Acclaimed composer and songwriter Gareth Williams will be making five appearances at the Scottish Storytelling Centre at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Lyrically morphing iconic final pages from Scottish fiction into brand-new literary chamber-pop songs. From the sorrowful mastermind of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to Kirsty Campbell's joyful farewell in Ely Percy's Duck Feet, Williams celebrates a diverse range of storytellers from all over Scotland.
With a spellbinding collection of voice, string, and piano, Williams weaves magic which carries the final lines of the page for just a few minutes after the book closes.
Join in the harmony of this Made in Scotland Showcase piece, which can be found at the Netherbow Theatre from August 14th – 18th.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
My name is Gareth Williams and I'm a composer and songwriter living in Edinburgh. I write music –shows and songs for other people's voices for the most part – opera singers, musical theatre singers. And even songs with and for people who have Long Covid.
This show is something I have made for my own voice and it started when I took a boom from my bookshelf a couple of years ago and made a song at the piano from the very last line of that book. Songs From The Last Page was born and developed into a collection and now an album of songs – each one from the last page of a beloved Scottish book or story. The words of the songs in this show come from incredible works of Scottish Fiction such as Peter Pan, Treasure Island, How to be Both and Lanark.
In the show, we dwell in endings and allow ourselves to wallow in the melancholy, joy, and the silence of the last few moments of the story.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
I wrote many of these songs from the last page in 2022 as I toured Scottish Book Festivals and Libraries – adding to the collection as we performed across Scotland. The songs are all written for our band – myself singing at the piano, along with Aisling Odea on violin, and Justyna Jablonska on cello. There will be some secret guests joining us over the week too!
How does it feel to return to the Fringe?
I have had some shows in the fringe before -but not for some time. My opera 'Last One Out' was performed by Scottish Opera at the fringe in 2012 and another opera 'The Sloans Project' was performed here in 2013, so it's been ten years since I've had a show in the Fringe – and I have never before performed myself! I can't wait to soak it up – there's nothing else like it.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
This show exists across two artforms – literature and music. The endings of carefully selected Scottish stories lead us to a collection of new "literary chamber pop" which is a genre of… one. There isn't anything like this as a craft or as an experience. It's poignant, it's funny, it's emotional.
Is there anything specific you're hoping for the audience to take away?
I want the bookworms amongst us to allow these songs to take them back into the pages of the stories they have read – Treasure Island, Lanark, The Valley of Fear. And for those who haven't read them, I want them to rush home afterwards and get lost in these adventures. For everyone though, there's a moment of reflection at the ending of all things – and we want to create and keenly feel these moments together at each performance.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who's watching? Or more importantly – who isn't there…?
I love people who are there because they have taken a last-minute chance on a random show about songs and books after discovering a flyer in a café while they escaped a downpour. A room full of curious, and not too damp, folk – that's the perfect crowd.
It's an intense month, so where you're able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
I have no plans for relaxing. I will want to see as many of my 'Made In Scotland Showcase' cohort's shows this year – it's a beautifully curated micro-programme of events. During the days, before my performances, I'll be with my 2-and-a-half-year-old son, and we'll be looking out for the Gruffalo at the Book Festival and The Sea Dragon at the Fringe.
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
fewer phones on in the seats, and less flyers laying in the streets"
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