What a glorious setting for her rich, glowing tones and the depth of character on Su a Lee’s cello! The concert explored Lee’s astute journey of her compelling musicianship and celebrating her collaboration work with Duncan Chisholm, one of Scotland's most revered fiddlers, celebrated multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer Donald Shaw, and husband and composer Hamish Napier. The cream of Celtic musicians Lee’s work ranges from classical, experimental and folk traditions.
The Concert
Lee explored her years playing the rhythmic drive of Scottish traditional music within the landscapes of classical music. She performed tracks from her album Dialogues 2023, including mostly original compositions. She was accompanied by pianists Hamish Napier and Donald Shaw and violinist Duncan Chisholm. (Shaw is also Celtic Connections festival director since 2006).
Tonight rather than the fiddle or voice centre stage, it was the deep tones and dynamic range of the cello. Lee began with a poignant cello solo of Burns ‘Ae fond Kiss’, followed by the emotive drama of Donald Shaw’s Baroque suite, with three dance forms and a slow air – ‘Baroque March Mull’, ‘Cathedral of Trees’, ‘Malpica’ ‘Ocean Poem’. As well as performing Shaw’s renowned music ‘Islands on the Edge’.
“Shaw’s tunes are all bangers” she exclaimed! Her welcome and informed chat between sets added a personal note. With violin and cello, we were treated to Chisholm’s poignant slow airs ‘Prince Charlie’s Last View’ and ‘Precious Place’. Also Phil Cunningham’s ‘The Wedding Celebration’. Hamish Napier’s joyful strathspeys and reels on piano, flute and cello, with ‘John Stephens of Chance In’ and ‘Windsong’.
All four musicians performed a moving Gaelic song ‘Mo Rùn Geal Òg’, (sung by Julie Fowlis on the album). They finished this lovely concert with the energy of upbeat tunes such as ‘The Wound and the Gift’.
Su a Lee celebrates her many collaborations. This wasn’t a concert about Lee’s classical music roots (via the New York’s Julliard school) but about her journey through Scottish musical traditions and it’s innovative new directions. The cello is the original Scottish folk rhythm section, long before guitar or piano and is now enjoying a revival through artists like Su-a Lee. The leading fiddle players of their day, Neil Gow and Peter Milne, had cellists that toured with them. Lee is a lead cellist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
The Album: Her album Dialogues (2023) is about her musical connections from this expressive musician, with her accomplished fellow musicians. While Lee has played on many albums over her thirty year career, this is her first solo album of 15 compositions. Dialogues is both grounded in traditions and new compositions: exploring Scottish traditional music from reels and strathspeys, slow ballads and Gaelic song ending with the solo setting of her Burns Ae Fond Kiss.
"As much as this album is about finding my own voice and a voice for Scottish folk cello, it is also about the interaction of two voices…..Welcome to our dialogue." Su-a Lee
(Sometimes if not often) culture leads the way for new visions. And new collaborations of how to view the world today and how our futures might be. Celtic Connections shines a light on this vision, after all music is the universal language. Her work ranges from classical, experimental, folk traditional.
Su-a Lee is a cellist born is Seoul, South Korea and resident in Scotland. She is known for her wide-ranging collaborations across classical, contemporary, jazz and Scottish traditional music. Through her prolific career as lead cellist in groups like the Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Mr McFall’s Chamber Su-a has constantly explored the role of the cello in folk & world traditions.
Hamish Napier is a folk musician, composer and tutor who taught Stagecraft on the Trad Music degree course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for many years; Merryn Glover is a writer, workshop leader and storyteller, with a teaching degree in English, drama & dance.
Duncan Chisholm is a Scottish fiddle player and composer. He has released seven solo albums as a solo artist. His studio album, Affric 2012, was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award. In 2022, he released a seventh studio album, titled Black Cuillin. He tours with the Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis band. He is also a founder member of the folk rock group Wolfstone, He played fiddle for Runrig. .
Donald Shaw, is a Scottish award winning musician, composer, producer, and one of the founding members of Capercaillie Shaw has composed for film and TV. In 2004, he composed Harvest, a commission for the opening night of Celtic Connections festival. He won the Scots Trad Music Composer of the Year award in December 2006.
CC Mackintosh Church Setlist
1. Ae Fond Kiss
2. Baroque Suite
(i) Baroque March Mull (ii) Cathedral of Trees (iii) Malpica
(iv) Ocean Poem
3. EbytheC
4. F Strathspey Set
(i) John Stephen of Chance In (ii) Windsong
5. Duncan Slow Airs
i) Prince Charlie’s Last View (ii) Precious Place
6. Water Set
(i) The Dance
(ii) Waltz of the Grey River (iii) Corryvreckan
7. Bach Bourrées
8. Mo Rùn Geal Òg Instr
9. Donald’s Set
(i) Madame Lulu
(ii) Islands on the Edge
10. Hamish Tune Set
(i) Bagh Seannabhad (ii) Speyside Line
11. Paths Finale Set
(i) Phillippa’s Tune (ii) Josianne
(iii) Speyside Way (iv) The Deer Path
Encore The Wound and the Gift 62 mins 6 mins applause
Su-a, Duncan, Donald, Hamish