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Our Review

"Revels" means "boisterous festivities" and "merrymaking;" the California Revels are all about such worldly pleasures when they join their listeners to celebrate "Christmas in an Irish Castle." So come, feast, drink, and be merry!

This is a production of massive proportions--an incredible mélange of singers (adults and children), dancers, and musicians. The live Revels is a theatrical, participatory celebration held in metropolitan areas around the country (it has been a holiday tradition in San Francisco since 1986); such performances typically usually involve high levels of audience participation, and the visual element must be impressive. Sadly, for those of us resigned to playing the CD at home, we cannot see the dancers or the colorful period garb; nonetheless, the California Revels surprisingly do recreate a viscerally realistic sense of what "Christmas in an Irish Castle" would have been like in the Middle Ages.

Here's a confession. I normally dislike narration on holiday CDs; the talking undercuts the album's musicality. That being said, "Christmas in an Irish Castle" does include narration, and it is the exception to my rule. Narrator Patrick Ball does a magnificent job of guiding us tourists through the castle, making the initial toast ("Christmas in the Castle"), and doing the storytelling that essentially sets up several musical numbers. Ball's rich Irish voice sets just the right tone; you can close your eyes and imagine this festive fellow telling dramatic stories of royalty, war and magic in the Great Hall.

"Christmas in an Irish Castle" contains over an hour of music on 31 tracks. The materials are diverse--from fragile harp instrumentals ("Pwt ar y bys," "Si Beag, Si Mor") to robust songs featuring children's voices ("The Wren," "There's a Big Ship Sailing"), from gentle Irish lullabies ("Seoithin, Seothulo") to raucous Irish jigs ("Banish Misfortune"). Lightly sprinkled throughout are traditional, well-loved carols ("Deck the Hall," "The Holly and the Ivy," "Wexford Carol," "I Saw Three Ships").

The California Revels' album is truly a special gift. It is not good background music; this sort of storytelling and spectacle compel the listeners' attention. The CD contains many remarkable moments; my favorites include tracks 7 & 8, where master piper Jerry O'Sullivan's haunting uilleann pipes (on "The Monastery of Boyle") make way for the gorgeous, gentle folk song "The Fair Hills of Dear Ireland." Most beautiful of all is "The Butterfly," an Irish slip jig that is absolutely hypnotic.

Celebrate "Christmas in an Irish Castle" with the California Revels! Crank up the music and close your eyes--the medieval revelry need never end!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

Join us for an Irish Revels! Delight in Christmas carols, traditional Irish songs, jigs, reels, master musicians on harps, fiddles, drums and Irish pipes, stories told by the hearth -- all celebrating an Irish Christmas and Winter Solstice. Rejoice with the voices of men, women and children singing to greet this holy and joyous time. Join us as we welcome the return of light from darkness.

"Christmas in an Irish Castle" produced and directed by Cheryl Ann Fulton.

California Revels:

Artistic Director, Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer

Performers:

Patrick Ball: narration, wire-strung harp; Shay Black: voice, guitar; Liz Carroll: Irish fiddle; Cheryl Ann Fulton: harp; Jerry O'Sullivan: uilleann pipes.

Distant Oaks: Deborah White: voice, citole, guitar, fretted dulcimer, tabor; Jared White: whistle, recorder, bodhran; Shayne White: harp; Shira Kammen: fiddle; Peter Maund: percussion; Charles McMillan: recorder; Roy Whelden: bass viol; Miliosa Lundy: accordion.
White Horse Harpers: Director: Cheryl Ann Fulton; Fobin Bellows, Alyra Melchert, Betty Nelson, Hannah Swenson, Shayne White.

Morris Men Dancers: Dan Pelligrini, Miko Sloper, Marc Newman, Bruce Hamilton; Guest Singers: Don Hubert, David Marshall, Matt Ollson, Mark Sullivan.

California Revels Chorus--O'Rourke's Revellers: Director: Shira Kammen; Associate Director: Fred Goff; Gaelic Coach: Deborah White; Harry Allen, Andy Anderson, Helen Wills Brown, Mark Feichtmeir, Kathy Fitzgerald, Bruce Hamilton, Karla Herndon, Sue Jennison, Harold Kammen, Jenny Kee, Christie Larner, Beth Lockhart, Bill McJohn, Charles McMillan, Janet McMillan, Theresa Nelson, Marc Newell, Kirk Petersen, Matt Rainey, Tom Robinson, Miko Sloper, Hannah Tandeta.

California Revels Children's Chorus: Director: Connie Doolan; Julia Fiske, Allana Hulburd, Shasta Mattey, Madeline Nelson, Gretchen O'Henley, Negah Salimpour, Emilie Turrentine, Molly Turrentine, Christina Veatch, Lauren Young

California Revels

Christmas in an Irish Castle: Celebrating the Winter Solstice in Song,
Dance & Story

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Track List