Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chamber Ensemble

All the playful wit and blazing energy of a Beethoven symphony – reimagined as intimate chamber music.

Beethoven designed his first fiery foray into the world of the symphony specifically to surprise and delight his Viennese listeners at its 1800 premiere. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Principal Flautist André Cebrián has concentrated all the Symphony’s drama and humour into a sparkling chamber version for himself and ten of his orchestral colleagues – while losing none of its dazzling detail.

Before the interval, two hard-hitting modernists show their friendlier sides with punchy dance music inspired by their native lands. Witold Lutoslawski draws on propulsive Polish rhythms and rustic flavours in his energising Dance Preludes, while György Ligeti brings tongue-in-cheek fun to the earthy rhythms of his Old Hungarian Ballroom Dances.