Loreena McKennitt -- An ancient muse -- Tour in 2007

Loreena McKennitt - An ancient muse
Tour in 2007 - newspaper "De Morgen" review

During her An Ancient Muse tour Loreena performed in the Cirque Royal ("Royal Circus") in Brussels on Wednesday 4 April 2007. The newspaper I read, De Morgen, had a review of that concert in the issue of Friday 6 April. The reviewer gave the concert 4 out of 5 stars.

Foto Alex Vanhee Below follows:
> the text of the review, which is in Dutch
> my translation of that into English

The review was accompanied by a three-column photo made by Alex Vanhee of Loreena playing the accordion; the picture on the right shows a scan of it. The caption of the photo read:
* Dutch original:: Loreena McKennitt voerde de verrukte toeschouwers naar verre landen en tijden.
* Translation in English:: Loreena McKennitt lead the enraptured audience to distant countries and times.

I fully agree with the reviewer with everything he wrote about the atmosphere and the feelings the concert created. I think the reviewer is wrong in one more technical point: he writes that Loreena performed "her version of 'Bonny Portmore' that can be heard in Highland III." Now I do not know that version, as I have never seen that film, but I'm pretty sure that Loreena did not perform 'Bonny Portmore'. My guess is the reviewer mistook it for another song.

Innige Perzische klanktapijten

BRUSSEL -- Het was negen jaar geleden dat wereldmuziekcoryfee Loreena McKennitt in ons land concerteerde. Toch voelde haar innige optreden in het Brusselse Koninklijk Circus aan alsof de Canadese nooit weg was geweest.

Door Koen De Meester

De zangeres uit Stratford, Ontario, debuteerde 22 jaar geleden. Het decennium daarop zag ze langzaam haar ster rijzen. Toen Book of Secrets in '97 uitkwam, behoorde ze tot de absolute top in haar genre. Het jaar daarna sloeg het noodlot echter toe. Haar verloofde, zijn broer en een vriend verdronken bij een boottocht. De tragedie zorgde ervoor dat McKennitt jarenlang uit de spots verdween. Pas vorig jaar kwam er een studioplaat, An Ancient Muse, en nu is er een heuse tournee. Dat ze niet vergeten is, bewees haar uitverkochte concert woensdagavond in het Koninklijk Circus.

McKennitt presenteerde in het eerste deel voornamelijk werk uit haar twee recentste platen. De sfeer werd zorgvuldig opgebouwd, waarbij ze nooit het contact met het publiek verloor. Haar negen begeleiders bespeelden een veelheid aan vaak exotische instrumenten, met glansrollen voor de elektrische violist Hugh Marsh, celliste Caroline Lavelle en gitarist-luitist Brian Hughes. Die laatste zorgde voor de enige dissonanten met een paar patserige gitaaruitvallen uit de jaren zeventig. De klank was evenwel excellent en transparant.

McKennitt voerde de verrukte toeschouwers naar verre landen en tijden. Daarbij vonden zowel Homeros, Shakespeare als Dante een veilig onderkomen in de Keltische wieg van haar muziek. Ze begon achter de harp met een plechtige versie van het aloude 'She Moved through the Fair' en de voltallige band voegde zich bij haar in 'The Gates of Istanbul'. McKennitt gordde daarna de accordeon om voor de Keltische pophit van 'The Mummers' Dance'. Verderop klonk de Arabische percussie van 'Marco Polo' even zwierig als een buikdanseres. Tijdens het tweede deel weefde ze nog ingewikkeldere Perzische klanktapijten. Daardoor kwam ze meer in het mystieke vaarwater van Dead Can Dance terecht. Al was er ook plaats voor haar versie van 'Bonnie Portmore' zoals die in Highlander III te horen was. McKennitt voerde alles naar een hoogtepunt met het gedragen 'Never-ending Road (Amhráan Duit)'. De extatische staande ovatie op het einde was voor één keer niet overdreven.

Intimate Persian tapistries of sound

BRUSSELS -- It was nine years ago that world music star-performer Loreena McKennitt gave a concert our country. Yet her intimate performance in the Royal Circus of Brussels felt as if the Canadian had never had been away.

by Koen De Meester

The singer from Stratford, Ontario, made her debut 22 years ago. During the decade that followed her star gradually rose. When Book or Secrets was released in '97, she belonged to the absolute top in her genre. The year after that, however, destiny struck. Her financé, his brother and a friend drowned during a boat excursion. The tragedy caused McKennitt to disappear from the spotlights for many years. Only last year a new studio album, An Ancient Muse, was released, and now there is a real tour. That she has not been forgotten proved her sold-out concert Wednesday in the Royal Circus.

McKennitt presented in the first part mainly work from her two most recent albums. The atmosphere was carefully built up, while she never lost contact with the audience. Her nine accompanists played on a variety of often exotic instruments, with starring roles for the electric violinist Hugh Marsh, cellist Caroline Lavelle and guitarist-lutist Brian Hughes. The latter provided the only discords with a couple of show-off guitar-outbursts from the seventies. The sound was, however, excellent and transparent.

McKennitt lead the enraptured audience to distant countries and times. Whereby Homer, as well as Shakespeare and Dante found shelter in the Celtic cradle of her music. She started at the harp with a solemn version of the ancient 'She Moved through the Fair' and the full band joined in with her in 'The Gates of Istanbul'. McKennitt then girded the accordion on for the Celtic pophit of 'The Mummers' Dance'. Later on the Arab percussion of 'Marco Polo' sounded just as elegant as a belly-dancer. During the second part she wove even more complicated Persian tapestries of sounds. As a result, she came more in the mystic waters of Dead Can Dance. Although there was also room for her version of 'Bonny Portmore' that can be heard in Highland III. McKennitt lead everything to a culmination with the carried 'Never-ending Road (Amhr\'an Duit)'. The ecstatic standing ovation at the end was for once not exaggerated.

The above text was translated by me.
When making the translation I tried to stay as close to the original as possible, but sometimes you cannot translate literally so one has to make concessions. Furthermore, English is not my native language, so it is not always easy for me to select the right words.
A few remarks regarding the translation of the title of the review.

The title has the word "klanktapijten", which in itself is not a Dutch word. The author played with the word "wandtapijten", which means tapestries ("tapijten") that hang on a wall ("wand"). The author combined this with "klank", which means sound, harmony, etc. Hence my choice for 'tapestries of sound'.
The first word of the title, "innig", means: close (as in a relationship), tender, intimate, etc. I feel that using 'intimate' is best here, but I'm not certain.

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