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Hooray for Harps 2

  Tobias

Let there be no doubt: Catrin Finch is a highly succesful studio artist. Apart from her solo albums, which have already captivated the minds (and ears) of listeners on both sides of the Atlantic, she has also contributed to Katherine Jenkins latest effort (they manifested their Welsh pride by performing the surprisingly short and easy-to-pronounce "Dafydd y Garreg Wen"), as well as being one of a few guests on Shan Cothi's "Passione"-CD. But travelling around the world and playing to the most diverse audiences have taught her one thing: There's nothing like that live-feeling.

With this in mind, 2006 looks like the year that you will bump into Catrin wherever you happen to be - not the worst of thoughts by any means. For Finch has planned some great things: First off, there's her newly formed band, consisting of herself on electric harp, Royal Academy friend Tom Watson as conductor and a 12-member ensemble, which is said to consist of saxophone, drums, trumpets and trombones. Will the harp be able to rise above the combined efforts (and the noise) of its brothers-in-instruments? You can find out in Spring of next year, when the first CD will be officially released with a party and a concert. Until then, though, there's no reason to sulk: A short Christmas-tour (Wales only, however) and a new CD should keep spirits high. The album will be called "Catrin Finch Live!" (don't be surprised, she has a knack for self-explanatory titles - her major debut was dubbed "The Harpist") and consist of pieces recorded on various locations during the last couple of months. Among the pack will be tracks never recorded by her before, such as Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Salzedo's Fantasy on Lara's Granada, and the Bugs! Mosquito Massacre (actually the third movement of a Paul Patterson piece, commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music Harp Department and first performed by Catrin back in 2003). From what we have understood, the idea of the live album was to be as raw and close to the actual performance as possible - without going back to the studio to smooth out the waves: "There is nothing like the real thing. I wanted to produce a CD that was honest to how it really is live - the adrenalin, excitement and audience atmosphere that can't be captured in a dry studio"

It sounds like a most welcome proposition and the disc will be available on Catrin's webpage from the beginning of December (even though discounted pre-orders are already accepted). Oh, and we forgot to mention another thing: Finch will appear on Sir James Galways new disc, set to be published in early 2006. And even though that's no live recording, we don't expect it to be a "dry studio" affair at all.

Homepage: Catrin Finch