Post by Caitlin on Apr 18, 2007 6:47:56 GMT
Overproduction saps the spirit
BY ROB HUBBARD
Pioneer Press
TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
Article Launched:04/18/2007 12:01:00 AM CDT
The Irish have long been a big chunk in the American multicultural stew, so it's something of a surprise that the Celtic Woman concept wasn't invented earlier. Creating an Irish-flavored girl group that sings pop ballads with a liberal dose of fiddle and the thundering drums of the Druids must have looked like a winner on the whiteboard of the impresarios who hatched Celtic Woman, and - judging from Tuesday's opening of a two-night stand at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre - it's striking a comforting chord with Twin Cities audiences.
Unlike "Riverdance," the step dancing musical that reignited an interest in traditional Irish culture (and launched the career of Celtic Woman music director David Downes), a Celtic Woman concert taps into a more accessible talent: singing. And the four women at the fore of this group do sing splendidly and have a far more polished production to deliver than on their first visit a year ago.
But maybe too polished. One could call Tuesday's show a triumph of audio engineering: Borrowing a style pioneered by their countryman, U2's Bono, these women have every breath and whisper amplified to the nth and amply enhanced. Throw in some arrangements that sounded as if they were being played by a lot more than the six musicians on stage and you couldn't be blamed for questioning if the sincere spirit of traditional Irish music was being buried beneath a mound of production.
Is this a well-rehearsed show? Certainly. And there were some sweet moments when the music was allowed to speak relatively unaided, like an a cappella version of "Danny Boy" by Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, Orla Fallon's "Carrickfergus" or the energetic jigs and reels dancing fiddler Mairead Nesbitt engaged in with the boys in the band.
But it's such a tightly scripted show that it leaves little room for spontaneity. Even the simplest arrangements are treated like big production numbers, and one seldom gets the sense the four women are having very much fun up there. Judging from a healthy ovation at evening's end, the Orpheum audience felt well entertained. But perhaps coaxing an extra encore out of the group simply wasn't in the script.
the above can be found here: www.twincities.com/searchresults/ci_5691298
<3 Caite
BY ROB HUBBARD
Pioneer Press
TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
Article Launched:04/18/2007 12:01:00 AM CDT
The Irish have long been a big chunk in the American multicultural stew, so it's something of a surprise that the Celtic Woman concept wasn't invented earlier. Creating an Irish-flavored girl group that sings pop ballads with a liberal dose of fiddle and the thundering drums of the Druids must have looked like a winner on the whiteboard of the impresarios who hatched Celtic Woman, and - judging from Tuesday's opening of a two-night stand at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre - it's striking a comforting chord with Twin Cities audiences.
Unlike "Riverdance," the step dancing musical that reignited an interest in traditional Irish culture (and launched the career of Celtic Woman music director David Downes), a Celtic Woman concert taps into a more accessible talent: singing. And the four women at the fore of this group do sing splendidly and have a far more polished production to deliver than on their first visit a year ago.
But maybe too polished. One could call Tuesday's show a triumph of audio engineering: Borrowing a style pioneered by their countryman, U2's Bono, these women have every breath and whisper amplified to the nth and amply enhanced. Throw in some arrangements that sounded as if they were being played by a lot more than the six musicians on stage and you couldn't be blamed for questioning if the sincere spirit of traditional Irish music was being buried beneath a mound of production.
Is this a well-rehearsed show? Certainly. And there were some sweet moments when the music was allowed to speak relatively unaided, like an a cappella version of "Danny Boy" by Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, Orla Fallon's "Carrickfergus" or the energetic jigs and reels dancing fiddler Mairead Nesbitt engaged in with the boys in the band.
But it's such a tightly scripted show that it leaves little room for spontaneity. Even the simplest arrangements are treated like big production numbers, and one seldom gets the sense the four women are having very much fun up there. Judging from a healthy ovation at evening's end, the Orpheum audience felt well entertained. But perhaps coaxing an extra encore out of the group simply wasn't in the script.
the above can be found here: www.twincities.com/searchresults/ci_5691298
<3 Caite
