“Celtic Woman is like Riverdance for the Voice”- David Downes
On Monday November 16, 2009, I saw the show Celtic Woman: Isle of Hope at the Tucson Music Hall. The group is made up of 5 Irish women who began as soloists who were being produced by there now artistic director, David Downes. The girls are Lisa Kelly, Alex Sharpe, Lynn Hilary and Chloё Agnew who are the vocalists. They are joined by Máiréad Nesbitt who is the main violinist accompaniment who performs her own solos during the show. Celtic Woman (not a typo) began as a one time show and turned into what Celtic Woman is today. Every girl performs a solo as well as many group numbers throughout the show. The repertoire of the group is not just Irish music but also includes many new age and modern songs. Another thing about Celtic Woman that is very unique is that some songs are sung in English while others are sung in Irish Gaelic or Gaelige. They first got their American start thanks to a great help from PBS. They have been partnered showing many of their performances since the group began in 2005. They have become very popular in the states. At the show there was a full house! This Isle of Hope tour consisted of the 5 main girls as well as David Downes at the piano, a backup choir of 3 boys and 3 girls, 2 guitars, trumpets, saxophones, the élan pipes (basically the Irish version of the bagpipes) and two huge drum sets (and when I say huge I mean HUGE! All the percussion instruments could fill your bedroom!) including xylophones, cymbals, gongs, bongos, and large drums. The set up was just fabulous. The stage was covered in drapery on which they projected different colors and pictures. The girls were dressed in strapless gowns in bright colors and magnificent fabrics. The show began with a mysterious melody played by Máiréad. Something about it was so enticing and exciting. The girls sang an ensemble called “The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun”. From then on I was captured by the beauty of the music. The show continued and they sang many crowd favorites such as “Mo Ghile Mear” (in Gaelic meaning ‘My Dashing Darling’), “Spanish Lady”, and “At the Caeli.” They also included some songs familiar to Americans such as “You’ll Be In My Heart” from the Disney movie Tarzan and “You Raise Me Up.” Every song had something about it that made you want to listen. Each ensemble song represented every girl in a different way but at the same time, the song was a unit. It was incredible. The angelic voices of Celtic Woman gave me the chills or made me want to get up and dance! This show was something I will never forget. It was beautiful, magical, mysterious, exciting, enticing and of course a really excellent time.
I recommend the songs
“Orinoco Flow”
“The Call”
“Spanish Lady”
“Mo Ghile Mear”
These can be purchased on iTunes.
Also, you can see Celtic Woman at the Gammage Auditorium at ASU May 5, 2009.
