The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra concert in Perth’s concert hall had a programme that catered for every taste.
If you wanted to be shaken and stirred by music from the 21st century, then John Adams’ My Father Knew Charles Ives was just for you.
If you wanted the musings of a 19th century poet, orchestrated in style and performed with passion, Mahler’s Rucker-Lieder fitted the bill perfectly.
Then, if the glorious rich harmonies of a classic romantic symphony were more your line, what better than Brahms’ second?
Individually excellent, but collectively stunning and, with this threesome on show, the performance brought the curtain down on the concert hall’s Scottish Orchestras series in real style.
However, despite the talent on display, one performance stood out that of mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill.
The last time I heard her, she wasn’t firing on all cylinders. But a fully-functioning Karen is a delight and her performance of the Mahler was outstanding.
The meditative Ich Atmet Einen Linden Duft (I breathed a gentle fragrance) was superb but of the five songs Um Mitternacht (At Midnight) took the plaudits for its orchestral individuality and almost hymn-like sentiments.
Adams’ work, which had opened the concert, is one quite hard to call. Is it a mix of contemporary sound effects, a garbled collection of musical imagery? Or is it a cunningly constructed fusion of inspirational themes with a rich mix of colour and form?
I would go for the latter; not only for its content but for the fact the work grips you, in the best possible way.
I liked some of the touches of Sousa or the muted brass of Glenn Miller. The haunting trumpet solo over shimmering strings and tubular bells, which opens and finishes the work, was another appealing factor in the work.
Then came the Brahms a triumph for orchestra and conductor Donald Runnicles.
I found this orchestral playing of the highest order and although the work is one of the most popular in the repertoire, I detected no signs of over-familiarity in the performance.