Exclusive
Classic FM to broadcast The Honours of Scotland Concert from Balmoral Castle
1 September 2025, 08:30 | Updated: 2 September 2025, 17:45
Last week, Classic FM recorded a very special concert at Balmoral Castle – for radio broadcast this Friday evening.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Classic FM is to broadcast The Honours of Scotland Concert, a vibrant concert celebrating Scotland’s musical heritage.
The concert, recorded at Balmoral Castle last week, features an outstanding line-up of musicians, performing works first heard at the Honours of Scotland National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication in July 2023.
Hosted by Alan Titchmarsh and broadcast on Friday 5 September at 7pm, the hour-long concert brings together an ensemble of musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, of which His Majesty The King is Patron, and a rich tapestry of Scottish musical talent, celebrating the country’s landscapes, legends, and lyrical traditions through a diverse programme of works.
Opening with Hamish MacCunn’s evocative By the Burnside, drawing on the romantic imagery of Highland life, the concert continues with Jay Capperauld’s spirited Schiehallion!, based on traditional Scottish tunes.
Hugh S. Roberton’s All in the April Evening, sung by Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, offers a moment of quiet reflection, its pastoral beauty steeped in choral tradition.
The Ayoub Sisters join the SCO Ensemble for Melodies from Scotland, weaving Pietro Urbani’s classical settings of Robert Burns with traditional tunes, bridging centuries of musical heritage.
Raemond Jappy’s fiddle set with Robert Lovie on piano, and Phil Cunningham’s Loch Katrine’s Lady, performed by accordionist Ryan Corbett, again bring the energy and intimacy of folk music to the fore.
Joanna Gill’s Song of Thanksgiving unites voices and instruments in a heartfelt tribute to resilience and gratitude.
The concert culminates in Dougie MacLean’s beloved Caledonia, a love song to Scotland from a homesick traveller performed by Corbett and Jappy alongside legendary local singer Robert Lovie, and Paul Mealor’s stirring The Call of Lochnagar, commissioned for The Honours of Scotland Ceremony in 2023, that gathers all performers in a powerful celebration of Scotland’s enduring spirit.
Together, these works form a musical portrait of a nation, from its hills and glens, to its poetry and people, resonating with pride, nostalgia, and hope.
Originally performed as part of the Honours of Scotland Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication held at St Giles’ Cathedral in 2023, at which The King was presented with the Crown Jewels of Scotland, this music carries a deep sense of ceremony and national pride. Its inclusion in that historic occasion underscores the cultural resonance and emotional power of the works featured.
Classic FM presenter Alan Titchmarsh said: “This concert is such a special evening, in one of Scotland’s most historic rooms, filled with music that speaks to the heart and soul of the nation. To hear such extraordinary talent gathered in Balmoral’s Ballroom in the Presence of The King and Queen was a privilege, and I’m delighted that Classic FM listeners across the UK will be able to share in it too.”
