Tuesday September 1st 2026
No Borders Trio at St Peter's
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
The audience at St Peter’s Church last weekend was treated to a delightful programme of string music from the No Borders Trio, the latest concert in the Music in Peebles Summer at St Peter’s season.
The trio – Frances Patterson on violin, Suzanne Godet on viola and Joanne Stark on cello – are all recent graduates of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Their programme had an intriguing symmetry, beginning with their own arrangement of excerpts from Bach’s *Goldberg Variations*. Frances opened the performance by playing while walking the length of the chancel, before meeting Suzanne as she emerged from the vestry and made her way through the choir to join Joanne.
The concert concluded with David Fennessy’s ‘An open field, come closer come closer’, a work inspired by the story – possibly apocryphal – of Count Kaiserling commissioning Bach’s Goldberg Variations to be played by his harpsichordist, Goldberg, during sleepless nights.
“The story of how the Goldberg Variations came to be composed has always intrigued me,” Fennessy said. “My piece too occupies this intimate setting in the dead of night – still but fidgety, on the cusp of dreams.”
In between came Leo Wiener’s String Trio, which was hailed as a masterpiece by critics following its first performance in 1908.
Wiener, known as the Hungarian Mendelssohn, was born in Budapest and studied at its Academy of Music before becoming a leading music educator. His pupils included renowned conductors Antal Doráti and Georg Solti.
The programme ended with a distinctly Scottish flourish, featuring Neil Gow’s Wife, King’s Barrows and Catherais, followed by The Deil’s Awa wi’ the Exciseman as an encore.
The No Borders Trio, part of the Live Music Now programme, have recently returned from touring the Jura region of France and parts of the Hebrides.
They have also received support through the Glasgow UNESCO award scheme for their work in the dementia unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as well as the Chamber Music Scotland Small Venues Touring Fund, which is helping them take their Soundbath concept to rural communities across Scotland.
There will be a bonus concert at St Peter’s on September 26 at 12.30pm, when the Melrose Vocal Ensemble will take audiences on a *Madrigal Mystery Tour*.
Tickets cost £10 and are available from the Eastgate or at the door.
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