I capped off my day of travel with a concert I will never forget.
Laura and I enjoyed a transforming musical evening with Natalie MacMaster and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. She is a fiddler and step dancer who learned her craft from her uncle in Cape Breton Nova Scotia. Thoughout the evening she shared about the preservation of the Scottish traditional music in "New Scottland".
Irish music was strongly represented with a piccillo standing in the for penny whistle, she played jigs, airs, strathspeys, O'Carolans Concerto. Polkas, Waltzes, and lots of medleys.
She travels with her mom who cares for her two little kids. At four and 1/2 months pregnant I wonder how much long she can step dance. It was lively and intense. People were clapping along and the foot stomping music just created joy in your heart. Some of her new CDs have explored fusing many traditions together like jazz.
She demonstrated how close classical and traditional forms are by playing and interwoven duet with the concert first violinist.....Bach and Devils Dream. When she played alone and with her pianist, a lifelong Cape Breton friend, it was as powerful as when the whole symphony backed her.
The two halfs of the show were begun with the Suite from Far and Away and Lord of the Dance.
See her perform when you can, sample her music. Transporting........really!
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