RSNO: Brahms Violin Concerto

Friday 23rd October 2026 Usher Hall

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Emilia Hoving (conductor)

Maya Iwabuchi (violin)

When I was a young man, the three greatest Renaissance painters were acknowledged as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Over my lifetime, Raphael became less popular, almost overlooked in some circles, only recently returning somewhat to public recognition. In music, over the same period, the three Bs – Bach, Beethoven and Brahms – seem to have let Brahms slip a little in public esteem. That might explain the slightly disappointing audience in the Usher Hall for a concert billed as ‘Brahms Violin Concerto’ in the RSNO publicity, but those who stayed away missed a terrific concert, conducted by the young Finnish maestra, Emilia Hoving. Her success in March 2025 with the orchestra in a Clyne, Ravel and Rachmaninov programme prompted her return visit, when her strong and elegant poise on the podium was matched by the innovative artistry of her conducting.

The concert began with an introductory piece, ‘A Walk to Brahms’ Violin Concerto’ by the Swedish composer, Britta Byström, a wandering, rhythmic piece written for the same forces as the concerto, but without the soloist. Using material from Brahms’ first movement, it provides a gentle signpost to the major work, steering the audience to a better understanding of the concerto’s mood. As it reached its rambling conclusion, tonight’s soloist, the RSNO leader, Maya Iwabuchi, strolled on to the stage and the concerto began seamlessly.

It’s always a pleasure when one of the orchestra’s principal players is given the limelight in a major concerto, illustrating very clearly the extraordinary ability of the top orchestral players. Ms Iwabuchi, born in Tokyo, studying in Los Angeles, and leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra for 18 years before becoming leader of the RSNO in 2011, has a poise and authority in her playing, ideally suited to Brahms. Although she is slightly less physically dynamic than some modern players, the warmth of her tone and the brilliance of her technique allowed us to hear the beautiful lyrical qualities of this sumptuous work.

As a singer, I have always warmed to that lyrical aspect of this quintessentially Brahmsian concerto, its three movements unfolding in an elegant order, making one feel as if every element fits precisely and naturally into a whole composition that could only sound like this. I love the majesty of Bruckner and Mahler, the dynamism of Beethoven, the wild romanticism of Tchaikovsky, but somehow, Brahms always sounds right! His economy of length also allows us to experience his musical ideas over a sensible period of time, the concerto lasting a nice 40 minutes, never overstaying its welcome. The first movement proceeds in a beautifully logical way, lyrical moments interspersed with dramatic outbursts, permitting the soloist to shine within an overall clear pathway to the end. The slow movement is exquisite, a serene journey of melodic invention and intoxicating warmth, before the finale leaps into action, with a quasi-Hungarian feel driving headlong to its triumphant end.

The audience responded to the concerto with a rapturous ovation, recognising both the achievements of one of their own, as it were, but also acknowledging the genius of Brahms. Ms Iwabuchi, playing a beautiful Fabrizio Senta violin from around 1685, was superbly accompanied by the RSNO, under the considerate and polished baton of Emilia Hoving

After the interval, we heard the short piece, ‘Ciel d’Hiver’ (Winter sky), by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, from 2014. It served as an introduction to Sibelius’ 6th and penultimate symphony, and its shimmering wintry soundscape was beautifully negotiated by Emilia Hoving and the RSNO. Its sparse textures are a distillation of a much longer piece, ‘Orion’ from 2002, and its 10 minutes gave us a really good look at Saariaho’s style, which seems all about sound and less about development.

In a way, this sums up Sibelius’ mature style, especially as revealed in his 6th Symphony, from1923. I must confess that I have enjoyed his music from an early age, but find it extremely difficult to say why! I was lucky that, growing up in Scotland, I was able to hear quite a lot of his music live, as the great Sir Alexander Gibson was a strong advocate, and many of his concerts with the SNO featured the Finnish composer’s finest works. The 6th Symphony, composed during 1922/23, is really hard to pin down, and it seems to me that reviewing it, one is reduced to describing feelings rather than anything concrete. Sibelius himself often described it as a ‘Fantasy’, another time comparing it to ‘pure, cold water in winter’. There appears to be little musical logic involved, but its multi-faceted expressionism is deeply appealing to the listener. Sometimes a musical idea just fizzles out and we are left with a brief silence before another idea occurs to him. It is also true that for much of Sibelius’ life, he was addicted to alcohol, and he indulged in long bouts of excessive drinking. He also loved walking in his beloved Finnish woods, and this communing with nature clearly bore fruit in his compositions. His life was a constant challenge, but he was enormously popular during it. The fact that he basically stopped composing from the late 1920s until his death in 1957 at the age of 91, is one of the great enigmas of music, like Rossini’s abandonment of composing for decades. It appears that he simply decided that he had said enough in his music, and moved on!

The RSNO played the 6th Symphony beautifully, with lovely contributions from the various principal players, and Emilia Hoving plotted a deft path through the meanderings of Sibelius’ writing, negotiating the surprises he keeps for us, the moments when the music comes to a complete halt, and the great outpourings of sound and momentum which fill the auditorium with frosty warmth. The audience gave the performers a rousing ovation at the end and we all wandered off into the damp and windy night with a spring in our steps.

I’m sorry not to have been able to be more precise in my review today, but I hope my own meanderings have given an idea of what Sibelius had to say. I leave you with another example of his wit and wisdom – his reaction to some criticism from the press during his career: “Pay no attention to what critics say. No statue has ever been put up to a critic!”