Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Pablo Heras-Casado Conductor

Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master

Dorothea Röschmann Soprano
Emma Bell Soprano
Werner Güra Tenor

Haydn Symphony No 94 ‘Surprise’
Mendelssohn Symphony No 2 ‘Lobgesang’

A jolt of surprise and a joyful choral celebration launched the 2017 International Festival Usher Hall concerts with an evening of wit and warmth. Granada-born Pablo Heras-Casado, one of the most exciting young international conductors, directs the exceptional players of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Haydn wrote the humorous second movement of his ‘Surprise’ Symphony specifically to make listeners jump, and it’s complemented by propulsive virtuosity throughout the rest of the work.

The concert features three of today’s finest vocalists – Dorothea Röschmann, Emma Bell and Werner Güra, admired for the power and richness of their singing – plus the massed ranks of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in the choral splendours of Mendelssohn’s radiant Lobgesang.