
A quick glance at new music scheduled for release in the next three months suggests a fair few potentially interesting collaborations melding different styles and cultures. The eponymous debut album from Hirondelle is one such, bringing together, surely for the first time, a fusion of Northeastern English folk, classical and Provençal/Occitan.
Specifically, the protagonists are Northumberland duo The Brothers Gillespie, James and Sam, whose “music is inspired by the still wild soul of the land in which we live”, together with the classical group Trio Mythos (the British version rather than the Italian-based piano trio of the same name). A string trio founded in 2017/2018 to investigate the connections between folk and Baroque music, it is led by Sophie Renshaw, currently a Professor of Viola and Chamber music at the Royal Conservatoire Scotland, viola and composer/arranger, violinist Lucy Russell, first violinist with the Fitzwilliam Quartet, and cellist Ruth Phillips. The final component is Tant Que Li Siam, a polyphonic Occitan dialect vocal group incorporating Mediterranean instruments. Formed in 2014/2015, at the time of the recording, they were a trio (subsequent personnel changes now see them performing as a quartet), comprising Damien Toumi (voice and bendir), Marie-Madeleine Martinet (voice, saggattes, and tamburrello) and Mario Leccia, (voice, zarb, tamburrello and daf).
As is often the case, the initial meeting between the three was somewhat serendipitous. A historical page from the Brothers’ website suggests an evening concert in a medieval Provencal church in 2019: “This meeting of diverse musical and cultural perspectives was brought about by a series of fortuitous introductions and encounters. We don’t know exactly where the journey will take us, but upon finding ourselves all together in the beautiful Provençale Summer of 2019, we discovered a powerful connection and a desire to create something together.” Three rough recordings from this evening can be accessed as demos here.
Relocating to a cottage in east Lothian at the end of that year, the album was recorded by producer and recording engineer Tim Lane, and, due to the vagaries of Covid, lockdowns and allied factors, has lain dormant until now.
Hirondelle, as those who may remember the logo of the 1970 Italian white table wine masquerading under a French name, means ‘swallow’, and here, used as the album’s title, reflects the music which resonates with the patterns of that bird’s migratory flights of freedom across borders, from Africa to the Mediterranean, across to Britain and Ireland and back “In our project of music, song and storytelling we seek to explore the hidden currents that flow between our different lands and experiences.”
The eight tracks on the album comprise songs composed by those participating, in addition to traditional pieces, all underscored by Sophie’s sublime string arrangements and the impeccable playing of the classical trio. While several tracks have been recorded and released in previous iterations, owners of the relevant Brothers Gillespie or Tant Que Li Siam recordings can rest assured that the new versions presented here are sufficiently different to warrant further investigation.
Of these eight, the Brothers Gillespie weigh in with four compositions. They provide Hirondelle’s first track, Golden One, which here, at 6 minutes 19 seconds, is a full minute longer than the version which opened their 2018 The Fell album. This can be explained by the string trio’s sonorous, possibly electronically enhanced, introduction, which reveals the following melody. Decorous guitar and fiddle usher in a solo voice before the siblings’ trademark harmonisation is first heard in the second stanza. Here, as elsewhere on this release, the Trio Mythos contribution adds great depth to proceedings, creating an alternative feeling to that created by the clàrsach of Siannie Moodie, which adorns the version on The Fell.
Tina’s Song follows on immediately. This politically charged piece outlines the story of the court case of Tina Rothery, a Green Party candidate, anti-fracking activist and member of the Nanas protest group in Blackpool, following her refusal to pay oil and gas firm Cuadrilla’s legal fees of £50 000. With lyrics such as
“No you can’t look to government cos they’re in cahoots
They’ve sold off the state and they’ve carved up the loot
And though they seem civil to tell you the truth
If you step out of line you’ll be feeling their boots”,
accompanied by guitar, deep, deep cello, drone-like bass strings, and refrains with soaring fiddle solos, the effect is at times electrifying. Again, it presents a profound sonic intensity.
Sandwiched between these and the remaining two Brothers’ compositions are the pair of tracks from the portfolio of Tant Que Li Siam, which translates as “As long as we are there”. The fact that the trio sing of the Ventoux region in a polyphonic style is particularly intriguing, if not unprecedented, given the fact that the specific region appears to have neither a folkloric history of traditional songs nor polyphonic singing. Thus, the group have taken their lyrics from Ventoux (Ventour in Occitan), poetry, and the wider Provence area.
Their La Roumanço De Peire D’Aragoun, a song they originally presented on their 2019 Vent’Alentour release, has Occitan lyrics taken from the Ventoux/Carpentras-born Félix Gras 1875 poem, La Roumanço Dou Rei En Peire. Concerning the love, and death in battle, of King Pierre of Aragon, again, the string trio open proceedings, heralding the dynamic polyphonic vocals and dramatic percussion. Whilst the string arrangements permeate and the gut-string solo features prominently, the vocals truly drive the song. Time spent with Bulgarian singers in 2008 has obviously paid dividends.
O Ventour continues in a similar vein. This time, the lyrics are based on a poem by Louis Gerbaud, and, again, the song is featured on Vent’Alentour. Here, the extended string ensemble introduction conjures up images of the wildness of the Ventoux region before a solo male vocal is joined by that of Marie-Madeleine. The delicate strings provide an atmospheric interlude before polyphonic singing, with more percussion, introduces spoken lyrics and hand-clapping. Brief frenetic strings, then more spoken male and female voices trade words with each other before the final plucked note concludes this heady experience.
Two more Brothers Gillespie pieces ensue. Northumberland I, with its opening treated strings, almost harmonica-like at times, and spoken words, composed by the duo, are then accompanied by further spooky, drawn-out string sounds, creating a chillingly atmospheric sound. This is followed by Northumberland II, with music set to a poem by another one-time Hexham resident, Wilfred Wilson Gibson. The opening picked-guitar figure and vocal give way to more dramatic percussion sounds and haunting violin/strings, which continue to suffuse the track, which is both emotive and evocative of the titular location,
“Land of singing waters
And winds from off the sea
Bring me to Northumberland
The land where I would be.”
The only instrumental track on the album just features Lucy, Ruth and Sam, with Sophie once again being responsible for the arrangement. Their version of Carolan’s Cup is almost certainly attributable to Turlough O’Carolan, albeit one that the blind Irish harpist may have adapted from an even older tune. The plaintive opening notes and acoustic guitar continue throughout to provide a moving reading of this classic tune.
The album concludes with the traditional I Drew My Ship, a night visit song from Northern England, catalogued as Roud 402. The deep cello notes echo the nautical references from the outset, and foghorn-like sounds and initial dolorous, melancholic voices are joined in the very powerfully delivered refrain by female vocals. With the final refrain’s English lyrics being echoed by what sounds very much like the identical words sung in the minority language of Occitan, in the absence of any liner notes (this review is based on digital files), I assume that the combined talents of The Brothers Gillespie, Trio Mythos and Tant Que Li Siam have contributed to this final track, a tremendous interpretation, worthy of comparison to those recorded by illustrious artists such as Bellowhead, Shirley Collins, Megson and June Tabor.
Hirondelle is the inspirational culmination of a shared vision of creativity and friendship, together with enrichment and enlightenment brought about through an exploration of different cultures, a “project of roots and wings”. It thoroughly deserves not only to fly but to soar.
Pre-Order here: https://thebrothersgillespie.bandcamp.com/album/hirondelle