Anna Falkenau: Féileacán na Saoirse

Féileacáin na Saoirse
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Artist: Anna Falkenau
Genre: Traditional
Label: Scroll Music

The riches afforded by this textured tune selection (along with a skein of thoughtfully composed sleeve notes) is a reminder of the benefits of the hard copy over the virtual. Anna Falkenau is a fiddler with a highly developed ear for music from Sliabh Luachra and American old-time music. She often favours a deliciously stripped-down style, letting the fiddle's most primal qualities shine through. This spartan style is a perfect fit for her tune choices, including her own beautiful Ivan's Waltz. There's a vitality to Falkenau's ability to marry tunes, and her pairing of Caoineadh Uí Néill with Liz Carroll's sublime That's Right, Too! lingers long after the final notes have faded. Falkenau's singular voice is ever audible, but never at the expense of the tunes. annafalkenau.com

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about traditional music and the wider arts