By Terry Jones
Robbie Bums was guest of honour in Chemainus on 25 January, if only in spirit. The town's beautiful theatre buzzed with international and local notables who came to pay tribute to the Bard of Scotland. And what a tribute it was! The theatre was ablaze with tartans, as the cream of the local and Victoria Scottish communities attended, welcomed by the patron of the evening. Dr. Gordon, the Baron of Prestoungrange, resplendent in scarlet Baronial robes.
The pipes and drums of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) began the evening with a flourish. Attired in full ceremonial dress uniforms, they lined the curved staircase of the theatre and played the guests into the dining room, where the Bums Night dinner was held. There the well known local Scottish personality and tenor John Davidson, as Chairman, held sway over the dinner "s proceedings beginning with a dramatic "Address to the Haggis";he also gave a fine rendition of two Bums songs. Bishop Crawley said the Selkirk Grace. Then the Haggis was piped in by the Regimental Pipers, and guarded by two braw, scarlet-coated soldiers brandishing claymores, in case anyone attacked the Haggis. During the fine dinner laid out for the guests, Susan Smedley played Scottish airs on the piano. Wannabe Scotsman Terry (Mac) Jones, who used Bums' own words to salute the ladies, gave the "Toast to the Lassies". Nancy Johnston delivered a fitting "Reply to the Laddies". The "Immortal Memory" was delivered by Roy Kennedy in his own inimitable style. Alex Proven, a name familiar to the readers of these pages, then provided proof of Burns' genius mentioned by Roy, by reading from Bums'
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poetry. He finished the dinner with a fine flourish reading "Scots,
wha hac wi Wallace bled". The Baron, his wife Lady Avril and his son
Baron Dolphinstoun were then piped to the theatre, followed by the
other guests. The concert that followed the dinner featured the Victoria Gaelic Choir, the Lynne Grifiths Highland Dancers and the Pipes and Drums of the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's). It began on a high note with a stirring medley of Scottish airs performed by the pipes and drums, which was followed by a superb performance of a Highland Dance solo by Loren Macklin. The Gaelic Choir then drew on its considerable resources to perform several songs in Gaelic, a highlight of which was a haunting duet by Maureen Campbell and Marlene MacDonald Cheng, giving the lie to the fable that the MacDonald's can't work with the Campbells. |
The well-known Victoria soprano Norma Selwood beautifully sang Bums' songs "My love is like a red red rose" and "Comin' through the Rye", the latter touched with a mischievous humour. Then Michelle Steeves gave a barnstorming display of fiddling, which brought down the house.
An interesting but little known fact of Scottish history is that for a period of time the English overlords forbade the Scots to use the bagpipes, thinking in this way not only to do away with this formidable musical instrument but, as well, to curb Scottish culture by cutting off Scottish dancing. The English reasoned that no bagpipes meant no music to dance to. They were wrong. The Scots continued dancing, singing the music. The Gaelic choir teamed up with a group of Lynne Griffith's charming dancers to illustrate this historical approach. The Choir sang a Strathspe, Reel, Fling and Jig while the dancers danced. Very entertaining.
In honour of the Baron's presence, the Gaelic choir found a song mocking the English General who, in the 1700s, had lost to the Scots the battle of Prestonpans, the Baron's hometown. They sang the song "Jonnie Cope" in an arrangement by the Choir's Musical Director, Douglas Hodgkinson.
A highlight of the concert was a spectacular dance performed by young dancers with eight broadswords, to the music of the full contingent of the pipes and drums. The ceremonial uniforms and the costumes of the dancers filled the stage with colour, movement and melody. A fantastic combination.
The concert finished with an audience sing- a-long of Bums songs, led by the choir, followed
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