Bartók: Music For Strings, Percussion and Celeste by Ligeti, Bartók, Xenakis, Debussy, Od (2022/2022), Dirigent Ilan Volkov, City Halls, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Riveting. Mysterious. Spine-tingling. Our Principal Guest Conductor, Ilan Volkov, can always be relied upon to champion the unfashionable. Born a century ago, Iannis Xenakis trained as an architect and although his music is rarely performed, its influence is huge (his nerveshredding sounds are regularly plagiarised by horror films). The chamber work 'Atrées' opens this concert of 20th century masters. Whether it’s Debussy, arguably at his greatest in music for a ‘danced poem’, or Ligeti building layers of swirling, scuttling sounds, or Bartók at his most haunting, these are visionary works that retain a power to surprise and provoke. Easy listening? Not always. Bold, stimulating, gripping listening? Open your ears and decide…