From Deseret News archives:
Fiddler MacMaster gives symphony a Celtic kick
It all began with the green cummerbund on conductor Keith Lockhart. And then there was the bagpiper who set the tone for the rest of a Celtic evening. But not even the handful of robust symphonic numbers that started the evening with a flourish could quite prepare the audience for what followed: Natalie MacMaster.
Feisty and full of energy, MacMaster took the stage and put on a great show. She's bursting with so much energy that it not only comes out in her music but also in her legs and body. Have you ever seen a fiddler get down and stepdance — high kicks and all — while she's playing?
But the thing about MacMaster is that it's not just show. The real zest and energy come out in her music. Her sound on the violin is strong, confident, energetic and expressive. Her style is anything but purist, although it always stays true to her Celtic roots. And whether she's talking, dancing or playing, there's always a folksy, feisty, hometown feeling about her.
Some of the best numbers were when she took the stage alone with her band: Brad Davidge, Allan Dewar, Miche Pouliot and John Chiasson. Even with all of its influences, the music that MacMaster plays has its heart and soul in the small-town spirit she brings from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
But even when they're really, really trying, a full, classically trained orchestra just doesn't sound folksy. Sometimes the arrangements were pretty heavy-handed and smothered the spirit of the music. A square dance hall just doesn't have the same feel or scale as a full-on Mahler Symphony, and it's a rare occasion to hear a Highland bagpipe get drowned out.
But having said that, there were some places where the orchestra augmented what MacMaster was doing — like the Latin-style "Flamenco Fling," which was, by the way, a ton and a half of fun.
MacMaster would have been great just doing what she does, but she added even more interest to the program with some specialty numbers. One featured Utah Symphony Associate Concertmaster Leonard Braus alternately "gettin' down" in a duet with MacMaster and getting classical in a piece called "Bach's Devil's Dream." Other highlights included MacMaster putting down her fiddle to do some step-dancing, guest artist Matt MacIsaac on solo bagpipes, and a "Celtic rock" number that even included distorted guitars.
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com
