Inspired by film noir, big-band jazz and the movies of David Lynch, City Noir is a spectacular symphonic showpiece by US composer John Adams that paints a gripping yet sensual portrait of California’s urban landscape and culture.

It forms the culmination of the all-American second half of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s concert under music director Peter Oundjian, which also features the world premiere of Festival City, a Festival commission from composer and music technologist Tod Machover who invites us all to contribute to the piece’s creation.

Before the interval, world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins the RSNO for one of the best-loved pieces in the classical repertoire: Bruch’s First Violin Concerto. Brimming with lyrical melody and dazzling virtuosity, it is a work that combines a touching open-heartedness with high romance – a bold contrast with the concert’s imposing opener Verdi’s powerful Force of Destiny Overture.

City Noir: ‘this score is in fact a wonderously strange and complex symphony.’
The New York Times

4 Stars - The Scotsman