Category Archives: Music

Benjamin Britten’s Death in Venice

Many consider Benjamin Britten the most important British composer since World War II; indeed, some think him the most important since Henry Purcell. Although often thought an uneven composer, most writers in the area concede that his operas Peter Grimes, … Continue reading

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Brooklyn Raga Massive’s In D

As we all know, 2020 has been a trying year in so many ways, but it has been one of the best years for music in my recent memory. And Brooklyn Raga Massive’s In D touches me as deeply as … Continue reading

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2020 Ragas Live Festival to include tribute to minimalist composer Terry Riley

This year’s Ragas Live Festival will feature a number of special events, but perhaps most special of all is the fact that it’s happening at all. Ragas Live Festival began as a 24-hour radio broadcast and evolved into a set … Continue reading

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Rambling House’s Demo EP

So an unassuming little CD that (unusually) came my way by direct courtesy of Green Man‘s Chief Editor, Cat Eldridge. It’s a four-track ‘demo’ CD by an Australian band called Rambling House, whose membership (according to the booklet) comprises: ‘Paul’ … Continue reading

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Bonnie Rideout’s Celtic Circles

Alistair Brown penned this review. Bonnie Rideout has been reviewed in these pages before. At that time, reviewer Stephen Hunt described her compilation album Scottish Reflections, her ninth on the Maggie’s Music label, as “brilliantly conceived.” Celtic Circles, issued in 1994 and … Continue reading

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Goodacre Brothers’ Bag Up Yer Troubles & Call for Yer Pipers Three, and

Once upon time there was bagpipes played at every country dance in England. (Our American ‘contra dance’ is quite likely a corrupted form of ‘country dance’. Certainly the dances are very similar!) According to piper Bill O’Toole of Blowzabella, founding … Continue reading

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Annbjorg Lien’s Baba Yaga

Reviewing a CD is usually a relatively straightforward task. Stick it on and listen to it, then categorise, compare, contrast and criticise! It’s the category bit that provides the sticking point here. Almost all of us navigate our way through … Continue reading

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Ensemble Karot’s Traditional Songs of Armenia, Volume 1

Big Earl Sellar penned this review. Let us ponder Armenia for a moment, an ancient nation which once stretched its boundaries to include parts of modern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Georgia. Right there you know that whatever musical tradition … Continue reading

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Carreg Lafar’s Hyn

Carreg Lafar ‘s second album, Hyn, combines great vocals and tasteful arrangements of Welsh traditional music, along with some nice originals, in a mix that seems slightly medieval and mysterious, while at the same time anchored with contemporary folk sensibilities. … Continue reading

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Delyth Jenkins’ Aros

Delyth Jenkins‘ album Aros is about as Welsh as an instrumental album can be. She is no newcomer, having played professionally for 25 years. This is her third solo album, with another two recorded with her first group Cromlech and … Continue reading

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