24th – 26th June 2015
Britten Sinfonietta Op. 1
Mahler Rückert-Lieder arr. Grossman
Longworth Pan’s Caprice (World Premiere)
Pärt Fratres
Mahler Kindertotenlieder arr. Riehn
Laura Kelly McInroy – mezzo-soprano
Douglas Nairne – baritone
Tomas Leakey – conductor
Dornoch Cathedral, Eden Court and Nairn Community & Arts Centre.
Peter Longworth, Laura Kelly McInroy and Douglas Nairne
One of the most exciting and virtuosic local ensembles, the Mahler Players have been bringing our mini versions of Gustav Mahler’s greatest works to the Highlands for almost two years and have built up a loyal following. In our most recent set of concerts we performed two of Mahler’s best-loved song cycles. Also on the menu were Britten’s early but already distinctive Sinfonietta and Pärt’s hypnotising Fratres, famous for its use in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. In our first foray into contemporary music we were priviliged to work with dynamic young Scottish composer Peter Longworth, on a new commission, ‘Pan’s Caprice’. We were delighted to invite back two wonderful soloists with whom we collaborated in 2014 – the mezzo-soprano Laura Kelly McInroy and the baritone Douglas Nairne – to continue the cycle of Mahler’s extraordinary vocal works.
We returned to two familiar venues in Dornoch and Nairn and presented our first performance in Inverness itself, in the OneTouch Theatre at Eden Court.
This project as a whole was supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and the new commission was made possible by the generous support of the RVW Trust. We also thank our corporate sponsors Scott-Moncrieff business advisers and accountants and the numerous individuals who have helped us.
