The Barbican London

April 3rd 2007

Finally I get to see Loreena and her 'idling porches' live in concert.  It was everything and more than I'd hoped for.  The stage set-up was fantastic, an archway with a lantern hanging at the top, the back drop was beautifully patterned, everything was set for an incredible journey - fasten your seatbelts, this is it!

Set I 
She Moved Through the Fair
The Gates of Istanbul
The Mummers' Dance
Penelope's Song
Marco Polo
The Highwayman
Dante's Prayer
The Bonny Swans
Caravanserai

Set II
Raglan Road
The Mystic's Dream
Santiago
Beneath a Phrygian Sky
The Lady of Shalott
The Old Ways
Never-Ending Road (Amhran Duit)

Encore
Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance
Cymbeline

The first three songs were played one after the other in a very fluid manner.  Loreena then spoke, welcoming us and introduced Penelope's Song, she introduced a few of the other songs during the evening and joked about some things too.  Loreena made us all feel relaxed and we felt like she enjoyed our company too.  The Mummers' Dance sounded fantastic live, also enjoyable for a good foot tapping number was the gem Marco Polo.

The Bonny Swans sounded fantastic with Brian Hughes (guitar) and Hugh Marsh (violin) doing a kind of 'duel' - quite something else.  Also Hugh Marsh's solo on Santiago was absolutely stunning - the smoke machine let rip a little and it looked as though his violin was about to catch light (my oldest son thought this was quite funny!)  My children particularly liked the hurdy-gurdy - they loved the sound it made.

It was a real treat to see Loreena play her gorgeous harp on a few numbers and at the beginning of a couple of others.  The other 'regulars' were Caroline Lavelle, Rick Lazar and Donald Quan.  It was really quite an evening, I purchased the new DVD and CD set entitled 'Nights from the Alhambra' - fantastic quality and a good reminder of a great concert.

I also met another Old Ways member, Etelka, I'm sure there were others present but never got the chance to meet them.

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