Celtic Music: Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennitt was born in Manitoba, Canada, where she first became interested in Celtic music. She moved to Stratford, Ontario in 1981 and still lives there when not touring and exploring. Her interest in the Celtic people, their history, and geographic spread over Europe and other lands began in 1991 and has fueled her musical journeys ever since.

She has acted and sung in, and composed music for, the Stratford Festival of Canada. The influence of Shakespeare is heard on many of her albums, and I've always felt that acting in Shakespeare's plays has affected her style of singing and phrasing. In listening to and watching Loreena McKennitt perform, it's clear that she is a woman of great talent, intellect and spirituality.

McKennitt's first recording, Elemental in 1985 features her voice and harp on mostly traditional music from Ireland, Scotland and England. Her next two albums continue to feature harp and traditional material, although by the third album her own music and lyrics have come increasingly forward.

The album that brought McKennitt to worldwide attention was 1992's The Visit. The music is still rooted mostly in Ireland, Scotland and England, but other influences are heard as well. There's still a fair amount of harp, but she plays a lot of keyboard as well. On her next two albums, The Mask and Mirror and The Book of Secrets there's only one track each with harp.

Those next two albums expand her sound into a wider range of the world, with influences ranging from Galicia in Spain to Morocco, eastern Europe, across the Caucausus and Siberia, and down to Greece and Turkey.

In 1998 Loreena suffered the loss of her fiance Ronald Rees, his brother Richard, and friend Gregory Cook in a boating accident. She founded the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, and profits from her album Live in Paris and Toronto went to the fund. This interest has led to her being appointed an Honorary Colonel of the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in December 2006. Her role is to act as a bridge between civilians and the military.

She didn't perform very much for the next few years. Her next studio album wasn't released until 2006. An Ancient Muse was followed in 2007 with Live from the Alhambra, a 2-CD and DVD set recorded in high definition at the Alhambra Palace in Spain.

Photo credit: Donna Griffiths, Copyright Quinlan Road, by courtesy of Karen Shook on behalf of Quinlan Road.

Loreena McKennitt returns to her Celtic roots with a strong set of traditional tunes recorded at the historic 1832 Sharon Temple north of Toronto.

Track listing:

1. As I Roved Out
2. On a Bright May Morning
3. Brian Boru's March
4. Down By the Sally Gardens
5. The Star of the County Down
6. The Wind that Shakes the Barley
7. The Death of Queen Jane
8. The Emigration Tunes
9. The Parting Glass

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The CD blends the five songs on 1995's "A Winter Garden" with eight new songs inspired by favorites of the season.

Track listing:

1. Holly & The Ivy
2. Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle
3. The Seven Rejoices of Mary
4. Noël Nouvelet!
5. Good King Wenceslas
6. Coventry Carol [Live]
7. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen [Abdelli Version]
8. Snow
9. Breton Carol
10. Seeds of Love
11. Gloucestershire Wassail
12. Emmanuel
13. In the Bleak Midwinter

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A limited edition combination of the CD and the DVD "A Moveable Musical Feast," a look at her 2007 "An Ancient Muse" tour, is available from Amazon.com (US):
A Midwinter Night's Dream & A Movable Musical Feast

Both editions are also available from Amazon.co.uk:
A Midwinter Night's Dream

A Midwinter Night's Dream & A Moveable Musical Feast

This is a 4-CD set featuring McKennitt's first three CDs Elemental, Parallel Dreams and The Visit plus a six-track rarities disc.

Tracks on the 4th disc:
1. Caravanserai (NFTA LIVE)
2. The Bonny Swans (LIVE)
3. The Highway Man (LIVE)
4. Penelope's Song (Spanish Special Edition - Nights From The Alhambra)
5. The Mummers' Dance (Single Remix)
6. Dante's Prayer (Spanish-language version)

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Released in 1985. Most material is traditional. "Stolen Child" is a poem by William Butler Yeats. "Lullaby" is a poem by William Blake. McKennitt wrote the music for both. This is a remastered edition of the original recording.

Tracks:
1. Blacksmith
2. She Moved Through The Fair
3. Stolen Child
4. The Lark In The Clear Air
5. Carrighfergus
6. Kellswater
7. Banks Of Claudy
8. Come By The Hills
9. Lullaby

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The edition sold in the UK includes a bonus DVD in PAL format.
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All material is traditional English, Irish, or Scottish except "Snow." Recordings were done in Annaghmakerrig, an artists' retreat in County Monaghan, Ireland, Glenstal Abbey, a Benedictine monastery outside Limerick, Ireland, and the Church of Our Lady, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. This is a remastered recording.

Tracks:
1. In Praise Of Christmas
2. The Seasons
3. The King
4. Banquet Hall
5. Snow
6. Balulalow
7. Let Us The Infant Greet
8. The Wexford Carol
9. The Stockford Carol
10. Let All That Are To Mirth Inclined

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A traditional-sounding album, much like her previous releases, although most music and lyrics are new, except on "Anachie Gordon" and "Standing Stones."

Tracks:
1. Samain Night
2. Moon Cradle
3. Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance
4. Annachie Gordon
5. Standing Stones
6. Dickens' Dublin (The Palace)
7. Breaking The Silence
8. Ancient Pines

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Music and lyrics on most tracks are by McKennitt, except "Bonny Portmore" with traditional music and lyrics. Lyrics on "The Lady of Shallott" are by Alfred Lord Tennyson, on "Greensleeves" by King Henry VIII, and on "Cymbeline" by William Shakespeare.

Tracks:
1. All Souls Night
2. Bonny Portmore
3. Between The Shadows (Persian Shadows)
4. The Lady Of Shalott
5. Greensleeves
6. Tango To Evora
7. Courtyard Lullaby
8. The Old Ways
9. Cymbeline

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The influences of Ireland and England come together with those from Spain and its Moorish and Galician heritages, and Morocco.

Tracks:
1. Mystic Dream
2. The Bonny Swans
3. Dark Night Of The Soul
4. Marrakesh Night Market
5. Full Circle
6. Santiago
7. Ce He Mise Le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees
8. Prospero's Speech

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Track listing:

1. Conventry Carol
2. God Rest ye Merry, Gentlemen
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. Snow
5. Seeds Of Love






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All music and most of the lyrics, except for "The Highwayman," by McKennitt. Much of the album is inspired by her interest in the wanderings of her Celtic ancestors.

Tracks:
1. Prologue
2. The Mummers' Dance
3. Skellig
4. Marco Polo
5. The Highway Man
6. La Serenissima
7. Night Ride Across The Caucasus
8. Dante's Prayer

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This CD single contains the single version and album version from The Book of Secrets, plus "The Mystic's Dream" from The Mask and Mirror.







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Recorded at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France on April 19, 1998 and Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 3 and 4, 1998 as part of The Book of Secrets Tour.

Tracks:
Disc: 1
1. Prologue
2. The Mummers' Dance
3. Skellig
4. Marco Polo
5. The Highway Man
6. La Serenissima
7. Night Ride Across The Caucasus
8. Dante's Prayer
Disc: 2
1. The Mystic's Dream
2. Santiago
3. Bonny Portmore
4. Between The Shadows (Persian Shadows)
5. The Lady Of Shalott
6. The Bonny Swans
7. The Old Ways
8. All Souls Night
9. Cymbeline

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Her first studio album in almost ten years continues her Celtic-rooted journeys.

Tracks:
1. Incantation
2. The Gates Of Istanbul
3. Caravanserai
4. The English Ladye And The Knight
5. Kecharitomene
6. Penelope's Song
7. Sacred Shabbat
8. Beneath A Phrygian Sky
9. Never-Ending Road (Amhrán Duit)

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This half-hour documentary originally shown on PBS has excerpts of songs from Parallel Dreams, The Visit and The Mask and Mirror.







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After nearly a decade away from the music scene, Loreena McKennitt returned right where she left off. This is a 2-CD set with a DVD of her performance in the Alhambra that was shown during PBS pledge drives.

Track listing:

1. The Mystic s Dream
2. She Moved Through The Fair
3. Stolen Child
4. The Mummer s Dance
5. Penelope s song ,Marco Polo
6. The Bonny Swans
7. Dante s Prayer
9. Caravansera
10. Bonny Portmore
11. Santiago
12. Raglan Road
13. All Souls Night
14. The Lady Of Shalott
15. The Old Ways
16. Never-Ending Road
17. Huron Beltane Fire Dance
18. Cymbeline .

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A Mediterranean Odyssey combines new live performances of audience favorites from her 2009 Mediterranean Tour with a collection of previously released studio recordings. Inspired by the tones, textures and rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean, this latest release features virtuosic performances on authentic instruments including oud, lyra, bouzouki, harp and hurdy-gurdy alongside electric guitar, cello and percussion.

Track listing:

Disc: 1
1. Mystic Dream
2. Tango to Evora
3. The Gates of Istanbul
4. Penelope's Song
5. Marco Polo
6. Marrakesh Night Market
7. Santiago
8. Caravanserai
9. The Dark Night of the Soul
10. Sacred Shabbat
11. The Mummer's Dance [Single Version]
Disc: 2
1. The Gates of Istanbul
2. The Dark Night of the Soul
3. Marco Polo
4. Penelope's Song
5. Sacred Shabbat
6. Caravanserai
7. Santiago
8. Beneath a Phyrgian Sky
9. Tango to Evora
10. Full Circle

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