Description
For Duan Nollaig: A Gaelic Christmas the Gaelic MOD Gold Medal winner Fiona MacKenzie is joined by some of the other top singers and musicians for this double CD of Gaelic Christmas songs and carols. With Karen Matheson, Anna Massie, Hamish Napier, James Graham & Irvin Duguid.
The Blessed Infant; King Of Kings; Song Of Christmas; There Were Shepherds In An Eastern Country; Child Of Bethlehem; Silent Night; When Rose The Sun Of Righteousness; Mary's Joy; Christ Child's Lullaby; Look, Coming From The East; Bountiful Star Of Joy; Praised Be The Trinity; In The Bleak Midwinter; The Virgin Mary's Hymn; Great Christmas Night; How Glorious The News; New Year Song; Halleluliah; Christmas Song; The Star; Praise Christ; Welcome, Welcome The Only Son Of God; Precious Thing; Sleep My Baby Sleep; Christ Child's Lullaby; Away In A Manger; Father Christmas; Presents; We Made A Snowman Today; He Is Rushing; 12 Days Of Christmas; He Is Coming; The Robin; Look At The Snow; We Wish You A Merry Christmas.
Fiona Mackenzie, a native of Morayshire, has lived in Dingwall for the last 20 years and after working in Gaelic Medium Education for 5 years, now works as the Mhàiri Mhòr Gaelic Song Fellow for the Highland Council and has truly taken the Gaelic language to heart. Fiona won the premier award for Gaelic singing in Scotland – ‘The Ladies Gold Medal’ - for fluent speakers, at the Mod in Stornoway, in 2005. In 2004 she won the coveted ‘BBC Scotland Traditional Music Personality of The Year Award’ at the Scots Trad Awards. She has also been nominated as ‘Gaelic Singer of the Year’ in both 2005 and 2006.
Produced by the Mhàiri Mhòr Gaelic Song Fellowship, for the Highland Council, in association with Greentrax Recordings, this double CD is the first ever Scottish collection of Gaelic Christmas carols and songs for all ages. Highland Council has been regarded as a ground breaker in terms of making Gaelic songs as accessible to as many people as widely as possible for some years now and this project is probably the biggest to date.
Fiona has been inundated by requests for many years from all over the world to record an album such as this - in particular to provide material for Gaelic medium classes in Scottish schools to work with. Included are some brand new carols, being performed for the first time. The first CD comprises melodic carols and songs, some traditional some new - “Silent Night”, “In The Bleak Midwinter”, “Away in a Manger”, “Reul Thorach an Àigh”, “Pàiste am Bethlehem” (a Manx Carol translated into Scots Gaelic with a Manx chorus) and “Naoidhein Prìseil” are examples. The second CD includes songs for children and young people – some familiar as translations of favourites such as “Child in a Manger”, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas” – but also some new songs suitable for very young children. Also included are contemporary songs such as Eilidh Mackenzie’s translation of “Alleluia” – a translation of Leonard Cohen’s “Halleluiah”, made popular by Jeff Buckley and featured in the film “Shrek”. There are ballad style songs and also some humorous ones, including “Bodach na Nollaig” (“Father Christmas”).
Lead vocals are by Fiona, with vocal harmonies provided by Maggie MacDonald, Katie Mackenzie (who also plays clàrsach) and James Graham. Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson also guests on two tracks. Other well known musicians include fiddler Anna Massie, John Goldie (guitar), Jim Drummond (drums), who plays with The Donnie Munro Band, Ed MacFarlane (bass), Simon Welsh (fiddle), Hamish Napier (whistles & bamboo flute)), Ronan Martin (fiddle) and Gary Innes (accordion). The album also debuts the first Gaelic didgeridoo track – played by Charles V. Clark. Additional vocals are also provided by Sarah Jane Scott, Morven MacLeod and Mark Thomson, plus some of the guest musicians.
The album has a distinctly different sound to it – in an attempt to take Gaelic Christmas music to a wider audience – to an audience who might not traditionally listen to Gaelic or folk music, whilst still remaining true to the Gaelic tradition. The album features some classically inspired pieces as well as traditional Gaelic melodies and lyrics. There is also a strong element of rock too, which will appeal to the younger listeners.
The album is produced by the well known producer and keyboard player Irvin Duguid, who also writes film and TV scores, acted as MD for major national musicals such as ‘The Producer’ and is also MD for all Elaine C. Smith’s Christmas theatre and TV shows.
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