Martyn Bennett was truly a one off. Born in Newfoundland and raised in Scotland he quickly became an outstanding piper and went on to study classical music and composition. His passion for traditional music and culture, and a fascination with dance music and it’s culture, were brilliantly fused together on his 2003 iconic album ‘GRIT’. It was a record that was to be his swansong.
More than a decade on, the Grit Orchestra have convened to set this extraordinary piece of work to a full orchestration, which premiered at the opening night of Celtic Connections in 2015 and winning the Scots Trad Award for Event of the Year. In the words of the orchestra’s leader, Greg Lawson, Grit was a record “that hit me right in the face, like a comedy shovel”. It had such a visceral impact, an iconoclastic statement that took no prisoners nor paid any lip service. Greg’s score, exuberantly played by the orchestra, is a stirring salute to, and celebration of, a truly inspirational and innovative young man.
You now have two opportunities to hear this piece again.
Womad – Main Stage – Friday 29th July
Edinburgh International Festival – 23rd August 2016
Keep uptodate with all the Martyn Bennett Trust news at www.martynbennett.com