A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre, by Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna

A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre

by Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$10 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

Brand new and sealed CD from Hearts of Space Records

Includes unlimited streaming of A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 3 days

$6.99 USD or more

1.	The Prophecy 03:51	buy track
2.	The Child Deirdre 04:04	buy track
3.	Sons of Uisnach 02:52	buy track
4.	Under High Branches 03:11	buy track
5.	Loch Etive 02:47	buy track
6.	The Vision 05:01	buy track
7.	South By Sail 03:05	buy track
8.	Defeat of the Red Branch 03:32	buy track
9.	The Druid 05:45	buy track
10.	The Drowning Plains 03:33	buy track
11.	Lament 02:54	buy track
12.	Two Trees 03:20	buy track

about

This magnificently orchestrated Celtic fantasy soundtrack by Mychael and Jeff Danna, inspired by the beautiful and tragic medieval Irish legend of Deirdre brings together the best elements of Celtic folk, classical, ambient and film music.

Cinematic in scale, mythic in dimension, romantic in concept - A Celtic Tale sets a bold new standard for the popular Celtic genre. Maybe you can figure out how two talented brothers from a second generation Canadian-Italian family got the idea to stage a non-hostile takeover of the durable Celtic folk genre.

A Celtic Tale is the soundtrack for an imaginary film dramatizing the beautiful and tragic medieval Irish legend of Deirdre. In the service of this classic myth it brings together the best elements of Celtic folk, symphonic and ambient recordings, and sets a glorious new standard for popular Celtic music.

We were wondering how the project started, so we asked. MYCHAEL DANNA had previously recorded Celtic themes on his solo albums. On the phone from Toronto, he is enigmatic. "I guess I just like it." JEFF DANNA is not much help either. "Mychael gave me a call..."

Perhaps we'll never know the real reason they came to it, but take one listen to this magnificent Celtic fantasy and you'll be very glad they did. Musically, the Dannas bring together a wide array of Celtic folk instruments: fiddle, tin whistle and flute, guitar and mandolin, Uillean and Highland pipes, wirestrung harp, concertina and bodhran - with all their bite and pungent overtones - and surround them with the harmonic richness, color and power of the orchestra. Add the dramatic sense of a great director and a sound designer's sensitivity to ambience, and you have perhaps the first truly cinematic treatment of Celtic mythology for the audio medium.

The project was written and recorded in Toronto and Los Angeles in lulls between the Danna brothers' ongoing film and video scoring projects. Top soloists from both the Toronto folk scene and the LA studio world built the instrumental beds over a period of months. When this phase was complete, the strings and orchestral elements were added in Salt Lake City, and the mixes finally came together in Los Angeles.

The results are extraordinarily varied and colorful, no less so for the fact that they are a careful exposition of the original Deirdre legend, which has been translated and adapted for the notes by JOHN STUART DICK. In a recording that abounds in outstanding performances, KRYSIA KOCJAN's powerful reading of the song "Lament," with original lyrics by John Stuart Dick, rings in the mind long after it is first heard. The soulful blasting of the highland pipes, flat out against the full strains of the orchestra is another highlight. Mychael Danna says casually "It's a big sound..." - and one which surely stirs the still beating heart.

And yet in the end it is a tragic tale, and the darker moments fully realize the depths of the epic battle between the forces of the druid and struggle of the heroes, and finally, the inconsolate sorrow of love lost.

credits

released May 21, 1996

license

about

Hearts of Space Records New York, New York

Hearts of Space Records | A Valley Entertainment Label

Launched in 1984, this record label was created as an extension of the weekly syndicated radio show Hearts of Space. Centered around contemplative music, the label features music from the ambient, new age, electronic, world, Celtic, classical, and experimental genres. ... more

contact / help

Contact Hearts of Space Records

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre, you may also like:

Beyond Earth & Sky
by Steve Roach / Michael Stearns

supported by 4 fans who also own “A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre”

This is a Phenomenal collaboration of Steve & Michael, every piece of music is krafted so magnificent! Thank you for sharing it. 💚🙏 romu rumer
go to album
Offering to the Morning Fog
by Robert Rich

supported by 4 fans who also own “A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre”

Right from the first sound you hear, to the last note - this album will transport you to a natural place. I cannot put into words how this album has been such a huge help. It’s like a friend now - like someone who is always there. An amazing album that everyone should own. Thanks so much, Robert. darkstarr666
go to album
INTO THE MAJESTIC
by Steve Roach

supported by 4 fans who also own “A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deidre”

Stunning, Hypnotic, Immersive - I haven't even played the 2nd track yet as I can't stop looping the first - I don't want it to end! Been a lifelong fan & this really is jaw dropping... 10/10 Mat Mckenzie
go to album
With & Without
by Arushi Jain

Hindustani music and glitchy ambient co-mingle on the San Francisco-based, New Delhi-raised composer’s lush new album. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 4, 2019
go to album
Parted Plains
by Ami Dang

On her new LP, Ami Dang blends sitar and electronics to create worlds that are dreamy and disturbing. Bandcamp Album of the Day Aug 1, 2019
go to album
Imaginal Stage
by Glamourie

Stunning electroacoustic songs where an intricate latticework of hammered dulcimer and billowy synths mirror an insect’s metamorphosis. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 2, 2022
go to album
Palisades EP
by Austin Cash

Arkansas' Austin Cash soundtracks the documentary The Palisades Project with these thoughtful, delicate ambient Americana pieces. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 1, 2022
go to album