Search - Marguerite Hutchison;Ian Giles;Jon Bowden;John Spiers;Jon Banks :: Celtic Airs and Ballads

Celtic Airs & BalladsTimeless airs full of the mystery of our Celtic past. Instruments and voices combined in haunting songs of love and life, of lands and seas, of heroes and saints. Plaintive pipes mix with harp, flute and whistle to create a superb Celtic sound world to accompany some of the finest singers available. From the further reaches of the British Isles, here is a collection of haunting airs and ballads, performed by some of Britain's finest folk musicians. Nature, nurture, love and passion are all here, plus stories in music of broken hearts, and of the joy of living. The result is truly magical, and powerfully evocative of times past and ages long ago. The silent harp of Tara sings once again on this recording, in a series of Irish tunes which slip between the larger-scale songs and other instrumental pieces. The harp's plaintive and antique sounds create a very special atmosphere, and the progress of the album is marked out by the continual return to its simplicity, a simplicity which gives it great power, and makes its performances compelling. The Irish pipes are a strong feature of the album, their wavering pitch imparting a special flavour to the sound in songs of longing and yearning such as 'The green fields of Americay'. And the bodhran and whistle make a typical Celtic sound for dancing and fast moving music. We hope you enjoy this selection of some of the best Celtic airs and ballads. Marguerite Hutchison voice, whistles and flute Ian Giles voice Jon Bowden voice, guitar and fiddle John Spiers melodeon and voice Jon Banks harp