GEORGE MACKAY sees a sensational piping performance triumph from another strong field in the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2005.

THE HIGHLANDS have supplied the last two winners of the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician 2005, but had to relinquish that honour this year when Stuart Cassells from Falkirk became the first piper to lift the title.

Cassells took his prize against considerable opposition in the usual hotly-contested competition. His thrilling performance began in theatrical fashion as he strode on stage playing his pipes to join his accompanists, who were already laying down a rhythm.

His rousing up-tempo sets on Highland pipes flanked a contrasting and very expressive slow set on cauld wind pipes. He mentioned in passing that his piping hero was Gordon Duncan, and his own style mirrored Duncan’s potent combination of conventional mastery with a willingness to venture into uncharted territory.

Last year’s winner, Lochinver’s James Graham, performed a 30 minute set while the judges reached their decision. The former holder was not alone in his medium, since three of the finalists were also Gaelic singers.

Rachel Newton from Edinburgh (who doubled on clarsach), Darren MacLean from Skye and Maeve MacKinnon from Glasgow (but with family roots in Skye) all gave strong performances, with MacLean marginally the most impressive.

The other two contenders, Sarah Naylor from Skye (making her second successive appearance in the finals of this competition) and Mike Vass from Nairn, were both highly accomplished fiddlers. The overall standard of the competition confirmed the current quality of young performers on the Scottish traditional music scene, and their remarkable assurance and confidence in both presenting and performing their music was entirely heartening.

Some of the competitors brought their own accompanists along, while others used the competition team of Aaron Jones (bouzouki), Harris Playfair (piano) and Martin O’Neill (bodhrán), or a combination of both. The accompanists are in an invidious position, with very little time to learn the music and a lot of responsibility not to let the competitors down, and deserve a huge accolade for their efforts.

© George MacKay, 2005

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