Boston Pops
The Celtic Album
Don't be fooled by the lame title and even lamer cover art (the youthful conductor Keith Lockhart, laughing at what his girlfriend will think of him in this kilt-thingie). This is a pretty darned good album! Most Celtic music is characterized by solo minstrels singing away, or a small ensemble, so the large lush orchestral pieces are a nice departure from this. The Celtic Album is a mixture of the old standards such as Scotland the Brave to new works such as the terrific O'Sullivan's March from the movie, Rob Roy (one of my favorite pieces of the entire playlist.
Besides the Rob Roy number, others on CelticMelt are the main theme from Braveheart, The Level Plain and O'Carolan's Planxty Burke.
"First purchased because of the reputation for innovative things Mr. Lockhart is doing with the Boston Pops, I have grown to love the music on this CD. The fast numbers make me feel happy and the slow ones are very relaxing and calming. It's wonderful.I especially enjoy it when driving along the Pacific Coast Highway. "
Titanic Soundtrack
Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture
Sure, elitists will poke fun at hyper-popular mega-flick Titanic, but I loved it. And the ever prolific James Horner's soundtrack is one of his best (Horner is also known for Braveheart and Apollo 13 among others). Alas, only a single track "fit" into CelticMelt which wasn't either transitional stuff or made musical reference to the lovely, yet wildly overplayed My Heart will Go On.
Paul Winter and Friends
Celtic Solstice
"Paul Winter is a global eclectic who picks from the world's traditions, maintains their integrity, and at the same time retains his own distinctive voice. Few musicians could, in the span of two years, venture from the solo saxophone improvisations of Canyon Lullaby to the bossa nova of Brazilian Days and now Celtic music with Celtic Solstice and not sound like a dilettante. Winter sounds as committed as ever. He has been infatuated with Celtic music for years, and since 1996, some of the greats of Celtic music have participated in his annual Winter Solstice Celebration at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.." Amazon Review"The combination of soprano sax,organ and pipes is an awesome sound.One is transported to Ireland with sound. Hauntingly beautiful! We have listened to it a number of times and with each session a new image appears. Paul winter is magical and the voice of Karan Casey is breathtaking!"
CelticMelt features such tracks as After the Fleadh, Dawnwalker, and the very unusual but striking Golden Apples of the Sun.