(Press review translated from Dutch)
Friesch Dagblad 02-04-2013
Hessel Fluitman
Fling has been around since 1996, but it is only since 2006 that they’ve been performing as a line-up of four.
Fling is, Evertjan 't Hart (on uilleann pipes, an Irish bagpipe), Siard de Jong (fiddle), Annemarie de Bie (vocals and flute) and Philip Masure (guitar).
In recent years this quartet has grown in their singing and playing.
Based on the story of an old lighthouse keeper on a remote island, who is going to be laid off, the group sings and plays a lovely series of Irish songs and instrumental pieces. The interesting and nice thing is that the stories Evertjan 't Hart tells, are deliberately sloppy while their real work, singing and playing, is taken very seriously.
't Hart very amusingly stumbles through his humorous story, sharing morsels of information about the old lighthouse keeper. This makes his story nigh on literary. Now and then Annemarie de Bie adds to the story in her sobering way, and then they swiftly continue singing and playing. This, after all, is where the members of Fling excell.
Annemarie de Bie is not just a competent flutist, she is also a gifted singer. Her melodious alt lends distinctly colours the concert. While her singing is spot on she adds important emotional value with expressive body language that draws the listener in. Whether it’s The Maid at the Spinning Wheel, Turlough Og O'Boyle or Night after Night, English or Irish, this music is ceaseless enjoyment.
In addition, a major part of the concert is taken up by instrumental reels and jigs. Evertjan 't Hart on his uilleann pipes and Siard de Jong on fiddle and occasionally taking up the whistle or bouzouki, reading into eachother very accurately, often accompanied by Philip Masure’s bassy notes.
As is customary in the Irish dance tunes, the group usually play two or three tunes in a medley. With The Blue Tack Highland, The Temple House and Tommy Peoples you get a beautiful introduction to this music. After the former programmes Lost in Dunkineely and A Ditch near Cree, again the group have created an almost classic Irish programme...
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