HSO To Bring Scottish Fantasy To Bushnell

Perfectly timed to slide in on the calendar right before Burns Night, the annual celebration of the Jan. 25 birthday of Scottish bard Robert Burns (1759-1796), a day that is marked with song, poetry, food, whiskey, toasts, music, pageantry and an all-around blowout of all things Scottish, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra starts the fun early with a program of Scottish-themed music.

When the subject of Scottish music comes up, people often think of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, known as the “Scottish” one, or of bagpipes. Both will be heard at this event. Mendelssohn wasn’t Scottish, of course, but he wrote one of the most famous pieces of music inspired by Scotland’s rugged landscape. Composer Sir Maxwell Davies was Scottish. (He died in 2016 as probably the most famous Scottish composer of the past 100 years.)

Davies’ “An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise” does feature the bagpipes, and it will be performed, along with Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy.” Expect kilts and tams. See the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Scottish Fantasy program at the Bushnell’s iconic William H. Mortensen Hall, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 21. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $38 to $61, 860-987-5900, thebushnell.org.