Cantilena Festival on Islay 2009 Annual Report

Artistic Directors
Adrian Shepherd MBE
Angus Ramsay

Professional or student – but the concentration is the same
(Steven Shakeshaft and Caroline Sharp)

The seven distinguished professional musicians who form the core of the festival arrived on Islay on Saturday July 3rd having travelled from Kent, East Sussex, London, Aberdeen, Fife, Lanark and Glasgow. Meeting them at Islay House, the base for the week, were four advanced students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music — three Scots and one post graduate from Poland.
Intensive rehearsal began immediately — two sessions on Saturday, three on Sunday, and two on Monday. The eight string players were rehearsing so hard that they were unable to attend the opening concert given by Havilland Willshire in the Columba Centre. This was a powerful piano recital featuring the two themed composers for the festival, Haydn, who died in 1809, and Mendelssohn who was born in 1809.
It was fitting in this year of Homecoming Scotland that both had very strong connections with this country — Mendelssohn for his visits which produced the wonderfully evocative Overture Fingal's Cave, as well as his Symphony No.3 the Scottish, and Haydn who wrote the music to over 200 of Robert Burns' songs.
The recital was such a success that an encore was demanded and was duly forthcoming! This year Cantilena has received the most incredible help from a newly formed organisation of people on the island called The Friends of Cantilena on Islay (FOCI), who took over the publicity and ensured that we performed to 90% capacity audiences. Twenty strong and growing, FOCI , chaired by the hard working Catherine Wilson, has made a huge difference to the players as well as the perception that the people of Islay have of the festival.

Monday found us again in the Columba Centre Bowmore, with a welcome return to Islay, after some years, of the pianist Scott Mitchell, one of the original three Artistic directors. He added tremendous lustre with outstanding performances of the Haydn `Gipsy Rondo' piano trio and the Mendelssohn D Minor. A popular favourite — Bach's double violin concerto played by Angus Ramsay and Angus Anderson ended a splendid concert which also included the Romance and Impromptu by Sibelius.

Interested off-the-wall spectators at Islay House as the group prepare for the Scottish Homecoming

Tuesday — the Malt House Lagavulin. Haydn, Mendelssohn, Bach and the Dvorak quintet. A chance to hear the rarely performed `other' violin concerto by Mendelssohn. All the strings plus a magnificent performance by Angus Ramsay, who also was involved in some beautiful movements from Bach's The Art of Fugue. Haydn was represented by another early quartet in which the double bass took the place of the cello. Packed to the gunnels.
Wednesday was a very special Scottish Homecoming in Islay House with an all Scottish cast of composers, one dead 250 years or so was the Earl of Kelly, and two very much alive in Stephen Adam and Rory Boyle, the latter coming to Islay to hear the first performance of his work commissioned by the festival, as was Stephen Adams. A sensational evening.
Thursday found the group in the old Kiln Cafe at the Ardbeg distillery — Haydn string quartet `The Kaiser' and an outstanding performance of Mendelssohn's string quintet opus 87 in B. Standard string orchestra fare in the second half with Elgar's Serenade and Britten's Simple Symphony.

Haydn in a distillery – could anything be better ?

Friday — Bruichladdich distillery. What an experience! This was a new venue for Cantilena. The first half consisted of a performance of the Octet, written when Mendelssohn was just 15 — amazing! It has become a tradition that this iconic piece of music is played on the last night of the Festival. This work, of all the music we played during the six concerts, is the one that acts also as an invaluable teaching tool as everyone has an independent line to play. This emphasises the unique reason for the Cantilena Festival on Islay, for not only do the students have to learn, prepare and perform a different programme every night, but also both directly and by a process of symbiosis they are receiving tuition all the time. They have to learn quickly as there is no place to hide in such a small group and in such an intimate setting.

For the record, the professional musicians were:
Violins:    Angus Ramsay, Principal violin, Scottish Opera orchestra
Angus Anderson, former Leader, Scottish Opera orchestra
Viola:    Stephen Shakeshaft, former Principal, RSNO, SOO
Cello:    Adrian Shepherd, MBE, Former Principal, RSNO
D.Bass:   Paul Marrion, Principal, BBCSO (London)
Piano:    Havilland Willshire, Head of Junior Academy, RSAMD
Piano:    Scott Mitchell, Official accompanist, RSAMD

More relaxed – Angus Ramsay, Angus Anderson and Paul Marrion at Bruichladdich, Adrian Shepherd at Ardbeg

Having obtained finance from various private sources, in particular Sir John Mactaggart and the Schroder Foundation, the festival was very grateful to Argyll and Bute's contribution which enabled us to continue with the festival of children's art. In summary, one of the most successful festivals to date.

2009 Report download (.doc)- click here

Cantilena Festival on Islay is a registered charity 33071