ONE of the most versatile musicians working in Scotland today is to release an album inspired by Orcadian writers such as George Mackay Brown.
A prolific and highly trained classical violinist, grass-roots fiddler, composer, and vocalist, Catriona Price is passionate about breaking down genre barriers and has collaborated across art forms and cultures in much of her work.
Born in Orkney into a musical household, she grew up in a community with a rich traditional fiddle tradition. Alongside this, and regular exposure to classical music through her parents, Catriona was also influenced by pop and indie artists such as Imogen Heap, Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.
Her new album Hert (Orcadian for heart) will be released at a Celtic Connections performance next month and draws on a rich variety of influences including Bjork, Chris Thile, The Gloaming and Anna Meredith.
“Through the piece, I wanted to explore the changing meaning of ‘home’ – to delve into what my motherland of Orkney means to me now that I’m looking upon it with adult eyes,” said Price (above). “The parts of it I love and celebrate, am proud of, am disillusioned by, things I didn’t notice when I was a child growing up in the island bubble, and the things that I miss.
“In my own composition work the doors are wide open – I try to write whatever my subconscious feels, to dig deep to try and find whatever it is that the music needs and all the while keeping my ears open and learning from the musicians I admire, the stories I’m inspired by, and the world around me.”
A suite in nine movements for nine musicians, Hert is inspired by George Mackay Brown’s iconic Orcadian writing and seven more Orcadian writers representing the contrasting perspective making up the rich tapestry of Orkney life – non-stereotypical characters that may not immediately spring to mind when thinking of a small island community.
The writers include Pam Beasant, Kevin Cormack, Harry Josephine Giles, Yvonne Gray and Margaret Tait. Hert sets work from these writers to music, and also includes two instrumentals inspired by books written by Luke Sutherland and Laura Watts.
A founding member of Orcadian folk quartet Fara, co-artistic director of string ensemble Thirteen North, and one half of contemporary folk duo Twelfth Day, Price has won the Hands up For Trad Ignition Award and the German Critics Choice Award as well as nominations in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and Scottish Awards for New Music.
The album will be launched on January 27.
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