Mystic Dance: A Celtic Celebration

The Washington Post
"Steeped in tradition yet often wed to the contemporary, few CDs span the gap of generations so gracefully."

Product Description
One of the America's most exciting hammered dulcimer players recording today, Sansone performs on the extended range chromatic hammered dulcimer with damper pedals. The percussive melodious sounds of her wooden mallets dancing across over seventy wire strings brings a special beauty to her music. Sansone has wowed audiences for over twenty years and this, her most ambitious project and 11th recording takes the hammered dulcimer to a new level. Sansone’s virtuoso playing techniques and diverse charms, a combination of great warmth and melancholy, spare lines and densely fascinating instrumentation has garnered much praise from the media. Women Today said "…Maggie Sansone Breathes Immediacy Into The Past...interprets the folk idiom on an ancient instrument with a modern voice, and retains the integrity of both."

As on the her last CD- A Traveler’s dream, producer Bob Read brings his creativity as a producer and musician together, complete with his arsenal of instruments which includes bass clarinet, clarinet, alto flute, piccolo, soprano sax, accordion, piano, synthesizer, organ and percussion. Label artists Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer, Irish flute and pennywhistle, Sue Richards on Celtic harp, Paul Oorts on guitar, cittern, mandolin and musette accordion and Robin Bullock on guitar and cittern make guest appearances. Other guests include Sarah Read on Irish fiddle and cello and Ian Lawther on Northumbrian pipes. In keeping with the album’s theme of love and celebration, the music includes: 13th century medieval music by the two most famous French and German composers of courtly love; jigs, reels from ancient Celtic lands of Northumberland, Wales, Ireland and Scotland; mesmerizing improvisations on the Persian santur, duets with both dulcimers, Celtic harp music by legendary! Irish bards Rory Dall O’Cathain (1570-1650) and Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738) and a Celtic Wedding Set.

"I wanted to take the hammered dulcimer to the edge of possibility." Maggie says. "With my producer Bobby Read, we created multi layer textures and explored sounds produced with the expanded range and versatility of both the chromatic dulcimer with damper pedals and the dense ornamentation, unique playing style, techniques and scales associated with the Persian santur." Her introduction in the CD booklet further explains, "Since recording A Travelers Dream, I have been exploring the interconnection music expresses between people of all cultures. Along my musical journey, I discovered how closely we’re all drawn together by music’s universal language. Mystic Dance, Persian Dialogue and Improvisation express an exchange between musical instruments from two distant cultures, related by a common mystical thread. The Celtic Wedding Set is a tribute to all the joyous occasions at which I have performed. Enjoy another chapter in my life-long musical journey

Mystic Dance: A Celtic Celebration

Tracks:

Maiznet (Maytime)
Douce Dame Jolie (Fair Sweet Lady)
Give Me Your Hand
Mystic Dance
Bonny at Morn
Goddesses
Welsh Set (7-8):Welsh March
Welsh Reel (Ffaniglen)
Persian dialogue
Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady
South Uist Reel
Hunter's Purse
Otter's Holt
Improvisation in 3 parts
Celtic Wedding: March of King of Laoise
Bridal Jig
Random Notes
Draper's Maggot
Waterfall Waltz

Album Description

One of the America's most exciting hammered dulcimer players recording today, Sansone performs on the extended range chromatic hammered dulcimer with damper pedals. The percussive melodious sounds of her wooden mallets dancing across over seventy wire strings brings a special beauty to her music. Sansone has wowed audiences for over twenty years and this, her most ambitious project and 11th recording takes the hammered dulcimer to a new level. Sansone's virtuoso playing techniques and diverse charms, a combination of great warmth and melancholy, spare lines and densely fascinating instrumentation has garnered much praise from the media. Women Today said "…Maggie Sansone Breathes Immediacy Into The Past...interprets the folk idiom on an ancient instrument with a modern voice, and retains the integrity of both."

As on the her last CD- A Traveler's dream, producer Bob Read brings his creativity as a producer and musician together, complete with his arsenal of instruments which includes bass clarinet, clarinet, alto flute, piccolo, soprano sax, accordion, piano, synthesizer, organ and percussion. Label artists Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer, Irish flute and pennywhistle, Sue Richards on Celtic harp, Paul Oorts on guitar, cittern, mandolin and musette accordion and Robin Bullock on guitar and cittern make guest appearances. Other guests include Sarah Read on Irish fiddle and cello and Ian Lawther on Northumbrian pipes. In keeping with the album's theme of love and celebration, the music includes: 13th century medieval music by the two most famous French and German composers of courtly love; jigs, reels from ancient Celtic lands of Northumberland, Wales, Ireland and Scotland; mesmerizing improvisations on the Persian santur, duets with both dulcimers, Celtic harp music by legendary! Irish bards Rory Dall O'Cathain (1570-1650) and Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) and a Celtic Wedding Set.

"I wanted to take the hammered dulcimer to the edge of possibility." Maggie says. "With my producer Bobby Read, we created multi layer textures and explored sounds produced with the expanded range and versatility of both the chromatic dulcimer with damper pedals and the dense ornamentation, unique playing style, techniques and scales associated with the Persian santur." Her introduction in the CD booklet further explains, "Since recording A Travelers Dream, I have been exploring the interconnection music expresses between people of all cultures. Along my musical journey, I discovered how closely we're all drawn together by music's universal language. Mystic Dance, Persian Dialogue and Improvisation express an exchange between musical instruments from two distant cultures, related by a common mystical thread. The Celtic Wedding Set is a tribute to all the joyous occasions at which I have performed. Enjoy another chapter in my life-long musical journey

Customer Reviews:

Strong and Subtle album .......2004-07-28

This was the album that prompted me to hire Maggie Sansone and three musicians to accompany her for my wedding last weekend. Having gone to the Maryland Renn Faire for over ten years, I have long been around her playing and have found her compositions both ancient in their appeal and near perfection for anyone interested in primarily medievalesque and Celtic pieces. This album varies a bit more from her others, touching into some more middle eastern themes (which worked well for the belly dancer) as well as reaching into some more tribal themes to a light extent. If you are looking for more traditional Celtic dulcimer I recommend Into the Light. She does one thing I particularly enjoy that other Celtic/medieval musicians do not, while the songs on her albums compliment and flow well together, she does not have the simple variations on a theme that many artists do after recording two to three solid tracks. Each song is fresh, crisp, and with an air of its own. I highly recommend if you have enjoyed artists such as John Doan and Loreena McKennit (instrumental, not vocal pieces). We will be hiring them for another performance later this year, they brought such vitality and spirit to their music I am sure you will be swept up by it.

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