Emma Kate Tobia

Classical Celtic

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Featuring: Emma Kate Tobia, Sue Aston, Noel Duggan, Karnataka, Denez Prigent(with Lisa Gerrard) and Celtic Tenors.

My dearest subscribers, welcome. It is raining while I am writing this and the weather can really change the mood. So we are going to go on a ‘softer route’ with classically sounding Celtic tunes-well, mostly- some old songs and and interviews I picked up off youtube. Weekend is here and August is almost over. It is amazing to see how the musical career of friends are starting to take off. This is probably the only site where you can find really eclectic stuff. I mean think about it: punk, traditional and new age all in one edition plus other interesting trivia along the way. But like I said, today we are going to go a little bit soft. I warn you though he next edition is going to be ear pounding.

Happy Birthday Sue Aston

http://www.sueaston.com

The Cornish diva of the bow is celebrating her birthday today. It was perhaps about two years ago when I invited her for an interview article. This woman is really down to Earth, intelligent and passionate about her culture. What are better tunes to celebrate her birthday than this beautiful Cornish dance tune which she performed and also one of her tracks from Between Worlds. Check them out!

Cornish Dance “Mazey Dazey” Sue Aston/Tros An Treys

Taken from the album ‘Between Worlds’ by Sue Aston Filmed in Cornwall UK

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Emma Kate Tobia

http://www.emmakatetobia.com

One of the songs by Emma Kate Tobia that you don’t get to hear in youtube so I took time to upload it for your listening pleasure. Have you observed that there are songs in any album by any artist that don’t usually get to be a single yet that song sounds really good? Next time I will have to find someone who works in the record industry and ask how they get together to decide which songs in the album become singles. This is the 11th track off her album Aisling na nGael. I recommend it if you are into classical type of singing and lush orchestration. I was raised in Classical music so I really dig tunes such as this one. And yes, the Irish part came a bit later. When you merge the two influences , the result is always amazing.

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Noel Duggan of Clannad Speaks About the reason why they got together again.

I was watching the Clannad performance in LiveTrad a couple of days ago. If you haven’t yet, you better subscribe to LiveTrad because they bring only the best in Irish music to the world. Try to read my interview with the people behind LiveTrad here: http://celticmusicfan.com/2011/09/12/livetradstreaming-traditional-irish-music-to-the-worldinterview/

Now going back to the video, Noel Duggan says here that they never really disbanded but concentrated in their individual projects. I think taking the time off from your band to hone your own musical styles can be a refreshing and creative thing would you agree? I am just so glad one of the best Celtic bands in the world is back!

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Featured ensemble: Karnataka

 ttp://karnataka.org.uk/music.php

That is a link to the track samples off the Celtic group Karnataka. Think of them as Riverdance, meets Gaelic Storm. They make big sounds and their live shows are always grand. Check them out if you like your Celtic music grand, big and theatrical.

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Flashback: Denez Prigent – An Hini A Garan

http://www.denezprigent.com/

Denez Prigent is one of the artists who introduced me to the music of Brittany. His voice has that haunting quality of a pinched pipe and the moving power of Gregorian singing. The subtle orchestration really highlights the beautiful singing between him and Lisa Gerrard. This language is Breton.  What is more compelling is the translation I found in this channel:

In English: An hini a garan (‘The One I love’) The one I love, before, when we were little at home when we were so near to each other My heart was loving only one When I was little at home, the one I love. The one I love, I lost forever Gone far away and will never come back And this is what I sing for the one I love. The one I love one day left me For a far away land A land that I don’t know Lost, lost one day, the one love

Wow I think this is one of the songs you would like to listen to in your room after a break up with someone.

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Curiosity:Facebook Celtic Tenors

http://www.celtic-tenors.com/

Wow curiosity brought me to this site. Frankly it is interesting to listen to how The Celtic Tenors talk. I was able to interview Matthew Gilsenan way back and I really expected him to talk that way. Here is the interview I did: http://celticmusicfan.com/2012/03/03/exclusive-interviewmatthew-gilsenan-of-the-celtic-tenors/

The Celtic Tenors are  on tour in China. Yeah, it is closer to the Philippines 😀

Emma Kate Tobia & George Murphy duet: A Fairy Tale

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FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

A duet with

EMMA KATE TOBIA & GEORGE MURPHY

Performing the iconic Pogues Christmas song


Way back the same month last year I reviewed Emma Kate Tobia‘s album. Earlier than that (around October 26) I also featured George Murphy’s The Ballad of Archie Thompson. Who would have thought that these two notable vocalists would eventually record a song together? So what do they have in common? My answer …..(rolling drums and trumpets!): powerful vocals and amazing charisma.

Emma Kate Tobia’s classically trained soprano and George Murphy’s Dublin howl can tackle arena style venues . So you might think this is another one of those operatic renditions that calls to mind classical crossover performance. Yes and wrong. Miss Tobia’s voice maybe suited for powerful performances, yet in delivery, she is dubbed as Ireland’s angelic soprano. I have observed time and time again how she skillfully switches her singing,  from Sean-nós  to operatic, with an ease of a giselle. Together, the two singers created a magical song that is indeed a fairy tale for the season.

From the onset of the piano chords comes George Murphy’s strong (but this time wood- meets- whiskey-slick)vocals. It’s  a gradual track that picks up pace as Emma Kate Tobia’s part comes in. The prominent tin whistle and guitars evoke that acoustic folk feel.  According to the info :

The original song was written and released in 1987 by Irish rock band, The Pogues, it was a duet between lead singer Shane McGowan and Kirsty MacColl. The song swiftly became a hit, reaching #1 in the Irish charts. It is frequently voted the Number One Best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in Ireland and the UK. This new version was recorded in Dublin at Ashtown Studios this past fall with an amzing group of musicians including Dave Brown on guitar and mandolin (he holds the Guinness World Book of Records for most consecutive hours playing guitar!) and traditional players from Chicago, Johnny and Cormac McCarthy on whistles and piano respectively.

Fairytale of New York is available for download at iTunes and at http://www.cdbaby.com

Here’s the direct link to download:

http://www.cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=emmakatetobia2

Thanks to Anita Daly  for the exclusive preview of this wonderful track.

Webhttp://www.emmakatetobia.com

http://www.myspace.com/emmakatetobia

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Celtic Ambience

My friend Paula O’Brien(http://www.myspace.com/paulaobrienuk)  from the UK whom I had a pleasure meeting and befriending in facebook shared two beautiful tracks with me. Paula is half Irish and she is known for her elecro music. These  two tunes are relaxing and I want to share it to you my readers, hoping you get that reflective feel of the season as it starts to kick in.

The first track is called Carousel by Troy Donockley (born 30 May 1964) who  is an English composer and multi-instrumentalist most known for his playing of uillean pipes. It’s from his album “The Unseen Stream“(1998 remastered in 2005).

The second track is called “Seoladh Na Ngamhna” by The Dirk Campbell Band from the compilation album “Celtic Ambience”.

Emma Kate Tobia: Meet Ireland’s Angelic Soprano

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The  album comes with  surprises that will charm both Classical and Traditional fans from all over the world.

The first time I received this CD  Aisling na nGael I was thinking that it’s one of those over the top vocal renderings. I do own a lot of classical records but they have their own time and usually when I listen to music , it has to suit my mood.

This one comes as a great surprise. Her voice can move from purely sean nos into really lyrical soprano. There is not only purity in the way she delivers these traditional pieces but there is also nuance and wonder. The orchestral arrangement is also excellent. The choir and the ambiance add to what is already good about this album.

About this album:

The CD, co-produced by Frank Buckley, Niall “Herbie” Macken and Emma Kate, was recorded in St Multose Church in Kinsale and the lofty acoustics fit perfectly with Buckley’s arrangements.

“Aisling na nGael introduces traditional Irish Songs to the world as rich orchestral and choral masterpieces,” says Emma-Kate.

You may want to buy into that.

Aisling na nGael (An Irish Dream) brings together 12 songs (Eanach Cuain, An Mhaighdean Mhara, An Droimeann Donn Dílis, Fill, Fill, a Rún Ó and Carrigdhoun, among others) sung normally unaccompanied in a setting that does the lyrics justice and brings out the natural poetry of the Irish language. Three songs (Deus Meus, Ag Críost an Síol and Óró ’s é do Bheatha ’Bhaile) feature The City of Cork Male Voice Choir and The Chorus of Opera Cork.(Info fromhttp://www.emmakatetobia.com)

Listen to her in MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/emmakatetobia

Thanks to Daly Communications for sharing this wonderful album with me.