Following its  critically-acclaimed sell-out Scottish theatre tour, the original soundtrack of renowned violinist Anne Wood’s autobiographical show When Mountains Meet has been released on CD, as well as for download and streaming.

“My mother is Scottish. My father was Pakistani. In my early twenties I found the father I’d never met … but I was taboo in a culture to which I longed to belong.”

Anne Wood (The Raincoats, Massive Attack, Michael Marra, Deacon Blue) grew up in Scourie, Sutherland and Edinburgh in the 1970s, the only child of a single mother who never knew her Pakistani father. In her early twenties she found the father she had never met (and who had no idea that she existed), visited Karachi and experienced generous hospitality and cultural riches. She also discovered that being a professional musician and an illegitimate woman accorded her little status in Pakistan.

Conceived by Anne as a conversation between Scottish and South-Asian music, When Mountains Meet follows Anne’s first journey from the Highlands to the Himalayas and combines alap, raag, reel and strathspey and the mouth music from Scots, Gaelic and Hindustani musical cultures.

The new album features stunning improvised solos, and a spaciousness which gives focus at one time to the unfolding of beautiful raag Yemen and at another, Gaelic song, O Mo Dhuthaich, connecting to the earth.

Led by Anne Wood on Fiddle/Violin, Sarangi, Vocals, the album features musicians from Scotland Pakistan, India and England including Ankna Arockiam: (Naad Hara, Hebridean Treasure) on vocals, Mary Macmaster: (Poozies, Sileas, Shine, Songs of Separation)  on Camac Electro Harp and vocals, Niloo-Far Khan on vocals, Rakae Jamil: (Mughal – e- Funk) on sitar and vocals, Rick Wilson on drums, percussion and vocals and Sodhi: (Talking Tabla) on tabla and vocals.

“This album is the culmination of many year’s travel, research, study, playing and deep digging to find a joyous musical expression of my Scottish Pakistani heritage.” says Anne. “I had decades of experience as a Western musician from traditional fiddle music through Western classical to punk and as an improviser and composer for theatre.

For the previous decade or so I have become a student of North Indian and Pakistani music as a singer and sarangi player.  This gave me some language to collaborate with musicians from Pakistan, which was my dream.

For When Mountains Meet I collaborated with the Lahore based sitarist and vocalist, Rakae Jamil.

I sent him music I wrote, he added his parts and solos and sent them back for me to mix.

Thus the music developed.  I brought in Scottish electro harper, Mary Macmaster, who is also an amazing Gaelic and Scots singer, percussionist Rick Wilson and Sodhi tabla and vocals.  Ankna Arockiam and Niloo-Far Khan added their beautiful and dynamic voices for the vocal tracks.

This album came together better than my wildest dreams. The music shines, the musicianship is stunning,  there are moments of deep Scotland and deep Pakistan but also there is wonderful playfulness, thrilling solos and intricately woven ensemble playing.  It also grooves!”

The When Mountains Meet original soundtrack album is available as CD and download now at whenmountainsmeet.bandcamp.com/album/when-mountains-meet

Media details:

Composed and produced by Anne Wood

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Stuart Hamilton at Castlesound Studios, March 2024

Cover image by Aqsa Arif

Graphic design by Calum Hadden

All major streaming & download platforms.

CDs from birnamcdshop.com, amazon.co.uk and amazom.com