ALTAN, Peery's Egyptian Theater, Ogden, Dec. 7.
OGDEN — Christmas isn't the only thing going on this time of year. It's also The Year's Turning, the traditional Irish celebration of the winter solstice.
Titling their tour with this ancient mix of Christian and pagan traditions, the Celtic band Altan brought a taste of The Year's Turning from the Old World to Ogden on Saturday evening.
The goal of the performance seemed to be to transport the audience back to rural Donegal, Ireland, by including set dancers, poetry reading, strawboys and mumming to their musical program.
The actual presentation was a little too formal to actually feel as if one was in the home of say, Paddy O'Hara, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. Many of the songs and jigs were accompanied by stories of their origins, and most made it nearly impossible not to resist toe-tapping.
Altan was joined by guest artists Jim Murray, guitar; Seamus Begley, accordion; and Ann Heymann, 15th-century Irish harp. Although the novelty of hearing the ancient harp was interesting, Heymann's relatively lackluster solos brought the energy down at least a few notches each time she was spotlighted. On the other hand, Murray and Begley enhanced the program
with authentic flair.
One also wondered about the set dancers — presumably brought here from Ireland, yet only featured for two short numbers. It's too bad they weren't used more in the program, since they added considerably to the experience.
In spite of the drawbacks, the concert was generally quite good musically and a lot of fun.
E-MAIL: rcline@desnews.com