Award, so our expectations were high. We were not disappointed. They delivered a varied
programme with assured performance throughout: tight, together with youthful energy: the
violin and viola players performed standing up and their body movements added a visual
sense of dynamism to the proceedings.
The Haydn SQ No. 3 demonstrated the genius of this late 18 th Century master who was so
pivotal in the evolution of Chamber Music and the String Quartet. The four movements
were, in turn: vibrant and melodic; lyrical and intimate with the two violins engaged in a
song-like dialogue; charming dancing; and an energetic humorous finale.
In marked contrast was Alban Berg’s (only) SQ: a two-movement work marking a crucial,
complex transition from late-Romanticism to free atonality. At times the sound was eerie
and evoked a tormented mind. If this came on the radio (irrespective of artist I hasten to
add) you would rush for the ‘off’ switch. But to hear and see live is a completely different
experience – with the heavy, detailed string techniques and shared, recurring thematic
motives there for all to see as well as hear. Such is the wonder and attraction of the
Chamber Music setting – you are just feet away from the ‘vibe’. It matters.
The concert concluded with Franz Schubert’s SQ No. 13 ‘Rosamunde’. Talos gave a polished
delivery of the unmistakable Schubertian sound in this classic four-part quartet. Exit polls
were very positive about the whole concert performance.
In our first co-promotion with Seall we were delighted to host the Hebrides Ensemble “Music for Time” concert at Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Phort Rìgh. They started with a premiere performance of Arthur Keegan’s Coalesce: Quartet for the Start of Life (2025) commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Hebrides Ensemble. What then followed was a true "Pièce de résistance", Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. The Quartet was composed in 1940 amid deprivation and existential dread and completed in the infamous Stalag V111A prisoner-of-war camp using manuscript provided by a prison guard. It is an 8 movement piece of true mid-century musical composition, with inspiration from the book of Revelation making the whole a soundscape like no other. The Quartet was then premiered to an audience of both inmates and guards on a freezing January night. This is surely one of the most poignant examples of art transcending, and elevating, human experience against all odds.
Incredibly, our Treasurer’s Dad was resident in Stalag VIIIA from June 1940 to the winter of 44/45 when he escaped. The stories of his capture, time as a POW, escape and journey home are the stuff of movies but he does recall his Dad mentioning something about a composer/ concert in the camp, and triple ranks of German guards lest it was a feint for escape.
It is invidious to single out one player but in that truly extraordinary performance Yann Ghiro on clarinet not only sounded sublime, but his technical achievements were amazing: to control the tone from triple pianisimo (ppp) to triple fortisimo (fff) on such long notes was incredible. His extended techniques of flutter tonguing, altissimo and trills were pure joy.
Robert Creimerman has completed his studies at the RCS winning the Governor’s prize, and is now a Master’s student at the Brussels Conservatoire. He delivered a genuinely virtuosic performance of Beethoven - 32 variations in C minor, Brahms - 6 Klavierstücke, Op. 118, Prokofiev - Piano sonata no. 3, Op. 28, Debussy - Prelude "Feux d'artifices” before completing with Liszt - Piano sonata in B minor, S. 178 which tested the resilience of our piano. The pieces were marked by a generous and warm interpretation, all of course without music! It is always a privilege to have such talent perform for us here in Skye, before they become too famous for us to afford! It was interesting to note that there were more school children than usual at the concert, some having been advised to come by their teachers. Having talked to some of them they were “wowed”. For the first time in my 10 years of organising SCM concerts we had a standing ovation, after which Robert delighted us with a short encore. A privilege indeed to have been present at such an outstanding performance.
Duo Beasoleil 15 Mar 25
Well that was different! We celebrated our strategic partnership with Live Music Now (Scotland) by being the venue for their 5th and final celebration of their 40th anniversary with a reception and concert on Saturday 15th March - the “Ides of March”. Despite the potentially inauspicious date the “Ides” were kind to us and we enjoyed the company of a group from Munich, where Yehudi Menuin had originally set up Live Music Now. They also provided Duo Beasoleil (Giuliano Loli Piano and Matthias Well Violin) who took us from popular classics to gipsy Jazz, a great segway into our next concert by Rose Room in Gasta at the end of April.
The attendance was slightly larger than average at 58, but sadly few accepted the offer of free food and wine before the event. A good evening was nevertheless enjoyed by guests and regular attendees.
Skye Chamber Music presented a concert entitled ‘Get Your Act Together: Stories on Stage’ performed by Flutes and Frets supported by Making Music’s Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Scheme on Wed 19th Feb. Few in the audience knew what to expect when they arrived at St Columba’s Church. What a treat awaited us. A young duo of talented musicians, Beth Stone and Danny Murphy, took us through 600 years of music from Gregorian chants to Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’ by way of Renaissance pieces, to the Baroque era and on to Rossini and Greig. The music was enhanced by being played on traditional instruments with Beth, on flutes, introducing us to 4 different instruments from Renaissance to modern, while Danny moved from lute to theorbo and then to 19th Century guitar and then modern. Each instrument was described by the player and the evolution of the music explained. The enthusiasm and passion of the performances shone through and the we left both entertained and educated.
Nikita Lukinov 25 Jan 25
The 9th annual Classical Celebration organised by Skye Chamber Music took place in the Fingal Centre on Thursday 12th December. The focus of the evening was to provide a platform for local musicians to perform classical music in small groups, whilst the audience enjoyed a ‘Glyndebourne in Skye’ experience bringing their “posh picnic” to brilliantly decorated tables.
It was a superb evening which would not have been possible without the fantastic work of all the musicians who took part. Alan Donald (Viola), Meg Rosher (Flute), Bar Purser (Cello) and Roxine Llewelyn-Porter (violin) played in various groupings with Peter McLaren and Jacqui Ross at the piano. We heard Bach, Goldberg, Mozart and more and the standard of their music was outstanding. This year for the first time we also offered a platform to High School music pupils as, unfortunately, their performance evening had been cancelled. We heard from Lucia Ceccini Fraser, Matilda Ng and Ruairidh James with brilliant pieces played on our community Bechstein Piano. Carel Goodheir gave us a recitation of Lord Lundy which went down particularly well with the younger members of the audience!
Annie MacDonald (Staffin), who is in her final year at the Royal Conservatoire in London, completed the evening singing three arias for us accompanied by Elaine Ferguson, and also gave us a Gaelic song from her MOD repertoire!
The whole evening was brought together brilliantly by Gilleasbuig Ferguson, in his element letting us know about the musicians, their prowess and the pieces they were playing, including the rarity of some of the music.
Feedback from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, and the youngsters attending were very well behaved!
Skye Chamber Music aims to continue to expand the evening in future years, moving away from the busy Christmas period.
