Customer Reviews

Winter's Crossing

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Winter's Crossing is a dramatic presentation in musical form that depicts the story of a group of Irish who left their homeland in 1866 and came to America. It describes the heart wrenching separation of family members with somber music, and the coming together of different Celtic groups in tunes that begin tentatively and become lively and so full of emotion that it makes any listener want to join in the dance that was surely accompanying the players. The beautiful combination of melodies that form over one another in the Hymn For the Heartland is my favorite. Liam Neeson (Oscar Schindler) gives a dramatic reading of a contemporary letter that describes the separation at the dock of family members who know they will never see each other again.

If you have heard the Legends CD by Phil Coulter and James Galway, and liked it, or if you like Celtic music, you will like this. Read the jacket to understand the background behind each of the songs.

Winter's Crossing is one of the most beautiful musical "experiences" in which I've engaged. The listener is taken on a journey with the emigrant, from the quayside in County Antrim, through the difficulties of the crossing itself, to the Shores of Amerikay. When the Irish newcomers arrive in this land they experience the sadness, the longing for home, that all such immigrants must have known. The music of Coulter and Galway perfectly and stunningly guides the listener through every emotion of the journey and the process of becoming assimilated but never losing the Irish spirit or the lilt of their music."

Once in a while, you find a CD that really is "moving" and special. I knew that "Winter Crossing" was one of these CDs the moment I put it in my CD player and pressed "play."

"Winter Crossing" is the "musical" story of Irish immigration. The fact that this CD is a "story" is one of its many unique aspects. Often, we listen to CDs that are simply a series of "pretty" or "cool" music, but these CDs aren't trying to tell us or show us something. Yet in "Winter's Crossing," it is apparent that by choosing certain songs in a chronological order, the makers of this CD were seeking to capture the many emotions-anticipation, anxiety, nostalgia, fear-of an Irish immigrant.

Galway, Coulter, and their orchestra not only tried to capture these emotions and "make" us feel them as well, they succeeded in their attempt. "Winter's Crossing" opens with a haunting ballad, "Steal Away." Complete with "throaty" Irish pipes and soulful Irish voice, this song captures the feelings that many Irish must have had when they decided to leave their native country. Other moving "farewell" songs include the bagpipe/Irish pipe duet "Farewell to County Atrim," and the poignant narrative-set-to-music, "Thousands are Sailing." The next "phase" of "Winter's Crossing" shows the Irish experience on the actual journey (via ship) to America. Perhaps my favorite of these "journey" songs is "Gartan Mother's Lullabye," which uses the tones of Galway's calming, angelic flute to capture the sounds of a mother singing her baby to sleep amidst the squalor of the ship. The final "phase" of this CD deals shows us how the Irish adjusted to their new life in America. This final section opens with nostalgia (in the form of ballad "On the Shores of Amerikay") and ends with joy and triumph ("Appalachian Roundup")

Galway, Coulter, and the orchestra involved in making this CD certainly deserve thanks for creating such a moving "work of art." When a piece of history is so wonderfully told, who needs the textbook?

This is the best CD I own. I love it! I play both flute and piano and hail my celtic ancestry. James Galway and Phil Coulter are masters! This recording is absolutely glorious, and deserves praise for its creativity, power, originality, beauty, and everything else about it. Incredible!

We purchased Winter's Crossings about a year ago and have listened to it just about non-stop since then. It's a wonderfully varied CD, with quiet, peppy, and thoughtful music-it's hard to pick out a single track that we don't like. It was our first introduction to James Galway and Phil Coulter and we're back looking for our next purchase(s). We highly recommend this CD to anyone.

When I first heard this touching, haunting album I thought of my grandmother on her way to the this country from County Galway in 1900 and felt all the things she must have felt when she left her home for America. I wish someone would write lyrics to "Home Away from Home", my personal favorite from Winter's Crossings.

The musicianship is excellent and the collection evokes love for both old and new motherlands. Thank you James Galway and Phil Coulter for more music that feeds the soul!

My ancestors left Northern Ireland during the Great Potatoe Famine and came to America. This music is from that period, and describes the moods of hope and despair, love and grief, which I imagine my ancestors felt. I wept. The finesse of the arrangements, individually and as a collection, impressed me. I've not purchased other tapes by these artists to compare this with, but I will.

WINTER'S CROSSING is the second collaboration between two of Ireland's best known musicians: Phil Coulter and James Galway. The two create a musical tribute to the men and women who left Ireland in the nineteenth century to escape famine and poverty and find a home in North America. The music commemorates Irish history and the treacherous crossing of the cold Atlantic waters. In the music, the artists create a combination of at times opposites. The music can at times have a hard and harsh feel to it, yet it's also hopeful. There is a twinge of sadness but there's also great optimism in some pieces. We get a glimpse of Irish history in some pieces, and while we sense the hardship, we also know it's a new beginning.

Upon listening, I fell in love with certain pieces. "Farewell to County Antrim" is infectious. "Grand Banks Newfoundland" has a nautical appeal to it. "The Belfast Polka/Pennsylvania Railroad" is a medley the two artists seem to just enjoy and listeners do too. "Christmas Eve Ellis Island" and "Home Away from Home" are both beautiful and haunting, of people trying to make the best of a place they'd rather not be.

The disc was released not long after I returned from a trip to Ireland, so I was a bit more aware of my Irish heritage and a bit nostalgic as well, longing for good, authentic Irish music. Perhaps that's why I love this disc so much. People who enjoyed LEGENDS will love this set. The arrangements are similar to the first set, and like LEGENDS, Coulter and Galway work well together, always performing in a way that compliments the other. For me, it's perfect winter listening that helps me recall my heritage while listening to great music at the same time.

James Galway plays like he's one with the flute and music. He keeps your attention and the music makes a wishful feeling to visit Ireland.

I was introduced to Galway and Coulter via this CD. This music haunts me in a very positive way. I purchased the CD as one of my "New Christmas CD each year" projects several years ago. I moved 4 times after the purchase and in 2005 when I finally landed in my current (hopefully permanent) location I found I had lost the CD. This Christmas I was determined to find it or replace it because I needed this music to truely feel "home".