Superb musicianship as St Andrews season begins

Romance was certainly in the air at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Younger Hall concert on Thursday night. It was the opening concert of their St Andrews season, and while soft and beautiful music might have dominated proceedings there were moments of stormy passion and impassioned intensity. Quite a mix, but variety – mixed with superb musicianship – is the keyword to SCO presentations.

The romance came from works of that name by Dvorak and Beethoven and, while I was puzzled by the programme’s listing of four movements for the latter, as soon as the glorious melody drifted out from Anthony Marwood’s violin there was no mistaking this marvellous, albeit brief, composition. There was more to Dvorak’s Romance, more mesmerising melody and more scintillating solo work from Marwood.

There were moments in Vasks’ violin concerto that equated with the serenity and peace of mind generated by these works, but there were also moments of unrest and tension. I had heard this work a few years ago and had forgotten just how good it was. It’s called “Distant Light” and the composer follows this to the letter, with an opening of shimmering dawn. But then he mixes this ethereal tranquillity with intensity and vehement excitement as the light bursts forth before re-establishing the peaceful calm of the opening.

Marwood’s role in this was phenomenal, with three cadenzas that gradually grew in stature and in technical demands.

The fourth work was Beethoven’s first symphony. It’s a work that shows the SCO at their finest. This is one of my favourite Beethoven symphonies mainly, for its singular characteristics like the quasi fugal second movement and the hesitant start to the finale. Suffice to say, the SCO’s superb performance simply made the fondness even stronger.