This glorious sequence of playing was continued on solo trumpet by Hart and again by Johnson on trombone. The solo trombone of Simon Johnson (in place of the flugelhorn) generated extraordinarily glorious playing helped by the flute of Katherine Bryan, and Wilson on oboe. The third movement opened with lively woodwind, creating images of birds in the forest and spirited concord on the strings. In the second movement, we heard a dazzling oboe solo from Adrian Wilson and supplemented by a bright theme on the woodwind offering glorious harmonies and well supported by appealing strings lending a sound picture of waves breaking softly against the seashore, with colourful woodwind playing and another solo from Iwabuchi before her idea was picked up by the woodwind and the luxurious violins. There came a glorious culmination of triumphant joy with Timothy Orpen’s clarinet solo against the strings in a magnificently joyful march on woodwind, brass and percussion – prompting a kinship with Ives – before returning to darkness and Wagnerian-like themes, from timpani, woodwind, brass and strings, as well as another glorious trumpet solo, all opening up boundless images of glory. Suddenly we heard a wonderful trumpet solo by Christopher Hart, leading to an enlightened theme from the woodwind and a graceful solo violin from Maya Iwabuchi and a march on percussion and glorious brass in a bright cheerful passage joined by the whole orchestra in an upbeat passage. The first movement opening on the brass chorale heralded a great moment and countered by the trumpets there was a hint of a rather Wagnerian idea – the idiom was forbidding and overwhelming with the thumps of the timpani – quickly switching to a dramatic mood in the woodwind and strings. Of course, to perform one of the most challenging symphonies in the repertoire is where an orchestra can reveal its genuine potential and here at the Edinburgh International Festival, the RSNO ensured a triumphant success with its Mahler. Thomas Søndergård conducts the RSNO © Andrew Perry The beautifully written piece for cor anglais played by Henry Clay was heard against shimmering strings set the mood well for what we were about to hear. The first piece in the programme was an elegy to the RSNO cor anglais Zoe Kitson who died earlier this year at the age of only 44 years.

Hearing Thomas Søndergård’s direction on this evening revealed that Scotland’s musicians are on a level with their Czech colleagues the brass and woodwind section are brilliant coupled with sumptuous strings and electrifying percussion, although they provide a more universal sound picture than the Czech’s uniquely central European sound. During Peter Oundjian’s six years with the RSNO he ensured a secure technical virtuosity in individual playing but most crucially in ensemble performance. Steadily the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has been developing both in technical standards and importantly in levels of interpretation. To hear Scotland’s leading orchestra play Mahler just a couple of a days after hearing the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra play Mahler’s Seventh Symphony offers up the thought that our orchestra is approaching the highest levels of musical performance. (GT) Thomas Søndergård conducts the RSNO in Mahler’s Third with Linda Watson (mezzo-soprano) © Andrew Perry United Kingdom Edinburgh International Festival 2022 – McMillan and Mahler: Linda Watson (mezzo-soprano), Ladies of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus (chorus director: Aidan Oliver), RSNO Junior Chorus (chorus director: Patrick Barrett), Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Thomas Søndergård (conductor).

Usher tickets 2012