IT had been eight years since the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra had graced a stage in York, but they were back once again set for a lively night of fiddle playing on Saturday.

A traditional fiddle orchestra founded in 1980 by John Mason, who died in 2011, the SFO aims to promote the finest standards of Scottish fiddle playing. Now it seems to have taken on a global role, judging by the world tours. Given all of this travel it is still commendable that each member gives freely of their time and only seeks to please and be appreciated by the audience.

The show opened with the orchestra taking to the stage and then a lone piper, Andrew Brodie, from Troon, walked through the auditorium playing a traditional air that was haunting and patriotic. The audience immediately started to clap in time.

The SFO then struck up with several pieces including a mid-tempo barn dance entitled Dancie Shuttleworth. They comprised many fiddles, as you would expect, possibly 50 or so, accordions, drums, percussion (timpani, kettle drums, marching bass drum), double basses, cellos, flutes and a piano.

The sound engineers did an excellent job setting the overall mix of the “miked-up” drum kit to the acoustic level of the orchestra. The drum kit cut through the mix well, ensuring the fiddles and orchestra were not over-powering in their presence.

Next up was tenor Dennis Haggerty whose vocals were effortless as he sang a couple of numbers including Thistle Of Scotland: a gay Gordon, slightly up-tempo piece. While his performance was a joy, the dry effects on his vocals left them a little lacking in warmth. A touch more reverb or pre-delay would have given more depth.

Mezzo soprano Arlene Rolph soon took to the stage, making her debut with the SFO. One of her songs was The Last Rose Of Summer, a beautiful rolling piece that contained great dynamics and showed her vocal capabilities. Again, however, the microphone set-up did not do her justice. In the second half, the issue with the microphone seemed to have been resolved and the vocals had a livelier feel. Throughout, compere Jim McColl kept the audience entertained with jokes and anecdotes.

The second half opened with the City of York Pipe Band accompanying the SFO. This gave the whole auditorium a vibrant feel. They were also joined by Scottish dancers who added a wonderful visual aspect.

They were followed by the SFO Glee Club who sang comical and raucous drinking-type songs.

The night continued with the SFO playing some beautiful pieces and accompanying the vocalists once again. This superb concert has been a definitive celebration of Scottish traditional music here in the heart of Yorkshire.

Review by Jason Chinnian