The Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, Robin Ticciati, gives his first performance in Dumfries.  The story of Haydn lulling an unsuspecting audience to sleep with his gentle slow movement then jolting them awake with a good loud “SURPRISE” chord is probably too good to be true, but that does not diminish this symphony’s charm or impact.  In Orpheus Stravinsky looks back to the earliest days of opera for inspiration in retelling the Greek myth of the hero’s journey to the Underworld, and brillian French violinist Renaud Capucon performs Szymanowski’s sumptuous Violin Concerto.

The Blue Danube, Radestzky March, Roses from the South, waltzes and polkas…what better way to greet the New Year than a classic Viennese night out with the SCO?  Charming soprano Gillian Keith adds extra sparkle in hits from the operettas.