Sugarloaf Mountain - An Appalachian Gathering

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Cat No: AV2329

Release Date: 22 June 2015

Label: Avie

Packaging Type: Digipak

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 822252232929

Genres: Classical Folk

Description
On 'Sugarloaf Mountain: An Appalachian Gathering', Apollo's Fire explores the rich repertoire of renaissance English and Scottish ballads that crossed the Atlantic and evolved to express a new world, an Americana life of joys and sorrows, love and loss, dancing and prayer.
Following the chart topping album Come to the River, which conjured early 19th-century rural Americana, Apollo's Fire presents Sugarloaf Mountain: An Appalachian Gathering. An award-winning programme created by Apollo's Fire's director Jeannette Sorrell, Sugarloaf Mountain follows the joys and sorrows of Celtic immigrants who settled in Appalachia. Sparkling fiddle tunes and haunting ballads of the British Isles crossed the Atlantic during the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries and took root in the hills of Virginia. They mingled with American shape-note hymns and African spirituals, creating the soulful music known as Appalachian. Passing through love and loss, dancing and prayer, the music overflows in celebration as the people of the mountains raise their communal voices.

Critical acclaim for Apollo's Fire:

"The U.S.A.'s hottest baroque band" - Classical Music Magazine

"Apollo's Fire has forged a vibrant, life-affirming approach to the re-making of early music...European ears have begun to appreciate the blend of intellect and artistry concocted by harpsichordist Sorrell and her colleagues. Their seductive vision of musical authenticity is guided by a shared commitment to honest emotional expression, rooted in period style yet never its slave." - BBC Music Magazine

"Superlative music-making...an ingenious programme which showed off the ensemble's range of colour, mood and style...combines European stylishness with "can-do" American entrepreneurism. They seize on unlikely things like American folk music and recreate it with foot-stomping brio." - The Daily Telegraph (1 of 5 best classical music moments of 2014)

"Under the inspired direction of Jeannette Sorrell, Apollo's Fire has become one of the pre-eminent period-instrument ensembles, causing one to hear familiar baroque material anew." - The Independent

"A compelling account that can hold its own against any rivals. Exultantâ€¦ instrumental colours blaze brilliantly." - The Times (on Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, AV2206)

"Maverick energy...The group are natural communicators. Apollo's Fire are a wonderful antidote to too much British baroque." - TheArtsDesk.com
Tracklisting