Blas 2011 enjoys "best ever" opening weekend
A PACKED opening weekend at Blas 2011 has been described by organisers as the best ever in terms of audience numbers and performances.
The weekend programme of the annual festival which celebrates Highland music and the Gaelic language was marked by sell-out performances delivered to critical acclaim in various venues throughout the region.
And the response of audiences to a string of events which were singled out for special praise is set to further enhance the reputation of the Highland’s premier cultural festival.
Blas 2011 was opened in spectacular fashion in Beauly with a new commission – Heisgeir – from Gaelic singing sensation Julie Fowlis in the Phipps Hall, on Friday evening and then Torridon Village Hall on Saturday. Both were sell-outs and proved a major hit with audiences.
Donna MacRae, Director of Blas 2011 said, "The show Julie Fowlis produced through the new commission was superb. It was technically challenging given that it was a Gaelic performance sub-titled in English, using film and a live band. The audience in Beauly was simply stunned and we have already been approached by a number of people who have asked whether we could have the whole thing turned into a film. It was visually and musically brilliant and the reception it has received is testament to Julie’s well-deserved reputation as one of the most accomplished and talented performers to have emerged in generations."
Donna said that Friday night in particular was unprecedented with shows at Roy Bridge, Beauly and the Ptarmigan restaurant on Cairngorm sold out.
On Saturday night there were very healthy audiences in Portree and Inverness.
"This is all a great tribute to the artistes themselves, the volunteers who have helped stage everything behind the scenes and indeed to the audiences who have continued to back Blas as a concept which delivers the highest quality of events across a wide range of venues and involving stellar lists of performers," she said.
"We are very proud of the fact that whether it be in a village hall or in the splendour of Eden Court, the top of Cairngorm or the middle of Loch Ness, we can attract very good audiences. It’s a great start and we now look forward to the rest of the festival and further highlights."
This year’s Blas festival will deliver nearly 100 cultural events up until September 17.
The second of the two new commissions to feature at Blas 2011, Balach na Bonaid (The Boy and the Bunnet), will be premiered at Eden Court on Tuesday 13 September. The performance has been described as the folk world’s answer to "Peter and the Wolf".
The Karen Matheson Band will play at the Lochcarron Village Hall on Wednesday September 14 with pupils from the Plockton School of Excellence in Traditional Music.
The Outside Track at Portmahomack’s Carnegie Hall on Friday September 16 will perform with Fiona J MacKenzie and Feis Rois. Its gig on Saturday at Poolewe Hall will feature Eoghan MacLeod.
High on the list of events still to come is "Hallaig", a musical celebration of the poetry of Sorley MacLean featuring compositions by Stuart MacRae, Mary Ann Kennedy, Eilidh Mackenzie, Marie-Louise Napier, Allan Macdonald, Blair Douglas, Donald Shaw, Allan Henderson and musical director Kenneth Thomson.
Hallaig is being staged to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sorley MacLean, in conjunction with Urras Shomhairle. Performers at Inverness Cathedral on Friday September 16 and Sabhal Mòr Òstaig on Skye on Saturday September 17 include Dingwall Gaelic Choir.
The full programme and information about several ways in which to buy tickets for the remainder of the festival are available from the festival website http://www.blas-festival.com.