National Piping Centre, Glasgow, 24 January 2008

Margaret Stewart

SOMETIMES amidst the hype and ‘must see-edness’ of the exciting bands and artistes at this years multi-cultural Celtic Connections, it does the soul good to get away to one of the quieter venues and experience some of the gentler yet just as valuable events.

So it was in an evening of traditional Celtic ‘Seann Nos’ (literally ‘old style’) singing at the Piping Centre. Perhaps not surprisingly, the audience for Lewis-born ‘seann nos’ singer Margaret Stewart’s new CD launch was largely made up of Glasgow Gaels who gave a warm welcome to support artist Roisin Elsafty from Connemara.

Elsafty’s set of traditional unaccompanied Irish seann nos comprised old songs and new songs, sung in her beautiifully lyrical and clear voice, whilst still full of the characteristic ornamented style of the traditional Irish Gael – at times with incredibly controlled breathing technique in the faster songs.

Any music tourist who happened on the concert might have found a whole set of unaccompanied singing a little too long, but it clearly suited the audience on this evening. Pairing Elsafty with Margaret Stewart was a piece of well-planned programming. She was previewing her forthcoming release Togaidh Mi Mo Sheolta (Along the Road Less Travelled), although unfortunately the CDs were not available in time for the gig.

Stewart was joined by such well-known names from the Scottish music scene as Ingrid Henderson, Iain Macdonald, Anna Wendy Stevenson, Ewan Henderson, Griogair Labhruidh (who also performed ‘Dail Riada’ from his album of the same name), and Anna Louise Stewart, who also contributed on a set of fiery jigs and reels.

Stewart’s variety of songs ranged from such jewels as ‘An t-Domhnallach Urramach’ from North Uist (collected from Skye man Cailean Maclean) to the song based on a pipe air ‘Co Leis an cro druimhfhionn ud thall?’ and the haunting ‘O thugad bhuam thu’.

Stewart is well known, justifiably so, for her extensive research carried out in her recordings and it was refreshing to hear these songs which are not so common in the sung Gaelic repertoire today. Once into her stride in the set, in which all the songs were accompanied, her impeccable traditional delivery was everything we have come to expect of Stewart.

It was in her encore that we saw once more her true forte – the passionate, expressive, confident and fluid delivery of a totally a capella traditional song. It was hugely appreciated by the audience, who would have kept her singing Seann Nos all evening. No doubt that her CD will be just as well received on its release in the next few weeks on the Greentrax label.

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2008

Links

• Celtic Connections