Fire & Grace

by Natalie Haas, Alasdair Fraser

Overview

Alasdair Fraser is already well known and lauded as a Scots fiddle player, giving Natalie Haas (a member of Mark O'Connor's band) a lot to live up to. But she manages it with flying colors, and between them they take a virtual tour of Scotland and beyond. Some hundred years ago the mix of violin and cello was common in Scots music, but most probably not like this. Even on slower pieces like "Prince Charles' Last View of Scotland," the imagination and deftness to the playing demonstrate huge talents at work. On the faster pieces -- which are numerous -- Haas' cello becomes a bass counterpoint and underpinning to Fraser's wild but precise playing. The sharp tacks of mood as the album criss-crosses the bonnie land -- ranging from the Shetlands to the mainland and even across the North Sea for "The Scandinavian" -- is a joy, whether they're entertaining the lightness of "Josefin's Waltz" or the centerpiece of "Rob Roy Crosses the Minch," where both musicians are stretched to the absolute limits of their abilities, with exhilarating results for the listener. A future classic of a Scots album. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/20/2004
Label:	Culburnie Records
UPC:	0755997012122
Rank:	46283

Tracks

1. Calliope Meets Frank: Calliope House/MacArthur Road/Franks Reel
2. Stirling Castle Set: Stirling Castle/Forth Bridge/Jenny Dang the ...
3. Josefin's Waltz
4. St. Kilda Wedding/Brose and Butter
5. The Scandinavian: Sl¿¿ng Polska/Rumbling Quadrille
6. Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch
7. The Sailor's Wife/The Lads of Duns
8. Shetland Set: Christmas Day Ida Moarnin/Lady Spence's Reel/Sleep Soond
9. Prince Charles' Last View of Scotland
10. The Duchess: The Duchess of Bedford/Lady Hope of Pinkie/Lady Montgomery
11. Rob Roy Crosses the Minch: Rob Roy MacGregor/Bog an Lochain/Flora ...
12. Da Slockit Light
13. The High Reel Set: The Hut on Staffin Island/The Barrowburn Reel/The ...

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alasdair Fraser   Primary Artist
Natalie Haas   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

John McCusker   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Roger Tallroth   Composer
Natalie Haas   Arranger
Addie Harper Sr.   Composer
Alasdair Fraser   Mixing,Arranger,Producer
Tom Anderson   Composer
Dave Richardson   Composer
Sally Ashcraft   Graphic Design
Elmer Briand   Composer
Irene Young   Photography
William Marshall   Composer
Bruce Wheelock   Engineer
Mikail Graham   Mixing
Michael Romanowski   Mastering
Fionn O Lochlainn   Engineer