When Music and Mountains Meet - The Strathglass Trilogy

There’s something special about finding an unexpected connection during the course of pursuing two apparently independent activities – a glimpse perhaps of some deeper personal motivation that underpins the various things one feels passionate about…

Ten years ago this summer I camped for four nights at a midge-infested site on the outskirts of the small highland village of Cannich in Strathglass, 12 miles west of Loch Ness. Over three consecutive days there, I drove up each of the three parallel glens stretching west (Strathfarrar, Cannich and Affric) in turn, to park up, shoulder my rucksack and take in as many of the highest mountain ridges and summits as I could in a single days circular walk. The net result was a particularly satisfying and continuous appreciation of a sizeable chunk of the Highlands; the stunning glens, their rivers, birch, birds and squirrels, and the airy perspective from the mountains of the full spread of the land and the many large and deeply embedded lochs. On the third morning, I set off on foot from the Mullardoch dam (the largest in Scotland, half a mile wide in a distinctive V-shape, and completed in 1951) which defines the point beyond which the upper ten miles of Glen Cannich is now submerged. Despite some urgency to stay ahead of forecast incoming bad weather I was almost immediately stopped in my tracks by a striking cairn overlooking the north side of vast Loch Mullardoch. This turned out to be the Chisholm Cairn, commemorating 700 years of the Chisholm clan living and working the glen and surrounding lands, and also marking a spot near a now submerged clan gathering point. The cairn had a number of intriguing Moses-style stone tablets (albeit lacking text, being either blank or of sparsely abstract design) embedded in it, the symbolism of which still escapes me, but its strange nature stuck in my mind, along with the name of Chisholm.

 

Fast forward to a month ago, when I obtained a copy of the very fine recent album Affric by Scottish fiddler Duncan Chisholm. I was slow to register the implication of this combination of names, perhaps because I was initially so blown away by the music, but a read of the sleeve notes had my eyes widening. Duncan is something of a Scottish Sibelius in that his modus operandi is the evocation of specific wild landscapes and its associated history through his original compositions and exquisite playing – in his case a seductive and addictive mix of beautiful slow airs and compelling energetic pieces that stir the emotions at every turn yet are extraordinarily easy on the ear. He is of course a Chisholm rooted in the very area I explored, and currently based in Inverness; and it further transpires that Affric is simply the final splendid act in a multi-year project to evoke the three glens running west from Strathglass in three albums, the others being Canaich (2010) and Farrar (2008). Having now tracked down the latter two and confirmed that they match Affric for sheer quality, diversity, listening pleasure and raw evocation of some very special places, I find myself sitting back in admiration at the scale of his dedication and musical achievement. The music has been variously described as cinematic and semi-classical, but the traditional basis is all-pervading - but highly accessible. This may even be fiddle (and viola) music for the person who avowedly protests they don’t like fiddle music! 

It was fitting that the completion of the Strathglass project was celebrated last January with a concert on a stormy night at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow at the Celtic Connections festival, where pieces from the entire project were woven together into a coherent whole, the Strathglass Suite. Reports from attendees are that this was a very special occasion indeed where performer, audience, music and sense of place and history connected marvellously – and fortunately for all it was recorded and has recently been released. That’s one I have yet to savour...

Perhaps I should have included some of my photos of this landscape of Duncan’s that I explored and am now anxious to return to, though currently they languish on 35mm slides in a draw, yet to be scanned into the digital era. There again, the images will come to your minds eye easily enough if you simply listen to the music – it’s that good. And the evocative imagery in the album sleeve notes, by local artists and photographers, are both original and beautiful – a further manifestation of the dedication and love that is everywhere in this project.

Favourite Listening of 2013

As someone with a lifelong passion for searching out and savouring new, interesting and exciting music it's always instructive at the end of the year to identify those albums that I have most reached for in the last 12 months.

 

In no particular order, they are:

Olivia Chaney: Olivia Chaney (EP)  Even though I am continually trying new music it is usually several years between those full-on "hair standing up on the back of the neck" moments. Ms Chaney is responsible for the latest of these, being an astonishing singer and instrumentalist who simply has to sit down at a piano and get stuck in to hold you in her hand. Elegant and slightly classical in feel, with mostly traditional/folk style (but highly original in content) song material it manages to be both simple and spellbinding. Exasperatingly, given her obvious talents, Chaney has for some years remained almost wilfully inaccessible - preferring to play many random supporting roles for other better-known (but possibly not better) performers rather than release any albums of her own, or tour solo. This EP contains just five songs and is stunning, and is clearly a kind of holding action in the face of growing pressure to do more. Unfortunately it's so good that pressure is now likely to rise noticeably to get that first proper album out! Rumour has it she has finally signed a deal to do such a thing in 2014, fingers crossed!

Katy Carr: Paszport  Katy Carr is half-English, half-Polish and seemed to arrive in the music worlds consciousness about 18 months ago - mainly as a result of this captivating and moving album (though its predecessor Coquette is arguably just as good). Paszport tells the wartime exploits of various Polish protagonists in varied and engaging ways, demonstrating Carrs huge musical versatility in the process - it is utterly involving from start to finish, including the sound of a Spitfire flypast on one track! Carr is a qualified pilot (something I read suggested an ex-RAF pilot), has a band called the Aviators, and is always immaculately dressed in 1940s vintage fashion. She spends a lot of time performing to Polish audiences both in Poland and the UK, and I continue to try and triangulate on a live performance I can attend. One to savour when it happens.

Helene Blum: En Gang Og Altid  Danish singer Helene Blum is stunning in both appearance (well someone has to say it) and in terms of what she is capable of vocally. Although sung entirely in Danish this debut album from 2008 remains my favourite for being more lively, varied and just plain beautiful than the two more measured subsequent albums I have (Christmas album Liden Sol and Men med abne Ojne) which are still very satisfying but in more of a slow-growing sort of way. Blum is married to fiendishly talented fiddler Harald Haugaard and the two have toured the UK regularly in recent years, generally playing in small village halls and churches. The prospect of seeing them perform in such a venue is very enticing; frustratingly I have yet to be able to make the date/place combinations on offer - but hopefully next time...

The Jimmy Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland  Well, how did I get to my age without doing Hendrix justice? I thing it's a measure of how much wonderful music there is out there that the temptation is to ignore the big obvious stuff and seek out the embarrassment of well hidden riches. This would be played even more if I didn't have to wait for the neighbours to go out first, so I can put the volume up to where it has to be. This is guitar playing that will never be surpassed, and to think I now have the rest of his back-catalogue to discover!

Lisa Knapp: Hidden Seam  This is Lisa Knapp's second album, a solid 7 years after her very promising first (Wild and Undaunted), and it confirms she is on her own very special and creative trajectory and not "just another folk singer". This album is so full of highlights, and lacks a duff track, that it's hard to pick out just one. I love the simplicity of the Shipping Song, based on the BBC shipping forecast, which burrows into your head - never to leave, and a number of other songs are similarly captivating and memorable (like the best (or worst?!) pop songs). Innovation is everywhere so that despite an underpinning traditional ethos this is highly engaging, accessible and entertaining throughout. Seeing Lisa and talented husband Gerry Diver performing recently in a very small, modest venue was a joy, the highlight being an extraordinary rendition of the Shipping Song.

PJ Harvey: Let England Shake  Released in 2010, this is an album I will continue to play regularly for a long time to come. That it would win the Mercury prize was a given for me as soon as I heard it was on the shortlist - it is so powerful and untouchable, and clearly the pinnacle of PJs output to date. Focusing on Britain's military history and the brutal realities of war and its legacies, it is pretty important, relevant stuff that everyone should engage with. That it was recorded in a country church, yards from where my grandparents are buried, adds considerable personal poignancy. I also recommend the DVD version of this album that contains 12 short films by Seamus Murphy to accompany the songs. Given the powerful nature of the songs it seems unlikely the films should work - but they really do.