Balfour @ 200

[UPDATED: 0645 Sunday 23 October 2011]
On Friday night, a project I have been working on for a couple of months came to a conclusion, with the performance in the Drawing Room at Balfour Castle, Shapinsay of Balfour @ 200, a musical evening on the occasion of the 200th birthday of David Balfour, 4th laird of Balfour and Trenaby. Balfour commissioned David Bryce to build the Castle in 1846, and transformed agriculture in Shapinsay; he also endowed the Balfour Hospital in 1845, and was involved in various public works in Kirkwall before his death in 1886. Balfour also published a collection of songs, Ancient Orkney Melodies (in 1885) and the event used several of the songs from the collection to punctuate the story of Balfour's life.


I was very fortunate to be working with David McCowan Hill, Bruce Mainland (musical director & recorder), Dave Grieve (pictured above, as David Balfour), Fiona Driver (fiddle) & Graham Simpson (guitar), Sarah Jane Gibbon (voice) & Bob Gibbon (accordion), Lesley Poulton (recorder & piano), Laura Grieve & Jenepher Devlin (costumes) and Neil Kermode; with assistance on the day from Nic Thake (present day factor at the Castle, who played Marcus Calder, Balfour's factor), Sean Lewis (of Magnetic North Films) and Leslie Burgher. The reaction from those who came to the Castle for the performance was very pleasing.

[UPDATE: 06:45 Sunday 23 October 2011:
I took the pictures above during our rehearsals on Friday afternoon. Over the weekend, there have been some really intersting photos appearing of the event itself. The irrepressible John Ross Scott has uploaded his pictures to Facebook, including Neil Kermode's brilliant interpretation (delivered on the ferry across to Shapinsay, as a resurrected Telford!) of 200 years of development at Kirkwall Pier since Thomas Telford's original 1811 design . Christopher Gee has uploaded (also to Facebook) some charming pictures depicting a letter he has in his possesion, dated 14 Feb, circa 1841. The letter was sent from Edinburgh by David Balfour to his wife, Eleanor, who was in Shapinsay. Christopher took the letter to the event on Friday night, back to where it was originally addressed!]

Sarah Jane Gibbon found an appropriate tune in the archive at the Orkney Library & Archive. After I transcribed it from sol-fa, I had the opportunity to include one of my favourite musical forms in the script:

From Scene 5 of Balfour @ 200
as performed at Balfour Castle on Friday 21 October 2011

[MUSIC: The Departure of the Secession Kirk Elders, with their Families]

Scottish Paraphrases, 1781, Paraphrase 22, verses 3, 5-6, 8; From Isiah 40: 28-end

Art thou afraid his power shall fail || When comes thy evil day?
And can an all-creating arm || Grow weary or decay?

He gives the conquest to the weak, || Supports the fainting heart;
And courage in the evil hour || His heavenly aids impart.

Mere human power shall fast decay, || And youthful vigour cease;
But they who wait upon the Lord || In strength shall still increase.

On eagles wings they mount, they soar, || Their wings are faith and love,
Till, past the cloudy regions here, || They rise to heaven above.