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Scottish Fiddler Alasdair Fraser Announces New
European “Fiddle Camp” Crisol de Cuerda (Crucible of Strings)
Dates Set For 13th to the 19th of July, 2008
The CRISOL DE CUERDA offers a plan in which creativity, knowledge and
freedom will converge this summer in the magnificent Pyrenees mountains
of northern Spain. The Fiddle Camp will be held in the wonderful Valle
del Tena at Sallent de Gállego. Fiddlers and other musicians of all ages
and musical levels will meet to share, learn and let their creativity
run free. It is a space for music lovers that are interested in both
tradition and innovation
Alasdair Fraser will be the director of the course. He will deepen
his love affair with the music and people of Spain by hosting a fiddle
course in the Pyrenees of northern Spain. Long regarded as an important
ambassador for the rich fiddle tradition of his Scottish homeland,
Fraser is also a very motivating teacher who directs similar projects in
Scotland (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig) and California (Valley of the Moon Fiddle
Camp and Sierra Fiddle Camp). Alasdair will explore the ability of the
violin to “speak” in different languages and dialects and encourage
musicians to express their ideas in a fluent manner on the instrument
and in their language/ dialect of choice. Alasdair will be joined by his
touring partner Natalie Haas (cello), who is actively re-defining the
role of the cello in traditional music as illustrated on their two
highly succesful albums together "Fire & Grace" and "In the Moment".
Music transcends borders. Musicians from different traditions will
gather to explore the relationship between language and fiddle music
(what Alasdair calls fiddle-speak...). For that purpose, Alasdair will
also be joined by Juan Arriola on fiddle, who will teach the musical
language from the North of the Iberian Peninsula, especially from the
Basque country, and Carlos Beceiro on guitar and bouzouki, with whom we
will cross borders from Castille to the Mediterranean.
Teachers: ALASDAIR FRASER (fiddle and Director), NATALIE HAAS
(cello), JUAN ARRIOLA (fiddle) and CARLOS BECEIRO (bouzouki and guitar).
E-mail contact: info@crisoldecuerda.com
Tel: Blanca Altable +34 696 390 642 **(6:00pm to 10:30 local time,
Madrid. Time difference: Glasgow +1 hour, Los Angeles +9 hours) -
English and Spanish spoken! Accepting reservations now on-line
www.crisoldecuerda.com
The Mulligans are an Irish band formed
over twenty years ago in Los Angeles by Denis Murray from Dublin and
Terry McCartan, California born of Belfast. Since their inception the
Mulligans talents have taken them to some of the best concert venues,
Irish Fairs and pubs throughout the United States, Canada and Ireland.
They have also been in and provided music for several feature films
including The Patriot Games.They have released five albums including
Mulligan Stew, Time For One More, Irish Faire, and the Red Rose Caf
Celtic Woman
Concert Review: May 17, 2008 at the Greek Theatre
by Tina Day
Celtic Woman delivers a different concert experience than what I’m
used to and I must admit that it took a while to warm up to it. When I
go to a live concert, I expect there to be a “connection” between the
performers and the audience. Sadly, this didn’t happen with Celtic
Woman. That is not to say that Celtic Woman didn’t put on an incredible
show, they most definitely did. However, it was exactly that – a show
rather than a concert. There was a definite lack of spontaneity and as
we reached the intermission (yes, intermission at a concert) I found
myself wondering if they indeed spoke.
Well, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the
experience of Celtic Woman. The stage design was very unique, very
ethereal. There was lots of percussion. On either side of the stage were
two full drum sets, plus seemingly every percussion instrument
imaginable. There was a grand piano on the left side of the stage and
various other instruments (guitar, penny whistle, mandolin, etc.) on the
right of the stage. Celtic Woman (4 vocalists and 1 fiddle player) were
backed up by a chorus of 4 women and 4 men. The show was very
theatrical, from beginning to end.
For the first half of the show, Celtic Woman were dressed in neutral
tones – whites, golds and creams. After the intermission, Celtic Woman
returned in bold colors. They performed as a complete group (all 5),
various combinations, and as soloists. Some of the songs included the
chorus, while others did not. The instrumental pieces were amazing. The
fiddle player, Mairead, danced around the stage playing her fiddle like
some pixie or sprite. She brought life to the stage. I can’t imagine
Celtic Woman without her. At some point in the show, I thought that I
smelled incense, but I thought it was someone’s cologne. As the show
went on, I kept smelling it over and over again in strong wafts and
decided that it must be part of the show.
They performed a lovely acappella version of “Danny Boy,” and a
wonderful cover of Enya’s “Oronoco Flow” which the audience immediately
recognized. Other stand-out pieces include a version of Simon &
Garfunkle’s “Scarborough Fair” with penny whistle and harp, and an
acappella version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Celtic Woman
performed familiar standards as well as original pieces written by David
Downes of Riverdance fame. Their show was very entertaining and their
vocal talents are exceptional. I
f you missed the concert, the DVD is available on their website:
www.celticwoman.com/.
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