Customer Reviews

From the Isles to the Courts

5 star:		(4)
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It's very exciting to follow a group of musicians on their journey together, especially when that journey is made with heart, with fire, and with honor to tradition. Original tunes make easy friends with the traditional on this must-have CD. Love the Scollay's medley, for example, with The Dance Goes On as the last tune. It all works really well! The high quality of the sound itself, the strength of the original compositions, the sparkling arrangements and attention paid to choice of material all make this in my opinion the best EG so far. As a whole, it's great, but there are individual jewels here-- the mysterious Anna's Garden, the tender Cantigas, Liz Knowle's masterful delivery on anything, for example. Sue Richard's Aisling is just the best Sue Richards composition I've gotten to know yet. This piece provides a sumptuous musical (and magical) adventure, full of ideas to play with. Her work gives an added dimension to the collection. If you don't think Ensemble Galilei's work is groundbreaking, ask for this CD in your favorite music department, and watch the guy run around trying to figure out how it's categorized for display! It's really fun. "Ensemble Galilei...That's baroque, right? No! Should be under Celtic...no... uh, folk? Classical? Ensembles? Well, international? Okay, here it is, 'New!' Try it out, it's on the wall." No wonder he has trouble finding it. Their work is unique. It wouldn't be the same if this group of women didn't span decades in age, and possess wide differences in musical background. The group lives up to its commitment of "making music fiercely." Get it just for the cover photos! They're gorgeous.

The recordings of this talented group of women musicians just keep getting better and better. This CD is a rich blend of original and traditional Celtic material, from across the globe. The CD is like a multi-course banquet, with delicate harp solos by Sue Richards, spicy fiddling from Liz Knowles, savory and haunting Viola De Gamba licks from Carolyn Anderson Surrick. Whether I'm driving, cooking, or filing bills, I play "From the Isles to the Courts" and my work is easier, my journey more worthwhile. I've been a fan of Ensemble Galilei since I first heard them perform a few years ago, but they've outdone themselves this time. "From the Isles to the Courts" is truly a musical feast.

Touching on the Celtic, the Renaissance and the Baroque, these six women interweave them into sumptuous improvisations. Ensemble Galilei consists of Liz Knowles on fiddle, Deborah Nuse on bagpipes and fiddle, Sarah Weiner on oboe, recorders and whistle, Sue Richards on harp, Carolyn Ann Surrick on gamba, and Jan Hagiwara on percussion. Their sound ranges from musing to celebratory and airy to earthy, but is characterized always by the easy elegance of musicians who have mastered their instruments. The musicians have this to say about themselves: "We are committed to making music fiercely. We find music that speaks deeply to us, and we honor the traditions and dialects of each musical language... We find the place where our personal history intersects the melody, bass, harmony or chords. Revealed in these musical conversations are the essential parts of our own humanity." This recording showcases feminine creativity in all its rousing and subtle beauty! Ensemble Galilei has two other recordings that I know of so far: "Come, Gentle Night: Music of Shakespeare's World" on the TELARC label, and "The Mystic and the Muse: Celebrating 600 Years of Women in Music" from Dorian.

Buy this NOW. This has to be one of the loveliest, most life affirming discs you'll ever hear. The five members of Ensemble Galilei are exceptional mistresses of their instruments, - fine musicians not just fine players. The music is varied, though with a preponderance of bounce and rhythm. The sound is simply wonderful, open, lively, analytical in the best sense, - with a fine acoustic at all times. Above all, this disc will make you feel good about life, the celts, the isles, the courts, and everything else. Superb.