Mike Vass · 2018
The Four Pillars
A suite on the four pillars of Scottish fiddle music: the slow air, the march, the strathspey and the reel. Written in Anstruther, recorded at Castlesound in a single day.
Written Anstruther · Recorded 21 October 2018 Castlesound
The back of the sleeve
- Commissioned
- the Scots Fiddle Festival, supported by Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund
- Produced
- Errollyn Wallen
- Recorded and mixed
- Stuart Hamilton, Castlesound Studios, 21 October 2018
- Mastered
- Peter Beckmann, TechnologyWorks
- Artwork and design
- Kim Richards
- Catalogue
- Unroofed UR005CD, 15 December 2018
People
Peter BeckmannKim RichardsTom GibbsLauren MacCollPatsy ReidJenna ReidIain SandilandsFeargus HetheringtonColin McKeeAsher ZaccardelliLaura Sergeant
- Commissioned
- the Scots Fiddle Festival, supported by Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund
- Produced
- Errollyn Wallen
- Recorded and mixed
- Stuart Hamilton, Castlesound Studios, 21 October 2018
- Mastered
- Peter Beckmann, TechnologyWorks
- Artwork and design
- Kim Richards
- Catalogue
- Unroofed UR005CD, 15 December 2018
- Players
- Lauren MacColl, fiddle (air) · Mike Vass, fiddle (march) · Patsy Reid, fiddle (strathspey) · Jenna Reid, fiddle (reel) · Tom Gibbs, piano · Iain Sandilands, vibraphone and percussion · string quartet: Feargus Hetherington, Colin McKee, Asher Zaccardelli, Laura Sergeant
The record
Four fiddlers, one each for the four tune types, with piano, vibraphone and a string quartet: all nine pieces recorded in one day at Castlesound. The live show that followed had a multi-media staging, and a fiddle was broken during it.
Film
Tracks
- 01After Years (air, Lauren MacColl)5:52
- 03A Handful of Dust (march, Mike Vass)2:55
- 05Martial Tunes (strathspey, Patsy Reid)3:30
- 06Thrown Away1:48
- 08Frenzy in the Coda (reel, Jenna Reid)3:45
Photographs
Cuttings
A line from each piece. Where the full piece is online, it is linked.
The Scotsman★★★★
“There was much engaging solo and ensemble playing as Vass’s new compositions responded to these fragments from the past…
The Living Tradition
“It’s a remarkable addition to the tune canon and where treatments are concerned, it’s out on its own.”
FATEA
“It is a masterful piece of work and will be regularly played in my car as I drive around the country in the latter part of the year.”
FolkNotes
“The Four Pillars exists in its own good place that’s neither a chamber music salon nor a ceilidh house, and it’s all the better for it.”
Folking.com
“As with all these pieces, Mike has followed the musical ‘rules’ but has taken the forms a step away from their original functions.”
Scottish Fiddle Orchestra
“There are some lovely tunes, beautifully arranged and played.”