Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland's "Big Five" National Performing Arts Companies, along with the Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra gives a regular series of concerts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and other Scottish cities but does not claim any one location as its home. It also gives regular concerts throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands, as well as in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1974. It is made up of around 30 regular players, though its number can vary according to a given work's instrumental demands. The orchestra's first principal conductor was Roderick Brydon, who served from 1974 until 1983. Jukka-Pekka Saraste was the principal conductor from 1987 until 1991, and he was succeeded by Ivor Bolton from 1994 until 1996. Charles Mackerras held the position of principal guest conductor from 1992 to 1995, when he was named conductor laureate, a title he held until his death in 2010. Mackerras made a number of highly successful recordings with the orchestra, including the Brahms symphonies and five Mozart operas; many of the ensemble's greatest successes came under Mackerras' baton, at least in the recording venue. Mackerras' recording of Mozart's last four symphonies with the orchestra received numerous awards, including the BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year in 2009.
Joseph Swensen succeeded Bolton in 1996 and led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as principal conductor until 2005 when he was named conductor emeritus, a position he still held in the early 2020s. Robin Ticciati was named principal conductor in 2009 and served until 2018. That year, Maxim Emelyanychev made his debut with the orchestra when he stepped in as a last-minute substitute for Ticciati. Owing to his debut, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra announced Emelyanychev as its next principal conductor, assuming the post in 2019.
The repertory of the orchestra is quite varied, encompassing the works of Mozart and Haydn, as well as of Prokofiev and Peter Maxwell Davies. The orchestra has commissioned a number of works from the latter composer, including ten so-called Strathclyde Concertos. Other composers who have received commissions from the orchestra include Einjuhani Rautavaara, Judith Weir, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and many others. Among the orchestra's notable guest conductors are Andrew Litton, Nicholas McGegan, and Frans Brüggen. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has recorded for Telarc, Delos, Linn, and other labels. The group frequently performs with its adjunct organization, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, which was founded in 1991. In 2020, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was heard on a pair of Linn albums: symphonic music by Bizet and Gounod and piano concertos by Mozart.
© Robert Cummings & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Mozart: Piano Concertos K.271 "Jeunehomme" & K.503
Alfred Brendel, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Serenades Nos. 1 & 2
Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 "Unfinished" & 9 "The Great"
Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Oct 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphony No. 10 & Other Unfinished Symphonies
Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
P. Maxwell Davies : Strathclyde Concertos 3 & 4
Robert Cook, Lewis Morrison, Peter Franks, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Peter Maxwell Davies
Classical - Released by Naxos on 4 Feb 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Divertimento K.334 & Oboe Quartet K.370
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Janiczek
Classical - Released by Linn Records on 17 Oct 2011
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 3 & The Hebrides, Op. 26
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Joseph Swensen
Classical - Released by Linn Records on 7 Jan 2003
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bartók & Kodály
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Classical - Released by Linn Records on 9 Aug 2004
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Field: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Charles Mackerras, John O'Conor, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Mar 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Trumpet Concertos of Haydn, Hummel, Torelli, Tartini & Bellini
Rolf Smedvig, Jahja Ling, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Feb 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Works for Violin & Orchestra
Oscar Shumsky, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Eric Shumsky, Yan Pascal Tortelier
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 20 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9
Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Hyperion on 1 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 27
Charles Mackerras, John O'Conor, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Mar 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19, 23 & Rondo in A Major
Charles Mackerras, John O'Conor, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Mar 1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rossini: La donna del lago
Kenneth Tarver, Carmen Giannattasio, Maurizio Benini, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Opera - Released by Opera Rara on 1 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 22
Charles Mackerras, John O'Conor, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Mar 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HAYDN, F.J.: Piano Concertos in D major / G major / STRAUSS, R.: Burleske in D minor (Carol's Concerto Collection) (Rosenberger)
Carol Rosenberger, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony
Classical - Released by Delos on 14 Feb 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 24
John O'Conor, Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released by Telarc on 1 Apr 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Maxwell Davies: Strathclyde Concertos 5 & 6
James Clark, David Nicholson, Catherine Marwood, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Peter Maxwell Davies
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter Maxwell Davies : Strathclyde Concertos 7 & 8
Duncan McTier, Ursula Leveaux, James Clark, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Peter Maxwell Davies
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Arias
Bryn Terfel, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jul 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo