From ceilidhs to cathedral concerts, foot-stomping shows to haunting Gaelic songs, the Blas festival has it all, writes Susan Welsh
Published: 03/09/2009
BLAS, a music and cultural festival, said to be the UK’s fastest growing and one of the flagship events in this year’s national Homecoming celebrations, gets under way tomorrow.
The festival, now in its fifth year, celebrates Scottish culture in the Highlands through the Gaelic language and music in traditional and modern forms and, according to organisers, it’s going to be the best yet.
The programme features more than 300 musicians playing in all sorts of venues across Inverness and the Highlands, from boats and distilleries to churches and theatres, and has something to suit all tastes.
Highlights include a pipers gala concert, a celebration of the music, song and history of the Clan Fraser of Lovat featuring Eilidh Mackenzie, Duncan MacGillivray, Gordon Gunn and Brian MacAlpine, and a Celtic Cousins concert at Inverness airport at which the talents of the Calum Stewart Trio and Kirsteen Macdonald will join with the dancers and musicians of Tread.
Some of the big names taking part in the festival which runs until Saturday, September 12 include, Dougie MacLean, Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain, Blazin’ Fiddles, The Barra MacNeils, and Karen Matheson.
Festival Director Donna MacRae said: “This year’s festival has a tremendous variety of events in and around Inverness.
“We think this is our best programme yet and we believe locals and visitors right across the Highlands will agree.”
Marie Christie, director of Homecoming Scotland, added: “The Blas Festival provides a fantastic platform to experience many elements of contemporary and traditional Scottish culture in the outstanding setting of the Scottish Highlands.
“We are delighted to be supporting such an extensive and entertaining programme which will bring enjoyment to locals and international visitors alike.”
The Homecoming theme features strongly throughout the festival, which is rather appropriate for one of the stars, Karen Matheson, as she has experienced far more “homecomings” than your average singer.
Whether singing with Celtic super-group Capercaillie, her own band or as a solo artist, she’s in great demand and much of her time is spent performing overseas.
Karen, along with her own band plus Dundee troubadour Michael Marra and James Graham, a former winner of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year, are in concert at the Aviemore MacDonald Highland Resort on Sunday.
It’s a show she’s looking forward to as she has spent much of the summer abroad, as she explained: “Virtually every weekend of the summer has been spent performing at European festivals, which has been good fun.
“We have always had a good following abroad, particularly in France and Spain, but it is lovely to do shows at home, particularly in the Highlands.
“I like doing the Blas gigs and am really looking forward to this one as I’m playing with the core band which features James Grant on guitars, Ewen Vernal on double bass and Donald Shaw on piano, but we are also bringing in Annie Massie and Brendan Power, an amazing harmonica player based in London, as they add different layers and textures to the overall sound.
“Much of the material for the show will be drawn from my last album, Downriver, but there will also be traditional and more-contemporary songs.
“The show is being filmed for Gaelic television, so it will have a higher Gaelic content than usual.
“I know it sounds like a cliche, but I don’t really have a preference for singing in English or Gaelic – some songs just carry me away and I get lost in the music, no matter which language I’m singing in.”
One new addition to Blas this year is the introduction of two new commissioned works: An Aifreann gaidhlig le Blar Dubhglas – Blair Douglas’s new Gaelic Mass which will be premiered at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Inverness tomorrow with performances in Fort William and Portree.
The second is Uisge Beatha – a multimedia show, presented in five distilleries, by renowned fiddler Iain MacFarlane which explores the history of whisky making in the Highlands and includes archive footage and new music from Iain.
Inverness Airport plays host to a special evening show in its restaurant on September 8 when Tread, Calum Stewart and his Scandinavian Ensemble and Gaelic singer Kirsteen MacDonald get together for a night to remember.
The festival closes with a grand finale in Eden Court Theatre on Saturday, September 12, with a show featuring Blazin’ Fiddles, The Barra MacNeils, Tread and Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail.
The full programme and information about tickets is available from the website www.blas-festival.co.uk or by calling the hotline on 01463 783447.
Posted via web from Front Office Box
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