folk holidays

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, WITH WHICH THE IRISH FIDDLER AND THE WELSH HARPIST POLLINATE US LIKE BEES

THE MUSIC OF IRISH FIDDLER AOIFE NÍ BHRIAIN AND WELSH HARPIST CATRIN FINCH BLENDS TRADITIONAL MELODIES WITH A LOVE OF BACH AND BAROQUE

Musically, Dublin-based violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain and west coast Welsh harpist Catrin Finch dance together like their favourite bees during their unique dance. They do not, however, direct us to the most delicious pollen, but to music laced with Welsh and Irish fiddle and harp melodies and inspirations that transcend the world of traditional music and classical music.
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Although they are said to recognise virtuosity, which is understandable in classical music in particular, they do not let themselves be bound by it or seek perfection; what is important to them is freedom and transcendental experience. "Most audiences don't really care about virtuosity, they just want to leave a performance that has moved them," says Catrin Finch, who, when it comes down to it, is actually unlucky: her first playing partner, Secka Keita, was thrown into the mix by chance, yet three extraordinarily beautiful and successful albums have resulted, and she was linked with Aoife Ní Bhriain by the Welsh festival Other Voices Cardigan. And while she already had an inkling of Aoife, she blurted out to the organisers, "Catrin who?". While at home, her husband rolled his eyes, so she started googling and out of the blue, she says, her pulse quickened.

They have much in common: they studied classics, have performed with the world's leading symphony orchestras, have won countless awards, have inquisitive creative natures and love to take on unusual challenges. They came to traditional music in a similar way: through their family background. Perhaps only the title of Royal Musician, which Catrin received in 2000, eludes Aiofe, but that is probably because they have no royalty in Ireland. On the other hand, she's a great Hardanger fiddle player again.
"Both fluent in the ancient languages - Cymraeg and Irish Gaelic - they have both had cancer and are now in blessed remission, enjoying every day of their lives with the chance to swoon again over the beauty of Bach," wrote Double You publicist Andy Morgan on the album cover, without having to explain why each track begins with the letter W. Just flip through the titles and a literal adventure story opens up before you: Wish, Waggle, Woven, Waves, Wandering, Wings, Wonder, Why, Whispers.
Listening to them also makes us realize that their meeting was inevitable and absolutely necessary, otherwise we would have missed the opportunity to listen to the players' dazzling and ultimately beautiful music pollinating us like life-giving bees.