Burns An' A' That Festival

BURNS AN’ A’ THAT! FESTIVAL GALA CONCERT ****

CULZEAN CASTLE

TWO thousand people and many more midges thronged the natural auditorium that is Culzean Castle’s sunken garden for the Gala Concert of this year’s Burns An’ A’ That Festival.

At the heart of the musical festivities were the Orchestra and Chorus of Scottish Opera, under their artistic director, Sir Richard Armstrong. Compère, Jamie MacDougall referred to them emphatically as the "full-time" chorus, one that by Monday, of course, may be pronounced part-time. There was potent emotion on the faces of the singers as they clutched hands and sang Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, which, since they began singing it in the streets before each performance of La Bohème, has effectively become their protest anthem.

A host of fine and varied performances came from Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain, Scotland’s operatic tenors Caledon,

Karen Matheson, Evelyn Glennie and the BBC Young Musician of the Year, violinist Nicola Benedetti.