2007 Festival - Fèis 2007
SATURDAY | FRIDAY | THURSDAY | WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY
I finally made it to "The SY", after having my jacket and car keys stolen off me by some Invernesians. I felt a little like my friend Tommy, who aims to drive from Stornoway to Outer Mongolia in a trabant, aimlessly driving up the A9 looking for keys. He trains by driving to Barvas every second Sunday.
It was a lovely opening concert last night in the Lanntair, on the theme of home - as if hundreds of homesick Leòdhasachs needed any more encouragement. I would admit to feeling a good dose of cianalas myself as the hits were reeled out. Ishbel MacAskill starting off with "An t-aitearachd àrd" told us where we were heading. We had five singers - Fiona MacKenzie, Brian O hEadhra, Ishbel MacAskill, Christine Primrose and Calum Alex MacMillan. They were backed by a very fine instrumentalists - Aiden O' Rourke, Fraser Fiefield and Alasdair White. He is from Lewis, you know.
 |
 |
 |
The concert served to highlight the musicality of Murdo Macfarlane's songs, and just what a talent he was. You could hear echoes of pipe music in some of his melodies, echoes of psalm singing as well as the strong song tradition he knew so well. What struck me again was how aware he was of pace, playing with it in songs such as "Tobar, tobar siolaidh" and "Mòrag leat Shiùbhlainn".
My night was complete when I had a chat with "am balachan bàn" himself in the bar, Angus from Melbost. We worked together many years ago on a documentary on Murdo, for which I am eternally grateful.
Ishbel MacAskill's version of "Òran a' Mhailisidh" was notable. Ishbel, of course, knows the music inside out, and you could feel her knowledge of the man coming through in the music. The song was so rooted in his experience. The song starting off stridently as the young lads went to war, and the pace and rhythm changing to a lament at the end - sung from the point of view of a woman waiting for her lover to come back.
Just as we were recovering from a cracking run of Murdo MacFarlane songs in the second half, "Eilean Fraoich" made an appearance, sung beautifully by Fiona Mackenzie. And "Mi le m'uilinn" has to be the best Gaelic song, ever.
 |
 |
 |
Brian O' Headhra is starting to get a bit of a reputation as a composer of Gaelic songs, and his melodies, while being modern, feel quite classic as well. All of these qualities were evident in the new song he sung, entitled "Taladh na Beinne Guirme." It was great to have an inventive edge to the concert, with new songs, and original compositions. Fraser Fiefield and Calum Alex MacMillan's version of "Tobar, tobar siolaidh" was beautiful.
I've known the festival since it started - and it really does have a unique and rather special musical direction. We all enjoy the surprises, the bands we have never heard before which blow us away, my favourite example of that is 'La Bottine Souriante' in the big tent one year, one of the best gigs I've ever seen. I asked one girl I knew after if she'd seen it and she replied that she was there but was outside "having a yarn", which I kind of liked. I guess she was there.. in spirit.
But the fact that the festival is also so rooted in Gaelic song and tradition, while at the same time pushing it forward, well that is very special. An evening of Murdo MacFarlane songs... what more could you ask for?
I was promised that someone would be playing a gong in the castle grounds the following night. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better.
