Violin Music from Composer and violinist Sue Aston
- CD Reviews
Nigel Pengelly Editor Cornish World
The problem I have with Celtic music
played on traditional instruments and labelled instrumental is that it
always seems to hark back to the medieval rather than the modern.
Sue Aston has taken the genre of
traditional (in arrangements and of the instruments) and transposed it
into a new realm altogether. Anyone who appreciates melody and
harmony will find
'Inspirational
Journey' a CD to enjoy and cherish.
As much as I normally veer away from
instrumental recordings, especially those promising a journey, I am
playing this recording to round off my evenings frequently.
This is Celtic music for the classically
appreciative yet also a viable contender for a top ranking among those 'chilled' recordings.
However, don't expect a CD of mellow
tracks (although there are many). Some tracks will make you jig
and sway.
In all
'Inspirational
Journey' has opened my eyes to a sound I never thought I would
enjoy so much. Soul touching and uplifting.
Absolutely fabulous! Congratulations to
a very talented lady. We have 2 of your CDs and enjoy them very much. We
have seen you on Classic FM .Leigh Allan,
Heartland Productions Cornwall.
I don't think I can recall one album that has touched me so deeply as Inspirational
Journey by Sue Aston.
Sue
Aston's violin playing reaches out with such emotion that I felt I was listening
to the soundtrack of life itself. All aspects of life are here, from the
village community of 'Sketches of Newlyn', rural folklore with 'Maypole dance' and
the orchestral sweep of 'Elly's Theme'. The compositions and melodies
are so strong that it's hard to pick individual highlights. It won't be
long before Sue Aston's name starts to appear on film and TV credits. For
me I am going back to the CD to play it yet again! Richard Phillips
If
you love Enya and enjoyed the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings then
this CD is just for you. Inspirational Journey is a fantastic new
CD from composer and violinist Sue Aston. Producer Mark Lane (chill
out Ibiza) has put together layering and atmospherics that transport you into
grooves where the melodies dance across the emotions. Some of the tracks have a
real epic feel, simply close your eyes and add your own pictures.
Awesome.
JP North
Sue's technical mastery of the violin is absolute and
she gives the impression of being able to play with it, as well as simply play
it. She teases the listener as much as the instrument itself, there is a relaxed but
absolute control in every note, every nuance she draws from it. Rowan,
editor of 'White Dragon' magazine
Sue's violin playing, sometimes delicate, sometimes
wild and windy, catches the spirit of the place with charm and feeling. John
Attwood.
'Madron' comprises a cadenza which wouldn't be out of place in a
Romantic violin concerto. Sue's fine violin technique; elegant,
sweet-toned and assured, her playing makes a virtue out of competence
without descending to showiness. Rock n Reel
Sue
Aston's
is modern Cornish music, taking and interpreting themes and
harmonies letting them be heard again. It is as relevant as Malcolm
Arnold's Padstow Lifeboat and Cornish Dances and Bax's Tintagel - perhaps
more so. John Colby
As
I listened to Sue Aston's tribute to Cornwall, Sacred Landscapes,
I was drawn back in time to ancient Celtic rituals and mysterious,
hallowed places of old England. Like pages in a dusty old manuscript each
track opened a new musical chapter of magical dimensions. Wind
& Wire
The
music is absolutely gorgeous – beautiful and moving and so redolent of
Sacred Cornwall. An inspirational album that is
highly recommended'.
Cheryl
Straffon Cornish writer
The
only reason why you should stop listening to this beautiful music, is that
you feel the need to leave home and go and discover Cornwall.
A sacred soundscape!' Nina Simone
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