Search - Anonymous, Turlough O'Carolan, Irish Traditional :: Enchanted Isles: Music of Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales

Mark K. from ROLLA, ND
Reviewed on 6/17/2011...

excellent

Marcy B. from ERIE, PA
Reviewed on 5/12/2009...

Wonderful assortment of beautiful music. Carol Thompson is a wonderful player. I have had this CD since it first came out in the early 80's and I still listen to it today. It is most relaxing to listen to at night. Just lovely!

Lush and lovely music from the past

F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 01/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps some day Dorian Recordings will turn out a poor CD, but among their more recent releases are four sets that feature harpist Carol Thompson. The artist was born in this country of Anglo-Welsh-Irish background (as the copywriter tells us). Part of her technique is to let her ornamentation come out of the melody rather than merely appending it, and to execute her chords with a "downward roll" rather than an upward as in classical harp playing. So with Amazon.com's permission, I will submit this same write up to each of the four webpages that deal with these albums. (DOR-90013) has Ms. Thompson accompanied by another harpist and a wooden flute; and the extra coloration is welcome. Here we have 18 cuts (64 minutes) of Celtic harp music, the more familiar of which are "Brian Boru's March" and "Gentle Annie." The notes are of a general nature. The subtitle of (DOR-90120) shows the program (53 minutes) to be much like the other sets, including the familiar "All Through the Night" and "The Ash Grove." I spot even one or two selections among the 19 here that appeared on earlier recordings. But it is all so winningly played that one must not carp. The notes are in several languages and a bit shorter than usual to keep the booklet from being too thick. (DOR-90240) in which our harpist goes it alone with a short program (51 minutes) of 12 cuts, half of which are medleys. Included are "Twisting of the Rope," "Blind Mary" and the title song. This time the notes give information about each song. Again I must emphasize the excellence of the playing and how beautiful each CD is by itself. But as with so many artists that concentrate on a small part of the music spectrum, each new offering tends to be predictable and one gets a strong feeling of déjà vu. But to be fair, these sets were released with considerable time between them and only people like reviewers now and then get to hear them all at once. So which to choose? I would go for the two where you get more than the sound of a single harp first. But I really think that enthusiasts of British music will want to have all of these sets sooner or later. And keep an eye open for the fifth entry in this series: (DOR-90273) that is not yet available at the time of this writing."

Over the Hills and Far Away

Cry the Name | this temple of silence and stars | 04/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The beauty of Carol Thompson's music is dizzying. There is nothing I can think of that fills up a candlelit room more nobly than the sound of her harp. Where does Dorian find these consistently great musicians? They must be growing them on some hidden magic tree somewhere. Either way, I am glad for the music they put out. This disc by Carol Thompson is among the best Dorian has to offer."