Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO)

Bernstein - Overture to Candide
Gershwin - Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
Adams - Harmonielehre

Don’t miss the first of two concerts dedicated to the stars and stripes. A supertanker in San Francisco Bay gathers speed and suddenly rockets into the sky. That’s the image that inspired John Adams’ Harmonielehre – and the music is every bit as spectacular.

This big, fabulously colourful orchestral extravaganza might just be the Great American Symphony; it’s definitely a thrilling climax to an evening that begins with Bernstein’s rip-roaring comedy overture and Gershwin’s gloriously jazzy “skyscraper concerto”.

Peter Oundjian lights the blue touchpaper, and pianist Jon Kimura Parker makes sure things go with a swing.