Label : UDR/EMI
Review by Luisa Mercier
Blackmore’s Night on 30th September 2011 held a show in York, England at the Grand Opera House. The Medieval setting of the city provided the right atmosphere for the performance of the duo, famous for its Celtic/faitytale mood. Candice and Ritchie and their band of minstrels entertained the audience with songs from their latest two releases and great classics like “Fires at Midnight”. The costumes, the stage, the instruments, all is set to conjure up the image of a wood off a fairytales book or some Renaissance fair. Candice crystal clear vocals create a magic mood that, in addition to the music, is positive, lively, playful, sometimes melancholic but never too sad. In some songs like “The Circle” the rock roots of Blackmore come alive and the acoustic experience turns into an amazing display of his guitar skills with a prog flavour. A beautiful keyboards solo introduces the instrumental cover of “O Fortuna” off Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and introduces to “Journeyman”. The rest of the tracks alternate old and new in a journy through the different ages of the band and of history. The dvd is clearly for Blackmore‘s fans, but I think that also a wider audience might enjoy it goven the quality and the beauty of the music that is close to our own shared history.
Rating – 80/100
Tracklist
- Locked Within the Crystal Ball
- Gilded Cage
- The Circle
- Journeyman
- World of Stone
- The Peasant‘s Promise
- Toast to Tomorrow
- Fires at Midnight
- Barbara Allen
- Darkness
- Dance of the Darkness
- Dandelion Wine
- All the Fun of the Fayre
- First of May
Line Up
- Ritchie Blackmore – Guitars, mandolin, domra, hurdy gurdy
- Candice Night – Vocals, chanter, cornamuse, shawm, rauschpfeife, tambourine
- Bard David of Larchmont: Keyboards and vocals
- Earl Grey of Chimay – Bass, rhythm guitar
- Squire Malcolm of Lumley – Drums and percussion
- Gypsy Rose:- Violin and harmony vocals
- Minstrel Albert – Various medieval woodwinds
Links