Alison Balsom, trumpeter extraordinary - Lammermuir Festival

The village of Inveresk, tucked away at the back of Musselburgh, is a hidden gem, not well-known even to many of East Lothian’s own residents. But its magnificent late-Georgian St Michael’s Kirk will be a familiar sight to anyone who drives regularly along the Edinburgh bypass. Built on a hilltop that once was the site of a Roman fort, its tall spire can be seen for miles around. This year the Lammermuir Festival has two concerts there, both of which are selling well. On Friday, September 23, the Scottish Ensemble make their LF debut at St Michael’s with the superstar trumpet player Alison Balsom in a programme that features two stunningly virtuosic baroque trumpet concertos and a new piece for trumpet and strings by James MacMillan – Seraph. Alison and the Scottish Ensemble recorded a CD of baroque concertos for EMI including the pieces by Vivaldi and Albinoni that she’ll play at Inveresk. Here she is recording them with the Scottish Ensemble and as you can see, she can play the trumpet the way crack violinists play Paganini. How does she do it?!

Hugh Macdonald – Director, Lammermuir Festival