As part of the 70th anniversary of the bagad [pipe band] Raoul II of Fougères, a piobaireachd concert was held in the small church of Beaucé, Brittany, writes Clement Gallet.
The tunes were very well introduced by Pierre Gallais. He took the time to teach the general history and structure of piobaireachd, as well as introducing each individual tune and piper before they played.
Five pipers played, most of them from the bagad. The picture above is of Eric Blanchet playing the Desperate Battle.
Around a hundred people gathered to enjoy the concert. The audience included some of the local inhabitants who until this point didn’t know anything about this music.
Several pipers made the trip, including Jakez Pincet who wrote one of the piobaireachd that was played during the concert.
At the end, the piper from the bagad interpreted four Scottish marches and slow airs. The public really enjoyed the concert, and this initiative was rather unique coming from a bagad.
NEW ALBUM
Well known Breton piper and pipe maker Xavier Boderiou: I’m writing to you about a new video released a few days ago. It was shot on the Chateau du Taureau island near Morlaix, Brittany. The chateau dates from the end of the 17th century.
The video is of a suite of jigs. I composed the first one, Tess’s Jig, and readers will certainly know the two others, the Gold Ring (rearranged) and the Whitby Runaround:
These tunes will be part of my upcoming album called ‘Gwrizienn’ (‘Root’ in the Breton language). It’s a solo piping album focused on sound and technique.
Most of the tunes on the album are composed but the repertoire remains (hopefully) faithful to the great piping tradition.
Crowdfunding is launched today and will help to produce and press the album. It will be released in October 2024.
-
10 Tutor Books for Schools/ Bands/ Trade£90.00 -
Bagpiper’s Handbook – Handy Maintenance Tips£10.00 -
Pipe Chanters – Solo Poly or Solo Blackwood£130.00 – £265.00
Amazing, WOW and what a view!