Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This album of harp music is a bravura performance from a harpist/arranger of great skill. On this album Miss Thompson plays neo-celitic harp, pedal harp, and triple harp. She clearly has great skill, variety and delicacy on all. There are practical reasons why a musician recording early works records their own arrangements. If I have any quibble with this album, it is that the arrangements begin to sound very much the same. (This can be said of almost all artists.) Instead of this being bad, this "quibble" then creates (as Eric Satie would call it)"furniture music" that is soothing and pleasant and has a very uniform sound... no jolting surprises from piece to piece. This is often what people want from a CD, a background music for an event or dinner, and so this is perfect for that. It's like hiring a great master to play for your dinner, at a fraction of the cost. This is the kind of harp CD that I put on late at night to calm away the last frets of the day. (Don't forget to read the notes on where/how it was recorded that gives it this lovely full sound.)

This is truly beautiful music on harps having more character than the modern concert harp. The melodies are attractive, with good counterpoint figures. Recorded sound is first-rate, without mush or harshness, although low-frequency noises from the recording venue may intrude during quiet passages if your equipment goes low with authority. I have bought several of these CD's - when I play them for friends and family, they ask me for the CD as a gift!

beautiful harp music that I enjoy so much - she is very talented. CD arrived in perfect condition and very quickly.

First class production. Excellent proformance. This is harp music. Just harp -- none of this new-age-y electronic "enhancing" of anything. And the music selection is also first class: if you like traditional music this CD is a continuingly rewarding slice of Celtic musical culture, heart-felt and strongly played. Highly recommended. Carol Thompson is rare talent.

The song "Brian Boru's March" makes this CD worth it, but other than that one song,the CD is very boring.