Macphail Theatre, Ullapool, 21 May 2011

There are certain artistically orchestrated moments that engender a sense of transcendence. On Saturday night the wild wind and driving rain that greeted our arrival at the Macphail Theatre in Ullapool was completely forgotten when James Ross picked up his taragot to play a  Romanian Fantasy by Gordon Tocher.

The taragot is a lesser known single-reed instrument; cousin to the clarinet and saxophone. As played by Ross, it has a pure and uplifting quality. He was ably accompanied by string players whose respective ages span generations.

Highland Chamber Orchestra

Conductor Susan Dingle has had an illustrious musical career so far. She divides her time between working with professional outfits and amateur ones. She has conducted the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on the one hand and Cumbernauld Choir on the other.

Susan has a warm empathic relationship with her musicians, as evidenced by lots of eye contact and friendly smiles. An ambitious programme was almost faultlessly executed. We were treated to Mozart’s overture, ‘La Clemenza di Tito’ and a serenade for strings by Swedish composer Dag Wiren.

It makes sense that those in possession of supreme musical ability are as compelled to base themselves in the Highlands as anyone else. In fact the aesthetic pull of dramatic scenery could be especially manifest in those who devote themselves to a lifelong study of dots and quavers.

They say, “the enthusiasm of the amateur is the envy of the professional”. The Highland Chamber’s enthusiasm is all that marks out its work from that of full-time professional classical musicians.

© Jenny McBain, 2011

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Highland Chamber Orchestra