Festive collection of traditional music for the winter holidays performed by Celtic/Medieval band Brocelïande.
Beautiful instrumental and vocal arrangements for Celtic harp, cello, guitar, octave mandolin, voices, oboe, English horn, flute, melodeon, recorders, whistles and drums. Brocelïande is: Margaret Davis, Karl Franzen, Kristoph Klover, and Kris Yenney.
"Brocelïande is a very capable four-piece ensemble in the early-music/Baroque/Celtish mold. On this Christmas recording, the players cover a very broad range of music from Western Europe, everything from an interesting hymn in Middle English to French carols, English wassails, Bach tunes, and even familiar Christmas songs. Margaret Davis has a high, clear voice and considerable talent on the harp. A pleasant blend of guitars, cello, oboe, flute, and so forth combine with some fine harmony singing to make this an enjoyable CD to put on while trimming trees, baking cookies, and all those other midwinter tasks. The CD booklet also includes a recipe for wassail punch." --Dirty Linen, Dec 02/Jan 03
"Seasonal and Christmas music from several western European traditions, arranged for guitars, harp, winds, and cello, are offered by this California quartet. Some Yuletide chestnuts, some unusual songs (for example, the beautiful 'Carol of the Birds') and a few splendid instrumental pieces make this a nice holiday collection. -- Sing Out! Winter 2003
"Sixteen entertaining tunes in medieval and Renaissance styles range from 'Gloucestershire Wassail' to 'Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle' (with French and English lyrics), the Latin 'Gaudete,' an lrish instrumental, and 12 more with similar variety--including one song in Medieval English. This excellent quartet not only plays Celtic harp, flute, guitar, period instruments, oboe, English horn, and cello, it also shines on vocals, with qualities that suit the pub/street-singing feel of certain cuts. Engaging Old World atmospheres. " --NAPRA ReView Nov/Dec 2002
SIR CHRISTÈMAS includes these holiday favorites from near and far away (click on links for soundclips): Gloucestershire Wassail Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella Gaudete O'Carolan's 179 The Boar's Head Carol Carol of the Birds Gavottes I and II Entre le Boeuf/Noel Nouvelet The Holly and the Ivy Mrs.White's Nothing/Mrs.White's Thing Shoot the Wren Edi Beo Thu Abbots Bromley Horn Dance Yo Me Soy La Modenica Sir Christemas Away in a Manger
"If you're so sick of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that you'd like to roast him and put him on the table with an apple in his mouth, never fear! Brocelïande to the rescue! Drawing from a diversity of European and American cultures, Sir Christemas presents songs in English, French, German, and Spanish spanning periods from the 13th to 20th centuries. The words hark to Christmas, Yule, Winter Solstice, and other "Festivals of Light" integral to this time of year. Detailed liner notes give lyrics for the vocal pieces, historical context and attributions for all songs, and other fascinating background information. My favorite tracks include the rousing "Gloucestershire Wassail", "The Boar's Head Carol" with blended Pagan/Christian symbolism, an exquisitely soulful rendition of "The Holly and the Ivy", and "Edi Beo Thu" which is a sprightly homage to the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. Actually, I loved them all. Brocelïande consists of Margaret Davis (vocals, flute, Celtic harp, recorders), Karl Franzen (guitar, octave mandolin, vocals, whistle, harmonica, melodeon, hand-drum), Kristoph Klover (vocals, 12-string and 6-string guitars, octave mandolin, oboe), and Kris Yenney (cello, viol, percussion, vocals). Visit their gorgeous website at: www.broceliande.org. If you're planning to throw a mixed party and you want entertainment that won't offend your Pagan guests or your Christian guests, this is the album to play. Put it on your shopping list, too; Sir Christemas is a perfect gift for fans of traditional music. This is far and again the best winter holiday release I've heard since MotherTongue released This Winter's Night. Best of all, this is but the first of four albums -- Brocelïande plans to release three more, covering seasonal music throughout the year. Most highly recommended." --PanGaia Winter 2002
And don't miss these other fine recordings by the Sir Christèmas performers ...