Artists

BONNIE RIDEOUT: Scottish Reflections

Scottish Reflections (MM225) by BONNIE RIDEOUT, Scottish fiddle & viola is all Scottish instrumental music featuring Bonnie Rideout & Maggie's Music artists. One of the finest Scottish fiddlers of our time, Bonnie Rideout brings her passion and joyous energy to every track, from over 10 years of musical collaboration with other top artists on the Maggie's Music record label. Bonnie's unique style of fiddling has charmed audiences with a vast array of dance tunes, bagpipe marches and ancient Gaelic melodies on stages from Scotland's Edinburgh International Festival to America's Kennedy Center.This CD represents musicians sharing their talents within a close Celtic community that is as small as your living room and as large as the world. Bonnie Rideout's other CDs on the Maggie's Music label are: Soft May Morn, Celtic Circles, Kindred Spirits, Gi'Me Elbow Room, Scottish Fire, Scottish Rant, and A Scottish Christmas.Bonnie also can be seen and heard on the live concert DVD and video; A Scottish Christmas featuring Bonnie Rideout(BMG)."Rideout's tone is pristine," THE NEW YORK TIMES. Total Time: 57:18 minutes.

MUSICIANS are: Bonnie Rideout, fiddle & viola with Sue Richards, Celtic harp;Hesperus: Scott Reiss, pennywhistle; Tina Chancey, viola da gamba & Grant Herreid, lute;
Karen Ashbrook, wooden flute & Paul Oorts, musette accordeon;Maggie Sansone, hammered dulcimer;Paula Glendinning, Highland bagpipe;William Taylor, Wire harp (Clarech) & Gothic "bray" harp;Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba.

NOTES ON THE MUSIC:

[Track 1] features Bonnie Rideout and the early music ensemble, Hesperus, presenting music from some of the earliest sources of Scottish, English, and Irish traditional folk music. For centuries the fiddle and the pipes have shared repertoire, complementing each other with similar ornamentation and the use of drone notes, as in these three tunes. MacDonald of the Isles is a pipe march, followed by a strathspey, which is the dance form most identified with Scottish traditional music. The Source of the Spey and The Periwig are reels first published in the Captain Simon Fraser Collection (1815). [Track 2] Bonnie joins four-time National Scottish Harp Champion, Sue Richards, on Seal Songs. These haunting melodies are from the Patrick MacDonald Collection (1784). In the Scottish hierarchy of nature, seals are almost equal in rank to humans. The Silkie myths tell of seals taking human form for short visits on land. [Track 3] The Thistle is a brilliant example of 18th century Scottish parlor music written by James Oswald, who was considered a fine composer of traditional Scottish fiddle tunes and also an example of what, in the 21st century, is referred to as "chamber folk music." [Track 4] Charlie Glendinning wrote Dunblane after 16 children and their teacher were slain by a gunman on March 13, 1996, in Dunblane, Scotland. Reflecting on his composition, Mr. Glendinning said, "The tragedy was like an icy blast of winter returning to kill every flowering bud of spring...." In Bonnie's arrangement, the fiddle and viola are joined by the piper, Paula Glendinning, with their instruments giving voice to those who were lost and the many who were left behind to remember forever. [Track 6] Lamentation of the Fallen Heroes of Waterloo, from the Nick Gow & Sons Collection, exquisitely renders a haunting retrospective of that famous battle of 1815. [Track 11] Sue Richards presents Lament for Limerick, Lochaber No More, and Irish Lamentation, a set of tunes from Ireland, Scotland and England, respectively. The Lament and Lochaber commemorate the mournful losses of war, while Irish Lamentation transforms these tunes into a lovely waltz, elegantly displaying the harmonic interplay of the Celtic harp, fiddle, and viola da gamba. [Track 12] Gloomy Winter evokes a reflective mood. Bonnie learned this tune from her teacher in a one-room schoolhouse she attended as a child in Maine. She was attracted to this beautiful melancholy Scottish air that speaks to matters of the heart and the coming of spring. Bonnie's lush arrangement for strings features viola and fiddle. [Track 14] Minstrel of MacDonald's is played in two versions; the first is Bonnie's from the Patrick MacDonald Collection (1784), and the second is William Taylor's from the Angus Fraser Collection (ca. 1874). Although not technically a piobaireachd (PEE-brahk) Bonnie plays this air in a similar style by building variations on the melody to create a moment of timelessness. Through subtle ornamentation, manipulation of different vibratos, and varied bowing techniques, Bonnie maintains continuity with the final tracks on all of her other recordings. The careful crafting of a simple melody truly represents Bonnie's fiddling style and is a perfect tune to conclude this recording.

Below is the list of musical selections, musicians and CDs featured in this collection:

1.MacDonald of the Isles March to Harlaw / Source of the Spey (Strathspey)/ The Periwig (Reel) (3:25).
Fiddle, pennywhistle (Scott Reiss), bass viol (Tina Chancey), Gothic "bray: harp (William Taylor).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

2.Seal Songs (4:25). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards).
From the CD: Grey Eyed Morn, Sue Richards. Producer: Maggie Sansone.

3.The Thistle (4:34). Fiddle, Lute (Grant Herreid), bass viol (Tina Chancey).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

4.Dunblane, Â©Charlie Glendinning (5:00). Fiddle & viola, Highland bagpipe (Paula Glendinning).
From the CD: Scottish Rant, City of Washington Pipe Band & Bonnie Rideout. Producer: Bonnie Rideout.

5.Unst Bridal March (3:32). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards), viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick).
From the CD: Grey Eyed Morn, Sue Richards. Producer: Maggie Sansone.

6.Lamentation for the Fallen Heroes of Waterloo (3:24) (arr. Paul Oorts). Fiddle, accordeon (Paul Oorts), flute. (Karen Ashbrook)
From the CD: Celtic CafÃ©, Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts. Producer: Bob Read.

7.Itchy Fingers (2:39). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards).
From the CD: Morning Aire, Sue Richards. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

8.Cro Kintaile (4:00). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards), viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick).
From the CD: Morning Aire, Sue Richards. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

9.The Highland Laddie (2:46) Fiddle, Gothic "bray" harp (William Taylor), bass viol (Tina Chancey), pennywhistle (Scott Reiss).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

10.The Highland Laddie: variations (1:32). Fiddle, theorbo-lute (Grant Herreid).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

11.Lament For Limerick/ Lochaber No More/ Irish Lamentation (7:43). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards),
viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick), guitar (Connie McKenna).
From the CD:, Morning Aire,. Sue Richards.Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

12.Gloomy Winter (2:22). Viola & fiddle.
From the CD: Scottish Christmas, Bonnie Rideout, Maggie Sansone, Al Petteway. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

13.St. Kilda Air/Jenny Nettles/St. Kilda Reel (4:51).
Fiddle, Hammered dulcimer (Maggie Sansone), Celtic harp (Sue Richards), mandolin (Robin Bullock),
clarinet (Bob Read).
From the CD: Dance Upon the Shore, Maggie Sansone. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

14.Minstrel of MacDonald's (6:25). Fiddle, Wire harp (clarsach) (William Taylor).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.maggiesmusic.com

Track List:
1. MacDonald of the Isles March to Harlaw / Source of the Spey/ The
2. Seal Songs
3. The Thistle
4. Dunblane
5. Unst Bridal March
6. Lamentation for the Fallen Heroes of Waterloo
7. Itchy Fingers
8. Cro Kintaile
9. The Highland Laddie
10. The Highland Laddie: variations
11. Lament For Limerick/ Lochaber No More/ Irish Lamentation
12. Gloomy Winter
13. St. Kilda Air/Jenny Nettles/St. Kilda Reel
14. Minstrel of MacDonald's

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