Hughes de Courson - O'Stravaganza: Fantasy on Vivaldi and the Celtic music of Ireland (2001)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 359 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 149 Mb | Scans included
Celtic Fusion, Classical Crossover | Label: Virgin Classics | # VC 545494-2 | Time: 00:42:24
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 359 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 149 Mb | Scans included
Celtic Fusion, Classical Crossover | Label: Virgin Classics | # VC 545494-2 | Time: 00:42:24
This is not such a bizarre cross-over as one might imagine for in the 18th century the great Irish musician Turlough O’Carolan, a blind harpist, met the Italian musician Geminiani in Dublin, and through him encountered the music of, yes, guess who, Antonio Vivaldi. So here we have a case of substituting Irish instruments for baroque ones, using baroque instruments to accompany Irish themes, by creating dialogues between Celtic and baroque instruments, or by letting all the musicians improvise. One moment we appear to be listening to a ‘straight’ baroque concerto, then all of a sudden the conventional string continuo/ripieno of the baroque ensemble (Le Orfanelle della Pieta) gives way to celtic musicians playing a jig or reel on anything from a Irish bouzouki to a fiddle. The baroque group consists of three each of first and second violins, one viola, two cellos, a bass and harpsichord while the Irish musicians play Irish fiddle, an Irish flute (like a baroque flute), tin and low whistles, Uileann pipes, Irish bouzouki, mandolins, bodhran, bones, and the Celtic harp (played here with metal strings to resemble its harpsichord counterpart in the other group).