Orchestra Spring 2005

 

Live music has always played a vital role in the performances of Scottish Ballet, and in its previous incarnations as Western Theatre Ballet and Scottish Theatre Ballet. Initially, as resources and venues allowed, small ensembles were employed, growing over the years through small orchestras with specifically commissioned re-orchestrations (Humphrey Searle's arrangement of Giselle for 16 players and Leonard Salzedo's small orchestra version of The Nutcracker) to the present position where the composer’s wishes are, as closely as the physical conditions of the theatres to which the Company tours will allow, fulfilled.

 

The Scottish Ballet Orchestra is a part-time, freelance orchestra of up to 70 musicians working for about 20 weeks of the year, usually broken up into three touring seasons. The number and composition of the orchestra depends on the repertoire and the size of the theatres to be visited. The Orchestra is based in Glasgow.

 

In the 2006/07 season, the repertoire was:

 

Episodes (Webern)
Agon (Stravinsky)
Two Pieces for HET (Tuur and Part)
Cinderella (Prokofiev)

 

In the 2007/08 season, the repertoire was:

 

Agon (Stravinsky)
In Light and Shadow (JS Bach)
Othello (Liszt)
Fearful Symmetries (John Adams)
Apollo (Stravinsky)
Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un Faune (Debussy)
The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky)

 

In the 2008/09 season, the repertoire will be:

 

Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)

The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky)

 

Music directors have included Gerald Krug, Terence Kern, Alan Morgan, Bramwell Tovey, Guy Hamilton and Alan Barker.

 

The Company has commissioned many scores of which the Scottish Ballet Orchestra has given the first performance:

 

Sun into Darkness (Malcolm Williamson 1966)
Beauty and the Beast (Thea Musgrave 1969)
The Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach arr John Lanchbery 1972)
Mary, Queen of Scots (John McCabe 1976)
Cinderella (Rossini arr Bramwell Tovey 1979)
Chéri (David Earl 1980)
Carmen (Bizet arr Dominic Muldowney 1985)
Peter Pan (Eddie McGuire 1988)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn arr Barrington Pheloung 1993)
Aladdin (Carl Davis 2000)
The Snowman 2 act version (Howard Blake 2001)

 

 

The Scottish Ballet Orchestra

 

1st Violins
Justine Watts (Leader)
Tristan Gurney (Associate Leader)
Ben Buurman (Sub-Principal)
Anne MacDonald
Kathleen Simans
Philip Burrin
Peter Markham

 

2nd Violins
Diane Merson Jones (Principal)
Elizabeth Bailey (Sub-Principal)
Caroline Warren Marshall
Mark Hayward
Alan Mason
Jackie Norrie

 

Violas
Michael Beeston (Principal)
George Cuthbertson (Sub-Principal)
Fiona Sinclair
Angela Watson

 

Celli
Mark Bailey (Principal)
Susan Dance (Sub-Principal)
No. 3 (vacant)
Rosemary Townhill

 

Double Bass
Rick Standley (Principal)
Philip Venters (Sub-principal)
Jenny Warren

 

Flutes
Joanna Shaw (Principal)
Fiona Chisolm

 

Oboes
Ruth Contractor (Principal)
Mary James (Sub-Principal)

 

Clarinets
Robert Fairley (Principal)
Janet Laird (Sub-Principal)

 

Bassoons
Grant MacKay (Principal)
Alex Walker (Sub-Principal)

 

Horns
Terry Johns (Principal)
Helen Shillito (Sub-Principal)
Steven Cowling (Principal)
Tim Hunter (Sub-Principal)

 

Trumpets
Alexander McGrattan (Principal)
Alan Friel (Sub-Principal)

 

Trombones
Nigel Cox (Principal)
No. 2 (vacant)
Derek Bishop (Principal)
 

Tuba
Vacant (Principal)

 

Timpani
Peter Evans (Principal)

 

Harp
Meredith McCracken (Principal)

 

Percussion
Ian Coulter (Principal)
Martin Willis (Sub-Principal)

 

 

Music Staff

Resident Conductor / Music Administrator
Richard Honner
email

 

 

 

Company Pianist / Digital Audio Editor
Brian Prentice

 

 

Orchestra Manager
Ian Coulter

 

Post Graduate Diploma - Pianist for Dance Students 2007/8

Alan Costello