Jane Nicolson provides a review of last Sunday's performance at the Cathedral of the Isles, and looks forward to this Sunday's concert.

Last Sunday an enthusiastic audience in the Cathedral of The Isles were treated to a recital by Calum Robertson a wonderful young musician. The music he chose was a mixture of old and new and he played at different times on a clarinet and on the Cathedral's organ. We heard modern Scottish music by Sir James MacMillan (part of the St Andrews Suite for organ) and Eddie McGuire (Ae Fond Kiss - a fascinating piece using traditional tunes set in a modern way for organ). For unaccompanied clarinet, Calum performed a new piece "Pibroch" by the Spanish composer Marcos Fernández which became progressively more scatty and virtuosic as the music climbed to dizzy heights before swooping back to the depths - it was breathtaking. Calum also played organ music by Bach and 19th century French composers and ended his recital with an exciting performance of Dubois's famous Toccata in G.

On Sunday the 26th of July, we are privileged to have a visit form virtuoso London pianist Angela Brownridge. A well known concert pianist and recitalist both in the UK and abroad, she is preparing to make a new recording of Romantic piano music and Cumbrae is lucky enough to be the venue where she will give public performances of the music she will soon be recording. Her programme will include two of the cornerstones of nineteenth century piano repertoire - the exquisite late E major Sonata of Beethoven, Op 109, and the dramatic and virtuosic first Ballade of Chopin. These two works were written within ten years of each other and yet they show totally different ways of writing for the wonderful new piano of that age. A concert not to be missed.