Our first Fringe Spotlight is on Alastair Savage, who is returning to the centre, after several successful shows. Here is a snippet of what to expect at Alastair’s show. You can buy tickets for Alastair’s show HERE
1. Can you tell us a bit about your show? The show is a celebration of the Scottish fiddle tradition, the tradition is now centuries old and the music featured in the concerts includes a mixture of great tunes by people like Niel Gow ( Niel spelt correctly!) from the 18th century and James Scott Skinner from the 19th century alongside a tribute to the melodies associated with Rabbie Burns songs. The concerts focus on the music from an album called ‘Alone With History’ that I released last year recorded at Crathie Kirk in Aberdeenshire. Also the concerts look at the geographical connections of the melodies including tunes from the islands of Scotland and possibly melodies from Ireland and America.
2. What can audiences expect? I like to keep the concerts reasonably informal, I chat in between numbers to give some info about the melodies I’m playing and also I intend to give the audience members a complimentary glass of wine when they arrive to enjoy whilst they listen!
3. What are you most looking forward to about the Fringe this year? I always enjoy the atmosphere in Edinburgh, the mix of tourists and Scots alike, being part of a big festival where lots of other artists are performing and the chance to focus on one city for a sustained period of time.
4.You’re returning to the centre after several successful shows – what is it about this venue that keeps you returning to perform? The Helen Duncan room is a great room acoustically for the fiddle, the building is the old St. Mary’s Music School headquarters so music has resounded in the space for generations. It’s nice to continue that tradition. When the centre decided to hold more events a few years ago I was part of the opening concert featuring instruments made from a tree associated with Arthur Conan Doyle. The staircase makes it a characterful entrance hall for visitors to the venue and the friendly welcome I’ve had from Iain and Ann in past years makes it a pleasant place to return to.
