The Whistlebinkies’ McGuire provides double helping of music at artSpace@StMarks

Admirers of musician-composer Eddie McGuire can have a double helping of his music this Saturday, 10^th August at artSpace@StMarks in Castle Terrace.

Flautist McGuire, who will be appearing with the long-established Scottish folk band The Whistlebinkies at 8:30pm, is also having one of compositions performed by Festivo Winds, who present their Janácek Mládí Fringe performance in the time slot immediately beforehand, at 6:40pm.

“It’s entirely coincidental,” says McGuire, in case anyone accuses him of manipulating the venue’s programme. “We only noticed at our rehearsal for the Whistlebinkies’ concert when we decided that it might be a good idea to see who was on before us in terms of getting access to the venue. One of the band said, They’re playing one of your pieces.”

McGuire has composed concertos, operas, ballets and choral works and has undertaken commissions for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, among many other ensembles and soloists.

His Celtic Knotwork, which Festivo Winds are including in their concert, was written in 1990 for three recorders. It has since been arranged for numerous line-ups, including three women’s voices, four clarinets and flute, clarinet and bassoon, and is one of his most popular pieces.

“When you write a piece of music, you’ve no idea how it’s going to be received,” says McGuire. “So it’s good to know that people are still discovering this one thirty-four years later and still creating different arrangements of it.”

McGuire’s association with the Whistlebinkies, for whom he arranges traditional and original tunes as well as playing the flute, dates back more than fifty years. In that time the band have played everywhere from Memphis to Beijing and collaborated with an improbable range of musicians and singers including David Essex, Cutting Crew, classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin and avant-garde composer John Cage.

“We’ve had a few changes in personnel over the years,” says McGuire. “But the Whistlebinkies’ aim remains the same as it always was: to play Scottish music that’s true to the tradition with our unique blend of fiddles, smallpipes, flute, harp, concertina, and percussion.”