Customer Reviews

Bold

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why is Catriona Macdonald not an international superstar? Probably because she plays a "fiddle". If she played the violin; had legs up to her armpit, and a neckline to her navel, she would be a household name. I first heard of her after reading an article somewhere that mentioned that Mark Knopler's favourite album that particular year was "Opus Blue" by this particular lady. I tracked the CD down (nowhere to be found in the high street stores) and sat down and listened. The hairs on the back of my neck came up, which to me is a barometer to listening to or seeing something special. Of course as soon as I saw this new album out,[they] couldn't ship it fast enough to me. I was not disappointed. This is my No.1 album. Track 10, "Da silver bow, the joy of it", a duet between the "fiddle" and a church organ!!, is quite sublime. If I had heard this piece years ago, I would have walked out of the church on my wedding day to it. I'll just have to have it at my funeral. Thanks Mark for the introduction. Thanks Catriona for playing a "fiddle". Everybody else, buy the album and listen to something special.

Bold features a mix of Shetland traditional tunes, original pieces by MacDonald and a few other unfamiliar tunes. She has a colorful, passionate mastery of the music, from the fast-paced "Shetland Fiddle Diva/Purfy" and the melancholy "Michael's Mazurka" to the intense "Eilidh's Trip to Germany/The Monday Morning Reel/Land ta Lea" and the hard-to-describe "The Lost Ponytail/Dennis' Tune." Perhaps the most unusual moment comes in track 10 -- "Da Silver Bow/The Joy of It! -- which melds MacDonald's sweeping fiddle with Iver Kleive's church organ. It's an odd combination, to say the least, which is perhaps why I've spent so much time playing and replaying it. The set climaxes in a lofty inspirational finish, placing a nice cap on the album.

This is the best, THE BEST Celtic fiddle album I've ever heard. I like it better than Ashley MacIssac, Natalie MacMaster, and Eileen Ivers--there's just something so genuine and honest about Catriona MacDonald's playing! I once told a friend that if I had a choice between selling my "Bold" CD and eating, I'd choose the CD. No joke. I've listened to "Andy's Saltire/Maggie's Pancakes" literally thousands of times, and it is still as amazing to me as the first time I heard it at a listening station in a music store. I too wonder why she's not a bigger star--she certainly doesn't lack talent.

Each piece on this album has its own character, and Catriona MacDonald projects the mood of each one beautifully. The first track gives you an idea of the whole cd, as it shows how quickly MacDonald can switch gears within the same piece. You don't have to be a Shetland music lover to love this album - I had never heard Shetland fiddling until this past summer. If you like the way MacDonald sounds, try to watch her perform. She conveys her love of music with attitude and without any annoying overdone gestures.

NPR radio is responsible for bringing this artist to my attention. I am now going to obtain her recordings, probably from amazon.com. I went to the NPR website and "Thistle and Shamrock" features to read the whole transcript of her interview for NPR. Very interesting.

catriona Macdonald's playing is the best Shetland has to offer,studing under Tom Anderson she is firmly rooted in the style, yet progressing it into a more modern context.

This fiddle get you going, and your ears will thank you for the pleasant candy you treated them to. I highly recommend this CD!

I heard Catriona by accident on NPR. Do not know much about Celtic music but this cd is better than ANY Celtic music I have heard. You will not be disappointed. I too wonder why Catriona is not a household name

catriona Macdonald's playing is the best Shetland has to offer,studing under Tom Anderson she is firmly rooted in the style, yet progressing it into a more modern context.