Clychau Dibon (2013)
7 tracks, 56 minutes
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The idea behind Clychau Dibon is such an obvious one that when it came out, you just had to think, ‘why has this never been done?!’ But it hadn’t been done, and Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita turned out to be the perfect musicians to take it on.
Simply put, this is an album of harp duets that span continents. Catrin Finch is a Welsh harpist with a background in classical music and an interest in Welsh folk, and Seckou Keita is a kora player from Senegal. The two instruments have very similar yet recognisable sounds, and their playing techniques set them apart, but they both have the same delicate, shimmering sound that must surely be one of the most relaxing in the world of acoustic music.
They didn’t go overboard with it, either. This magical meeting could so easily have exploded into a ‘harps of the world’ project with a million contributors from across the globe and any subtlety of sound or style would be lost. But instead they kept it exactly the right size – just the two of them – and in Clychau Dibon, it was executed immaculately.
When Catrin and Seckou play together, it makes complete sense. Even though they are from rather radically different musical traditions, the music they make together feels completely natural, like this repertoire was always meant to accommodate both instruments and both cultures. The pieces that are included were put together quite democratically. They’re all co-composed or at least co-improvised to some degree, but as for the core melodies of the pieces, some are contributed by Catrin, some by Seckou, and some come from traditional pieces from their respective cultures. And none stand out among the others – they’re all treated with the exact same level of respect and achieve the same level of success. The whole way through it is an utter delight of rippling, trickling strings that paint a breathtakingly serene and peaceful landscape. It’s enough to make you well up: the world is beautiful, and Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita help make it so.
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