Live in Paris and Toronto

by Loreena McKennitt

Overview

Loreena McKennitt is in her element in front of an audience, telling interesting stories about the songs and assembling a topnotch backing band. This is her first live release available to the public, and uses material from three concerts (one from Paris and two from Toronto) to put together a complete show. As with The Book of Secrets tour, the first half is The Book of Secrets in its entirety, arranged in the same order as the studio CD. This material is covered on the first CD, and it has never sounded better. The live performance seems to breathe new life into the tracks and some songs, such as "Dante's Prayer" and "Skellig," sound better than the studio recordings. The second CD is more of an overview of her career, featuring songs from her back catalog. Again, the tracks seem to benefit when played in front of an audience; in particular, "The Lady of Shalott" and "All Souls Night" are brilliant. The musicianship on this live CD is excellent, and her band is very tight, as though they had been playing together for years. The sound of the CD is amazing; while maintaining the warmth of a live performance, McKennitt is still able to present a crisp, clean recording -- a remarkable feat. Also worth noting is the packaging, which includes notes by McKennitt, wonderful photos, and details of how the whole package was put together. This CD is ideal for fans and is actually a good place for newcomers to start. ~ Aaron Badgley

Product Details

Release Date:	07/07/2005
Label:	CD BABY.COM/INDYS
UPC:	0774213910820

Tracks

1. Prologue
2. The Mummers' Dance
3. Skellig
4. Marco Polo
5. The Highwayman
6. La Serenissima
7. Night Ride Across the Caucasus
8. Dante's Prayer
9. The Mystic's Dream
10. Santiago
11. Bonny Portmore
12. Between the Shadows
13. The Lady of Shalott
14. The Bonny Swans
15. The Old Ways
16. All Souls Night
17. Cymbeline

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Loreena McKennitt   Primary Artist,Harp,Piano,Vocals,Accordion,Keyboards
Brian Hughes   Guest Artist,Oud,Guitar,Bouzouki
Nigel Eaton   Hurdygurdy
Rick Lazar   Percussion
Donald Quan   Keyboards
Caroline LaVelle   Cello
Hugh Marsh   Violin
Rob Piltch   Guitar,Keyboards
Danny Thompson   Bass (Acoustic)

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
John Thompson   Crew
Jeff Wolpert   Engineer
Stuart Bruce   Mixing
Brian Hughes   Assistant
Kurt Weill   Composer
Jacquie Turner   Assistant
Loreena McKennitt   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Adaptation,Liner Notes,Musical Adaptation
Dave McRae   Live Sound
Alfred Noyes   Composer
William Shakespeare   Poetry,Composer
Roger Searle   Crew
Claude Fortin   Translation
Mark Phillips   Crew
Alfred Lord Tennyson   Composer
Guy Vignola   Live Sound
Dan McGee   Crew
Donna Griffith   Photography
Pamela Hughes   Crew