In this year when the Usher Hall fell silent, the Edinburgh International Festival have dusted off some archive performances recorded there, and these will be aired on BBC Radio 3 in September.

Every year, the Usher Hall Series brings together magnificent symphonic concerts and operatic concert performances from world-leading orchestras and soloists. A selection of five of these special concerts are drawn from the Festival archives, featuring highlights from over 16 years of unforgettable performance.

The series feature as part ofā€Æ BBC Artsā€Æ Culture in Quarantine,ā€Æwhich continues to bring the arts to audiences across the country during a time when they need it the most.Ā 

Broadcast at 11am from 15ā€“19 September 2020 on BBC Radio 3 

Tuesday 15 September: Orchestra dellā€™Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia gave a celebrated performance at the 2016 International Festival. Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Tchaikovskyā€™sĀ Romeo and JulietĀ before Boris Berezovsky is soloist in Rachmaninovā€™s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.Ā 


Wednesday 16 September: Over 120 players of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are conducted by Ilan Volkov in Messiaenā€™s final work,Ā Ć‰clairs sur lā€™Au-DelĆ . They close this 2008 concert with Thomas AdĆØs’Ā Tevot, at that time just a year old.

Ā 
Thursday 17 September:Ā The Cleveland Orchestraā€™s 2010 concert showcases the magnificence of the Usher Hallā€™s organ as Joela Jones performs two of Ivesā€™s best-loved works for the instrument. To follow, Franz Welser-Mƶst conducts Brucknerā€™s grand Eighth Symphony.Ā 


Friday 18 September:Ā The 2013 International Festivalā€™s Usher Hall Series was brought to an epic conclusion with Verdiā€™s powerful Requiem, performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, conducted by Donald Runnicles.


Saturday 19 September:Ā The Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s remarkable 2004 concert performance of Weber’sĀ Der FreischutzĀ stars Jonas Kaufmann, Hillevi Martinpelto and Alish Tynan, conducted by the late Sir Charles Mackerras.

https://www.eif.co.uk/whats-on/2020/archive-usherhall

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