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Title: SHOALS OF HERRING

Reference number: 11309

Date: 1993, December 6

Sound: sound

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 20.02 mins

Description: A recording of Scottish Ballet performing Shoals of Herring at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee, on 6 December 1993. [Children's voices can be heard in the audience and it is possible this particular performance was a school's matinee].

Shoals of Herring has four movements:
First movement: set to the songs Shoals of Herring, composed in the 1960s by Ewan McColl and specially recorded by Dick Gaughan.
Second movement: An authentic Gaelic waulking song, sung by Christina Shaw and the women of Harris, and used to accompany the shrinking of the tweed.
Third Movement: Magdalen Green is a beautiful traditional love song recently collected from the singing of Eck Harley of Cupar, Fife, sung by Rod Sinclair and Kontraband.
Fourth movement: Willie Fraser of Aberlour, Banffshire, ‘diddles’ a set of Scottish tunes for dancing – Strathspey, Schottische, Hornpipe Reel.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation provided financial assistance in commissioning Shoals of Herring. Shoals of Herring was first performed by The Scottish Ballet at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on 20 October 1983, and has been recorded in Benesh Movement notional by Kristin Johnson (STA SB Box 10/50a)

Please note this is a copy of the raw capture of the original analogue video for preservation and as such may display defects such as dropout, washed out colour and sound fluctuation.

Credits: [Choreography: Royston Maldoom
Music: Magdalen Green, Rod Sinclair and Kontraband]

Shotlist: Performance: 00.24-19.06
Curtain call: 19.17-19.45.