The sun was setting low over Duart Castle, the CalMac fleet criss-crossed the Sound of Mull and, through a midge-infested twilight, strains of Bruckner and Mozart filtered up from the grand banqueting hall below.
This was the annual Mendelssohn on Mull festival, so-called after Felix Mendelssohn's famous trip to the Hebrides in 1829, and special because it does more than simply parachute nice concerts into posh places.
There is that too, but the emphasis here is on developing young professional musicians in an environment that's low-risk and fun. The festival is part-summer school, part-concert series for a hand-picked bunch of burgeoning players who have just finished or are nearing the end of their formal training. They come here to soften the harsh jolt between music student and freelance musician.
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