Scottish Chamber Orchestra @ City Halls

For a while in the 1990s, every band who wanted to add class to their act would cite Philip Glass. Glass himself owes as much to pop as classical traditions and the SCO's performance of his Concerto for Saxophone Quartet clarifies his deep debt to jazz and funk. Replacing electronic instrumentation with an orchestra, Glass hides his insistent repetition behind warm strings, but under showy guidance of conductor Hannu Lintu, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra demonstrate the power of the beat. Glass' immediacy makes comparisons with rock inevitable - as part of a programme featuring his fellow minimalist John Adams, his work is a rare and stunning example of the fusion between popular and classical music. Although orchestras don't have the same abandon as bands, the unparalleled musicianship and complexity of ideas more than compensate: perhaps bands could, once again, include Glass on their list of influences. [Gareth K Vile]