Latest news with #BBCScottishSymphonyOrchestra
BBC News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Winner of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year 2025 announced
Sofía Ros has been named the winner of the esteemed BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. The accordionist triumphed in the grand final held at Glasgow's City Halls on 14 June 2025, performing alongside the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Andrew Gourlay. The event, hosted by broadcaster and musician Jamie MacDougall, featured three talented young finalists: violinist Emma Baird, alto saxophonist Ziheng Huang and accordionist Sofía Ros. Each delivered an exceptional live performance in front of a packed audience and panel of expert judges: Alice Farnham (head judge - Conductor, Founder and Director of Women Conductors, author), Nick Zekulin (Head of music programme, Edinburgh International Festival) and Jennifer Martin (Composer and Music Consultant). Sofía said: 'I moved to Scotland from Spain when I was 13 to study music, and the BBC has been a big source of inspiration for me ever since. Getting the chance to perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at City Halls is a dream come true, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity and especially grateful to have won.' Hayley Valentine, Director of BBC Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a worthy winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award, and we look forward to showcasing more of her performances in the future. The level of entrants was incredibly high, and of course the three finalists were outstanding. We could not be more delighted with the event and indeed this competition, through which we hope more young people in Scotland will engage with classical music.' Heather Kane-Darling, Commissioning Editor at BBC Radio Scotland, said: 'Sofía is a truly deserving recipient of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician of the Year award. We're excited to share more of her exceptional performances with our audiences in the future. The overall standard of entries, particularly among the three finalists, was remarkable and we are thrilled to spotlight these talented musicians through the competition. Our hope is that it will inspire more young people across Scotland to connect with and explore the world of classical music.' Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, said: 'It's been inspiring throughout to have such terrific young musicians demonstrating their technical excellence as well as their passion and creativity. BBC Radio Scotland's Young Classical Musician of the Year is such a valuable showcase for them and also for classical music in Scotland. My warmest congratulations to all involved.' As well as the title of BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician 2025, the prize includes a further performance on BBC Radio Scotland later this year. The Young Classical Musician of the Year competition aims to encourage and highlight the wealth of talent in Scotland's vibrant classical scene. MG Follow for more
Press and Journal
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Capercaillie star on drinking beer in Fort William caravan with Liam Neeson
Drinking beer in an old caravan in Fort William with film star Liam Neeson remains a treasured memory for Capercaillie accordionist Donald Shaw It was also a pivotal moment in the Celtic music trailblazer's career trajectory that propelled the band from the Highlands to a world-wide force. Not only did Capercaillie provide the music for Rob Roy, they also performed in the 1995 smash hit Hollywood movie alongside leading star Neeson. In between scenes they passed the time swigging beer – until the producer put a stop to the fun for fear the Hollywood star would get too drunk. Donald explained: 'Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange were both lovely to work with. 'We hung out with Liam up the Glen in an old caravan in Fort William when they were shooting those scenes. 'He used to come in and have a couple of beers with us until the producer came in and told us off and to stop trying to get the lead actor drunk in case he forgot his lines. So he wasn't allowed into our caravan after that.' Rob Roy also starred John Hurt, Tim Roth and Brian Cox as the villainous factor Killearn. Music for the soundtrack to the movie was provided by Capercaillie. Donald said: 'At that time it was a really big deal Hollywood coming to Scotland. 'There was probably next to no obvious blockbuster movie that had Scottish traditional music in it. 'It was a breakthrough for us and opened up a bigger audience in America. 'It meant that we could think differently how we could produce music because Gaelic music is quite cinematic in itself.' Capercaillie are set to celebrate their 40th anniversary with their first major Scottish shows for more than a decade. From their roots in the Highlands of Scotland the band have toured more than 30 countries. Donald said: 'For the last decade we have been doing what you might call hit and run festivals around Europe. 'We have also played in the United States and Australia but this is the first major venues we have done as a tour in Scotland for a while. 'Over the years we did a huge amount of touring around the world. 'Life catches up with you as we were bringing up kids and doing other projects so we reduced the touring. 'During that time over the last few years we have always remained great friends so it's always a joy to come back together.' The band originally formed in the early eighties by high school friends Donald and Marc Duff (bodhran & whistles), both from Taynuilt. They soon added further musicians and Gaelic singer Karen Matheson to the line-up and released debut Cascade in 1984. Four decades on from that debut the band released ReLoved last year, featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Donald said: 'ReLoved was taken from a lot of old material and then reorchestrated. 'It was a great feeling to be on stage such a talented orchestra (Scottish Symphony Orchestra). 'It makes the songs big, bold and almost cinematic. 'It's just a shame we can't stick all those guys in a van and take them on tour. 'The musical landscape is changing quite a bit. 'It would have probably have been quite unusual even 20 or 30 years ago for traditional musicians to be working alongside other styles such as orchestral music, jazz or electronica. 'But that is very common now. 'It is a very mixed palette of colours that everyone is using for producing music. 'I'm delighted traditional music is part of that palette.' Since his formative years rich musical palette is something Donald has embraced, having worked with musicians across multiple genres. He has collaborated with country great Bonnie Raitt, alt rock trailblazer James Grant, Peter Gabriel and Nanci Griffith. Donald has also shared a stage with legendary avant-garde free jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman. He said: 'When I was growing up in Taynuilt my dad, who taught me accordion, had a reel-to-reel tape player. 'He only had about half-a-dozen tapes. 'One was Sibelius, one was Bobby MacLeod the accordion player from Mull. 'Another was Ornette Coleman. 'It was a strange feeling to meet Ornette all those years later and share a stage with him. 'And trying to figure out how to mix up traditional music with free-form avant-garde jazz. 'He was a lovely man full of enthusiasm. 'Ornette had a great approach towards making music. 'His feeling was if we are experimenting over the period of the concert as long as we got one minute of beauty – that is worth the concert alone. 'I think we got more than that.' The band's major-label debut, 1991's Delirium featured 'Coisich a Ruin', an update version of 400-year-old waulking song which went on to become the UK's first ever Gaelic Top 40 hit. Capercaillie last released an album of new studio material in 2013 with At The Heart of It. Fans will be delighted to hear there will be new material this year. Donald said: 'We're going into the studio when we are all together doing the shows. 'We'll put down some new tracks that we have. 'With the way the world is going with music releases you don't actually have to spend a long time creating a whole album. 'You can just release a couple of tracks digitally and that is what we will do. 'We will get some new stuff out which might see the light of day later in the year. 'There's no going back from the digital world now, that is just the way it is. 'The benefits of that are that as soon as you have a finished track you don't have to wait for the physical process of it being ready on a format. 'You can just drop it on people the next day. I enjoy that side of it.'
Scotsman
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
BBC SSO, Anja Bihlmaier & Javier Perianes review: 'some performance'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... BBC SSO, Anja Bihlmaier & Javier Perianes, City Halls, Glasgow ★★★★ Four formidable women strode through the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's sometimes overwhelmingly powerful concert – well, five, if you also include conductor Anja Bihlmaier (and you really should), who was a fastidious but compelling presence throughout the evening's three eclectic offerings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First came a parade of Salome, Ophelia and Cleopatra, courtesy of three short pieces – collected together as Trois femmes de légende – by French composer Mel Bonis. There was more than a hint of Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov to Bonis's exotic evocations which flowed freely through moods and textures, but the BBC SSO gave a nimble, perceptive account, with Bihlmaier thoroughly alert to the composer's restless swerves of direction and richly conceived musical imagery. Javier Perianes The evening's true star, however, was Elektra, as portrayed in Richard Strauss's most shockingly modernistic opera, which was itself transformed into an 'symphonic suite' (really a massive symphonic poem) by conductor Manfred Honeck and composer Tomáš Ille. Cramming Strauss's orchestral excess into a relentless 35 minutes was a hair-raising prospect, but Bihlmaier tackled the direction with a cool head. Her gleaming clarity and cleanness, however, allowed the music to radiate its incendiary power with searing heat. Seldom can quite so many musicians have been squeezed onto the City Halls stage, and seldom can the venue have shaken with quite as much sheer sound from an orchestra – there were even a few rare moments when Bihlmaier allowed her elegantly sculpted soundscapes to crack open, revealing the seething brutality beneath. It was quite some performance, as deftly paced as it was dramatically dispatched, and it showed the BBCSSO more than up for the challenge.
The Herald Scotland
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Drama and excitement as guest conductor takes up the baton at BBC SSO
City Halls, Glasgow Keith Bruce four stars The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra marketed this live broadcast performance on the box office potential of Spanish pianist Javier Perianes playing Mozart's perennially-popular concerto No 17, and there was nothing wrong with that part of the programme, even if did seem a little strange that the soloist was relying on a score for a work he must have played many times. But for many in the hall, and listening on Radio 3, the real interest lay in the works on either side of the Mozart and in the conductor on the podium. Anja Bihlmaier is Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester and earlier in the day the announcement of the BBC Proms programme had included the news that she will premiere a new electric guitar concerto by Mark Simpson with Scotland's Sean Shibe on July 22 in the Royal Albert Hall. The work that filled the second half of this concert was also fairly new, the 2016 'symphonic suite' created by Manfred Honeck and Tomas Ille from Richard Strauss's opera Elektra. If the composer himself had crafted such an orchestral concert piece it would surely have sounded much along these lines, incorporating all the most compelling music in the score, culminating in an instrumental performance of the final scene. Read more Keith Bruce Bihlmaier gloried in the huge forces under her baton but was equally attentive to the moments that featured just front desk strings and wind soloists – much of the delight in this half hour of music came from her precision control of the dynamics. The orchestral Elektra may lack the sense of humour in Strauss's tone poems, but in all other respects can sit alongside them as a repertoire piece. The conductor began the concert with another new/old work celebrating females from dramatic tragedy. Melanie Bonis was taught by Cesar Franck and her Trois femmes de legende: Salome; Ophelia; The Dream of Cleopatra share elements of their orchestration with Ravel and Debussy. Composed in the first decade of the 20th century, they were only assembled as a suite a decade ago, which the RSNO and Thomas Sondergard played last Spring. If not quite as epic as the Strauss, it is also assured regular performances by the range of orchestral colour it contains, with terrific opportunities for the wind soloists – and Bihlmaier found all the drama in the lyrically-expressed fate of the Egyptian queen.
Scotsman
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
BBC SSO, Anja Bihlmaier & Javier Perianes review: 'some performance'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... BBC SSO, Anja Bihlmaier & Javier Perianes, City Halls, Glasgow ★★★★ Four formidable women strode through the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's sometimes overwhelmingly powerful concert – well, five, if you also include conductor Anja Bihlmaier (and you really should), who was a fastidious but compelling presence throughout the evening's three eclectic offerings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First came a parade of Salome, Ophelia and Cleopatra, courtesy of three short pieces – collected together as Trois femmes de légende – by French composer Mel Bonis. There was more than a hint of Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov to Bonis's exotic evocations which flowed freely through moods and textures, but the BBC SSO gave a nimble, perceptive account, with Bihlmaier thoroughly alert to the composer's restless swerves of direction and richly conceived musical imagery. Javier Perianes The evening's true star, however, was Elektra, as portrayed in Richard Strauss's most shockingly modernistic opera, which was itself transformed into an 'symphonic suite' (really a massive symphonic poem) by conductor Manfred Honeck and composer Tomáš Ille. Cramming Strauss's orchestral excess into a relentless 35 minutes was a hair-raising prospect, but Bihlmaier tackled the direction with a cool head. Her gleaming clarity and cleanness, however, allowed the music to radiate its incendiary power with searing heat. Seldom can quite so many musicians have been squeezed onto the City Halls stage, and seldom can the venue have shaken with quite as much sheer sound from an orchestra – there were even a few rare moments when Bihlmaier allowed her elegantly sculpted soundscapes to crack open, revealing the seething brutality beneath. It was quite some performance, as deftly paced as it was dramatically dispatched, and it showed the BBCSSO more than up for the challenge.
