NOBODY could accuse Fiddle 2013 of not striving for exclusive performances:
Nova Scotian fiddler and pianist Troy MacGillivray and his accompanist, pianist Allan Dewar were making their only European performance here and the marvellous Finnish group Frigg drove up from Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire to make their Edinburgh debut.
And what a debut it was. As those who heard them at Celtic Connections in January will attest, Frigg ooze style and musicality, their four fiddle frontline creating a fabulously philharmonic sound on the most direct and hard hitting of polkas and other traditional dance tune styles and conjuring up madness, mischief and heart-soaring beauty seemingly at will on their more adventurous compositions.
Of these, Keidas, which translates as Oasis, was an absolute knock-out, its melody twisting with beguiling unpredictability over a lulling, questing chord progression, and Economy Class, inspired by a hangover, allegedly, demonstrated the septet's full dynamic range with springy double bass lines, acoustic rock 'n' roll guitar and elements of inspired wit, gentle melodicism and astounding virtuosity.
Theirs is a show full of entertainment, honed on the road over a dozen years or so and surely destined to make them one of the major draws on the UK folk scene.
Troy MacGillivray, on the other hand, gave a more spontaneous presentation that was none the worse for its repertoire being chosen apparently on the hoof.
This is - largely - fiddle music for dancing, with tune sets gaining momentum as they hit the key change and MacGillivray's steely, muscular fiddling style knitting tightly with Allan Dewar's romping but keenly judged piano accompaniments. There were occasional imperfections but the spirit was undeniably infectious.
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