The
Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) is
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's national symphony orchestra. Based in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the
Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950, when it took the name
Scottish National Orchestra. It was awarded
royal patronageRoyal patronage may refer to*Royal patronage in arts, commerce, etc.*Patronato real*Padroado...
in 1991. Shortly after the award it briefly used the title
Royal Scottish Orchestra before reverting to its present name.
Under its first Scottish-born, and longest serving conductor,
Sir Alexander GibsonSir Alexander Gibson, CBE was a Scottish conductor and opera intendant.Gibson was born in Motherwell and studied music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, as well as in London, Salzburg and Siena, Italy...
, the orchestra began to develop an international profile. In line with Gibson's own specialities, the orchestra became known for its interpretations of
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n composers, notably
Jean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
and
Carl NielsenCarl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
. This was consolidated in the tenure of
Neeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
, who also led the orchestra through its first complete
Gustav MahlerGustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
cycle. The second Scot to lead the orchestra,
Bryden ThomsonBryden Thomson was a Scottish conductor.Bryden Thomson was born in Ayr. He led several British orchestras, including the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra from 1977 to 1985...
, maintained the
NordicThe Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
link with a cycle of Nielsen symphonies.
The RSNO's base is at
Henry Wood HallSir Henry Joseph Wood, CH was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences...
in Glasgow and is also used as its recording venue. The RSNO also performs throughout Scotland, at such venues as the
Glasgow Royal Concert HallGlasgow Royal Concert Hall is an arts venue, in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow’s City Halls and Old Fruitmarket venue...
,
Usher HallUsher Hall is a concert hall, situated on Lothian Road, in the west end of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,900 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics...
(
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
),
Caird HallThe Caird Hall is the principal concert auditorium in Dundee, Scotland.Built between 1914 and 1923 and named after its benefactor, the jute baron James Key Caird, the Caird Hall regularly hosts the Royal Scottish National Orchestra....
(
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
), Aberdeen Music Hall, Perth Concert Hall and
Eden Court InvernessEden Court Theatre is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major extension, adding a second theatre, two dedicated cinema screens, two performance/dance studios, improved dressing room and green room...
.
The orchestra had a long-standing recording contract with
Chandos RecordsChandos Records is an independent classical music recording company based in Colchester, Essex, in the United Kingdom, founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.- Background :...
in the 1980s and 1990s which has recently been re-established. Today, it chiefly records for
Naxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
, most notably in a cycle of
Anton BrucknerAnton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
symphonies with the late
Georg TintnerGeorg Tintner CM was an Austrian-born conductor whose career was principally in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada....
, cycles of
Arnold BaxSir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
symphonies with
David Lloyd-JonesDavid Matthias Lloyd-Jones is a British conductor who has specialised in British and Russian music. He is also an editor and translator, especially of Russian operas.- Biography :...
, and several recordings of American works (including the complete orchestral works of
Samuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
) conducted by
Marin AlsopMarin Alsop is an American conductor and violinist. She is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.In 2012, Alsop will replace Yan Pascal Tortelier as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra....
, who was the RSNO's principal guest conductor from 2000 to 2003. In May 2007, the RSNO made their first recordings with Stéphane Denève, of music of
Albert RousselAlbert Charles Paul Marie Roussel was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period...
, for Naxos. The first recording received the Diapason d'Or de l'année for Symphonic Music. The second disc in the series was released in 2008.
The RSNO is supported by the RSNO Chorus. The RSNO Chorus evolved from a choir formed in 1843 to sing the first full performance of Handel's
Messiah in Scotland, in April 1844. The RSNO Chorus performs with the RSNO throughout the year, and for the RSNO's Season and Prom series in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
,
AberdeenAberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and
DundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. In addition to its commitment to the RSNO, the Chorus performs independently and has toured worldwide. The current chorus director is Timothy Dean, since 2006.
The RSNO's current music director is
Stéphane DenèveStéphane Denève is a French conductor. Born in Tourcoing, France, and a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, Denève has worked as conducting assistant to Sir Georg Solti with the Orchestre de Paris, Georges Prêtre at the Opéra National de Paris, and Seiji Ozawa at the Saito Kinen Festival...
, since 2005. In April 2007, his contract was initially extended through 2011, and in March 2010, further extended 1 year through the 2011-2012 season, after which time his tenure is scheduled to conclude. In January 2011, the RSNO announced the appointment of
Peter OundjianPeter Oundjian is a violinist and conductor, the youngest of five children from an Armenian father and English mother. He also claims Scottish ancestry through his maternal grandfather, a Sanderson, and the MacDonell of Glengarry clan.Oundjian was educated in England, where he began studying the...
as its next music director, as of the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. Past principal guest conductors, in addition to Alsop, have included Garry Walker (2003-2007). In October 2011,
Thomas SøndergårdThomas Søndergård is a Danish orchestra conductor and percussion player. He studied percussion and timpani at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1989 to 1992, where his teachers included Gert Mortensen. From 1989 to 1992, Søndergård was a timpanist in the European Union Youth Orchestra. He...
was named the RSNO's next principal guest conductor, as of the 2012-2013 season, with an initial contract of 3 years for 3 programmes per year. The RSNO's current assistant conductor is Christian Kluxen, since September 2010.
In April 2007, the orchestra became one of Scotland's five national performing companies, supported directly by the Scottish Government (previously support came through the
Scottish Arts CouncilThe Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
). The orchestra's current chief executive is Michael (Mick) Elliott.
Tenures of Principal Conductors
- George Henschel
Sir George Henschel , was a British baritone, pianist, conductor, and composer of German birth....
(1893–1895)
- Willem Kes
Willem Kes , was a Dutch conductor and violinist.He was the first principal conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, holding that position from 1888 to 1895. He left the Concertgebouw Orchestra to take up a conducting post with the Scottish Orchestra in Glasgow...
(1895–1898)
- Max Bruch
Max Christian Friedrich Bruch , also known as Max Karl August Bruch, was a German Romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertoire.-Life:Bruch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province, where he...
(1898–1900)
- Frederic Cowen (1900–1910)
- Emil Młynarski (1910–1916)
- Landon Ronald
Sir Landon Ronald was an English conductor, composer, pianist, singing teacher and administrator...
(1916–1920)
- Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
(1926–1927) |
Vladimir Golschmann Vladimir Golschmann was a French conductor.-Biography:Vladimir Golschmann was born in Paris. He studied violin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He was a notable advocate of the music of the composers known as Les six. In Paris, he had his own concert series, the Concerts Golschmann, which began...
(1928–1930)
John BarbirolliSir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
(1933–1936)
George SzellGeorge Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
(1937–1939)
Warwick BraithwaiteHenry Warwick Braithwaite was a New Zealand-born orchestra conductor. He worked mostly in Great Britain and was especially known for his work in opera....
(1940–1946)
Walter SusskindJan Walter Susskind was a Czech-born British conductor.-Biography:Susskind was born in Prague, Austria–Hungary, now the Czech Republic. His father was a Viennese music critic and his Czech mother was a piano teacher. At the State Conservatorium he studied under composer Josef Suk, the son-in-law...
(1946–1952)
Karl RanklKarl Rankl was a British conductor and composer of Austrian birth. A pupil of the composers Schoenberg and Webern, he conducted at opera houses in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia until fleeing from the Nazis and taking refuge in England in 1939.Rankl was appointed musical director of the...
(1952–1957)
Hans SwarowskyHans Swarowsky was an Austrian conductor of Hungarian birth and Jewish descent.Swarowsky was born in Budapest, Hungary. He studied the art of conducting under Felix Weingartner and Richard Strauss...
(1957–1959) |
Alexander Gibson Sir Alexander Gibson, CBE was a Scottish conductor and opera intendant.Gibson was born in Motherwell and studied music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, as well as in London, Salzburg and Siena, Italy...
(1959–1984)
Neeme JärviNeeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
(1984–1988)
Bryden ThomsonBryden Thomson was a Scottish conductor.Bryden Thomson was born in Ayr. He led several British orchestras, including the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra from 1977 to 1985...
(1988–1990)
Walter WellerWalter Weller is an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Weller was born in Vienna, Austria where he first gained renown as a prodigy on the violin...
(1991–1996)
Alexander LazarevAlexander Lazarev is a Russian conductor. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, and later at the Moscow Conservatory with Leo Ginsbourg. In 1971, he was the first prize winner in a national conducting competition in the USSR...
(1997–2005)
Stéphane DenèveStéphane Denève is a French conductor. Born in Tourcoing, France, and a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, Denève has worked as conducting assistant to Sir Georg Solti with the Orchestre de Paris, Georges Prêtre at the Opéra National de Paris, and Seiji Ozawa at the Saito Kinen Festival...
(2005–present) |
External links