For those hardy souls who tried to enjoy everything on
offer, it turned out to be quite a challenge but well worth attempting -
simply a great weekend!
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Frideray |
After a brief introductory session on Friday afternoon
when we were given a tempting sample of each performer's style, there was
the first exciting concert in the evening with music ranging from Fair Isle,
Irish and contemporary folk to blazing fiddle, virtuoso accordion and
haunting clarsach. Our enthusiastic dancing to an excellent Shetland
band went on into the wee small hours.
Saturday lunchtime saw a large audience thrilling to the experience of
classical music played on a huge concert harp, both as a solo instrument and
accompanying a wonderful classical singer.
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Cliona Cassidy &
Catriona McKay
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Story telling came next - old and not-so-old story
tellers regaled their listeners with dialect yarns of days and characters
long gone, of trows and of past incidents both dramatic and amusing.
Another excellent concert with yet further singers, instruments and styles,
followed by a second good-going dance rounded off another super day.
We were introduced to Acoustic Music at the Sunday afternoon session - a
piece based on the notes of the clarsach electronically modified and also
accompanied by that instrument. After explaining how and why the
effects had been achieved, we listened to the pieces again with more
educated ears. The Fair Isle schoolchildren then gave a delightful
rendering of their own musical composition illustrating their tale of a Fair
Isle boy who put out to sea in his boat. They had taken part in
workshops with a visiting Shetland music teacher over the weekend to write
and prepare this little musical story for their large and appreciative
audience.
The beautiful weather that had blessed us all weekend then tempted everyone
to continue the musical session outside, using the Fair Isle Recycling
Centre platform as a stage - Hank Williams' songs sound great in the open
air and the Eightsome reel danced on the gravel of the carpark was a new
experience for most!
A final Concert at night with all the now old favourite artistes giving
relaxed performances of their "party pieces" had a still large audience
roaring their approval and vowing that this, the First, will certainly not
be the last Fair Isle Festival of Music and Culture! A lot of people
had put a great deal of preparatory and ongoing work and it certainly paid
off.
Jane Wheeler, Field, Fair Isle |
