Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Ian Skelly welcomes listeners to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for a jazz-infused programme from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra featuring music by Rachmaninov, Gershwin and George Anthiel.

Conductor Patrick Hahn steps off the podium and up to the piano for George Antheil’s A Jazz Symphony in its 1955 revision – a work that revels in the brash energy of the Jazz Age. Antheil’s score is a riot of syncopation and swagger, where classical form collides with the rhythms of ragtime and swing, and where the piano takes centre stage in a dazzling dialogue with percussion (Obi Jenne) and double bass (Jakob Krupp).

Fellow conductor Frank Dupree also demonstrates his piano skills in Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, a cornerstone of the American concert repertoire. Written in 1925, it’s a piece that dances effortlessly between worlds – the elegance of European symphonic tradition and the irresistible pulse of jazz.

The programme closes with Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3, composed in exile during the 1930's. This is music steeped in nostalgia and longing, yet alive with rhythmic vitality and orchestral brilliance. Its sweeping themes and rich harmonies speak of a composer looking back to his Russian roots while embracing the modernity of his time.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Conductor: Patrick Hahn
Soloists: Frank Dupree (Piano), Patrick Hahn (Piano*), Jakob Krupp (Double Bass), Obi Jenne (Percussion)

Antheil - A Jazz Symphony (1955 version) *†
Gershwin - Piano Concerto in F ‡
Rachmaninov - Symphony No3

To listen on most smart speakers just say 'ask BBC Sounds to play Radio 3 in Concert'.