The Curious Collection
Govan Old Church 24/7/26
Mhairi Lawson, voice; Aaron MacGregor, violin; Allison McGillivray, baroque cello; Will Cole, harpsichord
From Scots Tunes to Handel’s Messiah: the musical lives of Charles Macklean
In Govan, last Friday night was early music night.This was the first of six concerts crammed into the weekend of the third annual Glasgow Barons Early Music Festival. As the Festival’s founder and Artistic Director Paul MacAlindin explained, “In just two years we’ve established Govan as a centre for Scottish excellence in early music [and] we support more of Scotland’s emerging artists, passionate about performing early music with real artistic insight, using instruments of the era.” The Festival prides itself on inviting Scottish artists to perform, with a mixture of established artists and young musicians just beginning their professional lives.
The first concert saw the debut of The Curious Collection, a brand new early music ensemble made up of established artists. It’s the brainchild of music researcher and violinist Aaron MacGregor, and the programme came from his research into Charles Macklean (c.1712-1745) a hitherto little-known Scottish violinist, organist, and composer whose career took him from Scotland to England and Ireland, where he played the organ at the Dublin premiere of Handel’s ‘Messiah’. Between the pieces Aaron MacGregor told us about Macklean’s life and musical career.
The evening began with the stirring 'Rejoice Greatly’ from ‘Messiah’ by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), as soprano Mhairi Lawson’s pure, liquid tones made us all sit up in our seats. Next came a rather lower tune in several ways, ‘The Black Joke’ (anonymous, arranged by Aaron McGregor), with its bawdy lyrics about an Italian acrobat cleaned up for a modern audience. This was followed by instrumental variations on the tune by Charles Macklean, the intricate violin melody dancing over the accompanying drone of the cello and harpsichord. Macklean’s compositions owed much to both the classical and refined Italian style and the earthier Scottish style, and sometimes to both at the same time. Next we heard the lively ‘Vivace’ from the ‘Cello Sonata in C major Op.1 No.9’ for cello and harpsichord continuo by Lorenzo Bocchi (fl.1725), an Italian composer who probably knew Macklean in Scotland. Then we heard Macklean’s compact, elegant, and sprightly one-movement ‘Violin Sonata in A minor, Op.1 No.4’, probably written for himself, with ornamentation by the composer and by Aaron MacGregor.
Mhairi Lawson rejoined the ensemble for the well-known ditty 'Twas Within a Furlong of Edinburgh Town’ written by Henry Purcell (1659-1695) for the play ‘The Mock Marriage’ in London but adopted enthusiastically by the Scots. Then we heard the instrumental ‘Variations Sonata’ by Macklean on the tune in dance style. During the interval I had a (free) cup of tea, visited the historically informed portaloo, marvelled at the millennia-old Govan Stones crouched in the side aisle of the church, and browsed the secondhand bookstall at the rear of the nave. Refreshed, relieved, and with a bag bulging with books I resumed my seat for the second part of the concert, which began with 'I Know That My Redeemer Liveth' from Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Mhairi Lawson’s voice soaring effortlessly above us. The three instruments then gave us Charles Macklean’s ‘Variations on the Gavotta from Corelli's Violin Sonata Op.5 No.9’, first playing the original tune and then taking off in ever more elaborate variations.
’The Birks of Invermay’ a traditional Scots song by James Oswald (c.1710-1769) was followed by Charles Macklean’s ‘Variation Sonata’ on the tune.
Next came the dramatic song ‘Va Mancator di Fe' (‘Go, faithless one’) by Macklean, taken from a manuscript discovered in his London house. It had not been performed since the 18th century, and possibly not even then. So a modern, and possibly a world, premiere. Not bad, Govan, not bad.
Finally we were exalted by 'Let the Bright Seraphim' from Handel’s ‘Samson’, with the violin taking the usual ringing trumpet part. We left the church suitably uplifted. As the enthusiastic audience in the well-filled pews attested, this is a great early music weekend. It’s definitely a local festival, but it’s not just for local people. All are welcome here. It’s already in my diary for next year.
The Glasgow Barons: https://www.glasgowbarons.com/
The Curious Collection: https://curiouscollection.co.uk/
