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The name of Thomas
Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie
(and Lord Pittenweem) is little enough
known today. That is other than perhaps
to those cognoscenti in the East Neuk
of Fife who frequented the concerts
at the Reid School in Edinburgh where,
together with the lesser General Reid,
his name was kept alive. Yet in his
day (born 1732) he was held in very
high regard as a musician, a violinist
and composer – and at the same time
notorious for his irresponsible life-style,
dying at the age of 49. (See David Johnson’s
"Music and Society in Lowland Scotland
in the 18th century", 2nd
edition. The Mercat Press, 2003. pp.
68-84)
An exact contemporary
of Haydn, his London musical ‘coming
out’ took place on his return from the
Grand Tour during which he had taken
lessons from Stamitz and had embraced
the then novel disciplines of the Mannheim
style. Described by Thomas Robertson:
"this great composer has employed himself
chiefly upon symphonies, but in a style
peculiar to himself, while others please
and amuse it is his province to rouse
and almost to overset his hearers. Loudness
rapidity and enthusiasm announce the
Earl of Kellie!"
Very little of Kellie’s
music is still extant – a good proportion
of it on this recording. It is however
representative enough of the young composer
- much of his late work lost - to appreciate
something of his stature. The concert
here includes the highly successful
B flat Overture "The Maid of the Mill"
– a thoroughly attractive work, the
fine A major Quartet (reviewed in these
columns in performance by the Edinburgh
Quartet ), Trio Sonatas and two beautifully
sung vocal items – all showing something
of more than considerable promise for
mature development. If we are unable
today to assess what might have been,
then it should not lessen our enjoyment
of this selection played with warm enthusiasm
by Concerto Caledonia. A glimpse of
the less serious ‘Fiddler Tam’ as he
was popularly known, is Lord Kelly’s
Reel even though followed here by a
melancholy Largo reflection upon death.
The disc concludes with the 6th
of the Trio Sonatas, the flute replacing
the violin which "sings away as happily
as a bird in Springtime" in the words
of John Purser’s eminently readable
and informative notes.
Colin Scott-Sutherland
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Concerto Caledonia/David McGuiness