In Between
The Strings
Kim Robertson talks about the songs on her Narada debut recording,
THE SPIRAL GATE
Comb Your Hair and Curl It
I like the quirky title and contagious 9/8 meter of this slip jig. The melody is inherently jazzy, lending itself to a more modern treatment.
Ferry Me Across the Water
This original melody by Eric Segnitz features the soulful playing of Seamus Egan on whistle and Win Horan on fiddle. The poem is by Christina Rosetti, who wrote the well-known carol, In the Bleak Midwinter. The poem was originally published in a children's collection but can be interpreted on many levels. In Celtic mythology, the ferryman is a guide and messenger from the other world.
Molly on the Shore
John Williams on button accordion and concertina really sets the pace for this tune, a traditional reel that has been bounced back and forth between the folk and classical worlds. It is still a popular tune in pub sessions and has been arranged by several classical composers. The vocal interlude, White Coral Bells, is an old English round that I learned as a campfire girl.
Gaudete!
I first heard this 12th century hymn on a recording by Steeleye Span. I love the unsquare, syncopated rhythm. I combined it with a 16th century tune, Douce Dame Jolie, using traditional instruments over a kind of club beat.
The Spiral Gate
In this solo harp piece, the theme represents the echo between generations. The spiral symbolizes that everything comes around again ... with a chance to take it to a new level with each turn.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Eric Segnitz wrote the melody and adapted the lyrics from a 200-year-old poem by John Keats. The arrangement is quite stark with only one voice, harp, accordion, and viola. It's the classic boy meets faery, boy loses faery storyline but in strikingly melancholy language.
Clergy's Lament
Composed by Turlough O'Carolan, this is one of the only pieces on the album originally written for harp. The lament is performed over a groove and finally intertwined with another alleged O'Carolan tune, Separation of Soul from Body.
Roses in the Hollow
This piece by Cheryl Leah and Ed Willett is an excerpt from Fields - A Cantata for a Peaceful Rain, I heard the premier last year and loved the Celtic feel, the changing rhythms and the evocative lyrics. This version was adapted for harp and traditional Celtic instruments.
Faery's Lament/Reel a Bouche
The lament is a well-known Scottish tune, combined with mouth-music performed by Acadian musician, Benoit Benoit. Originally accompaned by only his tapping feet, Benoit Benoit's lilting voice inspired new harmonic possibilities and resulted in this combination of tunes.
Flamorgan's Aire
I first heard this tune on an instructional guitar video by one of my favorite musicians, French guitarist Pierre Bensusan. It seemed like a natural for the harp and is performed on the album with a small string ensemble.
Robertson's Rant
An orginal mouth-music piece combined with the traditional reel, Ryan's Rant. The arrangement features Jackie Moran on a gnarly bodhran and rototoms, and Mark Stewart adding a swamp-rock guitar.
The Labyrinth Waltz
A piece for harp, strings and vocalese, I take the labyrinth as a metaphor for the searching quality of life
Shamrock Shore
This is an instrumental version of a well-known Irish song. We indulged in a little studio magic to create a watery, dream-like ambience.
"This recording is dedicated to my mother, Audrey Robertson, who
likes the bouncy ones." - Kim
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