasts were beautifully illuminated, the colours deep and vibrant and the textures, occasional dissonance and pounding rhythms delivered in stunning fashion.

Gavin Higgins’ Velocity, which opened the programme, was understandably overshadowed by these two powerful performances but it still had enough to ensure that wasn’t buried away in the category of “also-rans”.