“Otherworldly” Fraser Fifield album connects with Chris Stout and Catriona McKay

One Great Circle is the name of the new nine-track album by the piper and multi-instrumentalist Fraser Fifield, who gets together with the duo of Shetland fiddler Chris Stout and Celtic harpist Catriona McKay to create another evocative recording.

It’s the tenth album from Fifield, and follows his acclaimed Piobaireachd / Pipe Music recording of 2021

According to Fifield, “The music is inspired by the Aberdeen-born storyteller, ballad singer, author, piper and member of a prominent traveller family, Stanley Robertson.”

“One great circle” refers to Robertson’s description of reincarnation. Fifield listened to Robertson’s supernatural accounts through Tobar an Dualchais when he was Traditional Artist in Residence for the Celtic and Scottish studies department of the University of Edinburgh and was inspired to create pieces featured on the new album, which was recorded in Glasgow in November 2023. He said, “Other titles have similar otherworldly connections.”

“I’m delighted to present One Great Circle, where I’m joined by two musicians I respect greatly and have had the pleasure of calling good friends since our student days together.”

One Great Circle will drop on CD and digital download on March 8, 2024, and pre-orders are already available for £12.50.

The National Piping Centre will host a ticketed launch party and concert for One Great Circle on March 9th.

You can enjoy the complimentary title track from the new album here.