Laura Risk plays her fiddle with passion and finesse on her new CD, The Merry Making, leaving the listener sighing for more. Capturing a glimpse of emotions seldom expressed on any instrument, Risk bows the strings with a delicate grace, yet draws unbridled passion from them. The result is a collection of music that is startlingly beautiful and deftly executed.
Risk’s music selection is impeccable, representing the choicest of dance tunes from Scotland, Cape Breton, Quebec, New England, and Ireland. The tunes range from straightforward reels and hornpipes to more unusual melodies. Some of the tunes are very familiar, and others are not well known at all. It is clear that the 18th century Scottish dance music at the core of this recording influenced the other dance tunes, and vice versa, bringing about a wealth of traditional dance material, all with the same basic roots. From the scope and range of the tunes, it is easy to see how that music style evolved into some of the more contemporary tunes on the recording.
The title track, “Lord Moira/The Merry Making,” sports an evocative Scottish strathspey and reel. The strathspey delivers the stately grandeur of such a tune, while the reel trips along with polish and fire, giving a glimpse into the joy and elegance of an 18th-century dance event. “Mrs. Mary MacDonald” from the Athole Collection of the Dance Music of Scotland skips by with an erratic heartbeat of a syncopation, giving the listener a feel for the unusual dance with which this tune must have been associated.
There is either guitar or piano accompaniment throughout most of the recording. The accompaniment is so perfectly arranged and timed with Risk that is it hard to believe. Risk takes great liberties with the timing, giving the tunes passion and romance. Dennis Cahill on guitar and Susie Petrov on piano follow Risk perfectly, showing their unique skills as professional accompanists. The guitar and piano provide a delicate and introspective background for Risk’s romantic composition, “Marc’s Waltz.”
Risk doesn’t hog the spotlight on this recording but shares it with several other skilled performers, keeping the sound varied and interesting. Christopher Layer takes the lead on “The Sailor’s Wife,” providing soaring and skipping flute lines through which Risk interweaves her harmonic accents. The result is a delightful, upbeat tune. Risk shares the melody with Petrov on the lilting strathspey, “Clan Ranald,” delivering a well-choreographed piano/fiddle duet. On “John McAlpin,” Risk takes a complete backseat to Petrov, allowing the piano to deliver the strathspey with an unusually gentle charm. The opening of “Air Charles St-Hilaire” features the wonderful effect of Risk playing the drone to Layer’s solo flute. The two then share the melody, perfectly in sync, until the piano joins and they swap the melody back and forth. “My Maryanne,” an Irish tune popular with contradancers, shows off Cahill’s unparalleled skill on the guitar as he matches the melody along with Risk’s fiddling through one section of the tune.
On “Northern March/The 8th Argyll’s Farewell to the 116th Regiment de Ligne,” we hear the mellow tones of the Scottish small pipes, as played by Christopher Layer. The rich tones of the pipe and fiddle, combined with the percussive sounds of the piano, give this set a full, orchestrated resonance. This is one of my favorite tracks on the recording.
Donald MacLeod’s well-known march, “Walter Douglas,” is performed ensemble-style, with an unusually sedate tempo, featuring the swapping of the melody from fiddle to flute and back again, while the piano and percussionist Brian Melick provide a steady beat behind it. The collection closes with the lulling “Sunday River” waltz by Pete Sutherland, which soars on Risk’s dancing fingers, ably backed by Petrov’s piano.
Although some of the tunes are not danceable, due to liberties taken with the timing, the resulting passion given to the tunes will make them a joy to any fan of this style of dance music. You will not find red-hot, fire-filled fiddling on this recording, but you will find expression beyond your wildest imaginings, giving spark, vitality, and grace to these unforgettable tunes. The result is a collection of passionate dance tunes, played with finesse that will add elegance to any evening. It’s a collection not to be missed.
