BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Mendelssohn: ‘Scottish’ Symphony

KAIJA SAARIAHO      Laterna Magica (c.20 mins)
RAVEL                        Piano Concerto in G (c.23 mins)
MENDELSSOHN        Symphony No.3 ‘Scottish’(c.40 mins)

Denis Kozhukhin piano
Kristiina Poska conductor
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Inspiration comes in many forms. After visiting the Palace of Holyrood in 1829, the young Felix Mendelssohn wrote, ‘I believe I found today in the old chapel the beginning of my Scottish Symphony’. The Third might allude to the life of Mary Queen of Scots but it also pays tribute to toe-tapping folk tunes along the way. Kaija Saariaho found her inspiration in the mechanics and wonder of moving images (specifically those of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman) and her Magic Lantern glows with its own inner light. Ravel, meanwhile, romps through the worlds of jazz, Basque folk-song and French impressionism, and somehow manages to be utterly serious, teasingly playful and elegantly cool all at the same time. The brilliant Denis Kozhukhin and Kristiina Poska are our dream team.