Celtic Connections

Scotland is lucky enough to have the best roots and folk music festival in the world to keep us music fans warm during the winter. Celtic Connections began last night with their opening concert celebrating the city of Glasgow and over the next few weeks the music on offer is not just the best of Scotland, but the rest of the world too.

On Monday night Rhiannon Giddens made a welcome return to Scotland to play a special show with the ‘Celtic Blues’ orchestra, led by Grit conductor Greg Lawson and made up of a varied array of players. The new versions of these songs, arranged by Gabe Witcher of The Punch Brothers, were neither strictly classical or folk but occupied what Giddens called an ‘interesting realm’ between the two.