Scotland's national orchestra has unveiled attractive and exciting plans for its forthcoming new season but there are serious doubts over when, where -- and possibly if -- they will be heard by the capital's music lovers.

Brochures giving details of a season containing highlights such as "Damnation of Faust", "Springtime in Paris" and the full version of Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Nights Dream" have already gone out in and advance bookings started in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Perth, but the overrunning refurbishment of the Usher Hall means that no firm arrangements can yet be made for Edinburgh concerts.

Music director Stephane Deneve has devised a season with some of his own special favourites, with a recurrent emphasis on sea-related, with the bonus of top-flight visiting conductors and soloists.

"We cannot take bookings until we know exactly what seating will be available in the Usher Hall and what front-of-house arrangements are," says Chief Executive Simon Woods.

For the past year, the traditional Friday night Usher Hall concerts have transferred to Sunday nights in the Festival Theatre. There is no other venue in Edinburgh with the acoustics and audience capacity of the Usher Hall -- and the Festival theatre has only two vacant days in the coming year.

Work at the Usher Hall is being put on hold to make it available for the International Festival in August. It resumes immediately after the Festival but is unlikely to be sufficiently advanced in time for the RSNO season opening concert on Friday, October 3.

The Usher Hall