Many of the pieces on this album were originally written as part of The Scots Fiddle Collection, which was comissioned by Creative Scotland and premiered at the Scots Fiddle Festival in 2007. That project's primary vision was to showcase the exceptional virtuosity and artistry of Scotland's traditional musicians to a global audience, highlighting their technical mastery and interpretative depth that often goes unrecognised beyond traditional music circles. Following in the footsteps of composers like Bartók, Mahler, Dvořák, Kodály, and Beethoven - who drew upon their respective folk traditions - these works expand traditional Scottish dance music beyond its conventional 32-bar structure. The compositions take ancient Scottish tunes as their foundation and develop them into comtemporary concert works, creating a bridge between Scotland's musical heritage and modern classical composition techniques. Simon's subsequent works share this ethos, and each composition masterfully maintatins the essential character of traditional Scottish melodies, while allowing the music to evolve in new directions. This album represents a significant contribution to the contemporary Scottish fiddle repertoire, successfully blending traditional... more
credits
released December 5, 2025

Patsy Reid - Fiddle and viola
Jack Smedley - Left-panned fiddle (track 2)
Alice Allen - Cello (tracks 3 & 9)
David Bowden - Double bass (track 3)
Seonaid Aitken - Left-panned fiddle (track 3)
Kristan Harvey - Right-panned fiddle (track 3)

Produced by Patsy Reid
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Stuart Hamilton at Castlesound
Design by Somhairle Macdonald