In this programme, Jordi Savall revives an exhilarating selection of Irish and Scottish standards. Once more he transforms his instrument of choice, the bass viol, and turns a delighted and playful eye upon the Celtic repertoire, offering an anthology of pieces in homage to the musical traditions of Scotland and Ireland with frequent reference to the Celtic music of the new world of North America.

Jordi Savall goes back to the roots of Celtic baroque music, to which he brings the particular and specific sound of the treble viol: more delicate than the bass viol and less powerful than the violin, it restores the soul and baroque profundity to the music. The instrument sings out alone or in dialogue with the Irish harp and psaltery of Andrew Lawrence-King, who brings the fruit of his improvisations while respecting the musical conventions of the period, with occasional interventions by percussionist Frank McGuire. Although different from the traditional folk music enjoyed in Irish pubs and clubs, these tunes remain in the popular tradition, while upholding the nobility of the old Celtic clans! There’s a return here to rhythm, to the driving energy of the dance, which, meditative and mystical, encourages the continued transmission of ancestral memory.

Performers : Jordi Savall / Andrew Lawrence King/Frank McGuire