Rückert and Kindertotenlieder by Britten, Mahler, Longworth, Pärt, pet. 26 jun. 2015, Od (2015/2015), Dirigent Tomas Leakey, Dornoch Cathedral, Dornoch, United Kingdom

One of the most exciting and virtuosic local ensembles, the Mahler Players have been bringing our mini versions of Gustav Mahler’s greatest works to the Highlands for almost two years and have built up a loyal following. In our most recent set of concerts we performed two of Mahler’s best-loved song cycles. Also on the menu were Britten’s early but already distinctive Sinfonietta and Pärt’s hypnotising Fratres, famous for its use in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. In our first foray into contemporary music we were priviliged to work with dynamic young Scottish composer Peter Longworth, on a new commission, ‘Pan’s Caprice’. We were delighted to invite back two wonderful soloists with whom we collaborated in 2014 – the mezzo-soprano Laura Kelly McInroy and the baritone Douglas Nairne – to continue the cycle of Mahler’s extraordinary vocal works. We returned to two familiar venues in Dornoch and Nairn and presented our first performance in Inverness itself, in the OneTouch Theatre at Eden Court.