Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Kirk Trevor, conductor
Bruch – Scottish Fantasy
“.....She [Lamsma] played Max Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy" with particular distinction in its narrative and lyrical treatment of the old Scottish melodies that the German composer loved and fashioned so grandly and poignantly into his work.
Not that Lamsma wasn't adept at the work's virtuoso spectacle in the second and fourth movements. But starting with the introduction, which Bruch is said to have imagined as a portrait of an old bard recalling past glory while gazing at a ruined castle, she spun tales that held the DeHaan Center audience spellbound.
The most characteristic old Scottish songs are ballads, and the soloist knew how to tell a story. The orchestra's accompaniment, especially the emotionally resonant role for harp taken by the ICO's Wendy Muston, shimmered with atmosphere and, in the finale, martial vigor…..”
