13th February 2023
A stripped back celebration of Verdi’s extensive career. The Verdi Collection is not, says conductor Stuart Stratford, a “superior range of M&S chocolates”. It acts, instead, as a series of highlights from Verdi’s exhaustive career (27 operas in total), a kind of Verdiad. The setting at City Halls is caught halfway between concert hall and ...
10th February 2023
Reinventing old folk songs, the trio of established musicians project their chemistry to an ecstatic audience. Last Sunday, Bonny Light Horseman returned to Celtic Connections for a second time following their festival debut in 2020. The three members who form the core of the group are each well-established musicians in their own right: in addition ...
9th February 2023
Suede play to a room of 300 fans as part of Independent Venue Week by BBC Radio 6. The insatiable ones congregated in glory as a sea of forty-somethings filled the floor of Stereo last Friday night. To mark the 10-year celebration of BBC Radio 6’s Independent Venue Week, Steve Lamacq hosted events across the ...
6th February 2023
High energy and good vibes only from the New York based group. In the heart of the east end, a stone’s throw from the Barrowlands and the Glasgow Green, the crowd flooding out of St. Luke’s was all smiles. The energy was high, and an overwhelming sense of positivity and optimism was palpable. For those ...
6th February 2023
Troll Techno and more as the thriving duo play one of the headline weekend slots. Celtic Connections is not just about honouring Scottish music. It is also about finding solidarity, and celebrating cultural and musical connections with musicians from across the globe. This concert was no exception. The performance opened with a classically inspired Celtic, ...
6th February 2023
Whatever your relationship status this year, you can find comfort in a good book. As we approach Valentine’s Day, what books should we be reading? Is there a set list for everyone: the hopeless romantic, loved up couple, or even the cynic, or is this something more flexible? Well, these are the recommendations that make ...
6th February 2023
The song circle at The Theatre Royal encapsulates connection. For my final concert of the 2023 rendition of Celtic Connections, I was thrilled to attend the Song Circle, a collaborative concert which included Mary Chapin Carpenter, Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis & Robert Vincent. The performance took place at the Theatre Royal, a beautiful venue with ...
6th February 2023
Americana meets Drygate Brewery: Celtic Connections remains impressive in its ability to fuse. A major part of this year’s festival was devoted to Americana music – folk, blues, jazz and country being only some examples of all that this term encompasses. The American roots music, as the genre is also known by, has clear similarities ...
6th February 2023
Spirituality meets classical music in this mesmerising performance. When choosing what events to attend for this year’s Celtic Connections, I made a conscious decision to include as diverse of a musical selection as possible, honouring the festival’s intercultural composition. One such multicultural performance was the Orchestral Qawwali. The product of writer and composer Rushil and ...
6th February 2023
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland display their student talent. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Glasgow folk, roots and world music festival known as Celtic Connections. Filled with diverse talent, the annual festival showcases the collaborative nature of music and its key role in the celebration of culture. While the festival boasts spectacular ...
