BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Runnicles, Royal Albert Hall

A glowing programme of works both English and international from Scots on top form

by David NiceWednesday, 04 August 2010

Donald Runnicles: projecting a focused orchestral sound into the Albert Hall vastsBoth images by Chris Christodoulou

What a quintessential Prom: a quartet of works by English composers which aspire to international status, and in three cases wholly succeed, performed by the BBC's Scottish orchestra at world-class level under its homegrown but deservedly globetrotting chief conductor Donald Runnicles. And doing what the Albert Hall, if handled properly, assists in doing best - not the noisy stuff, but the secret rapture of four increasingly sublime slow movements welcoming us in from the Victorian colosseum's vasts.

Wass is up there in terms of sonic range with a comprehensive keyboard master like Richter.

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