"Crossroads of the Celts"

From the craggy shores of Ireland and the deep glens of the Scottish Highlands,to the green hills of Wales and the sandy coasts of Brittany, the ancient Celts carried their songs and tales. Their heroes, poets and saints --Brigid, Patrick and Columba, Merlin, Tristan and Fionn mac Cumhaill-- travelled across the islands and into the folklore and romances of the medieval world. Their legacy encompassed the sacred world of chant, the secular world of magic, mortals, and epic song, and a rich tradition of singing and learning. For the most part, the Celts recorded their "laughing, weeping, and sleeping" music in memories, not manuscripts, but the vibrant oral tradition of the medieval Celts comes alive, as Altramar weaves together the diverse threads of voices and instruments, story and song, pagan and Christian, cleric and bard.

In this concert, Altramar medieval music ensemble meets at the Celtic Crossroads of Hibernia and Brittania. Using one-of-a-kind replicas of medieval Celtic instruments,they present a program of tunes and songs in Old and Middle Irish, Welsh, Old French, and Hiberno-Latin.

Includes plainchant from Irish and Scottish monasteries, a Welsh supernatural tale from the Black Book of Carmarthen, Gaelic nature poetry, a Tristan lai, a Scottish lament, instrumental dances, and an episode from the epic tale of the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.

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