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One Great Circle
“Created from his University of Edinburgh Artist in Residence post, One Great Circle, from multi-instrumentalist and low whistle wizard Fraser Fifield (with Chris Stout and Catriona McKay) presents a dazzling and exquisite set of tunes. Inspired by the life of …Stanley Robertson’ … One Great Circle is a delight, showcasing the elegant soundscape possible from whistle, smallpipes, harp and fiddle”
"Delicate and expressive, adventurous and refined, One Great Circle is an album that should be listened to with the right amount of concentration to spot all the little details that make it one of the best pieces of work by this artist, always at the forefront of the folk music scene".
Trio - Instrumental
Instrumentation
- Fraser Fifield - Low Whistle, Scottish Smallpipes, Soprano Saxophone
- Catriona McKay - Clarsach
- Chris Stout - Violin, Viola
Repertoire
2nd set:
1.One Great Circle
2.An Owl At The Window
3.An Indian Death
4.Pilgrimage
5.Robertson's Permission
6.Pool of Forgetfulness
7.Celestial City
8.Finding Nicole
9.Auld Road O'Lumphanan
(to listen online please visit: https://fraserfifield.bandcamp.com/album/one-great-circle)
c. 50 mins. Low Whistle (+Scottish Smallpipes for 1 piece)/ Fiddle/ Harp + recorded voice excerpts
First set:
1. Da Day Dawn
2. Hillswick
3. Shetland Reels
4. Continuum
5. South Atlantic Seven
6. Dark Reel
7. Psalm
A variety of pieces drawn from our collective back-catalogue, featuring soprano saxophone, violin and harp. c. 40 mins.
Biography
Performed by three of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians, One Great Circle, is a musical tribute to Stanley Robertson, the late Aberdeenshire storyteller, piper, singer, author and member of the Travelling community, composed by Fraser Fifield in his role as Traditional Artist in residence for University of Edinburgh and performed by
Fraser (low whistle/smallpipes, soprano saxophone) who is joined by the acclaimed fiddle/harp duo, Chris Stout and Catriona McKay, who are well known for their virtuoso explorative performances.
One Great Circle is an instrumental suite of 9 pieces, all with connection to the super-natural via the storytelling of Stanley Robertson, whose recorded voice also features in the performance. The title track, One Great Circle, refers to Robertson’s description of reincarnation.
The trio has obvious connections with Scottish folk music traditions but sensibilities more often associated with a classical chamber trio, or indeed the spontaneity of a small jazz ensemble, are also evident. The three musicians first met while students at the RSAMD in Glasgow in the mid-1990s and have worked at the forefront of traditional music in Scotland ever since. In addition to One Great Circle, the trio will present a selection of pieces drawn from diverse projects over almost 30 years of professional music making.
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