Don Oiche Ud I Mbeithil
This ancient Irish carol is loosely translated from its original Gaelic as ‘That Night in Bethlehem’. The words tell the nativity story – speaking of the events on the night of Jesus’s birth and end with a message of peace from the angels. In Ireland, there remains a tradition of leaving a lit candle in the window on Christmas Eve, in symbolic welcome of the holy family.
The arrangement on this disc has much original material in it and starts with a rising arpeggio figure which lends it a lilting feel. I’ve tried to capture an Irish folk feeling so many of the notes are bent upwards in a traditional way. The whole carol has a warmth and insistence about it which builds into a rousing end section - nonetheless it finishes with a gentle resolution.
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