Following the critically acclaimed recording of ‘The Great’, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and its conductor Maxim Emelyanychev continue their survey of Schubert’s orchestral music with Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8. If the slender No. 5 looks back at Mozart – it was composed in 1816, the year Schubert discovered the composer’s chamber music – the ‘Unfinished’ No. 8 is a daring foray that distances itself from Schubert’s earlier symphonies.

The programme closes with the Rondo in A major, D. 438, featuring the SCO’s Leader, Stephanie Gonley, as soloist. Widely known for their spontaneity and sensitivity, the SCO and Emelyanychev are a match made in heaven when it comes to Schubert.

What the critics have said

"Emelyanychev's approach is refreshingly direct and uncomplicated. [He] guides the music as if from within, prioritising the natural flow of Schubert's notes without remotely soft-pedalling any of the drama." (The Times)

Praise for the SCO's performances of the 'Unfinished' (March 2023)

"[The] first movement growled with threat and unpredictability in [Emelyanychev's] passionate reading. He beautifully judged the balance between carefree charm and impending doom in the second movement, too." (The Scotsman)

"What impressed [...] was the intoxicating sensitivity Emelyanychev drew from the SCO, every utterance freshly conceived, every detailed movement worth savouring." (Vox Carnyx)