Customer Reviews

Reel of Tulloch: Baroque Music Scotland & Ireland

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a chance to see this marvelous group live at a concert I covered for my college paper. I was immediately taken with their unique sound, for they not only present baroque music expertly, but more like it would have sounded at the time of its creation than most of it we hear today from other musicians and ensembles. They evinced a true joy in their music making, and nowhere was that more evident that night than during the selections they performed from this CD. Something about the lilting sounds of Scottish and Irish music brings out the fun personality of this multi-sided group. I also was able to meet and interview the foursome afterwards and found them not only to be wonderful musicians, but pleasant and accomodating individuals. They even gave me a copy of this CD and autographed it. Recommended highly.

This CD is a collection of Baroque sonatas and tunes from Scotland and Ireland. The album combines Chatham Baroque with Chris Norman on wooden flute. The result is moving violin lines and delightfully light flute that combine to give this music the distinctive lilts of Scotland and Ireland. It is just delightful to the ear -- I don't normally think of sonatas as something to dance to, but listening to this album, I wanted to dance.

This absolutely lovely recording has some of the finest sounds ever made by man.

Especially noteworthy are the works of James Oswald. His delicate, graceful, and refined "Sonata of Scots Tunes" will, without fail, deeply penetrate the heart and gently lift one to finer emotions and feelings. That, in my estimation, is the function of all art: to allow the individual to transcend the limitations of his existence.

Hearing this music, among the thoughts that enter my mind are a desire to go back in time and to know the composers whose fine gifts we can still enjoy.

In addition to their own consistently rich, sincere sound, Chatham Baroque does wonderful things with guest artists, creating different lush soundscapes with each release. This time the guest artist is Chris Norman, master of the wooden flute and member of such other ensembles as the Baltimore Consort and Helicon. The result of the collaboration is a jaunty yet elegant blend of the Italian and native folk styles popular in 17th century Scotland. This kind music is a perfect showcase for the soulful violin (or should I say fiddle?) playing of Julie Andrijeski and Emily Davidson, as well as Norman's wooden flute, which weaves and slides its way around a melody as well as any tin whistle and with more depth of tone. Patricia Halverson's gamba, and no less than three stringed instruments of Scott Pauley (theorbo, Baroque quitar and archlute), fit in seamlessly--gentle and grounding in the more Italianate pieces, lively and spirited in the folksier numbers. This breezy, cheerful CD should charm fans of classical and Celtic music alike. For an equally enjoyable recording with some similar qualities, try the Palladian Ensemble's "Held By the Ears," which also celebrates a fusion of traditional Scottish music with the high styles of the Baroque.

From the intense boiling pot of politics, social change, and cultural flowering that was Eighteenth Century Scotland came great music. This recording by Chris Norman and the Chatham Baroque showcases just how great that music was--and is.

This disc brings together tunes from masters like Turlough O'Carolan, James Oswald, and William McGibbon. The melding of Scottish tunes with an Italian Baroque sensibility creates an entirely fresh and startling music. One need only here "Carden's Welcome" for proof that this is great music.

More and more, I am becoming a fan of the multifaceted talent that is the Chatham Baroque. I enjoyed their album "Sol y Sombra" immensely. This album blows me away. Not only have they taken on a whole different repertoire here, they have done it with exceeding excellence.

Chris Norman is also in top form. I would place this album up there with "Lullaby Journey" as among his best. When Norman is on, there is no one who can come close to his musical ability and the sheer beauty of his playing. He is "on" here...Big Time.

"Reel of Tulloch" is a first rate album. I give it my highest recommendation. Get a copy today.

I love this CD! I had been given it, and had apparently filed it. I took it with me on a recent trip to Ohio and listened to it repeatedly over the 1200 mile round trip. I'm still listening.

Julie Andrijeski is one of the finest Baroque violinists working on the North American continent, and also a fantastic Baroque dance instructor, and the sheer grace, elegance and finesse of her playing always makes me incredibly happy. Chris Norman's flute music has always sung to me from the many recordings he has with Baltimore Consort, and this CD has some of their flavor, but with oh, so much spirit and heart! I'm also thrilled to hear Scott Pauley and Patricia Halverson play with such gusto and heart here, too.

Cromlit's Lilt and Polwarth on the Green from Sonata of Scots Tunes by James Oswald are two of my absolute favorite cuts on this CD, making me shout out loud in the car as I was listening for the first time. And every time thereafter.

Buy this one! You will be so glad you did. It's haunting, lilting, and completely, soulfully uplifting.

I agree with the reviewers below me - this is a first-rate album, very enjoyable to listen to, well-played, etc.
But there is rarely a feel throughout this CD of the music being "classical baroque" music. This has far more the sound of Celtic folk tunes. Not the nonsense variety found in Riverdance, but Celtic nevertheless. As a result, it might be doubly interesting to classical music lovers to see the origins of baroque music coming out of a different tradition (or vice versa), but it might be of less interest to those with no desire to hear this style.