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Release Date: 26-10-1998
Label: Celestial Harmonies
Catalog Number: 13100-2
Barcode: 13711310023
Musical Style: Celtic Folk / Spoken Word
Track Listing:
| Disc 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomas [02:13] | 4 | Seal [03:03] |
| 2 | Matchmaker [10:27] | 5 | Soul Agony [05:47] |
| 3 | Moore's Castle [09:16] | 6 | Gwilan's Harp [30:05] |
Description:
Celtic harper Patrick Ball has always been a storyteller - but then, that goes with the territory. After all, the Celtic harp has always been used to accompany the telling of Irish tales. Tall tales, tales of little people and hard lands, stories of love and loneliness - these reflect the Celtic soul as much as the music. Patrick Ball's prior six releases have focused on his instrumental performances of the timeless airs and ballads of the Celtic lands; only his concert audiences have had the chance to hear his equally lyrical storytelling. Finally, after establishing himself as America's most popular Celtic harpist, Ball has produced Storyteller, a collection of Celtic tales that shows this ancient Irish tradition to be alive and well, at least in Ball's corner of California. Storyteller includes five classic Irish tales and a telling of the haunting, bittersweet Gwilan's Harp, a contemporary fairy tale by celebrated author Ursula K. LeGuin. In each case, Ball's storytelling has a gentle, musical quality. With subtle accompaniment from the harp and other traditional Irish instruments, Storyteller easily transports the listener to an earlier, simpler time. Ball uses such well–known Irish airs as Bonny Portmore, Carolan's Farewell and Donal Og as the settings in which to spin his yarns. He is joined by talented piper and flutist Timothy Britton and renowned fiddler Martin Hayes. But the real star of this release is the storytelling itself. Whether it is the charm and wit of The Matchmaker or the melancholy of The Soul Agony, Ball's tales evoke images of the warm hearth and the family gathered around the fire. Storyteller comes at a time when interest in Celtic music is high. Children's tales are again being found on recordings and on the radio. Patrick Ball's combination of Celtic tales and Celtic music will strike a chord with many listeners and bring a little bit of Ireland to the whole family.
Biography:
Patrick Ball is one of the premier celtic harp players in the world and a captivating storyteller in the Celtic tradition. He has recorded nine instrumental and three spoken word albums which have sold well over one–half million copies internationally and won national awards in both the music and spoken word categories. His critically acclaimed solo musical theater piece, O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music, brings to the stage the legendary life, the turbulent times and the glorious music of Ireland’s most celebrated and beloved musician, Turlough O’Carolan. Patrick Ball is “a rare artist,” for in playing the ancient, legendary brass–strung harp of Ireland with its crystalline, bell–like voice and in telling the marvelous old tales of wit and enchantment, he not only carries on two of the richest traditions of Celtic culture, but blends them in concert to create “a richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful” performance.
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