Customer Reviews

Celtic Harpestry: A Contemporary Celtic Collection

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I checked out this CD from my local library and I was blown away! The critics who panned "My Heart Will Go On" can just hang their hats on a hook and depart, because it is an appropriate selection. For one thing, the "Titanic" herself was built IN the Belfast shipyards, and as another customer put it, the song is MEANT to make people cry...it's talking about the loss of loved ones...something that EVERYone knows well! (And I agree, Celine Dion did a superb job with the song!)

All in all, I love this album!

One of my favorite folk harp albums of any kind, *Celtic Harpestry* is a matchless introduction to the different varieties of Celtic harps (nylon/gut strung, traditional and modern metal strung, and electronic) and Celtic harp music (traditional, modern, and original). As a Celtic harp player myself, I can't praise the concept enough.

The co-producer, Diana Stork, also produces the highly successful "Festival of Harps" concert series in the San Francisco Bay Area -- and that background certainly shows in the variety and quality of artists and pieces chosen for the CD. I had the rare privilege of reviewing this CD for the newsletter of the Bay Area Folk Harp Society and the Folk Harp Journal, and am glad to repeat here my high praise for this album (especially since Diane and several performers are my friends).

Reluctantly, I must agree that "My Heart Will Go On" is the least good of the tracks -- but its treatment here is traditional and elegant as well as sentimental. (The tune is *meant* to be a tear-jerker, and I happen to love Celine Dion's treatments of it. So there. *Nyaah!*) Everything else here is splendid, though Cheryl Ann Fulton's understated rendition of Breton music is for me the most surprising track on the album.

I do like the order of the tracks on the pre-release version better than on the commerical version. (The pre-release version starts with "A Walk Upon Belfast".) Diane agrees with me, but co-producer Dawn Atkinson at Imaginary Road thought a faster track should start the released version. Oh well, anything to get this album into the hands of more people! :-)

This uplifting compilation CD from Imaginary Road Records, actually the soundtrack to the public television special "Celtic Harpestry at Lismore Castle, Ireland", is simply beautiful. Especially wonderful are the five numbers by the Belfast Harp Orchestra, an ensemble of 12 harpists who demonstrate remarkable intonation and stunning coordination as they play together on instruments that are difficult enough just to play alone. What a great concept, and what great musicianship! Also featured are individual performers such as Maire Ni Chathasaigh on Irish harp, Rudiger Oppermann on wire-strung harp, Cheryl Ann Fulton on a contemporary lever harp, the harp and song duo Sileas, and Deborah Henson-Conant on a "Camac `Baby Blue' Celtic electroharp". Other instruments, including Uilleann pipes and whistle, violin, viola and concertina, occasionally join in, but the focus is on the harp itself. In all its many forms and combinations, the harpestry on this recording remains soothingly delicate in timbre while at the same time scintillating in technique--in short, a pure delight. If you enjoy "Celtic Harpesty", you're sure to like it's companion release, "Harpestry: A Contemporary Collection", featuring more of a worldwide assortment of harpers. Another great harp compilation CD is "Faces of the Harp" from Narada.

I always had a desire to learn to play the Celtic harp...and the PBS special and especially this CD made that desire boil over. Don't buy another harp CD before you've listened to this one!
No matter how many times I have listened to this recording, I ALWAYS break into a smile when the Belfast Harp Orchestra begins to play. Nothing prepares you for that 12-harp sound!
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One day in a music shop, my hand knocked three CDs off of a rack. The first CD, though the case was cracked, caught my eye. I bought it five minutes later. In this sweetly harmonized collection, nearly all the songs are wonderful. I would have bought the CD for only My Heart Will Go On-the song is a skillful take of the Titanic (movie) theme, and it seems almost to have a voice of its own. This is a must-have for any harp music lover!

I purchased celtic harpestry after I saw the pbs special. Best music purchase I've ever made. I've listened to other harp cd's and can't stand the monotony and melodic run on sound. But Celtic Harpestry has excellent variety and keeps the listener wanting more. A must try!!!!

Celtic Harpestry is a marvellous CD. "A walk on Belfast" is incredible and "The Butterfly" in not worse. "My heart will go on" is not as good as the others, maybe it`s just not in the right place... Anyway, excellent.

Hard rock it ain't. Celtic Harpestry: A Contemporary Celtic Collection may cite "contemporary" in its title, but the style is classic. Rich harmonies and intricate musical textures rise to a crescendo in "Earth, Water, Wind And Fire," the final cut, performed by the Belfast Harp Orchestra.

This collection overlaps several genres. Celtic, classical and New Age meet in what may be the instrument most associated with classical melodies.

If you are a fan of Rap or Hip Hop, keep looking. If you want a hoedown, this is not going to be your cuppa joe. But if you are looking for something elegant - background music for a business or important meeting, for example - this is a wonderful, understated choice.

A sibling to "Harpestry," this is a wonderful cd. I am a harper and head up a Celtic Harp Choir at my church (I'm a fulltime church music director), and I have used this cd as a model for my musicians. It's very pleasant to listen to, and you definitely get a good feel for the Celtic style. I highly recommend this!

I have the video and am now ordering the tape! A must for Celtic music fans!