Concerto Caledonia
Scottish: new and old
Concerto Caledonia is Scotland's early music group, bringing to life the classical and traditional music of the nation’s history.
The group’s seven CD recordings include Robert Burns' songs in their original versions, classical symphonies from Fife, early Scots fiddle music, and the unique sound of 18th-century Scottish-Italian crossover. Its contemporary recordings include music by Frank Zappa, Astor Piazzolla, Daniel Johnston and The Buzzcocks. The album Mungrel Stuff was a Sunday Times Record of the Year, and besides appearing regularly on BBC Radio 3, the group has also been broadcast on Radios 1, 2, and 4.
Recent live collaborations have included Bach’s St John Passion with guest director Mark Padmore, an appearance at Celtic Connections' Jamaican Burns Night with Future Pilot AKA and Edwyn Collins, and the story of Orpheus with extreme cabaret trio The Tiger Lillies at the Edinburgh International Festival, a programme which the group have since toured to Denmark and France. At the 2009 Festival Concerto Caledonia presented ‘The Caledonia Sessions’, four concerts of historical Scottish music with guests including James Gilchrist, Martin Carthy and Katharine Fuge. In August 2010 Delphian will release a live CD Late Night Sessions, taken from these concerts.
