Apollo's Fire {The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra}

Long before Christianity took hold in Scotland and Ireland, the ancient Celts celebrated the Winter Solstice and the coming of light and hope. The echoes of Paganism still resounded in the 13th and 14th centuries, when faithful Scots chanted the Vespers of St. Kentigern, Patron Saint of Glasgow.

Jeannette Sorrell's new celebration of Celtic artistic traditions interweaves selections from the medieval Vespers of St. Kentigern with ancient pagan carols and popular tunes from 17th-century Welsh and Scottish manuscripts for lute and harp. Joyous fiddle tunes and Irish dances (complete with foot percussion!) burst forth against the vivid backdrop of the unfolding Christ story. Premiered in six sold-out concerts in Cleveland in 2011, the program evokes the sacred mysteries of a medieval procession in the opening procession, "Oikan ains Bethlehem" (The Babe in Bethlehem). The colorful sounds of antiphonal bagpipes, archlute, harp, percussion, fiddles and recorders are blended in musical arrangements by Sylvain Bergeron and Sorrell. The early-music ensemble La Nef of Montreal joins Apollo's Fire for this international collaboration featuring the radiant Canadian soprano Meredith Hall.

"A grand holiday stew made from deliciously blended sacred and secular ingredients... Sorrell’s brainstorm embraces Celtic sources rooted both in church and countryside, with excerpts from a 13th-century service surrounded by hymns, carols, folk tunes and dances... An affecting and exuberant gathering. From utter simplicity to heartfelt passion... Meredith Hall wraps her limpid soprano around every crucial word. As always, Sorrell has paid scrupulous attention to detail in shaping an experience in musical and theatrical terms. Apollo’s Fire and La Nef weave elegant international virtuosity into a series of glistening and rambunctious musical fabrics." - The Cleveland Plain Dealer