On this, the second in a series of four events celebrating the Clarsach, in the charming church of St. Andrew’s and St. George’s West, the sound of distant bagpipes approaching rouses the audience and provides a fantastic taste of the enchanting musical evening ahead.
The remarkable Isobel Mieras elegantly conducts the twenty odd members of Na Clàrsairean, the Scottish Harp Orchestra; a dynamic group ranging in age, gender and ethnicity. Accompanied by cello and violin, they perform a stunning repertoire of traditional reels and original compositions, the latter including “The Megget Valley”, a Mieras piece combining music and storytelling, and inspired by Scotland’s Border country. Following this, harpist Fiona Rutherford, a former member of Na Clàrsairean, moves the audience to tears with her beautiful performance of self-composed “Tune for Amy”, accompanied on double base by multi-talented singer/songwriter Amy Duncan, who also performs original material off her forthcoming album. However the talent does not stop here; The Lothian Gaelic choir present four-part arrangements of Gaelic tunes both new and old, and round up a perfect evening by leading everyone in a moving rendition of Auld Land Syne.
A magical evening celebrating not only Scotland’s rich musical heritage but also its language, poetry and history, it guarantees to leave all souls uplifted. With two such evenings in this series still to come, there is no excuse to miss an exceptional opportunity to be part of such a powerful celebration of Scottish culture.
5/5 
Grainne OHogan
Loading ...