Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Wednesday 14 January 2004

“AS YE SOW, so shall ye reap” – and what a Harvest this was. Donald Shaw’s new commission for Celtic Connections 2004 was premiered to a packed hall of traditional music enthusiasts. If Celtic Connections had deliberately set out to find a ground-breaking piece of music to celebrate the 11th Anniversary of the Festival, they certainly found it. Seldom can an audience have witnessed such a spectacle of so many world renowned musicians and singers collaborating in an energetic project which showcased the young rising talent in Scotland.

Donald Shaw

The 77 young musicians provided support for the established musicians such as Karen Matheson and Michael McGoldrick, Charlie McKerron and stunning Irish vocalist Karen Casey, and it was a generous testimony to the maturity – both musical and personal – of the professionals that they allowed the rising stars of the future the opportunities to shine individually and collectively.

Harvest provided an opportunity for the Feisean movement in particular to profile the work carried out since its inception in the 1980’s, and the project was largely coordinated by Feis Rois manager Rita Hunter. It also proved to be an amazing opportunity to see Scottish musicians working in close harmony with those of the Celtic regions of Galicia, Asturias, Brittany and Ireland.

The audience was treated to a sparkling array of Breton dance tunes sung in the rich and dramatic folk tones of Dennez Prigent. Chus Pedro touched us with a warm passionate tone and the lovely voice of Guadio Galego, of Galicia, was a sultry and beautiful addition. Scotland’s own Karen Matheson gave a haunting and inspiring rendition of a song dedicated to the late Johnny Cunningham, accompanied by Donald Shaw and joined by the ensemble, including the prodigious talents of Aiden O’Rourke and Charlie McKerron amongst others.

Donald Shaw composed all the tunes for the piece, and while some were definitely in the Scottish idiom and the others were unmistakably from the other musical traditions, the melodies wove together, creating a  tapestry of rich colour. One of the many highlights was the exceptional fiddling of young Graham Mackenzie of Inverness, a member of the Kiltearn Fiddlers in Evanton. One to watch out for.

Also delightful to see was the quintet of young Gaelic singers drawn from Dingwall, Plockton, Edinburgh, Skye and North Uist, who all performed with a poise and confidence belying their years. A Capercaillie of the future, perhaps?

Those in the front row had an electrifying experience with the arrival of 19 Highland pipers and 3 drummers, who gave an adept performance of tunes together with a display of manual dexterity with their flying drumsticks.

Comments overheard on the way out varied from “Brilliant stuff” and “Scotland’s lucky to have all that talent” to “Mum, I want to learn the fiddle”. The audience ranged in age from the very young to the very elderly, but all were foot tapping to the flow of energy from the stage. The future of Scottish Traditional Music is very evidently secure in the hands of our young musicians today, and on this evidence our harvests will continue to be bountiful.

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2004