LAWRENCE O'HEARN & ANDRÉ MARCHAND - Si L'Hiver Peut Prendre
Private Label
A French Canadian cross-over between classical and traditional music, this album is not unique in presenting Irish and Québecois music on tin whistle or baroque oboe, but it is certainly unusual, and perhaps the only CD combining the two traditions to focus entirely on these instruments. The whistle has the upper hand, with "hautbois" on just a handful of tracks, and both instruments simultaneously on the single Reel à Castonguay. The oboe features only on slower pieces: the slow reel mentioned, airs such as Liam O'Raghallaigh and Bean Dubh An Ghleanna, and a final German song melody by a certain W.A. Mozart who has produced better work. Multi-tracking of the oboe does bring out its similarity to the uilleann pipes, but there is never any danger of confusing the two. Sterling accompaniment is provided by the guitar and talented feet of La Bottine founder André Marchand, and the general sound quality and mixing is excellent.
On a pot-pourri of Irish and Québecois jigs and reels, O'Hearn plays whistle in a style which departs from both traditions. He chooses some great tunes, and the Canadian ones are mostly not well known so that's a bonus: Un Reel d'Isidore Soucy, Turlutte de la Beauce, and the implausibly named Jack DeLad for instance. Many of the lower notes on the whistle are strangely muted and breath control is an issue in places, but mostly this is enjoyable music well played. One interesting quirk is the inclusion of two renditions of the well-known air An Raibh Tú ag an Carraig, one on whistle and the other on oboe, to compare the effect of both instruments. There are also a few of O'Hearn's own compositions, among which Snorkel Jacket Jig stood out for me.
www.lawrenceohearn.com
Alex Monaghan
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this CD online from The Listening Post The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 109 of The Living Tradition magazine. |