|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
"vibrant, evocative
solo harp music
celebrating Canada’s West Coast"
|
|
Alison's Music
CD Island Suite
Alison Vardy is inspired by the
rhythmic and melodic diversity of music from many cultures
to create original compositions and arrangements that
showcase her beloved instruments. Island Suite is a
colourful tapestry of sound and mood that is both exciting
and relaxing.
This solo CD features
two harps - Alison's Sandpiper Celtic
harp and her self-built Paraguayan
harp. The tunes include a mixture of Canadian, Quebecois,
Celtic, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), and World Ethnic music
plus eight of Alison's own original compositions. With
only nine seconds of blank space left on this CD the
listener can journey deeply into Alison's world of rhythm
and musical intrigue in a single listening. Enjoy!
|
 |
|
This is music that captures
my heart and will captivate
you! Most of the solo harp
arrangements and many of
the compositions are mine,
with their roots strong in
tradition. Waltzes, marches,
dances and airs from the Celtic, Sephardic, Balkan,
French
and African cultures. Enjoy!
Alison
Vardy
|
|
|
About
the music...
Island Suite - A
Solo Harp Odyssey
|
|
1)
E & N Boogie
Alison
Vardy (3:27) P
All
aboard! The E&N Railway was once the
transportation
and freight lifeline of Vancouver
Island,
BC, and had almost gone the way of the
dodo
at the time I wrote this tribute. Supported
by avid
communities up and down its length, it
now
has a bright future for scenic recreational
and commuter
travel.
|
Lo-Fi
1.5 Minute
Modem |
Hi-Fi
2.5 Minute
Cable |
Free
Shipping
Anywhere |
|
Experiencing Difficulties?
|
2)
Island Suite
Alison Vardy (4:04) C
The
four musical themes in this composition visit
the four
southern Gulf Islands of Mayne, Pender,
Saturna
and Galiano off Canada’s West Coast.
|
|
|
|
3)
Avre tu Puerta Serada / Adio Querida
Trad.
Ladino (4:15) C
Open
your closed door and Farewell Beloved,
two
beautiful
love songs written in Ladino, the language
of the
Sephardic Jews (Judeo-Spanish).
|
|
|
|
4)
Pula
Alison
Vardy (3:29) P
Means
Money or Rain in Setswana, one
of the official
languages
of Botswana. Thanks to one of my Vancouver
Island
audience members for naming this piece for me.
|
|
|
|
5)
Cape Breton Set
Trad.
Cape Breton (4:56) C
I learned this set of lively
tunes from the recordings
of Nova Scotia
born traditional flute player, Chris
Norman. Transcribed
for harp with addition of
soundboard
percussion!
I
Won’t Do the Work / 100 Pipers
/ Road to Skye
|
|
|
|
6)
From the Shadows
Alison
Vardy (6:47) C
The four themes
of this composition move through the
emotions
of sombre to celebratory, as the key moves
from
C minor to C major.
|
|
|
|
7)
Peter’s Peerie Boat / Willafjord
Tom
Anderson / Trad. Shetland Islands (4:01) P
Tom Anderson is a renowned fiddler
from the Shetland
Islands but I learned these tunes from a couple
of New
Zealanders, both of them avid members of the Gaelic
Society in Dunedin.
|
|
|
|
8)
Bonnie at Morn / The Trees They do Grow High
Trad.
England (3:17) C
Two
contemplative broadside ballads from early England.
|
|
|
|
9)
Sto mi e Milo / Kalimera
Trad.
Macedonia / Greece (4:55) C
A
traditional village song followed by Good Morning!
in
Greece.
Both of these pieces are in 7/8 rhythm.
|
|
|
|
10)
Hornby Hornpipe / Off to California
Alison
Vardy / Trad. Ireland (3:05) P
I
love alliteration and Hornby Island in the Georgia
Strait between Vancouver Island and the British
Columbia Mainland is a favourite place of mine.
Off
to California is an Irish hornpipe and a popular
choice at Celtic sessions and gatherings.
|
|
|
|
11)
Si La Mar
Trad.
Ladino (3:59) C
All
about fishermen, young love and betrayal and
delivered to you in 5/8 rhythm with lots of modulations!
Arranged for solo harp from an adaptation by Moshe
Denburg.
|
|
|
|
12)
O’Carolan Set
Trad.
Ireland (3:30) P
A
medley of three tunes from 17th Century Ireland’s
greatest bard, Turlough O’Carolan:
George Brabazon / Bridget Cruise (#2)
/ Carolan’s Cap
|
|
|
|
13)
Mildred’s Habanera
M.
Plant , Arr. Alison Vardy (4:09) C
Mildred
is a student of mine with a passion for Latin
rhythms and a good ear for a melody.
|
|
|
|
14)
Quebecois Set
Trad.
Quebec (5:16) C
The
Isles de Madeleine lie in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
and are part of the province of Quebec. The two
marches that follow are originally associated with
the
playing of legendary Quebecois accordionist, Alfred
Montmarquette (1871 – 1944).
Isle de Madeleine / Marche des Ouvriers
/
Marche Cecilia
|
|
|
|
15)
Kay’s Waltz / Malaika
Alison
Vardy / Trad. W. Africa (4:06) P
A
waltz for my mother followed by a Swahili love song
about a young man who yearns for his bride, Malaika.
|
|
|
|
16)
Mazurka Limousin / Bouree
Trad.
France (3:05) C
These
two pieces come from the central Auvergne and
Bourbonnais regions of France where there is a rich
tradition of bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy music.
|
|
|
|
17)
Changing Tides
Alison
Vardy (4:32) C
Using
the full range of the harp this piece ebbs and
flows with mood and intensity.
|
|
|
|
18)
Breezy Day
Alison
Vardy (2:46) C
We
get a lot of breezy days on this coast ….
hold onto
your hat!
|
Lo-Fi
1.5 Minute
Modem
|
Hi-Fi
2.5 Minute
Cable
|
Free
Shipping
Anywhere |
(18 tracks - 74 minutes
playing time - Creative
Commons License)
|
|
|
A
Review from
Rambles
Online
With deft and magical
fingers, Vancouver Island, Canada, native
Alison Vardy conjures the sounds of Canada's
Western Shores and more in Island Suite.
This well-paced compilation of 18 well-positioned
harp songs features original compositions
by Vardy, as well as arrangements of traditional
pieces and rhythmic adaptations.
During this
whimsical musical journey, Vardy visits
and pays tribute to Vancouver's resurrected
E&N Railway; the four southern gulf
islands of Mayne, Pender, Saturna and Galiano;
Horby Island; and Cape Breton with light,
tender melodies. Then it's onward and eastward
where Vardy captures multi-cultural essences
from Africa, England, France, Greece, Ireland,
New Zealand, Scotland and other exotic locales
in flavourful listening feasts.
Alison Vardy's
masterful strokes on Celtic and Paraguayan
harps provide the listener with more than
70 minutes of spirited relaxation and refreshment
-- music by which you can rejuvenate, soak
in the tub or lull yourself to sleep. It's
a wonderful alternative (or accompaniment)
to massage therapy! Vardy performs live
at concerts and conducts workshops in British
Columbia, but for those who are not Canadian
nationals, you don't have to go that far
to hear these soothing sounds -- just pick
them up on any of her three therapeutic
disks, also including Harping On and Apasionada.
Rambles
Online
written by Lynne Remick
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
