Elgar Cello Concerto
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Dai Miyata & Ryan Wigglesworth
“Free but happy” is the motto that Brahms gave to his Third Symphony, and it opens with all the freshness of a summer storm. What comes next is a musical landscape of rolling clouds, tender lullabies, and radiant sunsets: a haunting finish to a concert that’s all about light, shade, and deep feelings. If you thought Elgar’s popular Cello Concerto was merely the sound of green fields and rolling hills, think again, as cellist Dai Miyata – praised by critics for his “sublime beauty of tone” – joins Ryan Wigglesworth to uncover its troubled soul. And explore a new world of sound from the imagination of Lisa Illean, who creates music (it’s been said) from “exquisitely quiet shadows”