The ladies of PBS favorite Celtic Woman will perform
Wednesday evening at the theater at Rabobank Convention Center.
(Photo courtesy of Celtic Woman Ltd.)
Irish harpist Órla Fallon will perform with her chart-topping group,
Celtic Woman, Wednesday evening at the theater
(Photo courtesy of Celtic Woman Ltd.)
She passed her gift of song to Fallon, who has gone on to star in the platinum-selling, Billboard-smashing worldwide sensation that is Celtic Woman.
The ladies of PBS fame will bring their enchanting harmonies to the theater at Rabobank Convention Center 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Celtic Woman mixes Irish standards such as “Danny Boy” and “The Last Rose of Summer” with classical and contemporary songs, “The Prayer” and “You Raise Me Up” among the hits.
Fallon says she felt her grandmother’s presence during the group’s first PBS special in 2005.
“She became deeply engrossed in songs and she gave me a great, great love and passion for it,” she says.
The women are blown away by their popularity. Their albums placed them in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard World Music chart for more than 90 consecutive weeks.
Fallon says they aren’t blasé about their success.
“We thought it would be a once-off affair,” she says. “We hoped it would sell, but it exceeded our wildest expectations. Every day you kind of pinch yourself.”
Here’s more from our interview with Fallon:
Do you think including pop songs broadens the appeal of your music?
There’s such a wide spectrum of styles in the show. That’s something that appeals to everybody because they’re popular songs, the traditional songs, crossover classical songs and every person in the audience has their own particular favorite song, but they’re all linked.
There is a common thread throughout the show and the link is the treatment given by David Downes (the producer and musical director) and the performers, so that’s what brings the whole show together.
Why do you think Irish music has a worldwide appeal, even in nations without a long history of Irish immigration?
In Japan, people over there say it’s healing. I think the music all over the world is reaching out to people and touching down in their hearts and souls, because the songs are very powerful. “You Raise Me Up” has a very special, powerful meaning and it has a different message for different people, very spiritual.
And by the nature of Irish traditional tunes, melodies — very haunting, I think it touches people’s hearts and I think that’s a wonderful thing about music. It is a universal language.
Have you met people who would seem to be unlikely fans of Irish music?
We've met some really, very ... dudes with Harley-Davidson motorcycles, leather gear and long hair and they were never into this kind of music and they were blown away by it. And we love it. I think that makes it exciting for us.
... It’s like the world is becoming a global village and I have received e-mails from as far as Mexico. We’ve never been to Mexico and they love the music there.
What music do you listen to that might surprise people?
I love all kinds of music and I think there’s something to be learned from every kind of music. One of my favorite singers is Tom Waits. I love his lyrics. And when I was younger, I used to be a mad Cure fan. I actually had the dyed black hair and everything.
People would be shocked by that and even still to this day I get nostalgic when I hear The Cure. I think it’s important to hear a wide selection. If you look at one of the bands I love, the Chieftains, they’ve done a country album and done stuff with The Rolling Stones and they keep pushing boundaries. I hope we can push boundaries and experiment and work with other people and use their influences.
by SHELLIE BRANCO, Californian staff writer
Thursday, May 8 2008 8:00 AM
