"a vibrant array
of
multi-cultural harp music arranged
to delight and soothe the senses"
Alison's Music CD Apasionada
If you are looking for a harp CD
that grabs your attention and says "Sit down and
listen to me, forget the world" then this is it!
Apasionada is unique in that it has a lot of recorded
sonic presence to match Alison's superb harpistry and
it constantly draws you away from the outside distractions
and into Alison's world of rhythm and musical intrigue.
This solo CD features
three harps - Canadian professional musician Alison
Vardy's Sandpiper Celtic
harp, her Paraguayan
harp, and her new Bresch Celtic harp. The tunes
include a mixture of Celtic, Latin, Contemporary, light
Classical and World Ethnic music plus seven of Alison's
own original compositions.
Close your eyes
and you are sitting alongside the harp literally feeling
its presence!
I've selected
my
most rhythmic pieces
as well as some of my
most beautiful tunes
from around the world.
There is a very wide range
of multi-cultural influences
and tempos on this CD. Alison Vardy
About
the music... Apasionada - Solo
Celtic Harp
1)
Paya-Hali or "Get Moving" Alison
Vardy (4:49) My
own Canadian Composition with Russian
and
Spanish overtones!
2)
Dunedin Farewell
Alison Vardy (4:45) A
melodic tribute to the many fine friends and
musicians
we said goodbye to in Dunedin, NZ.
3)
Peerie House ahint the Burn/ Spoot O'Skerry Shetland
Islands (3:37) Vigorous
Scottish tunes using the full range of
the
Paraguayan harp.
4)
Yvone Yvonke / Los Bibilicos Macedonia
/ Jewish (4:26) A
traditional love song to a young girl followed
by
a soulful song of the Sephardic Jews.
5)
Schottische du Stockfish D.
Thonan (3:03)
I arranged this for harp from a recording I heard
by Quebec
group "Ad Vielle Que Pourra".
It's
a fishy tune composed in the Celtic style
from
Brittany, France.
6)
Peace River Lullaby Alison
Vardy (3:59)
Reminiscent of the gently rolling golden
hills of the
Peace
River Country in northern British Columbia.
7)
A Belen Vinde Pastores Galicia
(3:28) My
harp arrangement of this beautiful folk melody
from
the Celtic region of northern Spain.
8)
Una Luz en el Mar / Llano Alfredo
Rolando Ortiz (8:24) Two
beautiful compositions from this renowned
Paraguayan
harpist. The first is arranged as a
"Guarania",
and the second as a "Pasaje", both
being
syncopated rhythmic genres from S America.
9)
Roly Gentle / Johnson's Hornpipe Traditional:
Northumbria (4:44) Harp
arrangements inspired by the playing of
Kathryn
Tickell, Northumbrian piper.
10)
Whimsical Breeze Alison
Vardy (3:37) In
this piece I'm having fun with the percussive
potential
(what a fun phrase!) of the harp, then
going
into a nice rhythmic pattern using 7th chords.
Enjoy!
The Horse Whisperer named this track.
11)
Zemer Atik / Shalom Aleichem Amitai
Neeman / Trad: Israel (3:29) A
more contemporary Israeli dance tune followed
by
a well-love traditional melody.
12)
Animacion Alison
Vardy (2:42) Listen,
and you'll hear the animated character that
inspired
this composition!
13)
King of the Fairies Traditional:
Ireland (3:08) Always
a Celtic favourite of mine…
14)
Kulasunda Alison
Vardy (3:25) A
composition based on a traditional Mbira
(thumb
piano) rhythm of Zimbabwe. I learned
this
rhythm from Andy Rigby of Australia (sort
of a circuitous route from Africa) and he calls
it "traditionally-based Zimbabwean pop music".
15)
Streets of London / Pachelbel's Canon Ralph
McTell / Pachelbel (4:28) A
contemporary folk melody and baroque
piece that share the same chord progression
but offered delightful contrasts in arranging.
16)
Carousel Alison
Vardy (2:58) Just
finished in time to fit on this CD!
I like the name of this musical offering
-- Apasionada rolls off the tongue in soft,
succulent motions. Alison Vardy's fingers
ride the waves of her harp strings -- sometimes
strumming, sometimes plucking, like a turbulent
ocean.
….….Vardy
stirs the ocean to motion with "Get
Moving," a lively tune with Russian-influenced
rhythms. This one makes me long for a challenging
game of Tetris.
…….."Dunedin" slows
the pace as Vardy gives her own musical
tribute to a place she knew well -- it's
a soothing and reverent piece.
...... The listener
may catch a glimpse of fairies dancing in
the fields while taking in "Peerie
House ahint the Burn/Spoot O'Skerry,"
a collection of Scottish tunes from the
Shetland Islands -- all with satisfying
Celtic flavour.
...…."Yvone Yvonke/Los Bibiliocos"
features a rhapsodic combination of both
Macedonia and Greece and Sephardic Jewish
cultures. Like the combination of oil and
vinegar, this traditional love song and
melancholy melody blend for a thirst-quenching
sip of Middle/Eastern Europe.
..……Alison
Vardy's accomplished Celtic harp music provides
a soothing, 65-minute drift on the ocean
with Apasionada. "Carousel," Vardy's
own composition, provides one last spin
before the plug of the melodic ocean is
pulled and the listener is left on dry land.
But there's a cure -- immerse yourself in
this CD again!
