Review: Connor Sinclair’s Piping Live! Lunchtime Recital
Connor Sinclair
Piping Live! 2022 Lunchtime Recital
National Piping Centre
1-2 pm, August 10, 2022
Reviewed by Neil Nicholson
I’d call Connor Sinclair’s Piping Live! Lunchtime Recital, “Fingers and Music.”
The Crieff-based piper’s musical and technical prowess was on show for the almost an hour, offering some respite from the blazing Glasgow sunshine.
The very warm National Piping Centre Auditorium wasn’t quite packed-out, but an appreciative audience was treated to the young (still only 26), accomplished (e.g., the Highland Society of London Gold Medal at the 2019 Northern Meeting, the 2019 Glenfiddich MSR, the 2022 Masters MSR) piper’s elite abilities.
As unassuming as ever, Sinclair talked us through his program presented on a lovely bagpipe that seemed immune to the heat.
A gentle intro with some 3/4 marches right through to a blistering hornpipe finishing with Allan MacDonald’s popular “Chloe’s Passion,” along the way showcasing competition-style strathspeys and reels, “Susan MacLeod,” “Lady Louden,” “Broadford Bay,” “Lt-Col D.J.S. Murray,” “Drumlithie,” and “The Smith of Chillichassie.” He makes it look effortless!
We were treated to the ground of the infrequently heard “Hail To My Country,” a piobaireachd with a strong melody and, of course, in line with Sinclair’s devotion to Scotland as a nation.
A favourite set for me was the swinging 2/4 marches, “The Stirlingshire Militia,” “The Knightswood Ceilidh,” and, one of his favourites, “Major Manson at Clachantrushul,” and the recital came to a lovely concluded then a selection of waltzes, strathspeys, and reels – even reprising his winning performance at the 2012 Pipe Idol final – yes, 10 years ago – leaving the audience buzzing with “The Hard Drive.”
As Connor Sinclair himself commented, it’s great to be out in a crowded auditorium after too long stuck at home.
From Dundee, Neil Nicholson was the pipe-major of the Grade 2 MacKenzie Caledonian for many years.
Great piping, but the Livestream recording of this recital was terrible. Audio and video was not in sync. For that matter, the overall technology (ease of use and fidelity) of the Livestream of PipingLive this year was very poor. Waste of the fee.