Posh Culture

Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything

Once the regenerating resurgence of the 60s and 70s social mobility meant a vibrant and energizing arts creativity. There was a wealth of working class musicians who listened to American blues artists and realized that anyone might aspire to pick up a guitar and play rock and roll. 

Sadly this is not so today. I wondered a few years back over more recent UK bands that hailed from middle class and upper middle class backgrounds - such as Mumford, Coldplay and others - have been squeezing out those young people not so favoured.  

It appears I am not alone thinking these thoughts. Scottish actress Elaine C Smith writing in the Sunday Herald, “Does it matter if UK culture is increasingly dominated by a privately educated elite? You bet it does.”

‘there is no doubt that the old guard are back in charge, with a wealthy, privileged, white, male, privately educated elite dominating our arts, film and TV. The big problem is that for young people today there are few opportunities if you attend a state school

I lived in the US for ten years where I noticed that the tv soaps were never about any divisive 'them and us' class system. Today in the UK we have either posh TV soaps such as Downton Abbey  -  or working class soaps like Eastenders. 

Notably recently several of the new younger actors are from privileged backgrounds, such as - 

Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddi Redmayne, Domimic West.

We have Oxbridge graduates coming up to Scotland to run The Scottish National theatre and Creative Scotland, as well as other major cultural events here, who don’t have grounding in what Scotland is about. In fact a Scot has never run these major Scottish creative bodies (to my great surprise!). I don’t suspect that France would wish to have Germans or Americans running their culture!

Question remains – who is in charge of our arts – universities, galleries, theatre companies, festivals, opera, ballet and so on. And do we need outsiders telling us they know better how to develop our culture?

And no, this is not about the politics of envy, as James Blunt suggested, but rather that this stifles and misrepresents culture. This is also about providing for cultural diversity.

Scottish actor James McAvoy expresses his concern: "As soon as you get one tiny pocket of society creating all the arts, or culture starts to become representative not of everybody, but of one tiny part, and that's not fair to begin with, but it's also damaging for society."

Mumford

Benedict Cumberbatch attended boarding school Brambletye School

Eddi Redmayne attended Eton.

Domimic West also attended Eton and Trinity college. 
Chris Martin boarded at Sherborne School, a boys' independent school Dorset where he met future Coldplay manager Phil Harvey.

Mumford attended private school King’s College School Wimbledon.

James Blunt was educated at private school Harrow.

There are around 2,500 independent schools in the UK, which educate around 615,000 children, being some 7 per cent of all British children and 18 per cent of pupils over the age of 16. yet those from independent schools dominate at Oxford, Cambridge, government, and other leading roles. A big part of this is confidence and networking.

The Late Sessions Celtic Connections 2015

Wonderful Gaelic singer Mischa Macpherson 

Mhairi Campbell

Shine

Danny Kyle Stage

The Late Sessions Stage at Celtic Connections 2015 - the concerts were held at the Glasgow concert hall this year, from 10.30. The events are one of the festival highlights and are held over the festival weekends. Earlier the Danny Kyle open stage is held here too , and are an opportunity for new musicians to showcase their music. You can be lucky and find outstanding artists here and spend some delightful time with live music! One of my favourites! at the festival.

Twisted Pine

Transatlantic Sessions 2015

The Transatlantic Sessions is the final weekend for Celtic Connections and the biggest sell out draw. 

The mix of American bluegrass and country music, sits alongside the Scottish fiddles and flutes so well. Mesmerising. This concert is led by two highly skilled musicians - Shetland fiddler Aly Bain and American world class Dobro (resonator guitar and lap steel)  player Jerry Douglas, who has worked with the likes of Allison Krauss, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and many more.    

Tim O'Brien

Fiddler Aly Bain plays with comfortable and assured playing, he iss a pleasure to hear. Douglas plays melodically and expressively - and he is also a joy to hear! Indeed I agree with the lady behind me at the gig who commented that Douglas's solo after the interval was her favourite part of the concert. Another big favourite is the Scottish tunes, going by the audience response, which was led by Aly Bain and his long time musical collaborator on accordion and piano, Phil Cunningham.

Kathleen MacInnes

Sara Watkins

Jerry Douglas

Rodney Crowell

John Smith

On top of all this the band as usual had invited a quality cast of singers to join them in 2015. It must be wonderful to sing with such a class backing band!  They included this year - Kathleen MacInnes, Sara Watkins, John Smith, Patty Griffith, and Rodney Crowell. Crowell was the star attraction this year and he year and he has won two Grammy awards – for the song After All This Time and for his 2014 album Old Yellow Moon.

The Transatlantic band consists of -  Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Phil Cunningham, Danny Thompson, Russ Barenberg, Tom O'Brien, Dirk Powell, Mike McGoldrick, John Doyle, John McCusker, James Mackintosh and Donald Shaw.

After Celtic Connections the Transatlantic band tours to Newcastle and London.

Sara Watkins

Patty Griffith

Tune Waiting for the Federals,

Tim O'Brien - You Were On my mind Today and Cowboys Life.

Sara Watkins - Take Up Your Spade, You and Me.

Dirk Powell  - Down The River I Go.

Kathleen MacInnes snag Reul Alainn.

Tunes - Lochinside/Wedding Reels/ Crarae

John Smith, Freezing Winds of Change

Russ Barenburg, Miles To Go

Patty Griffith - Cold As It Gets, Mom and Daddy Waltz.

Tunes, Whalley Range set.

RodneyCrowell - you know How much, Flyboy and The Kid.

Jerry Douglas - Senia's Lament

Kathleen MacInnes - Oran Na Cloiche

John Smith - Great Lakes fo Love, Salty and Sweet

Sara Watkins - Be There

Dirk - Waterbound.

Tim O'Brien - Before This Time Next Year.

Phil's Air - Patty Griffin, Coming home and Truth.

John Doyle - I'll Never Let you Go,

Tunes, Leaving Friday Harbour.

Rodney Crowell - I'll gain Control Again and Leavin Louisiana

Craig Armstrong's Music

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.