Audierne is a charming record of traditional and contemporary instrumental music with a Celtic flair. Helen Bell plays viola — an instrument you don’t hear every day, much less in Celtic music — as well as violin, recorder and whistles, with backing from Ed Pritchard on guitars, mandolin and bouzouki. Bell and Pritchard, who also play together in the morris band Cry Havoc, share the writing credits for all the tracks except for three traditional works.
The highlight of this collection of 14 tunes and medleys is the title track, named for a town in Brittany. It must be a lovely town, because this is a truly beautiful little tune that lets the voila’s mellow voice shine. Bell plays the viola in a very fluid and graceful manner, with tasteful accents on recorder.
Another track that stands out is “Iffley Lock,” which juxtaposes a traditional-sounding melody on recorder with a jazzy, dissonant guitar accompaniment and unexpected chord changes. Bell penned “Annie’s Farewell” and “Foxcombe Woods,” two beguiling airs in waltz time.
Audierne isn’t all Celtic tunes, though. The addition of several other genres, including the traditional “Swedish Dance,” “Temptation Tango,” a French dancehall tune titled “Andro” with melodeon by Tim Clarke, and the wild Roma-style “Stone Steps” give the record plenty of variety.
These disparate elements help overcome a tendency toward New Age stylings and overproduction on a few tracks, particularly “Last July,” and “Belladonna.” The tunes are generally more interesting when allowed to breathe, rather than multi-tracked with all the instruments at the two musicians’ disposal.
Things are wrapped up nicely on the final track with a contrasting medley. “Whitehorse Hill,” a Celtic-informed air, gives way to the folk-rock “Godfrey the Amoeba,” a lively jig with Bell on violin, backed by Pritchard banging out jangly chords on the electric guitar.
All in all, Audierne is a very pleasing set of tunes, played with wit, heart and class. Fans of contemporary Celtic instrumental music should check it out. You can learn more and listen to samples at Bandcamp and at Bell’s own website.
(Little Acorn, 1999)
