Richard Egarr, Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music, was the guest conductor of this performance of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven compositions played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
An accomplished conductor and pianist, he has a most endearing personality and introduced the Mozart Symphony and Haydn Piano Concerto by telling us that concerts in the 18th century were far less formal than they are now, and that there would have been improvised music between the pieces. However, that did not happen in this particular concert.
The concert began with Mozart's Symphony No 1 in E-flat major. In three movements, it was written in 1764 when the family were on a Grand Tour of Europe and were at that time staying in Chelsea. It is a relatively simple piece, which is not surprising as Mozart composed it at the astonishing age of eight when he was already developing a reputation as a wunderkind. However, he included all musicians in the chamber orchestra - strings, woodwind and brass.
The Haydn Piano Concerto in D (1784) was composed at a time when pianos were taking precedence over harpsichords and the piano Egarr played was a copy of a Viennese piano. Viennese composers like Mozart and Haydn would have had their compositions played on this type of instrument, which has a much lighter and more delicate sound than that of a modern instrument. It also unusually has pedals at knee height.
Egarr, conducting energetically from the piano, succeeded in creating great tone variations from the musicians and in passages in the middle movement. His lightness of touch was extraordinary - you could have heard a pin drop in the concert hall.
Beethoven was next on the agenda. First, his Overture, The Creatures of Prometheus (1801).
The players appeared to be very focused creating a marvellous full sound in this rousing piece, which also incorporates sweet passages. The finale of the concert was Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F.
Seeming to hold the orchestra in the palm of his hand, Egarr elicited precise, clear sounds from the musicians in the first movement. Concentrating entirely on the music, he waited until the audience were utterly quiet before he began the next movement. The Allegro vivace, the final movement, is challenging for musicians as it runs at a terrific pace, but the orchestra, completely focused on Egarr, played exceptionally well. A great concert.
Friday 5 March - City Halls, Glasgow - 7.30pm