Search - Patrick Ball :: Storyteller: Gwilan's Harp & Other Celtic Tales

Celtic harper Patrick Ball has always been a storyteller - but then, that goes with the territory. After all, the Celtic harp has always been used to accompany the telling of Irish tales. Tall tales, tales of little people and hard lands, stories of love and loneliness - these reflect the Celtic soul as much as the music. Patrick Ball's prior six releases have focused on his instrumental performances of the timeless airs and ballads of the Celtic lands; only his concert audiences have had the chance to hear his equally lyrical storytelling. Finally, after establishing himself as America's most popular Celtic harpist, Ball has produced Storyteller, a collection of Celtic tales that shows this ancient Irish tradition to be alive and well, at least in Ball's corner of California.Storyteller includes five classic Irish tales and a telling of the haunting, bittersweet Gwilan's Harp, a contemporary fairy tale by celebrated author Ursula K. LeGuin. In each case, Ball's storytelling has a gentle, musical quality. With subtle accompaniment from the harp and other traditional Irish instruments, Storyteller easily transports the listener to an earlier, simpler time.Ball uses such well-known Irish airs as Bonny Portmore, Carolan's Farewell, and Donal Og as the settings in which to spin his yarns. He is joined by talented piper and flutist Timothy Britton and renowned fiddler Martin Hayes. But the real star of this release is the storytelling itself. Whether it is the charm and wit of The Matchmaker or the melancholy of The Soul Agony, Ball's tales evoke images of the warm hearth and the family gathered around the fire.Storyteller comes at a time when interest in Celtic music is high. Children's tales are again being found on recordings and on the radio. Patrick Ball's combination of Celtic tales and Celtic music will strike a chord with many listeners, and bring a little bit of Ireland to the whole family.