DL's Media/Reviews
PerKelt
PerKelt has performed its unique, progressive Celtic music since 2008. All its members are highly-qualified, accomplished and award-winning musicians. They unleash the passion and energy of a strong original powerful "speed folk" style, which instantly grabs the attention of audiences everywhere.
Founding member of the band PerKelt, born in the Czech Republic, Štěpán Honc graduated from The Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia and graduated with honors at The Conservatory Pardubice, Czech Republic in Classical guitar playing and history of music. In 2002, Stepan won the Guitarreando classical guitar competition. Since 2008, he puts all his time and effort in the PerKelt project as the musical director and leading arranger of Early Music.
Founding member and a lead composer of the band PerKelt, born in the Czech Republic, Pavlina Bastlova, Paja, was considered to be a child prodigy recorder player since she was 4 years old. She has won many recorder competitions. Following a method of her teacher Jan Milde she graduated at the Academy of Music in Brno and the Conservatory Pardubice, Czech Republic in wind instruments and history of music. Previously, Paja had played with many Early Music ensembles and had attended the International Summer School of Early Music in Valtice regularly. Since 2008 up until the present she now concentrates only on PerKelt projects.
The percussionist of the band, Will Connor, recently completed his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Royal Holloway University of London, in 2012, where he studied Medieval and Neo-Medievalist music. Connor's background in improvised music, modern composition, and ethnic ensembles prepared him for playing with his current projects: Seesar (Lovecraftian Dark Ambient Soundscapes), PerKelt (Celtic Medieval Speed Folk), Dread Falls Theatre (Gothic Steampunk re, specifically his greatest literary influence H. P. Lovecraft. As part of this exploration, Connor released his first full length solo album and at least released one by each of his other full time projects (PerKelt, Second Head, and another Lovecraft-related set of materials) by the first quarter of 2014. He has been a working musician in various genres since the mid-1980s, and draws from his experiences while living and performing in the Appalachian mountains, Hawai`i, Alaska, Tibet/China, and as part of multiple European, North American, and Asian tours and festivals to bring an added unique timbre element to the band. Will performs on an array of traditional and self-made percussions, including Egyptian tabla, Iranain tonbak, Tlingit Ixt frame drum, Middle Eastern tar, duf, nagara, and doumbek, as well as several medieval percussion instruments.
Visiting Scholar at the Etnologicky Ustav
Department of Ethnomusicology, Prague, CR
This site lists his past projects: http://www.willconnor.co.uk/Past_Projects.html
DREAD FALLS THEATRE: http://victoriasnaith.wix.com/dreadfallstheatre
The songs I am reviewing are from the CD called ‘Dowry of a Troll Woman’ recorded in 2013. “Mister Mannelig was a rich, handsome, and successful man. Why should he care about an awful troll woman who hopelessly falls in love with him? The world is full of undesirable suitors! This troll lady is special, however, and you will understand if you listen carefully…”
‘Musica Mardania’ was recorded in 2011 which is full of ancient melodies. They combine their imaginations and experiences with other music genres.
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Velt Leen – PerKelt’s first original song, composed in 2007. Speed and precise notifications of the flute. Guitar and drums hold the background.
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Ai Vist Lo Lop - The flute opens the tale slowly. The singing picks up speed accompanied by guitar and drum. The flute plays in intervals. An Occitan version of the widespread French folksong. “I saw the wolf, the fox and the hare dancing around a tree. Here the whole year over is filled with work to earn a few pennies and the whole month I didn’t see anything, when I saw the wolf, the fox and the hare…”
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The Willow Song – The guitar gently strums and a voice coaxes the willow tree to feel the love she sings of. Drums bring the song into depth. This is the song of Desdemona from the Shakespeare’s theater play Othello. The flute picks up speed.
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Pilgrim – This is the first song PerKelt composed in 2011 after they moved to London. Speed instrumental begins the song. Guitar, drums and flute. The drum is played in different variations. It then slows down with a guitar. The flute comes in. Expressional music which has a Spanish flair. The instruments speed up again.
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Herr Mannelig – The guitar and flute play off each other in a Celtic tune. It’s a Swedish folk song that inspired the title for this album. The song tells the legend of a troll woman who fell in love with a farmer. He stubbornly refuses her but all is not as it seems, however, because if he would merely kiss her, she would turn into a beautiful woman, as she is just cursed…
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Quen a Festa – This is song No. 195 from the Cantigas se Santa Maria, which consists of over 400 songs, telling stories of miracles. It’s about a religious girl named Mary who is forced to marry a knight. Sung in the original Medieval Galician language. Speed music plays in the background.
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Tourdion – A French dance, popular from the middle 15th to the late 16th centuries. “When I drink light red wine, friend, everything goes round and round (what wine can do to the head when consumed in large amounts). Let’s sing and drink and wage war on this bottle…” The song is sung in French. Guitar and drum accompany with flute.
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If My Complaints – The music is inspired primarily by the French folk song Bertaeyan. Written in 1597 by John Dowland. Speed music. Guitar bash strumming. Flute and drums.
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Santa Maria Strela Do Dia – Another song, No. 100, from the Cantigas de Santa Maria. “Holy Mary, star of the Day, you make lost souls…” Beautifully sung with guitar molding the song phrases. It then goes into a richer sound with drums and guitar.
The band’s technical and improvisational skills are, once again, carried away by spontaneous rhythms and the playfulness of the ancient. To find out more about PerKelt go to:
Denise L. @DL7855