The stage was set out wide over the first few rows to accommodate the
full orchestra of the Scottish Opera on the concert hall stage - and I knew we
were in for a treat! The concert was one of the sell out shows of Celtic Connections.
Armstrong is an award-winning Scottish film composer who has written
music for films such as Romeo and Juliet (1996), The Great Gatsby (2013),
Moulin Rouge and many more.
The songs from Armstrong’s latest album, It’s Nearly Tomorrow, were performed by some top class singers - Jerry
Burns, James Grant, Clio Gould, Katie O'Halloran, Alison Lawrance, Ryan Joseph
Burns, Alastair Ogilvy and Lucia Fontaine.
The Songs
included -
Weather
Storm, This Love (The Space Between)
O Verona, Balcony
Scene (Romeo and Juliet)
One Day
I'll Fly Away, Nature Boy (Moulin Rouge)
Infinite
hope, Louisville, Lets' Go To Town (The Great Gatsby)
The Love
Theme (Far From the Maddening Crowd)
Main Theme
(The Quiet American)
Let It Be
Love (As If To Nothing)
Dust,
Crash, Powder, Strange Kind of Love, Lontano, Sing, (It's Nearly Tomorrow)
The grand piano for Armstrong to play was however on the other side of
the stage on the left of the stage and I wished he might have stood on
occasions to introduce his music so those of us on the other side of the
concert hall might be able to see him better. Otherwise my seat was great and near the front of the stage and the full
rich sound of the Scottish opera orchestra wafted over us, to add to the full
on drama.
Behind the orchestra scenes from the movies he has scored were shown,
while movie-like coloured spotlights hovered over the orchestra.
I particularly enjoyed Jerry Burns subtle performance of Dust, with her ethereal, haunting voice and The Love Theme from Far From the Maddening Crowd, and
the very poignant and gripping finale of the Balcony scene from Romeo and
Juliet.
Every year at Celtic I am astonished by the musical talent today in
Scotland and beyond. Armstrong who graduated from the London school of music
and is from Glasgow, is a wonderful example. He then served his musical apprenticeship at Glasgow's
Tron theatre. The concert proved exhilarating, poignant and joyful.
Armstrong
sees no difference in credibility between popular and classical forms of
music and he has collaborated with pop bands such as Massive Attack and as well as writing compositions for the SNO (Scottish National Orchestra).
Film music has brought the full orchestra back into the mainstream and
into peoples lives.
