Written by Garry Fraser Published on Monday 14 March 2016 It is the right of any soloist to provide an encore after a concerto performance. Sometimes they can be superfluous, other times a memorable ending to a marvellous concert. In the latter category falls Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, who provided a tailpiece to her performance… Read more »
Written by David Smythe Published on Sunday 13 March 2016 The latest Scottish Ensemble’s trademark imaginative programming brings us South Atlantic Crossings, exploring what happens when music and traditions of two continents collide. The influences of Bach and Mozart on South Americans Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla are surprising, and adding the exciting Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero… Read more »
Written by Michael Tumelty Published on Monday 14 March 2016 If there is such a species as the concert with everything, then this project, designed by Morton, was as close in aspiration as can be imagined; moreover, the playing by this indivisible group of 12 collaborators, joined for the afternoon by the extraordinarily open-hearted pianist… Read more »
Written by Keith Bruce Published on Friday 26 February 2016 THERE was a queue down the stairs for seats at Wednesday lunchtime’s recital by a quintet from Jonathan Morton’s Scottish Ensemble, and little wonder. For all that the group is dedicated to “reinventing the string orchestra”, here just five of the players were on a… Read more »
A mini documentary looking into Goldberg Variations – ternary projects for insomnia was launched this week on BBC Arts Online, a platform bringing together coverage of the most exciting and interesting art events and projects happening at the moment. The film, created by Scottish Ensemble filmmaker-in-residence Hugh Carswell, offers insights into the creation of the project, as well… Read more »
We are thrilled to return to Sweden for an eight-date tour of Goldberg Variations – ternary patterns for insomnia, our cross-artform collaboration with Swedish contemporary dance company Andersson Dance. Starting in Jönköping on Monday 25 January, the tour takes in seven cities across the country including Gävle, Västerås, Kungsbacka, Vara and Malmö before concluding in Umeå with… Read more »
Written by David Smythe Published on Saturday 21 November 2015 It might be every musician’s nightmare, but when classical players are called upon to be characters as part of the action, results can be surprising. An extraordinary performance of The Soldier’s Tale seen a few years ago is still etched in the memory as the… Read more »
Written by Alfred Hickling Published on Monday 23 November 2015 The composition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations will always be mysterious. Were they really a musical sheep-counting exercise for the benefit of an insomniac ambassador? A harmonic exegesis of the Ptolemaic universe? A private joke at the expense of an unkind critic? Or maybe, as this… Read more »
Written by Lorna Irvine Published on Tuesday 17 November 2015 Read the review on the Fjord Review website How to reinvent J.S. Bach’s famous, sublime Goldberg Variations? This collaboration between Stockholm-based choreographer Örjan Andersson and Scottish Ensemble’s Jonathan Morton seeks to do just that, with a series of choreographic movements integrated with the musicians themselves,… Read more »
11 musicians from Scottish Ensemble and 5 dancers from Andersson Dance have arrived at Glasgow’s prestigious contemporary art and performance venue, Tramway, for rehearsals ahead of the first UK performances on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November. The collaboration is led by Scottish Ensemble Artistic Director Jonathan Morton and Andersson Dance Artistic Director Örjan Andersson, who came… Read more »
Written by Garry Fraser Published on Monday 19 October 2015 If you are in the company of Franz Schubert, it’s an extremely nice place to be as his music never fails to satisfy. If you are joined by the wonderful Scottish Ensemble and a soloist of the calibre of Maxim Rysanov the ambiance increases as… Read more »
Scottish Ensemble’s Board of Trustees is looking to appoint a new member of the Board who will also serve as Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee plays a key governance role for Scottish Ensemble (SE). The Committee reviews SE management accounts and financial planning… Read more »
Five stars (!!!) in @heraldscotland for this week's collaboration with @monterogabriela, and a great, intuitive des… https://t.co/jCxzkEGXkD, Also delighted that our concert Babel has inspired and provoked so much thought and awareness - something… https://t.co/KyL6NqcL9P, Delighted with this new line in tweets recommending box sets to our guest collaborators... Any more for any more? https://t.co/1aL5psRigY,