56 Results for : lilt
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Lilt, Vol. II: Modern Highland Dance National Dances
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Gifts and Burdens
(Special thanks to Bob Doerschuk) Here's what we learn from Holly O'Reilly's unforgettable new release, Gifts & Burdens. • There is magic in music - magic enough to sometimes see the future unfold in song. • You can make your debut, starting fresh, more than once. • Life can be generous, even in it's cruelty. Begin with the music. The melodies and words are magical enough. They speak with a folk-inflected eloquence darkened only slightly by modern ironies. "Your sickness is my weakness, 'til you're ready to say goodbye," she proclaims on "Lay Them Down," while on "One More Time" she ties passages of day and night, rain and sun, into seasons of the heart, always with a lilt that lifts each tune toward the light of gentle surprise. It's music like that that inspired critics to call O'Reilly "one of the best new songwriters around," (Tret Fure) "a force to be reckoned with," (Rockrgrl Magazine) "incredibly exciting," (The Recording Academy) "criminally ignored and unjustly under-appreciated ..." (Apple ITunes) If all this sounds familiar, it may be because you've heard these same raves applied to Holly Figueroa. In fact, O'Reilly's voice - alternately smoky, fragile, teasing, and earthy - recalls that of Figueroa, to an uncanny degree. There's good reason for this: Figueroa and O'Reilly are the same person - yet also different in more than just their names. In this respect, Gifts & Burdens is both a farewell and an introduction. Much has changed in O'Reilly's life over the past few years. And strange as it seems, she was forecasting these changes in these songs, without even knowing it at the time. Flash back to 1996. Holly Figueroa has left her youth in Ohio behind and put a life together in Washington State that combined the pleasures of family with her love for playing music. Traveling often with her daughter and younger son, she grew a following one venue at a time. From the Bitter End in New York to the Sweetwater Saloon in San Francisco, she shared stages with Dan Fogelberg, Barbara Kessler, Rose Polenzani, and Caroline Aiken, or headed the bill herself. Word spread faster when NPR's 'All Things Considered' discovered her and twice gave her national exposure. Her albums - Three Chord Plea, Dream in Red, How It Is, Live in New York City - inspired comparisons to artists whose only similarities are excellence and individuality: Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris ... This was her position last year as she entered the studio in Tacoma with a group of friends, including producer Evan Brubaker, and began cutting the tracks that would become Gifts & Burdens. She brought the best of her recent material with her and nestled it into intimate acoustic settings. The results were beautiful, sometimes almost painfully so -- yet even though she was performing her own songs, she had no idea that they were speaking to her about changes yet to come. "All my songs on Gifts & Burdens were written between 2003 and '06," she says. "Looking back on it, I can only say, 'Wow, how could I not know I was in trouble?' I had no idea that in writing these songs, I was writing about my own life." That revelation hit in September 2006, one month after finishing the final tracks, as her husband announced his unhappiness and asked for a divorce. "I listen now to 'One More Time' and it's like ... duh," she says, laughing. "I know that duh isn't the most literary way to put it, but it says a lot. Or I listen to 'What You Wanted,' which I thought I was writing about some friends of mine who were separating. Eventually I realized that I was writing about how I thought my husband felt about me and how I felt about him a lot of the time." With this perspective, these songs began to feel more like messages, though at first O'Reilly was in no mood to listen. The project gathered dust as she reassembled the pieces of her life. Each day felt like a step forward, from trimming down to the point that this summer she will run her first triathlon. At the same time she pulled back from music, focusing her energy where it was most needed. A feeling arose that her days as a musician were past. "I couldn't even look at my guitar," she says. "I just wanted to concentrate on my kids and my health. I had toured so much, especially with my daughter since she was little, and I wanted to make that up to them. But then Evan kept after me. He said, 'You know, you need to get this record out.' And preorders kept coming in, around 600 after a while, some of them for as much as $300. So I had to do this. It was really difficult, but we took care of the mastering, figured out the artwork ... and we did finish it." She finished something else too, as she traded her married name for one that honors her lineage back to her Irish forebears. And with her family's encouragement, she has transformed the difficulties of 2006 into a process of rebirth and reclaimed the place she had once nearly left behind. "I realized that when I stop performing, it's like I've stopped breathing," she explains. "It's like, I have to eat. I have to breathe. I have to perform. But if I had to choose between performing and writing songs, I would definitely pick writing. Of course, I'm fortunate in that this is a choice I don't have to make." The Seattle Weekly says of "Gifts and Burdens", "the tunes often have a wistful, lonely, late-night quality about them but, at the same time, are not really a downer," O'Reilly is singled out as "sounding both compellingly contemporary and ancient simultaneously" by the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange. Gifts & Burdens has already inspired a flurry of praise, though none closer to the mark than Seattle Sound's review: "a gentle, moving example of well played Americana." For everyone who has weathered a storm and found the promise of peace in the light that follows, Gifts & Burdens bears special meaning. This music is about us as much as it is about the extraordinary Holly O'Reilly - and that, too, is magic.- Shop: odax
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Dearga
A most appealing collection of traditional dance tunes with Irish flute/whistles and guitar/bodhran--from fresh sets of tunes, to moody songs, to funky low whistle moments, 'Dearga' is Matt & Shannon Heatons' 2003 release.... Also from the Heatons: 'Blue Skies Above,' released in 2006, and 'Fine Winter's Night' (Celtic Christmas album) released in 2007. -------------- The husband-and-wife team of Matt and Shannon Heaton honed their style in Irish traditional sessions in Chicago, Boston and County Clare. 'We can play straight-ahead, old-school tunes in the States or Ireland and hold our own,' says Shannon Heaton, who handles vocals, Irish flute and whistles for the duo. But the Boston-based Heatons are statesiders, and they aren't afraid to let it show in their powerful playing. 'We grew up listening to rock, country, American folk, classical and Irish music.' Shannon says, 'So when we're arranging and presenting songs, we're as likely to get ideas from the Pixies as from Planxty.' Matt and Shannon's Irish music pedigree traces back to their former home of Chicago, where they played in the best Windy City sessions and first began performing together back in 1992. Matt and Shannon have also spent months in Clare and Galway, taking in session tunes and shows in some of the finest venues in the West of Ireland. They are now active participants in Boston's vibrant traditional music scene. The result -- Irish traditional music that honors the past while giving it a swift American kick into the present. It's pithy, finely crafted acoustic music, songs that break hearts and crack smiles at twenty paces. 'We write a lot of the music,' Shannon says, 'It sounds traditional, but with these extra wrinkles that keep things fresh and unpredictable.' For Matt, 'the real joy and art in what we do comes in the details. We never just slap stuff together.' Matt and Shannon also work with Siúcra, critically-acclaimed trio formed in 1998. And since moving to Boston in 2001, they have been touring with former Cherish the Ladies singer Aoife Clancy, playing in folk clubs and halls all over the States. In addition, Matt and Shannon are both becoming increasingly in demand as side musicians for other New England-based groups, both in performance and in the studio. The fruit of Matt and Shannon's striking, craft-focused approach is acoustic Irish music that stirs the heart, the soul and the soles. No matter where you were born. ---------------- The critics weigh in on Matt & Shannon.... 'Matt and Shannon strip Irish music to it's dazzling melodic essence without sacrificing any of it's rhythmic impact. Although solidly rooted in Irish tradition, the group's repertoire betrays it's familiarity with American jazz, blues, folk & country music.' Seth Rogovoy, The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (July 24, 2003) 'The tunes are bracing and energetic.. and they make great use of Shannon Heaton's liquid flute playing and Matt Heaton's nimble guitar.' Steve Winick, Dirty Linen (Aug/Sept 2001) 'Young, American-born musicians are now at the forefront of the Irish music scene. This group of musicians would have to include Matt and Shannon Heaton.' John Pattison, Enterprise-Record, Chico, CA (May 22, 2003) The critics continue to rave about Matt & Shannon's kickin' trio 'Siucra'.... 'The music [of Matt & Shannon's trio Siúcra] is pulsing and vibrant, yet warmly embraces the sweet simplicity of classic Irish melody and lyric sentiment.' Scott Alarik, Boston Globe (June 6, 2002) 'This is the sort of Celtic folk that wins over the Americana crowd - what Fred Eaglesmith or Lucinda Williams might play if they hailed from Belfast or Dublin.. Adding to [Siúcra's] gifts are the hot-shot jazzy playing of the husband-and-wife Heatons, who aren't afraid to add a few contemporary American touches to their musical mulligan stew. Sweetness never packed so much spank.' Marty Jones, Westword, Denver CO (Sept 6, 2000) '[Siúcra's tunes] are filled with a musical brogue of lilt, soul and heart.' Bob Karlovits, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Sept 6, 2002) 'This trio is just as fine live as in the studio. [Siucra's] straightforward approach ends up as disarmingly infectious.' Rob Weir, Sing Out, (Spring 2003) '[Siucra] is full of hot musicianship, confidence and unstoppable energy. A 5-piece band would be hard-pressed to match the amount of music these three musicians produce.' Danny Carnahan, Acoustic Guitar (Februaury 2001)- Shop: odax
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Music of Russian Composers
Piano Synergy Duo. Husband-and-wife team Ruslan Sviridov and Irina Khovanskaya created the Piano Synergy Duo in 1996. Using their unique musical potential, the duo designs concert programs in which they perform together as well as individually. The results have been a constantly heavy demand and continuing success. For the past 14 years, the duo has toured extensively throughout Russia, Europe, and the Unites States. Now, for the first time, listeners have an opportunity to hear them on a CD. Irina Khovanskaya was born to a musician's family in Russia's Moscow Region in 1972. She began piano lessons at age 4 and gave her first recital about two years later in Kiev. Ten years of formal musical training followed at the Moscow Central Special Music College, during which time she also concertized extensively as a recitalist and with orchestras. Several of these events took place at the Moscow Conservatory's Small Hall, but she also played as far afield as the Russian Space Center (Moscow Region) and on USSR TV. Receiving a Bachelor's Degree in 1990, Khovanskaya's studies and performing career continued as she entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where her teacher was Victor Merzhanov. Now her performances become international. Besides appearances with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and in many Russian cities, she performed in Zurich, Munich, Brussels, and Warsaw. Contests in Russia, Germany, and Belgium were capped by Khovanskaya's winning First Prize in the Texas Steinway Society Piano Competition in Dallas, Texas in 1999. With her Conservatory Diploma (1996) and post-graduate work behind her, Dr. Khovanskaya now resides in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to performance engagements, she teaches piano at the University of the Incarnate Word and adjudicates in piano competitions. Ruslan Sviridov was born in 1973 in Tambov, Russia. He began to study music at age 7 and gave his first public performance at the age of 8. His years of study at the Tambov Music School and later at the Rachmaninov Music College in Tambov were marked by many competition triumphs and literally hundreds of concerts and recitals throughout Russia's Central Region. First prizes came from the Tchaikovsky Regional Piano Contest (1989), the Bartok Regional Contest (1989), and the Kabalevsky Regional Competition for Young Pianists (1990), to name only a few. Sviridov went on to enter the Moscow State Conservatory, studying with Victor Merzhanov. Concerts and competitions continued, now at a higher level. He played with symphony orchestras in several Russian cities, including Moscow, Ulyanovsk, and Tambov, and at the Glinka Music Festival in Smolensk. During 1994-96, he took Grand Prize or First Prize (or both) or a Special Jury Prize at competitions in Italy at Tortona, Alassio, San Bartolomeo al Mare, and Caltanissetta, Sicily. His first U.S. triumph was a Special Jury Prize in Kingsville, Texas (1995). In addition to an international list of recitals, Sviridov's career is distinguished by a substantial body of television tapes and live appearances, starting in Russia and extending through Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, and the United States (NBC). During his studies in Moscow, culminating in a Doctoral Degree (1998), he taught piano and music theory. Leaving Russia in 1998, Dr. Sviridov again picked up his teaching activity in San Antonio, Texas, also his base for concertizing and contest adjudication. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Suite As charming and entertaining as The Nutcracker ballet turned out, one would hardly imagine that Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) did not care much for the score himself. The composer had been a little reluctant to compose this music on a subject that was prescribed for him and for which the choreographer had given him an over-detailed scenario. He completed the score in 1891, and some months before the premiere of the full ballet the following year he extracted a concert suite. The scenario of The Nutcracker ballet was taken from a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann as adapted by Alexander Dumas, Sr. It has to do with Clara, a young girl who receives a grotesque looking nutcracker for Christmas, only to have it magically transformed into a prince who carries her off on fantastic adventures. The movements of the Suite do not follow the progress of the story exactly, but are ordered to form a good musical sequence. The "March" has a toy quality, reminding us that the only military operations that Clara witnesses are imaginary ones between mice and gingerbread soldiers. The "Dance of the Sugar- Plum Fairy " was composed originally for the celesta, a bell-like keyboard instrument that personifies this character perfectly. This was the first time a composer had written for the instrument. In the second act of The Nutcracker, Clara and her Nutcracker are treated to an international divertissement of dances at the court of the Sugar-Plum Fairy. One part of this is the "Trepak," a wild Russian dance and one of the nationalistic elements in the ballet. More exotic is the Chinese "Dance of the Reed Flutes," originally featuring shrill flutes and piccolos and mumbling bassoons. When we think of waltzes, we usually think of Johann Strauss. But Tchaikovsky was also one of the great waltz composers of his century. Waltzes from Eugene Onegin and the Serenade for Strings bear witness. The "Waltz of the Flowers" is the finale to The Nutcracker Suite and one of the most graceful movements ever penned by Tchaikovsky. Stravinsky, Five Easy Pieces for Piano Duet The years of World War I (1914-1918) were years of small pieces for Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Self-sequestered in Switzerland for most of the duration, the composer found few opportunities for performances or publication. Stravinsky occupied himself chiefly with small- scale stage works, songs, and short instrumental pieces. At that time, his oldest children, Theodore and Mika, had become good enough pianists for him to write music for each of them to play with their father. So originated the series of Five Easy Pieces for piano duet. The child's part was usually a melody played in octaves, while the father's part filled out the texture and contained any complicated passage work. Stravinsky later orchestrated four of the duets to produce his Suite No. 1 for small orchestra. Stravinsky's musical sense of humor is, of course, famous. In these miniature character pieces, we can hear the same wry satire that charms us in much of his other music from this period. The Five Easy Pieces touch on various "national" musical characteristics. Following a relatively serious "Andante" comes an "Española" composed after a trip to Spain in 1916. The "Balalaika" celebrates the Russian folk instrument. "Napolitana" was another travel souvenir, this time to Naples in 1917. The concluding "Galop" is a spoof on the archetypical endings of French ballets of the 19th century. It's high spirits and satirical jabs sum up the flavor of the Five Easy Pieces. Rachmaninov, Six Pieces for Piano Duet, Op. 11 Like his mentor Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) did not enjoy teaching. He did so only when he needed money. Rachmaninov found himself in that financial position in 1893, the year Tchaikovsky died. Taking on more private lessons, he also taught music theory at a girls' academy. Rachmaninov's publisher, knowing his need and also knowing the market for his piano music, convinced him to write something for piano four-hands. The result was the Six Pieces for Piano Duet published in 1894, which turned out to be the longest work Rachmaninov ever created for piano duet. The movements are "character" pieces in the best romantic salon tradition, and they contrast with one another effectively. The opening "Barcarolle" floats along on the undulating lilt of a gondola song, yet Rachmaninov infuses it with his own characteristic melancholy. Cas- Shop: odax
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Lilies of the Field
My music is a combination of classical, folk, Christian, Jewish and traditional works. All on this album have been inspired by Biblical texts. The accompaniment is sometimes a single instrument and at other times a full orchestra to meet the gamut of the high and exalted thoughts of a man pursuing greater understandings through greater ideas. The music is enhanced by the poetic sense of words creating pictures of beauty, glory, light, awareness of life beyond oneself, kindness, goodness, love and peace. There is nothing greater to stir the hearts of men than the sweet sound of a melody that not only lifts you up with it's graceful lilt but presents an overwhelming and overcoming thought to straddle the very gulf set before you. Enjoy!- Shop: odax
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