The Visit (Loreena McKennitt album)
Encyclopedia
The Visit is the fourth studio album by Loreena McKennitt
and was released in 1991. The album is certified Gold in the US.
Loreena McKennitt
Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
and was released in 1991. The album is certified Gold in the US.
Track listing
All compositions by Loreena McKennitt except as noted.- "All Souls Night" – 5:09
- "Bonny PortmoreBonny Portmore"Bonny Portmore" is an Irish traditional folk song which laments the demise of Ireland's old oak forests, specifically The Great Oak of Portmore, which fell in a windstorm in 1760 and was subsequently used for shipbuilding and other purposes....
" (Traditional, arranged and adapted by Loreena McKennit) – 4:21 - "Between the Shadows" – 3:42
- "The Lady of Shalott" (Lyrics by Alfred Lord Tennyson adapted by Loreena McKennitt, music by Loreena McKennit) – 11:34
- "Greensleeves" (Traditional music arranged by Loreena McKennitt) – 4:26
- "Tango to Evora" – 4:10
- "Courtyard Lullaby" – 4:57
- "The Old Ways" – 5:44
- "Cymbeline" (Music by Loreena McKennitt, Lyric by William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
) – 5:07
Song information
- "All Souls Night" derives from McKennitt's merging of the traditions, mythology, and culture of Japan with old European Samhain rituals. The "bonfires" and "figures dancing" are European, the "candles and lanterns" are from Japanese traditions.
- "Bonny Portmore" is a traditional Celtic folk song about oak forest deforestation. It was featured in the soundtrack of Highlander: the Sorcerer.
- "The Lady of Shalott" is based on the poem The Lady of ShalottThe Lady of Shalott"The Lady of Shalott" is a Victorian ballad by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson . Like his other early poems – "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "Galahad" – the poem recasts Arthurian subject matter loosely based on medieval sources.-Overview:Tennyson wrote two versions of the poem, one...
by Alfred, Lord TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron TennysonAlfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
. - Contrary to the album notes, "Greensleeves" was not actually written by Henry VIII.
- "Tango to Evora" was used in the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of CanadaThe National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
documentary The Burning TimesThe Burning TimesThe Burning Times is a 1990 Canadian documentary, presenting a feminist revisionist account of the Early Modern European witchcraft trials.It was directed by Donna Read and written by Erna Buffie, and features interviews with feminist and Neopagan notables, such as Starhawk, Margot Adler, and...
. A cover to the song has been recorded by one of Greece'sGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
most popular and respected singers, Haris AlexiouHaris AlexiouHaris Alexiou is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been commercially successful since the 1970s. She has worked with important Greek songwriters and composers, has performed at top musical theatres all over the world and has received several awards...
, entitled "Nefeli's Tango", with lyrics written by herself. Another cover to the song has been recorded by Turkish singer, NilüferNilüfer YumluNilüfer Yumlu is a Turkish pop singer known as Nilüfer.In 1992, one of her biggest hits, Show Yapma, included in Yine Yeni Yeniden album...
, entitled "Çok Uzaklarda". Evora is an historical city in Portugal. The song has also been covered by the Iranian singer Kourosh Yaghmaei under the title "Gol-e-Orkideh" (Orchid Flower). - "Cymbeline" is taken from a song in the William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
play CymbelineCymbelineCymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...
.
Personnel
- Loreena McKennittLoreena McKennittLoreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, bodhranBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
, vocals, arranger, producer, adaptation - Anne Bourne – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Al Cross – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Tom Hazlett - bass
- Brian HughesBrian Hughes (musician)Brian Hughes is a Canadian guitarist whose work draws from both the smooth jazz and world music genres. Not restricted entirely to conventional guitars, Hughes has also been known to employ the oud, bouzouki and balalaika...
– balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
, electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
& acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, assistant engineer, assistant producer - Patrick Hutchinson – uillean pipes
- George KollerGeorge KollerGeorge Koller is a Canadian bassist and multi-instrumentalist who has played professionally and extensively within most genres of music and is best known for his work in jazz, free jazz, folk music, world music and world fusion...
– bass, cello, mad fiddle, tamboura, sitar - Rick Lazar – percussion, udu drum
- Hugh MarshHugh MarshHugh Marsh is a violinist from Toronto, known for his electric violin sound. Marsh was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award in the best contemporary jazz album category.-Early days:...
– fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...