The Distil Showcase is on Friday 10th April 2015 in Stirling Tolbooth, 8pm. The concert will feature 10 new pieces of music written by composers who have taken part in the Distil Residential. The music will be performed by the fabulous Mr McFall’s Chamber. You can buy a ticket here. Read more about the Showcase here.
Callum Armstrong has written the piece “Borderline”. Here is some information on it.
I have recently been experimenting with bagpipes in an ensemble setting, and I thought that the Distil Showcase would be a perfect opportunity to explore this idea further. As a piper I am used to writing in one tonal centre and not digressing from it. This is mainly due to the drone, which in itself is also one of the factors that makes putting a bagpipe in an ensemble a difficult thing to do. This piece has pushed me to try and explore the bagpipes capability to shift between keys during a piece, as well as exploring the chromatic potential of the instrument.
‘Borderline’ is inspired by the train journey I make from Kings cross to Waverly once a month. I took inspiration from the monotonous rattling of the train on the rails, and the multifarious nature of the scenery visible from the East Coast line as you relentlessly progress North. An urban sprawl changes into ramshackle allotments or sweeping pastures in a flash, and a seemingly summery day transforms into a murky drizzle.
Read more about Distil.