Edinburgh Festival Folk

Nearly three decades since they first came together during informal sessions at O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin, the Dubliners remain one of the most influential of Ireland's traditional folk bands. Unlike their counterparts the Clancy Brothers, the Dubliners have never strayed from the raw looseness of the pub scene. According to Dirty Linen, "Whereas the Clancys were well-scrubbed returned Yanks from rural Tipperary, decked out in matching white Arab sweaters, the Dubliners were hard-drinking backstreet Dublin scrappers with unkempt hair and bushy beards, whose gigs seemed to happen by accident in between fist fights".

“An absolute must for children young and old (Háry János)”– Grammophone
“The Psalmus Hungaricus receives a bright and forceful performance under Kertész, dramatically sung by tenor Lajos Kozma.”– Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide
"Committed and idiomatic performances recorded in three-dimensional sound. The highlights from the collection are the Suite, the sets of orchestral dances and the Peacock Variations – one of the finest sets ever written; but there is interest too in the rarer Concerto for Orchestra – earlier than Bartók’s and equally nationalistic – and the three-movement Symphony of 1961. – George Hall, BBC Music Magazine
"It’s marvellous to have Kertész’s brilliantly idiomatic performances of Kodály’s best-known works. Peter Ustinov’s narration of Háry János threads the whole together." – Jan Smaczny, BBC Music Magazine
"In Dorati's hands the passionate Andante [from the Symphony] is strong in gypsy feeling and the jolly, folk-dance finale is colourful and full of vitality." – Penguin Guide

An album of folk songs that embraces the theme of travel and journeys seems entirely appropriate. So much of our traditional song has travelled all around our islands, and far beyond, it makes perfect sense to collate some of those where the characters who populate the stories are on the move. Scots singer/song writer Claire Hastings has done just that, in Those Who Roam.

Toivo Tulev - Songs
Robin Blaze / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,31 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,07 GB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: Hamronia Mundi USA # HMU 807452 | Country/Year: Europe 2008 | 5% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical, Sacred | Style: Present 21th Century, Vocal

"The work is polychoral, and almost made for multichannel recordings. (…) Sonically this is a splendid disc; in multichannel making the most of the rich acoustic signature of the church to add bloom to the voices and instruments, and presenting the spatial organisation of 'Songs' in a unique and convincing way. (…) Lovers of fine choral singing and contemporary vocal music will surely enjoy this fine disc, which ably demonstrates the versatility of Hillier and his forces." ~sa-cd.net

Toivo Tulev - Songs
Robin Blaze / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir / Paul Hillier
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 230 MB | Full Artwork: 180 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Hamronia Mundi USA # HMU 807452 | Country/Year: Europe 2008
Genre: Classical, Sacred | Style: Present 21th Century, Vocal

"The work is polychoral, and almost made for multichannel recordings. (…) Sonically this is a splendid disc; in multichannel making the most of the rich acoustic signature of the church to add bloom to the voices and instruments, and presenting the spatial organisation of 'Songs' in a unique and convincing way. (…) Lovers of fine choral singing and contemporary vocal music will surely enjoy this fine disc, which ably demonstrates the versatility of Hillier and his forces." ~sa-cd.net

Bert At the BBC is a comprehensive collection of Jansch’s appearances at the BBC, featuring over eight hours of rare and unreleased recordings, including live-on-air spots, studio sessions and full concerts straight from the BBC vaults, delving further into this legendary performer’s canon. Bert Jansch was the very essence of folk music, providing inspiration for everyone from Paul Simon and Neil Young to Led Zeppelin and countless folk revivalists.