Our Review
Here's a great and unusual combination--hammered dulcimer (Tina Bergmann) and bass (Bryan Thomas), two voices that very nicely complement each other. This married duo makes beautiful music together, and their collaboration works wonders on their superb "These Winter Joys."
This instrumental holiday album was just what I needed to hear on a harried morning. The crisp, clean melody lines of the dulcimer fly high over the bass's rich foundation. It is almost as though the bass lovingly tethers the dulcimer to the ground, preventing it from slipping into the heavens. The music is soothing, but never boring; "These Winter Joys" held me in rapt attention throughout.
The album has 12 tracks, mostly well-known traditional numbers (I was unfamiliar with four selections). The CD opens strongly with an exciting "Ding Dong Merrily on High"; Bergmann's dulcimer just explodes with fast-fingered virtuosity. "Sleigh Ride" is the only modern carol here; it is an excellent vehicle for dulcimer and bass playing together. Three delicate holiday standards ("Carol of the Bells," "In the Bleak Midwinter," and "What Child Is This?") were born to thrive under the masterful treatment of dulcimer and bass--just gorgeous. The album closes with a cheery and memorable "Joy to the World."
"These Winter Joys" will undoubtedly bring me considerable joy this winter. Any fan of dulcimer music--or of gorgeous acoustic instrumentation--will thrill to the unique sounds of Bergmann and Thomas.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)
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From the liner notes:
Tina Bergmann and Bryan Thomas have been performing together since 1995.
Much appreciation to Michael Owen for allowing us to record in the Northside Icehouse, part of Akron's historic Klages Coal and Ice Complex. Constructed in 1880, the Icehouse is an impressive space of 6000 square feet with a wood ceiling 55 feet high. The triple thick masonry weave walls stand as straight today as they did the day they were built. At its peak, the Icehouse stored the great bulk of Akron's ice, cut from local lakes and brought by sled or wagon for summer use.
--Tina
Tina Bergmann and Bryan Thomas
These Winter Joys
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Label: Blue Heron Productions
Length: 46 minutes
Genre: New Age
Release: 2001
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Ding Dong Merrily on High |
| Leaping and Dancing |
| Sleigh Ride |
| January Waltz |
| Goddesses/Playford's Dancing Master |
| Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella/I Saw Three Ships |
| Waltz of the Little Girls |
| Ode To Joy/Simple Gifts |
| Carol of the Bells |
| In the Bleak Midwinter |
| What Child is This |
| Joy to the World |