Louis Langrée conducts Scottish Chamber Orchestra in dramatic Beethoven programme

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Canadian violinist James Ehnes performs Tchaikovsky’s popular Violin Concerto with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under guest conductor Louis Langrée in St Andrews (Younger Hall, 11 March), Edinburgh (Queen’s Hall, 12 March), Glasgow (City Halls, 13 March) and Aberdeen (Music Hall, 14 March). The programme gets off to a tempestuous start with Beethoven’s Egmont overture and concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No 7.

French musician Louis Langrée (pictured) has been Music Director of the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York since December 2002. He was Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon (1998-2000) and Glyndebourne Touring Opera (1998-2003) and has worked regularly at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Langrée has an extensive discography including recordings for Virgin Classics and Universal. Many of these have won awards including Victoire de la Musique, Diapason d’Or and Gramophone. His most recent release is Mozart’s C minor Mass with Le Concert d’Astrée on Virgin Classics.

Louis Langrée last worked with the Orchestra in May 2008 for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Renaud Capuçon and Antoine Tamestit. A recording of the Sinfonia Concertante, made in September 2007 and featuring the same three musicians with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, is due for release on the EMI label on 6 April.

James Ehnes has performed with many of the major orchestras of the world including Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, London Symphony, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and DSO Berlin. As a recording artist, Ehnes’ most recent release is a critically acclaimed live recording of the Elgar Concerto with Sir Andrew Davies and the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recording of the Korngold, Barber and Walton Violin Concertos with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey won a 2008 Grammy Award for best Instrumental Soloist Performance and a 2008 JUNO award for Best Classical Album of the Year.

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