A Tuneful Evening at Blair Castle
Nathan and Abi received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review
If you’re a regular reader of ours you’ll likely already know that, thanks to a few concert review invitations, we’ve become big fans of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. So when we found out their 2026 Summer Tour would incorporate a performance at Perthshire’s iconic Blair Castle, we just had to put in a ticket request.
The programme was called Highland Classics, and was performed at two other venues (in Inverness and Findhorn) over just three nights. At Blair Castle, it took place in the ballroom, which despite its grandeur also had an intimate quality because of its select nature; it really felt like you were part of something special.
After a short speech about the SCO summer season, including a beautifully passionate mention of how touring brings concerts into communities, the evening began with Mozart’s Symphony No.20, composed in 1772 when the musician was just 16. It’s a striking and grand piece that fitted the surroundings well and riveted the attention, allowing you to settle into the evening and become immersed in the music and overall experience.
The next piece was one I was especially excited about, the Double Flute Concerto composed by Franz Doppler in 1854. Had I hear of the Doppler brothers before? Absolutely not. Will I ever forget about them now? Again, absolutely not. The piece reminded me of why I begged for flute lessons as a child. (Sadly, I had no aptitude, but perhaps that makes me appreciate it even more!) The lilting, pure sound of a flute always gives me a deep-seated feeling of satisfaction, and this piece somehow embodied every fairytale for me, going from sprightly and sweet, to dramatic, and back. I was blown away, and judging from the storm of clapping afterwards, the rest of the audience agreed.
After an interval, we returned to Mozart for the third piece, which was the Overture for opera Don Giovanni, composed in 1787. This is only a short piece and I must admit, I didn’t have time to chrystallise my impressions of it, but I very much enjoyed the backstory shared in the amazing digital programme of how Mozart only completed it the night before the premiere, staying up all night with his wife reading to him to keep him awake!
The last piece was Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony, which should have prepared me for the sudden musical jolt, but did not. I’m certain that the majority of the wonderful and knowledgeable audience were in fact waiting for it, but it was nevertheless so well done that I saw several people jump, and a little chuckle went round the room. Perhaps that helps explain the atmosphere of this extraordinary concert more than anything I could say, with the mixture of the incredible music and stunning setting making for an unforgettable evening.
If you’d like to visit Blair Castle then don’t forget to also take a look at the free children’s summer activities here: https://atholl-estates.co.uk/events/summer-ranger-events/
The SCO will return to Perthshire in September for the 2026/27 Season launch: https://www.sco.org.uk/events/berlioz-symphonie-fantastique/
Nathan and Abi received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review
