The Edinburgh City Orchestra and conductor Peter Le Tissier return to St. Giles' Cathedral for another spectacular performance to close off their 2025 performances. Joined by violinist Annabel Stevens, they pair two works in the bright and optimistic key of D Major that celebrate the natural world with a mixture of buoyant energy and peaceful radiance.
Beethoven's violin concerto is one of his sunniest pieces of music. Beginning with a simple four-note figure in the timpani, Beethoven's concerto is a masterful example of making a whole soundworld of limited resources: the four-note figure and a simple major-scale. What Beethoven crafts from this is a work of extraordinary lyrical beauty, with melodies across all three movements that take on a life of their own. If the first movement mixes dramatic energy with this lyricism, the second movement is an island of peaceful repose, before the vibrant finale brings the listener along with a sweep of energy towards a firmly optimistic close.
Sibelius's music has become synonymous with the Finnish nation, and amongst his works there are few more famous than the 2nd Symphony. Opening with radiant strings and chirping woodwinds, Sibelius injects drama, angst, power and intense romance into a symphony that ultimately will end in a triumphant conclusion. A first movement that is all about gathering energy is followed by a doleful slow movement with a heavy sense of mourning. The bustling and energetic scherzo then leads into a glorious finale that has the power to overwhelm with its fantastic close.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite, as well as on the door from one hour before the performance.
