Fringe 2024 Caledonia theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall 14th August Review
“Caledonia” at the Space @ Surgeon’s Hall – Fleming Theatre this afternoon was obviously providing this audience of this sold out show exactly what they wanted to hear – traditional, and a few more contemporary, Scottish music and songs.
Produced and performed by Scottish duo, multi-instrumentalist Elsa McTaggart and Gary Lister, and for this show Graham McKeller on keyboards. This show is obviously targeted at a visiting Scotland/Edinburgh Fringe audience, but don’t let that put you off as here well music by Jimmy Shand, with Elsa on electric fiddle, merge seamlessly with the now iconic “Caledonia” by Dougie MacLean.
As always, with any performance from Elsa Jean McTaggart, three things are always obvious – her ability to play pretty much any stringed musical instrument (plus some non-stringed ones), an ability to always connect with an audience almost instantly, and a voice that just melts any blues that you might have for some reason away.
This show, is a perfect one for Elsa’s talents as a musician/singer and it was obvious this afternoon that she was in her perfect happy space, playing and singing traditional Scottish music to a live audience.
Some stand out vocals from Elsa today on Robert Burns “The Birks of Aberfeldy”, a song that obviously has so many warm memories of her childhood there, and one of Elsa’s own songs, “Caledonia, “I’m Coming Home”
Whether you are visiting Scotland, or from Scotland, this is a show just full of that feeling of being in a good friends home and playing music and singing songs with them.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Produced and performed by Scottish duo, multi-instrumentalist Elsa McTaggart and Gary Lister, and for this show Graham McKeller on keyboards. This show is obviously targeted at a visiting Scotland/Edinburgh Fringe audience, but don’t let that put you off as here well music by Jimmy Shand, with Elsa on electric fiddle, merge seamlessly with the now iconic “Caledonia” by Dougie MacLean.
As always, with any performance from Elsa Jean McTaggart, three things are always obvious – her ability to play pretty much any stringed musical instrument (plus some non-stringed ones), an ability to always connect with an audience almost instantly, and a voice that just melts any blues that you might have for some reason away.
This show, is a perfect one for Elsa’s talents as a musician/singer and it was obvious this afternoon that she was in her perfect happy space, playing and singing traditional Scottish music to a live audience.
Some stand out vocals from Elsa today on Robert Burns “The Birks of Aberfeldy”, a song that obviously has so many warm memories of her childhood there, and one of Elsa’s own songs, “Caledonia, “I’m Coming Home”
Whether you are visiting Scotland, or from Scotland, this is a show just full of that feeling of being in a good friends home and playing music and singing songs with them.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com