On Saturday 29 August, the young Scottish bass-baritone Michael Mofidian had the second of two rehearsals in St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Milngavie, for a recording to be made the following week at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. Michael was brought up in Milngavie and studied at Cambridge University and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, has won several prizes, and is tipped to be an international opera star of the future.
The Edinburgh-based classical record company Delphian is making a CD of songs of songs by Glasgow-born composer Erik Chisholm (1904-1965), who was an important figure in Glasgow music between the wars. After the war he was appointed Professor of Music at the University of Cape Town and stayed there until he died, leaving a legacy of concertos, symphonies, piano music, operas and songs. Much of his music has been recorded, mostly funded by the Erik Chisholm Trust, but this new CD will be the first major recording of his songs. Three singers, all Scottish, will share the songs on the CD, with Glasgow-born Iain Burnside as pianist. Iain is one of Britain’s best-known piano accompanists, working with many leading singers and performing around the world. He regularly presents programmes on BBC Radio 3.
The Erik Chisholm Trust was founded by his daughter to promote interest in his music. Its current chairman is another Milngavie resident, Hugh Macdonald, formerly Director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The CD will come out some time next year.
