Enchanted Isles: Music of Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales

Anonymous (Artist), Turlough O'Carolan (Artist), Irish Traditional (Artist), Welsh Traditional (Artist), Carol Thompson (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dorian Recordings
• ASIN: B000001Q83
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,961 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Lullabies & Berceuse

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush and lovely music from the past, January 19, 2000

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enchanted Isles: Music of Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales (Audio CD)

Perhaps some day Dorian Recordings will turn out a poor CD, but among their more recent releases are four sets that feature harpist Carol Thompson. The artist was born in this country of Anglo-Welsh-Irish background (as the copywriter tells us). Part of her technique is to let her ornamentation come out of the melody rather than merely appending it, and to execute her chords with a "downward roll" rather than an upward as in classical harp playing.

So with Amazon.com's permission, I will submit this same write up to each of the four webpages that deal with these albums.

<The Faerie Isles> (DOR-90013) has Ms. Thompson accompanied by another harpist and a wooden flute; and the extra coloration is welcome. Here we have 18 cuts (64 minutes) of Celtic harp music, the more familiar of which are "Brian Boru's March" and "Gentle Annie." The notes are of a general nature.

The subtitle of <The Enchanted Isles: Harp Music of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales> (DOR-90120) shows the program (53 minutes) to be much like the other sets, including the familiar "All Through the Night" and "The Ash Grove." I spot even one or two selections among the 19 here that appeared on earlier recordings. But it is all so winningly played that one must not carp. The notes are in several languages and a bit shorter than usual to keep the booklet from being too thick.

<Carolan's Farewell: Harp Music of Ireland> (DOR-90176) has 71 minutes consisting of 21 cuts such as "She Moves Through the Fair" and "Snow on the Hills." This set tends to be more satisfactory than the last one because of the presence of accordion, concertina, wooden flute and second harp; although by now one tune is starting to blur into the other.

The fourth Dorian set in order of recording is <The Peacock's Feather: a Celtic Quest> (DOR-90240) in which our harpist goes it alone with a short program (51 minutes) of 12 cuts, half of which are medleys. Included are "Twisting of the Rope," "Blind Mary" and the title song. This time the notes give information about each song.

Again I must emphasize the excellence of the playing and how beautiful each CD is by itself. But as with so many artists that concentrate on a small part of the music spectrum, each new offering tends to be predictable and one gets a strong feeling of déjà vu. But to be fair, these sets were released with considerable time between them and only people like reviewers now and then get to hear them all at once.

So which to choose? I would go for the two where you get more than the sound of a single harp first. But I really think that enthusiasts of British music will want to have all of these sets sooner or later.

And keep an eye open for the fifth entry in this series: <The Blossom and the Rain> (DOR-90273) that is not yet available at the time of this writing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Over the Hills and Far Away, April 2, 2002

By 

Cry the Name (this temple of silence and stars) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enchanted Isles: Music of Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales (Audio CD)

The beauty of Carol Thompson's music is dizzying. There is nothing I can think of that fills up a candlelit room more nobly than the sound of her harp. Where does Dorian find these consistently great musicians? They must be growing them on some hidden magic tree somewhere. Either way, I am glad for the music they put out. This disc by Carol Thompson is among the best Dorian has to offer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Melody is nearly inaudible, March 19, 2011

By 

nonpareil (rural New England, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enchanted Isles: Music of Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales (Audio CD)

Sure, this is nice, restful music and the harpist never falters. But if you would like to hear the lovely tunes, look elsewhere because the chordal accompaniment overwhelms the tinkly, distant melody lines. (And I'm listening on speakers with a too-forward treble range.) A performer, especially one going to the trouble of making a recording, should be aware of balance. Also a good audio engineer should assist with this matter.

The recording is harp alone. Working with a sweet, gentle melody instrument would be another approach to the problem.