No offense to those of you trying to make a buck, but bagpipes really do sound incredible if they’re not being played by that guy on the street corner downtown.
And the place where you’ll find incredible-sounding bagpipes, drummers and fiddlers, not to mention gorgeous dancers, is tonight at the 10th annual Masters of Scottish Arts Concert at Benaroya Hall.
“These are literally the virtuosos of the genre,” said Neil Hubbard, the show’s producer.
Seeing these musicians play is like seeing Eric Clapton play guitar or Wynton Marsalis play the trumpet.
“If you appreciate great music, be there,” Hubbard said.
For those who don’t know the difference between the best and those pipers who march in a community band, here’s the tip: Think of a kid learning violin and then think of Itzhak Perlman.
“You are going to hear really good tone from the instrument, hear expression and technical execution from the player … you’ll hear a real balanced, pleasant sound that’s all in tune and not sort of screeching,” Hubbard said.
“It’s a beautiful instrument, an emotionally evocative instrument and dramatic, and when it’s played well, it can be very moving,”
The Masters of Scottish Arts Concert brings the world’s best, Hubbard said. “Everybody who plays is the cream of the crop in the industry.”
Here are some examples:
* Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies, from Scotland, is director of Carnegie Mellon University’s piping program.
* Willie McCallum, from Scotland, holds the record for winning the Glennfiddich Piping Championship seven times.
* Deryck Mitchelson, from Scotland, has won more than 150 major titles including six World Championships, eight Scottish National titles and six Champion of Champion titles.
* Calum MacKinnon, of Edmonds, is sought after worldwide as a performer and teacher.
* Pipe Major Roddy MacLeod from Scotland, is principal of Scotland’s National Piping Centre.
Besides hearing this caliber of performers, the audience will hear a range of music, from Scottish standards to the centuries-old style called piobaireachd, pronounced “pea-brock.”
Hubbard said the audience also will hear new stuff. Piper Bruce Gandy, who just put out his fourth volume of music, adds his own new works to his repertoire, Hubbard said.
“I think it’s important for people to know that they are not hearing stuff that is 200 years old only,” he said.
7:30 tonight, Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle. $23, $29, $32. 206-292-ARTS, www.masteryofscottisharts.org.
The Mastery of Scottish Arts is a nonprofit group whose mission is to develop and preserve Scottish arts, said Hubbard, who is also on the group’s board of directors.
It used to be that the venue for these concerts was a church basement where 20 or 30 people showed up. Now the concerts at Benaroya Hall draw more than 2,300 people, he said.
Hubbard is hoping for some more newcomers tonight who are willing to hear something unique and incredible.
“People’s taste in music is broadening,” Hubbard said. “People are more willing to take a chance to try something.”
Arts writer Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Bob Dunshire photo
LEFT: Dancer Michelle Nadeau performs.
Tom Edwards photo
BELOW: Canadian bagpiper Jack Lee performs.
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