Duncan Chisholm gig ends Strathglass musical journey
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CREATING a soundtrack for your favourite scenes from home must feel like a massive responsibility.
But if his three-album odyssey The Strathglass Trilogy had brought fiddler and composer DUNCAN CHISHOLM doubts, headaches or disappointments along the way, there was no hint of them in the graceful, heart-hitting music featured at Eden Court on Sunday.
Along with subtle, respectful accompaniment from Matheu Watson on guitar and Allan Henderson on keyboards and fiddle, much of the concert fed off the life’s work rounded off for Duncan a few weeks ago with the release of final album Affric.
Highlights of the show included opener Unknown Air from Affric with Angus Grant’s 250 To Vigo, the swing of Waltz Of The Grey River, Altan’s lament-like Mallai Chroch Shli and Eamon Doorley’s Rubha Nam Marbh – so gently hypnotising you almost forgot to breaathe.
And though the mood of the concert tended to the meditational – inspired by the quiet beauty of the night’s many slow airs, a special talent of Duncan’s both as player and composer – there were few complaints.
Though this farewell to Strathglass was a celebration, the night was always going to be more subdued than rollicking.
As the three musicians first came onstage, Allan Henderson picked up the perfectly-rolled white towel more usually left for sweating rock n roll bands.
Gesturing with the towel at Duncan, he seemed to be saying 'Well we won’t be needing this tonight’.
And though, yes, the wild reel count was lowish, the crowd did offer one "Heugh!" and were generous with their applause without any encouragment.
And the deadly banter and funny stories from Duncan and Allan varied the mood.
The album launch in Edinburgh a couple of nights before had hit Allan hard, he revealed: "There are hangovers with different levels of difficulty. This was one of these ones where you think you’re dying – and you’re scared you’re not!"
Duncan recalled his first-ever visit to Eden Court to see and meet Yehudi Menuhin – unlike the people next to him who’d thought the legendary violinist was "they guy that bends spoons".
And Duncan revealed that the language barrier had come into play during a visit to America where his "tinge of an Inverness accent" had baffled a music store owner.
As ever, Allan Henderson was also master of the perfectly-timed punchline.
He told the crowd: "In Mallaig, because I’m not usually out in the daylight, I’m known as The Count – at least I think that’s what they’re shouting."
But the slightly risque joke was at odds with the gentlemanly feel of the gig, where Duncan politely nodded his thanks to Allan and Matheu for their playing at the end of each set.
Livelier musical moments included Affric tune Big Archie.
It was Duncan’s tribute to his baby son, he told us, and also his dad Archie and was a follow-up song to Canaich’s Isaac’s Welcome To The World from the first half of the show for Duncan’s other son.
Many of the three Strathglass album’s tunes virtually paint sound pictures of Duncan’s beloved landscape.
His own place in it seems both curiously old-fashioned – hinting at childhood "poaching, I mean fishing!" in his introduction to Craskie – and thoroughly 21st century with talks of broadband speeds and marriage counselling for himself, Allan and fiddler pal Iain MacFarlane when they are in their wives bad books from the bothy-owner over The Farley Bridge.
It’s a world you want to share – a Highlands both of yesterday and tomorrow – and the music is your ticket there.
Next year, you might even spot Duncan out in his beloved glens himself ...
Having written Running The Cross – which finished the main set – for the Highland Cross 30th anniversary, he revealed he’d agreed to take part in the event next year!
After the encore saw Duncan, Allan and Matheu give their own sensitive arrangement of Phil Cunningham’s The Gentle Light That Wakes Me, there was the expected final fling.
Duncan told us they’d just "horse through a heap of reels" and got huge applause and a breakout standing ovation for their trouble at the end of a special night for his local fans.
And it’s doubtful - after the live showcase of many of the new album’s tunes -whether copies of Affric would still have been "available in lorryloads out the back" for long – the closest the modest musician got to the hard sell all night.
The Affric album launch tour continues to Aros, Portree, on Skye tonight (Wednesday). For more details about Duncan's music, go to www.duncanchisholm.co.uk
