Category: Awards Scheme Concerts 2022

Scottish Stories – Ensemble Renard

Our long-awaited Scottish tour is upon us, and as we pile into the Renard-mobile for the lengthy drive from London to Bute, we fondly recall our visit to Coll just over one year ago. After 10 days on the island, we left with fond memories, a renewed joy in performing together and an increased sense of group identity, and we are thrilled to be returning to Scotland to share more wonderful music with the Scottish communities we will visit over the coming days.

Day 1: After a very wet and windy drive and our traditional lunch at Tebay service station, we enjoyed a
leisurely dinner close to Wemyss Bay before the ferry journey to Bute. On arrival, we checked in to our cosy accommodation and made friends with the resident dog before a short evening stroll along the coast to stretch our tired legs. Arriving at Rothesay in the dark meant we saw little of the island’s beauty until the following morning – needless to say, it was absolutely worth the wait! 

Day 2: Friday morning greeted us with stunning views across the water direct from the breakfast room of our B&B, and after embracing full Scottish breakfasts we were keen to get out and explore. A morning walk into Rothesay filled our lungs with fresh air, and the alternating downpours and bright sunshine gifted us a beautiful double rainbow which appeared to travel towards us across the water. Breaks from bustling city life in London are treasured, and it doesn’t get much better than this! After our walk and a delicious home-cooked lunch provided by trustees from Bute Arts Society (thank you John and Les!), it was time for some music-making. Trinity Church provided the perfect setting for our first performance, and the pre-concert picnic went down a treat. Bute Arts Society did a fantastic job drawing in audience members, and a good turnout created a real sense of occasion. Playing for such an enthusiastic, appreciative audience ended our first day on a high, and we crashed into bed ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Day 3: An early start and we were back in the Renard-mobile (affectionately coined the “Purple Panther”) for the drive to Rhubodach and ferry back to the mainland. The drive took us along the edge of the island, with stunning scenery all around. Sad to leave Bute but excited for the journey ahead, we make the 5-minute ferry crossing to Colintraive, before weaving through equally magnificent scenery all the way to Oban. Our hosts, Seymour and Molly made us feel very welcome in their beautiful home, and soon we were off to our next rehearsal. St John’s Cathedral is a fascinating space, famously half-built and later completed with the help of several remarkable steel buttresses, and it was a real pleasure to play there. We would like to extend special thanks to Oban Music Society Trustee, David, for taking a recording of our concert. The rest of the day was spent toasting in front of Seamus and Molly’s blazing fire, eating delicious food, and sharing many musical anecdotes.

Day 4: After a good rest we were sorry to leave the wonderful calm of Lerags House on Sunday morning, but Dunfermline beckoned and along with it – the final concert of our tour! After waving a hearty goodbye to Seymour and Molly we were on the road again, driving through lochs, hills and valleys to our final destination. A lunch break for toasties in Callander fuelled us for the remainder of the journey, and we arrived in Dunfermline with time to spare. A tasty pre-concert spread was laid on by Dunfermline Arts Guild, and after a short rehearsal our concert in the charming Viewfield Baptist Church was underway. During the interval we had some lovely conversations with audience members, one of whom shared fascinating first-hand memories of studying alongside Thea Musgrave, one of our featured composers! With a flourish and all too soon, our final performance of Piazzolla’s Libertango came to an end, and with it, our first Scottish tour.

We are extremely grateful to the Music Societies of Bute, Oban and Dunfermline for their exceptional hospitality and warmth, and to the Tunnell Trust for granting us the opportunity to tour and perform. Scotland is becoming somewhat of a second home for Ensemble Renard, and we can’t wait to return in February to share more music and make more memories in this beautiful part of the world.

The snow is back!

It was very sad to leave Orkney but the 6 AM ferry didn’t leave us much time for long goodbyes. It was all very poignant with sudden extreme snow which accompanied us till we arrived back in the Lyth Arts Centre. After a few hours of a sleep catch up, we were ready to rehearse again. We were wondering if the remote location and unpredictable weather will stop our audience from coming but they didn’t disappoint and we had a wonderful time with a very enthusiastic, rapturous public.

On Thursday, we took off to Inverness. After a rather lovely drive, we ended up in the most incredible city and we made our way to the hall which turned out to be rather spectacular. Both the piano and the acoustics were perfect. My brilliant page turner provided me with the best support and the organisers and all the visitors gave us a very warm welcome. We were on a real high after this performance, there were so many special aspects to the day! It was lovely to have a little “social’ later with our lovely hosts and their friends. Yet again, we were spoiled and felt grateful for their hospitality. Loads of stories and anecdotes were told and we happily stayed up till late.

 

Orkney

On Sunday we had a long drive from Edinburgh to Thurso where we settled in our accommodation by the Lyth Arts Centre. The weather was still bizarrely beautiful and even the long hours in the car passed quickly with the stunning views and the incredible food at the House of Bruar on the way.

An early start on Monday was full of excitement for the ferry journey which really didn’t disappoint ! The light was from another planet and we let our faces freeze while hypnotised by this amazing view.

 

Our brilliant hosts fed us wonderful Orkney cheese and their lovely dog kept us joyful company in the house. We were so lucky to see some of the incredible historic sites that Orkney is so rich in. We spent long hours contemplating on how we can relate to people of the prehistoric times and imagining their lives on the island.

The inevitable highlight (among so many of highlights) so far was the concert for the local children. Not only we had some of our most attentive and engaged audience there but we saw some future talents too! Rosie and I often feel that we play our best when faced with the youngest audiences and this was no exception.

On Tuesday we saw more of Orkney incredible landscapes and made our way from Stromness to Kirkwall. Couldn’t help seeing the wonderful Cathedral of the town as well as visiting the famous local cheese and wine shop.
The evening concert was extremely enjoyable and we were proud of the energy and intensity we had.

Some lovely comments from the audience and my young page turner (and an aspiring pianist) made us feel, well, rather happy !

Edinburgh

 Edinburgh is just outrageous with its stunning parks, breathtaking architecture and incredible heritage throughout. We loved getting to know the Edinburgh Society of Musicians which is a very special venue with a long history and huge passion for music. After an extremely enjoyable concert, we had a glass of wine chatting to the audience and pondering on why there is no pianos on planes.

It was sad to leave so quickly on the next morning but what a drive now, heading towards the very North of Scotland ! We already managed to eat some incredible Scottish pies and keep marvelling on the warmth and hospitality of everyone around. As we have a break from performances today, we will spend some more time walking and admiring the surroundings during  the breaks in our long journey to Orkney. 

West Kilbride Deep Breathing

Yesterday, West Kilbride greeted us with amazing weather, the warmest welcome from everyone around and some stunning views. The fantastic piano was expertly prepared and the lovely technician always ready to help if needed. We were completely spoiled by Margaret and others at the Village Hall. Thanks to Paula and Chris for showing us so much of the town and feeding us amazing stories and food. After breathing the West Kilbride air, we are totally charged and ready for Edinburgh today !