Hey Folks:
I’m going to be going to France soon and want to spend a weekend in Brittany immersed in music…where is the place or places to go for good breton/irish music?
G
You want to go to Kemper for the Festival de Cornouaille or to the Festival Interceltique in Lorient. I don’t rememebr their dates off hand but usually late July, early August. I think there might be one in Brest earlier in the year. These festivals are packed with Celtic music and Breton music especially. They also feature competitions for sonneurs couples (bombarde and biniou) and bagadou (pipe bands with bombardes). Breton flutist Jean-Michel Veillon got his start in bagadou as did Alan Stivell.
Kenavo!
Aaron
[ This Message was edited by: AaronMalcomb on 2002-05-27 00:05 ]
If you’re in Brittany look out for ‘Fest - Noz’ and ‘Fest - Deiz’, evening festival and day festival respectively. You’ll find them happening all over during the summer - the knack is being there at the same time, as they tend to be advertised very locally. Try the tourist info. offices. Some of the larger ones have big names playing, but most tend to be local musicians supplying music for the thriving dance scene. Check out the bombard/biniou players and singers doing ‘kan-ar-diskan’, or call and response playing/singing at the heart of Breton music.
Couldn’t you just show up at Brendan Ring’s doorstep??
http://www.brendanring.com/
I just remembered somewhere - a bar/pub called ‘Ty Elise’ in, I think, a village called Plouye a few miles south of the magical forest of Huelgoat. It’s run by an extremely ecentric Welshman called Byn, who is a total music nut and regularly hosts wild sessions with musicians from Brittany and beyond. He also sells Correff bitter by the pint and does a mean chicken currey. He’s also a mine of info. for finding good places to go.