In his debut recording with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra oboist François Leleux celebrates his dual roles of conductor and soloist as he directs performances of Bizet and Gounod. Following several successful collaborations, including a season as a Featured Artist, Leleux has established a strong rapport with the SCO. The programme features Bizet’s Symphony in C, written in two months when the French composer was just eighteen, which is simply full of life, exuding brilliance, charm, wit and wonderful tunes. The Scotsman described his interpretation as ‘brisk, urgent, full of bite, and as playful as you could ever want it to be’. Leleux is particularly suited to performing Gounod’s Petite Symphonie, which was written for nine of the finest wind players in Paris. Directing from the oboe, Leleux joins the SCO section principals as they demonstrate the strength of their chamber music instincts in a performance which sparkles with personality and individuality. To complete the programme Leleux takes listeners to the opera with a suite from Bizet’s Carmen bursting with the drama, passion and entrancing melodies that set this iconic opera apart.