The RSNO's winter season kicked off in superb form with a work they had never presented in Dundee before. Indeed Alexander Gibson had never had the opportunity to conduct such a piece during his thirty-five years working regularly in the city. The reason for the change was the restoration of the Caird Hall's wonderful organ. With this huge instrument restored to full working order the hall's reverberant acoustic could also be heard at its best. The Usher Hall's instrument still awaited rebuilding, while the new Glasgow hall had no organ at all in its initial 1990 format.
Needless to say this amazing Berlioz work sounded wonderful. How sad that Gibson didn't live long enough to develop the theme with further large-scale works in the venue.
The concert programme began with another piece of rare Berlioz, one of his earliest works - the overture Waverley, derived from Sir Walter Scott. This was followed by a far more familiar work, Beethoven's 4th piano concerto - in G, op58, in which the soloist was another familiar figure, John Lill.
The American tenor John Aler had an easily produced high register and was particularly associated with French music, including several appearances at the Opéra de Lyon under John Eliot Gardiner. His performances in Britain were rare, and this visit, to sing a single brief aria, seems to be his only visit to Scotland.
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