Album of the Week – Fraser Fifield – One Great Circle

Multi-instrumentalist and low whistle virtuoso, FRASER FIFIELD continues his series of recordings featuring his ultra-expressive low D whistle playing in trio settings with One Great Circle.

This is the tenth album in this remarkably versatile musician’s prolific career.

Fraser Fifield

Composed with Fifield’s long-time friends, harper Catriona McKay and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout in mind, the album is an exciting collaboration inspired by the Aberdeen-born storyteller, ballad singer, author, piper and member of a prominent traveller family, Stanley Robertson.

Chris Stout and Catriona McKay

Although Fifield never met Robertson, who died in 2009, the two have Aberdeenshire roots and an upbringing in the piping tradition in common.

Fifield is also sympathetic to many of Robertson’s thoughts on reincarnation, to which the album title refers.

It’s the second album to emerge during Fifield’s three-year tenure as
Traditional Musician in Residence at the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies.

With access to Tobar an Dualchais, Scotland’s online resource dedicated to the presentation and promotion of audio recordings of Scotland’s cultural heritage, Fifield was able to get to know Robertson through interviews held in this extensive collection.

He will be talking with Liz Clark on our Album of the Week Show today at midday about this exciting musical adventure.

• ALBUM OF THE WEEK SHOW – Fraser Fifield in conversation about ‘One Great Circle’ with Liz Clark – 12 noon to 1 pm – Saturday, June 1, 2024.

https://fraserfifield.com/