This is not such a bizarre cross-over as one might imagine for in the 18th century the great Irish musician Turlough O’Carolan, a blind harpist, met the Italian musician Geminiani in Dublin, and through him encountered the music of, yes, guess who, Antonio Vivaldi. So here we have a case of substituting Irish instruments for baroque ones, using baroque instruments to accompany Irish themes, by creating dialogues between Celtic and baroque instruments, or by letting all the musicians improvise. One moment we appear to be listening to a ‘straight’ baroque concerto, then all of a sudden the conventional string continuo/ripieno of the baroque ensemble (Le Orfanelle della Pieta) gives way to celtic musicians playing a jig or reel on anything from a Irish bouzouki to a fiddle. The baroque group consists of three each of first and second violins, one viola, two cellos, a bass and harpsichord while the Irish musicians play Irish fiddle, an Irish flute (like a baroque flute), tin and low whistles, Uileann pipes, Irish bouzouki, mandolins, bodhran, bones, and the Celtic harp (played here with metal strings to resemble its harpsichord counterpart in the other group).

The Book of Secrets, the follow-up to 1994's The Mask and Mirror – there was a Christmas EP, A Winter Garden, released in 1995) – finds Loreena McKennitt in the same musical vein, mixing Celtic, Spanish, Italian, and new age to create her own distinct sound. The only problem is that she did not seem to progress much during the time between releases. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since she still knows how to write incredible melodies and layer instruments to produce peaceful images. "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" and "Dante's Prayer" are just two prime examples of this. And she continues her practice of setting classic poetry to music (Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman").

Compiled in conjunction with Clannad band members, In A Lifetime includes all the hits and two new songs ‘A Celtic Dream’ and ‘Who Knows (Where The Time Goes)’ both produced by Trevor Horn.

La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina (En. "The Liberation of Ruggiero from the island of Alcina") is a comic opera in four scenes by Francesca Caccini, first performed 3 February 1625 at the Villa di Poggio Imperiale in Florence, with a libretto by Ferdinando Saracinelli based on Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. It is the first opera written by a woman and was long considered to be the first Italian opera to be performed outside of Italy.[a] It was performed to celebrate the visit of Prince Władysław of Poland during Carnival 1625, and it was revived in Warsaw in 1628. The work was commissioned by her employer Regent Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria, wife of Cosimo II de' Medici.

Lisa Lynne is one of the top new age artists on the planet. It would be very difficult to recognize a more accomplished new age harpist. She combines traditional and ethnic instruments to allow subtle tribal overtones into her soundscapes. Her expert arrangements create lush and melodic atmospheres. Seasons of the Soul is perfect music for contemplating the self and for communing with God. Lynne's sensitivities for the subtleties of humanism are vivid and real. The sensuality of her sound design is smooth and warm. This environmental ambience is best when shared with a lover. This CD will appeal to all fans of good music. Comparisons to Hans Christian, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, and David Darling are valid. This is one of Lynne's better efforts. It is essential for all new age collectors.

Written and recorded by brothers Mychael & Jeff Danna between their other scoring projects, A Celtic Tale is the soundtrack to an imaginary film of the Irish legend of Deirdre. Both the album and the legend reflect many aspects of love and sorrow. The Danna brothers mix Celtic folk, symphonic, and ambient music into a distinctive and fitting setting for Deirdre's star-crossed story. Though she is betrothed to a king, Deirdre finds her true love; she and her lover are exiled. When they try to return to their land, Deirdre's lover is killed, and she is imprisoned by the king she was to marry. Love and war blend in Deirdre's story; similarly, the music combines authentic Celtic instruments such as fiddle, tin whistle, flute, uilleann and highland pipes, and wire-strung harp with orchestral power and electronic atmospherics. Both listenable and powerful, A Celtic Tale showcases the Dannas' skill for creating emotionally accessible, technically beautiful music.

Just as the title implies, 25 Years of Greatness is a career-spanning 32-track compilation covering most of the highlights of the Wolfe Tones' first quarter of a century. There is the important caveat, however, that like many folk groups, the Wolfe Tones have recorded many of their most popular songs several times, and this collection tends to favor more recent and/or more arranged versions of the Spartan originals that graced early albums like Let the People Sing. That's not as much of a problem as it would be with some groups, however, as the Wolfe Tones have wisely resisted any temptation to "update," "modernize," or otherwise ruin a traditional Irish folk style that has worked for them for so long; even the Fairport Convention-like electric track of the new "Rock On Rockall" has a bracingly traditional feel to it. This is the Wolfe Tones set to have if you're having just one, but there's plenty more where this came from.

Liege & Lief is the fourth album by the English folk rock band Fairport Convention. It is the third and final album the group released in the UK in 1969, all of which prominently feature Sandy Denny as lead female vocalist. (Denny did not appear on the group's 1968 debut album). It is also the very first Fairport album on which all songs have either been adapted (freely) from traditional British and Celtic folk material (for example "Matty Groves", "Tam Lin"), or else are original compositions (such as "Come All Ye", "Crazy Man Michael") written and performed in a similar style. By introducing songs of this genre into the group's repertoire Denny, who had previously sung and recorded traditional folk songs as a solo artist, was instrumental in this transformation. Although Denny quit the band even before the album's release, Fairport Convention has continued to the present day to make music almost exclusively within the traditional British folk music idiom, and are still most strongly associated with it.

Alistair Hulett was a singer, songwriter, international socialist and revolutionary. He was a kind, gentle man who was committed to fighting for a better world, a world based on the principles of justice, equality, love and respect for all of humanity. The world was a better place for knowing him and is a sadder place for his loss. He left a great legacy in his music that will continue to bring inspiration to many who, like him, believe a better world was possible.

After his solo albums “Dance of the Underclass” and “In The Backstreets of Paradiese”, the long out of print album “Saturday Johnny & Jimmy The Rat” is finally released. After his folk-punk era with Roaring Jack and his solo albums, still at home in Australia, Alistair Hulett wanted to express his connection to the rich traditional music of Britain and Ireland.

June Tabor is not just one of England's foremost folk singers, but one of the greatest interpretive singers in any field. This set contains key tracks from all parts of her career, many live and unreleased songs and collaborations with, among others, Maddy Prior, The Oyser Band and Martin Simpson. It is subtly lavish, 4 CDs in a long box format (6'' x 12'') with a 48 page full color booklet including historical photographs, a biographical essay and comprehensive notes on the songs. There are 67 tracks, 32 of which are previously unreleased - almost 5 hours of music. The whole package is much more than just a career retrospective, it is a fitting tribute to one of the great singers of our time.

The Pogues at The BBC 1984-1985 compiles four different sessions spanning April 1984 to July 1985. Two sessions were broadcast from The John Peel Show, one session was broadcast from The Janice Long Show and one session was from The Auld Triangle Broadcast.

The story of the Cranberries is one of dogged survival. Debuting with a maiden release that everybody seemed to rate as a portent of great things, the band suffered not only a "difficult" second album but also an absolute stinker of a third one, as the bandmembers strove desperately – too desperately – to live up to their reputation for sensitivity and thoughtfulness, and completely lost sight of their true virtues in the process. Internecine squabbling, health problems, and general disaffection all took further toll, so much so that, as the band prepared to release its fourth album, 1999's Bury the Hatchet, many observers were shocked to learn that the band even existed any longer, let alone was capable of actually making a new record – especially one that was as good as Bury the Hatchet turned out to be. Filmed at the Paris Omnisport de Bercy on December 9, 1999, toward the end of that album's accompanying tour, Beneath the Skin captures the full 84-minute concert performance, with the band ranging and, occasionally, raging through a veritable greatest-hits collection.

This lavishly packaged, authoritatively researched 4CD long-box set is the first in-depth anthology of the music and 45-year career of Dave Swarbrick, one of Britain's best loved and most influential folk fiddle players. The 73 tracks (over five hours of music) stretch from Swarb's earliest recordings to his latest, including selections from every duo, band and session line-up he has been involved in, legendary 'lost' recordings, and out-takes and alternate takes from all of his key albums. Among the many individuals and groups he has performed with are Ewan MacColl, the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Martin Carthy, Fairport Convention, Beryl Marriott, Richard & Linda Thompson, Whippersnapper, Eureka and Band Of Hope, all featured here along with other well know names from the British folk music scene. The definitive tribute to one of the great names of British folk music.

Irish brother-sister act The Corrs play their irresistible blend of light pop and traditional Celtic sounds at two different locations. The first is Dublin's remarkable open-air stadium, Lansdowne Road, where the group performed in front of 50,000 adoring fans. The second is North London's Finsbury Park, the site of the 2000 Fleadh (pronounced "Fluh") Festival. Eighteen lives songs and three bonus tracks are included.