BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra celebrates 90 years of trailblazing brilliance

This week, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) celebrates nine decades since its first live broadcast in December 1935. On Thursday 4 December, its 90th Anniversary Concert will feature pianist Sir Stephen Hough, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, and a host of internationally renowned vocalists. The concert will be broadcast live from Glasgow’s City Halls on BBC Radio 3 and filmed for future broadcast on BBC Four.

Audiences can explore an online 90 Years Timeline chronicling the orchestra’s history and highlighting the pivotal moments that have shaped its identity. A rich archive of photographs and film traces the ensemble’s journey from its early broadcasts during the Second World War to its current status as “one of the UK’s greatest orchestras” (The Telegraph). The BBC SSO has built a strong legacy of commissioning new works, fostering innovation and presenting bold musical adventures.

Notable highlights in the 90 Years Timeline include a 1948 live recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with one of the 20th century’s greatest virtuosos, Yehudi Menuhin, recorded at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall just a year after the founding of the Edinburgh International Festival. The timeline also marks the appointment of a 21-year-old Simon Rattle as Assistant Conductor (1977-80). In 1990, during Glasgow’s year as European City of Culture, the BBC SSO performed with Grammy-winning operatic soprano Jessye Norman, conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson, in a concert later selected “as one of the greatest Scottish classical music events of all time” (The Scotsman).

Other milestones include Ilan Volkov, appointed at age 26, becoming the youngest Chief Conductor of any BBC orchestra; his festival of new and experimental music continues to provide what critics describe as an “invigorating adrenaline rush.” And in 2004, Scotland’s favourite violin virtuoso, Nicola Benedetti, was crowned BBC Young Musician of the Year following a Grand Final performance with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

90^th Anniversary Concert – Live on BBC Radio 3

This special milestone is being celebrated on BBC Radio 3 throughout the week and across the 2025/26 Concert Season, with the orchestra’s 90th Anniversary Concert broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on Thursday 4 December, 7.30pm.

Dominic Parker, BBC SSO Director, says: “Each work in our 90th Anniversary Concert speaks to a different part of the orchestra’s story - from our earliest performances in the 1930s, to musical friendships that have shaped the orchestra's identity, to bold new voices pointing towards our future. Grieg’s beloved Piano Concerto (first performed by the BBC SSO in 1936 and played 58 times across Scotland by this orchestra!) soars in the hands of one of Britain’s greatest pianists, Sir Stephen Hough, a treasured collaborator who first performed with the orchestra at just 21. Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, whose first performance with the orchestra was conducted by the composer himself, forms the concert’s powerful centrepiece. And, in the spirit of this trailblazing orchestra, we have a vibrant new BBC commission from singer, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson celebrating joy, community and life in full sound.”

For Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth brings together the National Youth Choir of Scotland and a distinguished lineup of soloists: soprano Pumeza Matshikiza, alto Beth Taylor, tenor John Findon, and bass Ashley Riches. The live broadcast from Glasgow’s City Halls will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days.

On Saturday 29 November, Radio 3 in Concert celebrated the BBC SSO’s fearless commitment to contemporary music with a special programme devoted to new and recent works by composers of this generation. And every day this week, performances by the BBC SSO feature on Classical Live, including Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony, Sibelius Violin Concerto with Bomsori, and Prokofiev’s Sixth Symphony.

Discover more performances in the BBC SSO’s 90th Anniversary Season at www.bbc.co.uk/bbcsso, including Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with Conductor Emeritus Sir Donald Runnicles and Ryan Wigglesworth’s Magnificat, performed with the BBC Singers and soprano Sophie Bevan.

MG/RS

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