Concert Dates

2011

April 29
King's Place
London, England

April 30
The Sage
Gateshead, England

 

 

Called "three of the finest folk violinists anywhere" by The Washington Post, Celtic Fiddle Festival will release their fifth CD, Equinoxe, in February 2008. A harvest of international tunes, the new album celebrates the possibilities of the violin in all its globe-trotting variations. It is their first on Burke's new Loftus Music label, after a string of acclaimed recordings on Green Linnet.

In a Celtic Fiddle Festival live performance, these traditional masters showcase their regional repertoires and conjure an experience of breathtaking performances. Kevin Burke, considered one of the finest Irish fiddlers of his time, is known for his inimitable feel and silky tone on the swiftly rolling music of County Sligo. Lemaitre brings his unerring control and the hypnotic, modal melodies of the Breton fest-noz or "night-dances." And newest member Brunet, tilting the band's sound with a Francophile flair, fires up the night with his exuberant smile and percussive, foot-stomping Quebeçois tunes, punctuated by an occasional yelp!

The evening builds to a collaborative set featuring all four musicians. Music from Ireland, Brittany, Quebec, Scotland, Italy, Sweden and elsewhere are woven into complex, fascinating arrangements with the delicacy of a chamber quartet or the rip-roaring force of an international hoe-down. Together, these virtuosic musicians play with such relentless precision and passion that the tunes transcend all cultural and geographical barriers, leaving the audience with a memorable musical experience.

Celtic Fiddle Festival:
Kevin Burke - Fiddle
Christian Lemaítre - Fiddle
André Brunet - Fiddle and Foot-tapping