"Kim Robertson's Celtic Christmas Concert" by Adam Victor Christensen

Kim Roberton's Celtic Christmas Concert

by Adam Victor Christensen

he performance hall of Northbrae Community Church in North Berkeley was once again the serene setting for Kim Robertson's Celtic harp music. Situated in a surprisingly pastoral part of the city and surrounded by large older homes in the Tudor style, the hall with its white trim and tall arched windows is reminiscent of an older Theosophical or Masonic Lodge. A long stepped walkway lined with rose trees enhances the approach to the door. On this evening, the warm lights of the hall twinkled out invitingly to the cold, recently rain-washed air. Together the architecture and landscaping created a scene of calmness and security for the arriving guests, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Sonora, Auburn, Mendocino and Santa Cruz for this musical fete.

The stage was dressed with candles and flowers. Pure Austrian crystals in a great variety of geometric star and snowflake patterns were hung from the ceiling of the stage, catching and redistributing points of colored light. A great evergreen wreath hung over the proscenium and Celtic harper Jane Valencia, as Master of Ceremonies, gently beckoned the concert guests into the spirit and music of Christmas as she introduced Kim Robertson, and later cellist Virginia Kron and flutist Roxanne Vasconcellos.

im opened the show with a solo medley which included the beautifully mysterious Appalachian carol "I Wonder As I Wander" ... appropriately the first song from Kim's first Celtic Christmas album ... a Sanskrit lullaby "Ardas," and just a taste of "What Child Is This?" "That's all you're going to get of that!" Kim joked, setting off sympathetic smiles from all the harp-players in the crowd for whom the melody of "Greensleeves" is probably one of the most often requested and hence most often played tune in their repertoire. Kim then sailed into a full-tilt, no-holds-barred fusion version of the traditional Irish "Butterfly Jig" which garnered the first rousing swell of applause from an audience not expecting such ferocious virtuosity so early in the program. Joined by Virginia on cello, they then performed the Renaissance French carol "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" and the Italian "El Tutu," followed by a medley of "Berceuse," " Martin Wynn's Air" and "Pastorelle."

The concert-goers applauded Kim and Virginia upon the opening phrases of "Gratitude" from the album of the same name. This was their first live performances since completing the Gratitude project and they were in such great spirits and playing right on-the-edge. Then, Virginia peformed spoken word and solo cello pieces from her newly released fairy tale for the harp and cello, "The Crystal Harp," inspired by her work with Kim. As sound engineer Paul Michael Meredith's special audio effects of ocean waves began rolling across the speakers and the light-man Steve Kauffman bathed the stage in etheric cobalt and aqua tones, Roxanne joined them to perform Dvorak's "New World", a gracious anthem which completed the first set. (A flute and harp arrangement of "New World" appears on Kim's recording "Love Song to a Planet."

im and Roxanne opened the second half with the little-known English dance tune "Easter Thursday" ... "Wrong holiday, great tune!" Kim quipped ... and segued into the timeless Scottish air "Wild Mountain Thyme," and the cheerfully energetic "O'Carolan's Concerto." Kim performed her second solo medley with the American songs "All the Pretty Little Horses," "Shenandoah," "Simple Gifts" and "America the Beautiful." Virginia rejoined Kim to perform "Come All Ye Shepherds" and the original "G Ditty," a piece from Gratitude which, Kim explained, had been composed the night before the last recording session to complete the album.

Finally the trio which had been created just for this one performance, played Martin Luther's "Silent Night" and the jubilant Czech "Carol of the Bells" which Kim skillfully arranged to display rapidly cascading layers of close harmony among the three instruments. Closing with the audience singing along with the famous Peter Pan lullaby "Tender Shepherd," Kim and friends pulled a warmly woven shawl of music down around everyone's shoulders.

ll this music was answered with a prolonged standing ovation. Somewhere in the evening ... amid the strings, the songs and stories ... a universal chord of Celtic Christmas had been sounded and sustained. As the house lights rose, faces seemed lit from within. Tears of happiness were visible and were not too quickly wiped away. Hearts, filled, were overflowing. To many of us this had in truth and in art been an announcement by "angels bending near the earth" that a time of hope and giving had begun. - © 1998 Adam Victor Christensen

"Nothing true is lost. The fire only makes it pure and strong."

- Grandfather Griffin in Gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger

from the liner notes of Wood, Fire & Gold

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