Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Chieftains

Last night some friends took me to a Chieftains concert. We live in a university town and so famous artists do sometimes perform here. It was an uplifting musical evening and somehow did not seem out of keeping with Lent. There is an austerity and spirituality innate in Irish music; it seems to be interwoven with the landscape of Ireland. Through the harp, pipes, bodhran and tin whistle one can glimpse the sparkling waters, the mist, the fields, the seven shades of green. They had some dancers and it was hard to watch and keep still. The music was almost out of place in the vast auditorium and I found myself wishing for the quaint intimacy of a pub. The Chieftains are on a world tour and so I would recommend seeing them if they come your way. Here is a YouTube sample of their music as well as a history of Irish music in general. Share

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the YouTube link-- I love it! Here is another one of the Chieftains, in that pub atmosphere you were talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLZ_ZOjLEKo&NR

In that pub environment, there is a quality about them that reminds me of Cajun folk music (zydeco).

Anonymous said...

Lucky You! I have never seen them, but would like a good CD of Irish
music, maybe one of theirs would fill the bill.

elena maria vidal said...

Thanks, Georgette! That is wonderful!

Yes, Alice, you would love a CD of the Chieftains! We dance to ours all the time!