Fire & Grace

• Artist: Alasdair Fraser/Natalie Haas
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 20, 2004
• Genre: World

Review

Alasdair Fraser is already well known and lauded as a Scots fiddle player, giving Natalie Haas (a member of Mark O'Connor's band) a lot to live up to. But she manages it with flying colors, and between them they take a virtual tour of Scotland and beyond. Some hundred years ago the mix of violin and cello was common in Scots music, but most probably not like this. Even on slower pieces like "Prince Charles' Last View of Scotland," the imagination and deftness to the playing demonstrate huge talents at work. On the faster pieces -- which are numerous -- Haas' cello becomes a bass counterpoint and underpinning to Fraser's wild but precise playing. The sharp tacks of mood as the album criss-crosses the bonnie land -- ranging from the Shetlands to the mainland and even across the North Sea for "The Scandinavian" -- is a joy, whether they're entertaining the lightness of "Josefin's Waltz" or the centerpiece of "Rob Roy Crosses the Minch," where both musicians are stretched to the absolute limits of their abilities, with exhilarating results for the listener. A future classic of a Scots album. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Calliope Meets Frank: Calliope House/MacArthur Road/Franks Reel	John McCusker, Dave Richardson	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(5:55)
Stirling Castle Set: Stirling Castle/Forth Bridge/Jenny Dang the ...	Elmer Briand	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(6:37)
Josefin's Waltz	Roger Tallroth	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:11)
St. Kilda Wedding/Brose and Butter	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:37)
The Scandinavian: Släng Polska/Rumbling Quadrille	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:59)
Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:39)
The Sailor's Wife/The Lads of Duns	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(3:12)
Shetland Set: Christmas Day Ida Moarnin/Lady Spence's Reel/Sleep Soond	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:04)
Prince Charles' Last View of Scotland	Traditional	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(4:24)
The Duchess: The Duchess of Bedford/Lady Hope of Pinkie/Lady Montgomery	William Marshall	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(6:14)
Rob Roy Crosses the Minch: Rob Roy MacGregor/Bog an Lochain/Flora ...		Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(5:30)
Da Slockit Light	Tom Anderson	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(3:53)
The High Reel Set: The Hut on Staffin Island/The Barrowburn Reel/The ...	Addie Harper	Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas	(6:38)

Credits

Irene Young (Photography), Michael Romanowski (Mastering), Bruce Wheelock (Engineer), Mikail Graham (Mixing), Alasdair Fraser (Producer), Natalie Haas (Arranger), Alasdair Fraser (Arranger), Fionn Ó Lochlainn (Engineer), Alasdair Fraser (Mixing), Sally Ashcraft (Graphic Design)