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Scottish Ensemble Press Reviews

We are all proud of the Scottish Ensemble and like to show you why. Below are extracts from Press Reviews that have been written about us. To view the full review click on More Info link.

Edinburgh Guide - 4 stars

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, Edinburgh Guide Scottish Ensemble Queen’s Hall Edinburgh Guide Barbara Bryan The Scottish Ensemble has over recent years developed a reputation for choosing music for strings that spans the centuries. more info >

The Guardian - Four Stars

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, The Guardian Scottish Ensemble Queen's Hall, Edinburgh Rowena Smith The Scottish Ensemble opened its 40th anniversary season by looking both forward and back: the latter with a return visit from violinist Clio Gould, the ensemble's influential former artistic director; and forward by filling out its ranks with students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. more info >

The Herald - Four Stars

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, The Herald Scottish Ensemble, City Hall, Glasgow Michael Tumelty Published on 27 Oct 2009 To mark the launch of its 40th anniversary season, the Scottish Ensemble did something special: it invited its former artistic director, Clio Gould, to join the ensemble and work with her successor (and husband) Jonathan Morton. more info >

The Scotsman - Four Stars

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, The Scotsman Classical review: Scottish Ensemble The Scotsman Published Date: 27 October 2009 By Carla Whalen SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE **** CITY HALLS, GLASGOW IT'S the Scottish Ensemble's 40th birthday and for their current round of concerts, entitled Side by Side, they've invited students from St Mary's Music School and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to join them. more info >

The Times - Five Stars

Tuesday, November 03, 2009, The Times October 28, 2009 Scottish Ensemble/Gould at City Halls Glasgow Sarah Urwin Jones Making a long anticipated return, Clio Gould, the Scottish Ensemble’s most fêted former director, took on some of the most fiendish works in the repertoire with her husband and the current director Jonathan Morton. more info >

Five Stars at Edinburgh International Festival

Thursday, August 27, 2009, The Scotsman JAMES MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, although written 15 years ago, has an intense spiritual dimension that gives it a timeless, eternal quality. This haunting evocation of the last seven sentences spoken by Christ on the cross was suffused with a visceral rawness in what was a sensational performance by the Scottish Ensemble and singers from Tenebrae. more info >

Scottish Ensemble at Edinburgh International Festival

Thursday, August 27, 2009, The Herald A day for the seven last words of Christ on the cross saw the SCO performing the choral arrangement of Haydn's classic meditations in the Usher Hall, preceded earlier in the day by this concert featuring the rather more recent setting by James MacMillan in the Queen's Hall. more info >

The Herald - 30 March 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009, The Herald Scottish Ensemble - St Andrews in the Square, Glasgow more info >

The Scotsman - Saturday 28 March 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009, The Scotsman Classical review: Scottish Ensemble more info >

Scottish Ensemble & Pekka Kuusisto - The Guardian

Wednesday, December 03, 2008, The Guardian Scottish Ensemble/Kuusisto ***** Rowena Smith The Guardian, Saturday November 22 2008 more info >

Scottish Ensemble & Pekka Kuusisto - The Scotsman

Wednesday, December 03, 2008, The Scotsman SCOTSMAN – 5 STARS Music Review: Scottish Ensemble with Pekka Kuusisto Published Date: 19 November 2008 By NEIL JONES THE SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE WITH PEKKA KUUSISTO ***** more info >

Scottish Ensemble and Pekka Kuusisto - Striking a bow against accepted wisdom

Monday, November 17, 2008, The Herald Striking a bow against accepted wisdom The Herald ROWENA SMITH November 12 2008 more info >

Music review: Scottish Ensemble

Tuesday, October 07, 2008, The Scotsman A NEATLY weighted programme by the Scottish Ensemble drew a telling contrast between the acerbic 20th-century resilience of Shostakovich and the elegance of Baroque masters Albinoni and Corelli. And, thanks to trumpeter Alison Balsom and Scots pianist Alasdair Beatson, the confection enjoyed a special coating of icing. more info >

Scottish Ensemble, City Halls, Glasgow

Tuesday, October 07, 2008, The Herald Opposites were the attraction in the opening programme of the Scottish Ensemble's Glasgow season, an alternation of Italian baroque concertos and works by Shostakovich, in performances characterised by a warm and consistent virtuosity. more info >

Scottish Ensemble/Alison Balsom/Alasdair Beatson at Perth Concert Hall Sarah Urwin Jones

Tuesday, October 07, 2008, The Times Linking Italian Baroque and Soviet Modernism via the fire bombing of Dresden might sound like grasping at musical straws. But given the rather odd aural juxtaposition of Albinoni (whose well-known Adagio was recreated from six bars found in the ruins of the city library) and Shostakovich (who wrote his dark String Quartet No 8 in the aftermath) in this Scottish Ensemble season-opener, one can't blame the director Jonathan Morton for trying. more info >

Scottish Ensemble triumph at Wigmore Hall

Wednesday, April 30, 2008, Classical Source Scottish Ensemble – Handel, C. P. E. Bach & Brahms Reviewed by: Robert Matthew-Walker Classical Source more info >

Scotland on Sunday 4 Stars

Thursday, February 14, 2008, Scotland on Sunday The Scottish Ensemble **** Queen's Hall, Edinburgh Fiona Leith Sunday 10 February, 2008 more info >

The Guardian 4 Stars

Thursday, February 14, 2008, The Guardian Scottish Ensemble **** Queen's Hall, Edinburgh Rowena Smith Saturday 9 February, 2008 more info >

The Herald 5 Stars

Thursday, February 14, 2008, The Herald Scottish Ensemble ***** Perth Concert Hall Keith Bruce Friday 8 February 2008 more info >

The Scotsman 4 Stars

Thursday, February 14, 2008, The Scotsman Scottish Ensemble **** Queen's Hall, Edinburgh Susan Nickalls Saturday 9 February, 2008 more info >

Paul Sacher Tribute at Wigmore Hall

Monday, January 28, 2008, The Guardian Scottish Ensemble Wigmore Hall, London **** Andrew Clements Monday January 28, 2008 The Guardian more info >

Winter Season Opener features Walton discovery by Kenny Mathieson

Wednesday, October 03, 2007, Inverness Courier ANYONE who caught the Scottish Ensemble's concert with Capercaillie's Karen Matheson at Inverness Cathedral during the Blas Festival will already have had a brief taste of what lies in store in the group's opening programme of their winter season. more info >

A Blas of fresh air from the north of Scotland

Friday, September 07, 2007, The Scotsman SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE & KAREN MATHESON *** ST ANDREW'S CATHEDRAL, INVERNESS more info >

Hi Arts Review - Blas - Karen Matheson & The Scottish Ensemble

Friday, September 07, 2007, Hi Arts Review GEORGE MACKAY finds the Scottish Ensemble providing a lush setting for Capercaillie singer Karen Matheson. more info >

Scottish Ensemble at Cadogan Hall - Four Star Review

Wednesday, August 08, 2007, The Herald Scottish Ensemble, BBC Proms, Cadogan Hall MARTIN HOYLE – GLASGOW HERALD **** more info >

Scottish Ensemble @ Wigmore Hall - Times Review

Friday, March 09, 2007, The Times From The Times March 06, 2007 Scottish Ensemble Geoff Brown Wigmore Hall more info >

The Independent

Friday, March 09, 2007, The Independent Scottish Ensemble/Jonathan Morton, Wigmore Hall, London By Bayan Northcott Published: 08 March 2007 more info >

The Guardian - 4 stars

Monday, February 26, 2007, The Guardian Scottish Ensemble **** City Halls, Glasgow Rowena Smith Monday February 26, 2007 more info >

The Scotsman - Scottish Ensemble - Five Stars

Monday, February 26, 2007, The Scotsman IN A fulminating package of Elgar, Takemitsu and Ravel, the Scottish Ensemble held nothing back. It was a programme designed to tug hard on the emotions and Friday's performance was one of the Ensemble's most compelling and fulfilling this season. more info >

Scottish Ensemble, RSAMD, 2 February 2007

Monday, February 19, 2007, The Herald ***** AMY PARKER IT is difficult to know whether holding these concerts in the middle of the day contributes to their success, given their informality and variety, or if their timing is a great shame, given that so many people would have been unable to attend today's extraordinary performance. more info >

Students get ready to meet Strauss’s string challenge

Wednesday, December 20, 2006, Inverness Courier KENNY MATHIESON - THE Scottish Ensemble’s annual candlelit Christmas Concert is always an occasion to savour, but the six-concert tour has taken on extra significance for a number of aspiring young musicians in the past three years. more info >

Instrumental in giving new talent a taste of the big time

Monday, December 04, 2006, The Scotsman KENNETH WALTON - ASK ANY orchestral musician what the most difficult challenge of their career has been, and the answer will undoubtedly be getting that vital first foothold in the profession. For nine senior Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) string students, however, a remarkable chance to do so - even if it's just dipping their toes in the water - has been handed to them on a plate by the Scottish Ensemble. more info >