"Alasdair Fraser is recognized throughout the world as one of the finest
fiddle players Scotland has ever produced..." —SCOTS Magazine
Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser
and cellist Natalie Haas
return to Columbia Center for the Arts
January 17, 2012
Reception at 6:30 • Performance at 7:30
Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas return to The Columbia Center for the Arts on Tuesday, January 17 for a concert featuring music from their most recent CD, Highlander's Farewell.
Fraser and Haas team up to make some of the richest, most exhilarating music imaginable. Renowned for his warmth and wit as well as his music, Alasdair is one of Scotland's most valued tradition-bearers.
Alasdair's richly expressive playing transports listeners across a broad spectrum ranging from haunting laments drawn from the Gaelic tradition to classically styled airs and raucous dance tunes, all delivered with flawless virtuosity and the sweetest of sounds.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Natalie is a brilliant cellist who has also toured extensively with Mark O'Connor and Natalie MacMaster. In duo, Alasdair and Natalie reinvent the classic coupling of fiddle and cello, showcasing dazzling interplay and driving, dancing rhythms.
Through four summer programs, the first founded over two decades ago,
Alasdair has inspired hundreds of aspiring and accomplished musicians. His
annual Sierra Fiddle Camp, held each summer on the San Juan Ridge, has
fostered a strong local contingent of enthusiastic musicians.
Several of his tunes are now standard in the repertoire for Scottish, Irish, and contra dancing, and can be heard in sessions from Edinburgh to Canberra. His compositions have been featured in new choreography commissioned by the Richmond (Virginia) Ballet and Shiftworks Dance Ensemble.
Alasdair has made guest appearances with groups as diverse as Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Waterboys and The Chieftains, and as featured soloist along with Itzhak Perlman at New York's Lincoln Center. His film credits include solo performances on the soundtracks of several major films, including The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic.
What the Critics are Saying
"The musical chemistry between Scottish fiddle legend Alasdair Fraser and young cello ace Natalie Haas is a rare, felicitous thing". - Boston Herald
"Alasdair Fraser is recognized throughout the world not only as one of the finest fiddle-players Scotland has ever produced, but also as someone whose name is synonymous with the vibrant cultural renaissance which is transforming the Scottish musical scene." - Scots Magazine
"Rarely can two acoustic players have made such a massive, mighty noise as Fraser and McManus... you could almost hear the sound of jaws dropping right, left and centre as they stampeded into the final straight . . ." - the Scotsman
". . . the expressive gamut from deep Celtic melancholy to joyful jig, his fiddle imitations of the bagpipe almost unbelievable, the whole rendered with a humble sincerity, flawless virtuosity and just about the sweetest sound since Fritz Kreisler." - Los Angeles Times
"If you're seeking music that shows a viable way of forging a new path in Celtic music, you will find it here." - Dirty Linen
"Fraser's intensely expressive phrasing and astonishing dynamic range achieved joyous symbiosis with McManus' intricate, silvery picking and agile rhythmic twists." - The Scotsman
"Stating that Alasdair Fraser is a fiddle player is a bit like saying Pavarotti can sing." - Living Tradition
"Fraser conjured a range of inflection, emotion and rhythmic finesse that was literally breathtaking... Machlis's fluid, richly melodic playing matched him sensitively move for move." - The Scotsman
"...the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling..." - San Francisco Examiner
Reception: Meet Alasdair and Natalie
Columbia Center for the Arts is proud to be able to introduce Alasdair and Natalie to our community. Please plan to help us welcome Alasdair and Natalie by joining us at the reception just prior to the performance.
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Ticket Information
$22 in advance (online) and at the door.
Online locations:
More Info and Who to Contact
Visit their website: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas
CONTACT:
Peter Wilson, Strings Concerts
- 530-913-5534
- peter@stringsconcerts.com
Alasdair Fraser
- mail@alasdairfraser.com
- 530-292-4219
See Them in Concert
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas playing with Fire & Grace