Page 192 - FINAL_The Sixteen Coverage Book 40th Anniversary Year

Animals to present a book of beasts which is on the one hand descriptive but, more importantly,
evocative of mood and character. It’s a lot of fun, not least in the parody of
Mussorgsky’s Promenade that accompanies the turning of the pages, and the organ is integrated into
the orchestral picture rather than being a solo instrument per se. Woman of the Apocalypse, on the
other hand, is a large scale tone poem, using fanfares as a recurring motif to evoke the End of Days,
with a grand canvas leading to a conclusion of magisterial power.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra summoned forces much larger than the SCO, and the
kaleidoscope of colours was powerfully evoked. Stephen Farr deployed the Usher Hall organ with
great skill, galumphing his way through the texture when necessary, and Joana Carneiro controlled
things well, for all that she’s a very jerky, staccato presence on the podium.

This whole day climaxed where it should, though, in the appearance of a new work that’s as important
as it is appealing. The crowd was on its feet for the final applause. How often do you see that for a
new piece?

Simon Thompson

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