RENAISSANCE DE LA HARPE CELTIQUE

I was first treated to this album in about 1975 and whilst I appreciate the album in terms of themes and melodies it never really reigned supreme. The celtic harp playing is wonderfully hypnotic at times and Alan Stivell shows his true talents but there are a whole host of other fine musicians that lend a hand to this studio offering. The bass in particular stands out nicely accompanied by great choral arrangements. The standout piece of music would have to be ' Gaeltacht' but my personal favourite is ' Ys' the opener and it is IMO more distinctive sounding than the rest of the album. Alan Stivell was for this reviewer and early pioneer of the harp, others followed like Andreas Vollenweider and even some of Vangelis's work is similar but of course Stivell has that folk edge to his music. The album is good and would be a great starting point for anyone wanting an initiation to this French artiste. Two and a half stars.