Customer Reviews

Susana Seivane

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Susana Seivane brings so much music out of her pipes it is difficult to believe your ears. Compared to recordings by other Galician pipers or groups, Susana walks in the clouds. The arrangements are not over done in an attempt to be commercial. The tunes are traditional for the most part, but this is no ethnomusicological study either. Susana plays with incredible technique and style, but she doesn't exploit her abilities to simply show off or play wicked fast. She is quite young, and we will, I hope, be hearing a great deal more of her piping for years to come. If you like Spanish music, if you like piping, or if you like music gets your feet tapping and moves your soul, this CD is a "must have."

This is masterful piping. Lovers of traditional Irish, Scottish, or Breton music will find this disc a delight.

BTW, the writer of Amazon's review has it completely backwards: centuries of Spanish, Portugues, and other musical influences graft on the the scion, the original stock, Galician! The only older influence hereabouts is Basque.

Amazing! The music is entrancing. One is drawn to listen, dance, imagine--the bagpipes are so lively, and never crossing into flat rythym--what control! I can't wait for more from this incredible woman. I also was intrigued by references to other Gallician groups and musicians. I will be looking for them from now on. QUE BRAVA!

Until I lived in Spain on two different occasions, I had no idea that certain regions of Spain (Galicia and Asturias) were famous for bagpipes. Galicia, Spain's most Celtic province, speaks a language closer to Portuguese than Spanish (Gallego), has a rich folklore of witches, wizards, and magic, and features traditional dances such as muneiras, marches, pasa dobles and xotas played on the gaita, or bagpipes. I made it a point to seek out gaita concerts when traveling in Galicia, and I own several different gaitero (bagpiper) CDs from Galicia and Asturias.

The gaita is closest in sound to the Northumbrian and Great Highland bagpipes, with a chanter, bass drone, and one or two additional drones. The most famous export is Carlos Nunez, a talented gaita / whistle player who has toured and performed extensively with the Chieftains and other Celtic acts. In Spain, Xose Manuel Budino is also a talented gaitero who's updated the traditional songs with synth and distinctly modern touches. Susana Seivane is a female gaitera born in Barcelona whose father and grandfather were accomplished gaiteros. She began playing bagpipes in folk festivals from the tender age of three.

On Susana Seivane, her debut, she reinterprets traditional songs with a deft touch. The CD was produced by one of the founders of Milladoiro (a famous Galician group that blends traditional with modern), so its traditional pedigree is flawless. There are slower, playful tracks such as Taramundi e Alen and uptempo, fiery stunners like Xota de Ninodaguia and Xota de 28 puntos while A Cotula features spritely accordion and fiddle. Maneo is a haunting ballad that flirts with Eastern rhythm and melody. Alala de Vilalba is a gentle guitar and vocal ballad underscored by fiddle and whistle.

Susana Seivane deftly takes the listener through the traditional gaita repertoire of marches, xotas, pasadobles, and muneiras, sweeping you away to lush, wild Galicia with its rich green mountains and dramatic coastline, and it's easy to imagine those Celtic tribes that settled there so long ago. Fans of Celtic music and bagpipes will thrill at Susana's virtuosity and respect for this ancient instrument.

The first time I listened to this CD, I could not believe it; Susana Seivane's mastery of the bagpipes sent me to heaven. A must have for the discriminating collector.

Susana Seivane has some of the best music I've heard, I'll say.
I especially like the two fast-paced songs that you can download for free. You can get Jotabé, track 1 of this album, from [...] and once upon a time you could get Vai de Polcas, from her other album from there as well; thankfully, you can still get it through archive.org.
Check out these two songs, and if you don't love them . . . I don't know if I can help you:
[...]

And, as for the person who said that her music wasn't spine tingling like Hevia's . . . I really don't know what that person was talking about. Susana Seivane's music has a much richer sound to it; much more substantial in tone; more flavorful--the free tracks, at least, are much more upbeat, as well (at least from what I heard of Hevia by listening online; I don't actually own any of their albums). This music is unique to Western ears. This is Galatian bagpipe music, and although it's Celtic, it's not like the Scottish sort. It sounds more like the Breton sort of Celtic music with some Spanish-Arabian sounds.

If you like bagpipe music you are most likely familiar with Scottish Highland Pipes or Irish Pipes. The Spanish bagpipe or gaita is somewhat similar but different at the same time. Apart from the differences in the instrument itself, the music feels lighter and more relaxed.

My family refers to the playing style of Susana Seivane as "Spanish Bagpipe Polka Music". I do not see it quite that way but I can understand why they do. While similar to the more familiar Celtic bagpipe music, Susana Seivane's music is informal and "bouncy", it is indeed bagpipe music you can imagine dancing to.

If sample clips of this album are not available at Amazon you may find them at [...] At this time (late 2009) there are also concert videos of Susana Seivane on YouTube. While the video quality is typically poor, the YouTube clips will give you a feel for what the music on the CD is like. The only negative thing about this CD is that Susana Seivane's playing, while technically correct, is not as enthusiastic and lively as you will see on her YouTube videos. Still, this is a very relaxing and fun album. My only regret is that it is not a readily available CD and I have not found Susana Seivane's other CDs in the U.S.

My CD was purchased "used" in good condition and the Amazon vendor shipped it promptly.

Susana is a very good piper. This is a pleasant album; it's not spine tingling like Hevia, but it's well worth a listen. There's not much new from good pipers these days.

This music is beautiful. I especially liked tracks 1, 4, 6, and 7. This is a CD to treasure. It's a classic in my book. Susana Seivane and the guest musicians on this CD are very talented and I hope we get to hear more!