Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Running time: approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including an interval


Soloist: Francesco Piemontesi, piano

Programme:
Benjamin Britten, Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a 
Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major
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Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3 in A minor Op. 56, "Scottish"

Winner of the 2020 Gramophone Classical Music Prize and an eight-time Grammy Award nominee, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) – an ensemble of time-honoured tradition (1891) – is rightfully regarded as one of the UK's and Europe's leading musical institutions. With a special focus on the youngest audiences, the RSNO also successfully fulfils its role as a music educator. Since 2018, the orchestra has been demonstrating its excellence under the leadership of the incisive Danish Music Director, Thomas Sondergard, a role he continues alongside his Minnesota Orchestra appointment (2023). Also a brilliant percussionist, Maestro Sondergard has been recently presented with an award for his outstanding contribution to Danish musical life. 

In Ljubljana, the orchestra will once again shed light on the infinite variety of music. The essence of Britishness is reflected in Britten's opera interludes, masterpieces of musical tone painting, as well as in Mendelssohn's popular symphony, which is expressive of the composer's poetic nature. Tinged with a jazzy flavour, the bookended piece is Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto. It was this composition, one of the most difficult pieces Ravel ever wrote, that helped Francesco Piemontesi, a pianist of exceptionally refined expression and a consummate technical skill, win the prestigious Presto Music Award in 2022.