By Duncan Watson This year’s Ballater Highland Games gave us a day to remember for a couple of reasons. It started with a presentation to Norman Matheson MBE, a judge at Ballater for over 40 years. Norman has been a kenspeckle figure at the Deeside games, including Ballater and beyond, for, as indicated, over four decades. In his professional life he was a consultant surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He was…
Thankfully the sun shone through occasionally on the Saturday of the World Championships and we avoided rain apart from some drizzle during the morning, but in general it was rather cold and not the ideal conditions for tuning and playing. Compared to the Friday, the difference in the atmosphere within Glasgow Green was quite dramatic with the buzz from all the bands and spectators, and a gradual build-up of people…
I think the old football cliché of a ‘game of two halves’ neatly sums up Field Marshal Montgomery’s ‘Impact’ concert last night at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Whilst never falling below the standard of excellence we have come to expect from this band, there was something almost reticent in their delivery in the first. But maybe they, like the audience, were befuddled by booming bass – and I mean booming….
I didn’t think Saturday’s Grade 1 contest was reflected in the way the summaries eventually showed. For me there were three bands in the mix for first at Dumbarton: Field Marshal, St Laurence and Inveraray. The title could have gone to either one and no one could have complained. That said, Inveraray’s four straight first places tells its own story and I bow to the superior insight and positioning of…
I am not sure the prestige of Inveraray Games is helped by the pipers being given their piobaireachd a week before the contest. It makes things easier all round for the competitors but is much less of a test. Compare it with Braemar where it’s eight tunes, the chosen piece given at the bench. Promoters often justify the ‘early tune’ decision by saying it cuts down the number of breakdowns….
Recent Comments