Unique Boat of Garten carol concert will raise cash for the strath's needy
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And now for something completely different!
Ann Napier, leader of TOMS – The Osprey Music Society – is a master of engaging audiences with her choice of performers of the highest calibre and pedigree. The majority of performers – individual stars and musical groupings – clamour to return to perform in Boat of Garten year on year, she tells the Strathy.
But Sunday's concert will be a first in terms of both content and venue.
At first glance, it’s a carol concert, but on closer inspection, Strathy readers will see there’s a bit more to appreciate, participate in and enjoy.
This time, TOMS is stepping back to the Baroque period to enjoy the voices of Musick Fyne, accompanied by instrumental group, The Marvel of Peru, and performed in St Columba’s Church, Boat of Garten.
And the proceeds of the concert, after deduction of overhead costs, will be distributed via the Church to those in local communities who would especially benefit from some extra funds at Christmas.
"The music on Sunday evening will be a programme of Christmas music spanning four centuries, with ample opportunity to engage your own vocal chords and join in with the choir as many of our well-known carols date
back to earlier centuries," says Ann.
Musick Fyne, led by James Ross, is the name of a group of vocal performers from Inverness, Ross-shire, Nairn and
Moray who take their name from the term used in 16th-century Scotland to denote serious music.
Since the formation of the group in 1980, they have performed the neglected music of this period throughout Scotland.
For several years they participated in ground-breaking performances of large-scale works by the 16th century Scottish composer Robert Carver, initially in King’s College Chapel and St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen and subsequently in Dornoch, Inverness and Dunkeld Cathedrals, St Duthus Collegiate Church, Pluscarden Abbey and the Great Hall in Stirling Castle, where they sang Carver’s complete ten-part Mass.
Musick Fyne has also presented concerts focussing on the music of Thomas Tallis, Thomas Tomkins, Tomas Luis de Victoria, Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi and Orlandus Lassus. The singers have collaborated with Cappella Nova, including a performance of Thomas Tallis’ forty-part ‘Spem in Alium’, and with the Resurrection Choir of St Petersburg, most notably in a performance of the Rachmaninov Vespers.
They also perform more modern repertoire from the 20th and 21st centuries, and over the years have commissioned a number of new works from contemporary composers.
For Sunday's concert, the voices of Musick Fyne are joined by the instrumental ensemble The Marvel of Peru. This group was formed in 2012 to explore neglected Baroque repertoire using authentic instruments and performance
techniques, with a particular interest in Scottish composers.
To make more repertoire available to them, they decided to work with a variety of guest artists, who in past performances have included specialist local singers such as Reno Troilus, Aileen Cuthbert, Tilman von Delft and Christopher Josey. The Marvel of Peru takes its name from a joyous work by James Oswald (one of the most prolific and imaginative Scots composers working in 18th-century London), which in turn is called after an attractive flower. A selection of early clarinets will be played, including boxwood instruments in D and C, the latter an original clarinet from the late 18th century, as well as a copy of a forerunner of the clarinet, the chalumeau. In addition to violin and cello, there will be the opportunity to enjoy the strains of an early guitar from 1815 (a family heirloom) and the harpeleike, a member of the zither family.
Add to this a selection of recorders played by various members of the group and the night is going to be a unique experience.
"If interested in the instruments, the audience is invited to have a closer look at the end of the concert," said Ann.
Tickets are available from Ann Napier, on 01479 831213 or via email ann.nap@btinternet.com.
Prices are £15 for TOMS members, £17 for non-members, with complimentary tickets for school children and
students.
