Christmas is coming and the tinsel tunes looped into most stores have fast become stale. (I’m looking at you, T-Mobile!) The Pear Tree, released in November by Adrianna Ciccone and Ellen Gibling, is a welcome alternative to the glittery ditties that polish an overly bright sheen into the Yuletide. The album’s subtitle, “Festive Tunes on Fiddle & Harp,” is a good indicator of the magic found on the eight folk-flavored tracks. Instrumental all, they capture the true meaning of the holiday season.
Ciccone, whose debut album won her the Instrumental Artist of the Year honor at the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards, plays the fiddle; Gibling, who’s played with Symphony Nova Scotia and toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, handles the harp. Just as their instruments blend together, so too do the tracks themselves, which mix and match traditional fare with original compositions. The enchanting medleys, for me, tap into dormant memories of Christmases long past.
A good example: “The Cherry Tree Carol,” which dates to the early 15th century, is paired with Ciccone’s “The Back of Winter,” with each half—just as the fiddle and harp—complementing the other. It’s a beautiful work, as is the album as a whole. (It’s available on the usual streaming sites as well as Bandcamp.)
The Old Grey Cat 