Thomas Søndergård & RSNO - Prokofiev 1 (Live) - The Scotsman

The sure ticket among orchestral performances these days in Scotland is anything involving Thomas Søndergård and the RSNO. The chemistry - nurtured during his days as principal guest conductor, and now explosive in his key role as musical director - is electrifying. Saturday’s blistering performances, in a programme marking Remembrance, but not over-egging it, reinforced the magic.

Prokofiev’s century-old “Classical” Symphony was every bit the neoclassical re-voicing of Haydn, lithe and crisp, its proportions taut but flexible enough to accommodate tasteful melodic nuance. But there was much more. The detail in this performance was breathtaking, Søndergård’s conscious drawing out of the woodwind adding a pungent edge and piquancy so often missed.