Songs from the Heart (Celtic Woman album)

Songs from the Heart is the fifth studio album and fourth on-stage production by all-female Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman, released on 16 January 2010.

Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart
Studio album by
Released16 January 2010
RecordedJuly 2009
StudioWindmill Lane Studios 1 & 2, StudioTWO and RTÉ Studio 1, Dublin, Ireland
GenreCeltic, new-age, vocal, classical
LanguageEnglish, Irish, Latin, Italian
LabelManhattan
ProducerDavid Downes
Celtic Woman chronology
Celtic Woman: The Greatest Journey
(2008)
Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart
(2010)
Celtic Woman: Lullaby
(2011)

Performers in Songs from the Heart are vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lynn Hilary, Lisa Kelly, Alex Sharpe and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt. The German deluxe edition, released in January 2011, also features newer member (at the time) Lisa Lambe, as well as former members Órla Fallon and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha.

PBS special and DVD release background

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Songs from the Heart was originally filmed as a TV special for American broadcaster PBS, as well as a DVD release, at Powerscourt House and Gardens near Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, in July 2009. The concert was filmed by Alex Coletti Productions and Brennus Productions with editing by the Windmill Lane Post Production studios in Dublin.

Like its predecessor A New Journey, the show was delayed by rain days before taking place; it also rained the day before, 'washing out' the rehearsals and forcing the performers to rehearse inside the main hall in the Powerscourt House.[1] The concert was further delayed when the electrical generator powering the lights, cameras, and other electrical equipment failed during the song "Goodnight My Angel," requiring the show to stop while a second generator was sent for. The first generator was later fixed, allowing the show to continue with a restart of said song.

The DVD release and PBS special do not reprise the full concert, which composer and director David Downes mentioned was over two hours long. As the group did not have the rights to show all of the tracks performed during the recording of the PBS special and DVD release, the actual concert as shown was over one hour in length. Omitted songs that were performed included "Carolina Rua" and "You'll Be in My Heart".

The DVD also includes a 20-minute 'making-of' featurette showing the lead-up to the first show, starting three days before, where former CEO of the group Scott Porter mentions that Powerscourt was 'one of the most beautiful and challenging locations we've ever performed in'.

Track listing

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CD
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Fields of Gold"Lisa Kelly3:49
2."Amazing Grace"Chloë Agnew, Lynn Hilary, Kelly, Máiréad Nesbitt, Alex Sharpe4:58
3."Níl Sé'n Lá"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe3:35
4."My Lagan Love"Hilary2:53
5."When You Believe"Agnew4:31
6."The New Ground / Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe6:41
7."The Coast of Galiçia"Nesbitt3:38
8."Non c'è piú"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe4:48
9."The Moon's a Harsh Mistress"Kelly, Nesbitt3:17
10."You'll Be in My Heart"Sharpe4:03
11."Goodnight My Angel"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly3:15
12."Galway Bay"Agnew4:17
13."The Lost Rose Fantasia"Nesbitt2:19
14."O, America!"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe3:47

Notes

  • All songs arranged by David Downes. Downes also wrote and composed "The New Ground" from track 6 and track 13.
  • Track 14 was written and composed especially for Celtic Woman by Brendan Graham and William Joseph.
  • Track 5 was released as a single on iTunes in November 2009, around the same period of the broadcast of the PBS special.
Bonus tracks on deluxe edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
15."The Call" (Live from Powerscourt House and Gardens)Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe5:28
16."Finale / Mo Ghile Mear" (Live from Powerscourt House and Gardens)Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe3:18
Additional bonus tracks on amazon.com digital download edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
17."Carolina Rua"Hilary, Nesbitt3:27
18."Danny Boy" (Live from Powerscourt House and Gardens)Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Sharpe3:23
Bonus tracks on Japanese edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
15."Pie Jesu" (Live from Powerscourt House and Gardens)Agnew, Hilary, Nesbitt3:37
16."You Raise Me Up" (Live from Powerscourt House and Gardens)Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe5:31
Bonus tracks on German edition
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
14."Forever Young"Kelly, Nesbitt3:57
15."A Spaceman Came Travelling"Lisa Lambe3:49
16."Wenn Du in Meinen Träumen Bei Mir Bist" (German version of "Over the Rainbow")Agnew, Kelly, Lambe, Nesbitt2:41
17."Symphonie" (omitted from later editions)Agnew, Nesbitt4:20
18."O Come All Ye Faithful" (from the album A Christmas Celebration)Agnew, Órla Fallon, Kelly, Nesbitt, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha3:51
DVD
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."The Call"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe, Extreme Rhythm Drummers 
2."Fields of Gold"Kelly 
3."When You Believe"Agnew 
4."The Coast of Galiçia"Nesbitt 
5."The New Ground / Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Sharpe 
6."Non C'è Piú"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe 
7."True Colors"Nesbitt, Sharpe 
8."Galway Bay"Agnew 
9."Goodnight My Angel"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly 
10."O, America!"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe, Discovery Gospel Choir 
11."Níl Sé'n Lá"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe 
12."The Lost Rose Fantasia"Nesbitt 
13."The Moon's a Harsh Mistress"Kelly, Nesbitt 
14."My Lagan Love"Hilary 
15."Amazing Grace"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Sharpe, Black Raven Pipe Band 
16."Pie Jesu"Agnew, Hilary, Nesbitt 
17."Slumber My Darling / The Mason's Apron"Nesbitt 
18."Danny Boy"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Sharpe 
19."You Raise Me Up"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe, Discovery Gospel Choir 
20."Finale / Mo Ghile Mear"Agnew, Hilary, Kelly, Nesbitt, Sharpe, Black Raven Pipe Band, Extreme Rhythm Drummers 

Personnel

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Celtic Woman

Band

  • David Downes – grand piano, keyboards, whistles, percussion, backing vocals
  • Des Moore – guitar, bouzouki
  • Eoghan O'Neill – bass guitar
  • Tommy Martin – uilleann pipes, whistles
  • Ray Fean – drums, percussion
  • Nicky Bailey – percussion
  • Anthony Byrne – bagpipes
  • Andrew Boland – pièna-flörten

Irish Film Orchestra

  • John Page – conductor
  • Alan Smale – concertmaster
  • Martin Johnston – solo cello

Aontas Choral Ensemble

  • Rosemary Collier – choral director

Black Raven Pipe Band

  • Paul Russell – pipe major

Production

  • David Downes – producer, arranger, orchestrator, additional engineering
  • Andrew Boland – engineering, mixing
  • Caroline Nesbitt – sleeve design
  • Lili Forberg, Laurel Fisher, Joe Kelly – photography
  • Recorded at Windmill Lane Studios 1 & 2, StudioTWO and RTÉ Studio 1, Dublin, Ireland
  • Mixed in StudioTWO, Dublin, Ireland
  • Mastered by Mazen Murad at Metropolis Studios, London

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Platinum 15,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[15]
dvd
Gold 5,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[16] Platinum 30,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ During the 'making-of' featurette for the Believe special, composer and musical director David Downes said that it had rained for three days ahead of the Songs from the Heart concert occurring.
  2. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart". Hung Medien.
  3. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart" (in German). Hung Medien.
  4. ^ "Ultratop.be – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  7. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart". Hung Medien.
  8. ^ "Celtic Woman Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Celtic Woman Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  11. ^ "World Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2011". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  13. ^ "World Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  14. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Canadian video certifications – Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Songs from the Heart')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
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Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart: Official trailer on YouTube