2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful old music on uniquely Breton instruments, August 30, 2005
This review is from: Pipes & Drums From Celtic Brittany (Audio CD)
This is a great collection of pipe-and-drum music from the Breton region of France. Breton pipes are the biniou (a bagpipe) and the bombarde (a woodwind rather like an oboe). They sound great together, and their strong melodies are well complemented by drums -- but (just to warn you) their 'drone' is shrill and not necessarily to everyone's taste! The songs on the CD are traditional, in contrast to much other Breton music these days which applies modern instruments and creative styles to old Breton tunes. This old music has a beautiful, haunting quality that underlines that it's from another time. Its mystery and melancholy conjure up images of the region's rough North Atlantic coast -- and the beleaguered lighthouses along it that Jean Guichard has so fantastically photographed. Some songs sound fairly un-Celtic, including one that sounds like it should accompany a snake-charmer! Still, this is a great collection of Breton music in the instruments that are unique to this part of the Celtic world.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
