Track Listing

1. Cry Of The Celts
2. Suil A Ruin
3. Celtic Dream
4. Warriors
5. Gypsy
6. Breakout
7. Lord Of The Dance
8. Spirit Of The New World
9. Fiery Nights
10. Lament
11. Siamsa
12. Our Wedding Day
13. Stolen Kiss
14. Nightmare
15. Victory
16. Cry Of The Celts
17. Lord Of The Dance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2453 in Music
• Released on: 1998-06-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Part show-tunes, part classical, and part folk music, Ronan Hardiman's score to Lord of the Dance, the musical starring dancer Michael Flatley, successfully avoids all the inherent pitfalls of such an enterprise. Hardiman has emerged as Ireland's finest interpreter of traditional music for films, TV, and the theatre, and under his guidance the 19 lush orchestral tunes, augmented with many traditional instruments, are rife with the spirit of the Emerald Isle. Two of the tracks feature the taps of Flatley and Co, while the rest highlight the score as composed by Hardiman with all its subtle textures intact and not masked by the live sound of tap dancing. Lord of the Dance is a perfect and very listenable fusion of Broadway and the indigenous heritage of Irish music making. --Derek Rath

CD Description
Ronan Hardiman's music to Michael Flatley's extravagant stage production picks up directly where the show's precursor, the equally extravagant "Riverdance", left off. The sources for Hardiman's score are ancient Irish folk melodies, fervourous, polyrhythmic percussion and modern new-age keyboard textures; they swirl continuously through the music, creating a perfect backdrop for the flexible stomps of the show's dancers. Violins, accordions and bouzoukis fly above massive drum sounds (both acoustic and programmed), emphasising an interaction of musical heritages. The fact that music with suchdisparate sources can find overwhelming international success is testament to this show's power and its cultural importance.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful
The show was simply fantastic. The CD is absolutely wonderful. The slow songs are relaxing and the fast ones will raise your spirit and make you want to move, even get up and dance. This CD is a must, for everyone. Congratulations to Ronan Hardiman, Micheal Flatley and everyone else involved in this awesome project. Well done.

Sheer Irish Bliss!
This album is truly a five star collection of music. As it contains two reels ("Gypsy" and "Siamsa") as well as several jigs ("Cry of the Celts," "Celtic Dream," and "Stolen Kiss") you can dance along at home and be part of the experience! If you loved the show and are a big fan of Irish music, this is for you. With it's wide range of songs, going from the light and music-box, for example, "Celtic Dream," to the strong and powerful such as "Warriors," you have a piece of music to suit your every mood. Highly recommended.

Hey, I like this music even without all the dancing
Well, I saw "Riverdance" this week and without comparing the dancing in the two shows (since I could never do any of it), I really like Ronan Hardiman's music for "Lord of the Dance" a lot better. From the opening track "Cry of the Celts" you get the feel of listening to an Irish band cooking in a pub someplace. Hardiman offers up a rich diversity of tunes, from the ephemeral "Celtic Dream" (that reminds me of the Nutcracker for some reason) to the pounding rhythms of "Warriors." I wish "Gypsy" were longer, because that is probably my favorite track. Hardiman himself provides the keyboard/programming for this wonderful mix of ancient sounds with modern technology. After all, who thinks of Irish music with a saxophone like you have on "Fiery Nights?" It is usually Uilleann Pipes and serious fiddle playing, both of which abound on this album. The two bonus tracks featuring the solo taps of Michael Flatley with the Lord of the Dance troupe are enough for the CD; you can always put on the video to hear more of the same, but I would think that after a while you can really just hear the tapping in your mind all the time anyway. Yes, you will enjoy this music more having seen the show, but I actually enjoyed listening to this CD for months before I bothered to check out the tape.