Alison Vardy   Solo Celtic Harpist  
         
 
 
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"a vibrant array of
multi-cultural harp music arranged
to delight and soothe the senses"
  


Apasionada
The Compact Disc

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




Apasionada was recorded in the natural reverberation of an acoustically "live" space with Melodeon Studios in Victoria, BC, Canada. The recording quality of Apasionada is very good as all the tracks were recorded live using top quality professional microphones directly to analogue tape for additional "warmth".

(16 tracks - 65 minutes playing time - Released July 2000 )

 

 

About the music…
Apasionada
Solo Harp

 

 
1) Paya-Hali or "Get Moving"
       Alison Vardy (4:49)                                          
        My own Canadian Composition with Russian
        and  Spanish overtones!     
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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!

 
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A Review from Rambles Online

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!


For The Complete Review
Rambles Online

 

 
 
   
 
 
 
 
       
 
 
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