Search - Dordan :: Night Before: Celtic Christmas

Dordan consists of four female Irish musicians--Mary Bergin on whistles and flute; Kathleen Loughnane, harp; Dearbhaill Standun on fiddle and viola; and Martina Goggin, providing guitars, percussion, and occasional vocals (employing both English and Irish-language lyrics). The group originally convened as an instrumental trio in 1991, then two years later enlisted their manager/publicist, Goggin, to handle vocal chores. This album of Christmas-themed material is their third recording and reflects a group preference for dignified, Baroque- influenced arrangements. Dordan's renderings of several obscure traditional selections, a few stylized chestnuts (e.g., "Silent Night"), plus three originals frequently are structured on waltz-like patterns that suggest the feel of a Celtic minuet. Nearly all of the album's 15 pieces revolve around Bergin's whistles or Loughnane's harp, and collectively they convey a daintiness that brings to mind the delicacy of porcelain figurines or precision needlepoint. For most ears, only three of the album's tracks trigger an immediate association with Christmas, making this a holiday disc that, with a few properly placed track skips, could be played year-round. --Terry Wood