Duncan Chisholm shares his journey into the world of the Black Cuillin
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Highland fiddle-player and composer Duncan Chisholm, who has released his latest album of music inspired by the towering mountains of Skye and the Black Cuillin, premieres it at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on Thursday, February 2. Here, he talks about creating the sound of an iconic landscape
Q It must be exciting for Black Cuillin to have come straight in at number five on the folk chart on release?
A I’m delighted with the response to the album. The release of Black Cuillin was the culmination of three years of work and although I was confident this was the best album I had ever created, it is always nice to hear that fans and reviewers feel the same.
Q Do you feel anxious in the run up to an album coming out – or excited to share it with others?
A There is always a sense of excitement as we get close to a release date. The focus changes from the creative to the promotion and performances.
I am never nervous about putting my work out into the world. I always write and release music that I’m personally excited about, I know that if I am enjoying it then others will enjoy it too.
I love every aspect of my job. In the studio I thrive on the energy that comes from creating new work.
Once that process is complete, performing the new music live is yet another wonderful experience.
Q Your albums are often inspired by landscapes and often epic ones – they don’t come much more epic than the Black Cuillin and Skye! What were the challenges when it came to thinking about the music?
A All art has the power to move us but music alone has the power to transport us to another place.
To take listeners to the Black Cuillin musically we had to create music that was cinematic, epic and expansive in nature, music that justifiably conveyed the feelings people might have when they are in that landscape.
At the heart of this is being true to yourself, about how you feel individually when looking at a landscape.
This could be a joyous feeling, it could be trepidation, fear or perhaps complete peace.
I think the music connects with people because if you are true to your own feelings in the creative process then other people understand because they have felt them too.
Once I have decided upon what I want to convey, then begins the long process of creating multi-layered pieces of music with tunes at the heart of them. With Black Cuillin there are many layers of different instrumentation.
The challenge was to create a coherent piece of work that was complex but also very accessible to the listener, I think we succeeded with this.
I am proud of the fact that the more you listen to the album the more you discover, just like being in the Black Cuillin itself.
Q I listened to you talking on radio show Travelling Folk about the preparations and visiting the area. What are the main ways you get a deep sense of the place?
A I have been into the Black Cuillin a few times in my life but the first time I climbed there was in 2019.
The first lockdown came in March 2020 and it meant that the inspirational process was changed from me visiting Skye and taking photographs and film to working from my memory and from books at home.
I worked with Ross Ainslie and Hamish Napier over Zoom to create the first initial tunes and pencil sketches for Black Cuillin.
Once we were in lockdown we resolved to create music that celebrated the sense of freedom we all were all yearning for at that time. Black Cuillin needed truly to be the music of the high mountains.
Keeping true to that resolve drove us forward in the right direction and over the next 18 months the album gradually formed piece by piece.
Q It must feel quite a responsibility once the music is created and the album recorded to then plan how to present it live in the best way after you have lived and breathed it so long?
A The concerts are now the most important focus for me. We need to create a sound on stage that matches the expansive sound on the album. At the premiere which is at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, we will have 16 people on stage. It’s a place I love to play in and I’m determined to make this a very special evening for everyone there.
Q I wanted to ask about the artwork on the album cover, We always hear about the dark nature of the Black Cuillin. But it is a dark outline against bright colours giving a while new perspective. How did the choice of cover come about it and is it an existing artwork or specially-created for the album?
A The artwork for any album is incredibly important as it needs to represent something visually that you are trying to get across in the music. I wanted this particular image for the cover artwork as it is optimistic and shows a bright dawn breaking over the Cuillin. It was an image that was present for me throughout the whole writing process. For me it captures in a nutshell what I wanted the album to convey which is hope and ultimately gaining that sense of freedom again, seeking a redemption from the mountains.
The artist, Jeremy Rossiter very kindly allowed me to use this image as the cover and I’m delighted with the way it looks.
Q On your website there is a wonderful quote ‘My creative world widens with each passing year and the possibilities for self-expression are limitless’. It is an empowering and wise take on creativity versus ageing. It seems to be saying ‘anything is possible!’?
A I have always considered what I do as a life journey. I always want to continue to learn and get better at what I do, to adapt and create new sounds. I guess I am driven by wanting to create beauty and with every album project I take on I want to make each better than the previous one.
Anything is possible for sure, as long as you have the talent and the drive to see it through. My appetite for these challenges has not diminished, I still get excited about what might be possible.
I have no idea what the next few years hold for me, but I feel new opportunities and ideas will open up and when they come I’ll welcome them with open arms.
You can buy new album Black Cuillin here:
https://www.duncanchisholm.com/product/black-cuillin-cd/
Link for Royal Concert Hall launch concert, Glasgow, on Feb 2:
Aberdeen Music Hall concert on March 31:
https://www.duncanchisholm.com/event/duncan-chisholm-live-aberdeen-music-hall-union-street-aberdeen/
Perth Concert Hall on May 6:
https://www.duncanchisholm.com/event/duncan-chisholm-live-perth-concert-hall-perth/
