Some say a fiddle and a cello go together like peas and carrots, and it would be fair to assume that when you take a master Scottish fiddler and a young cello ace and put them together, great things could happen. But if the master happens to be Alasdair Fraser and the ace in question is Natalie Haas, that assumption would not only be correct, the word ‘great’ would have to be replaced with ‘dazzling’ or ‘breathtaking’.
Haas and Fraser have a long history together; Haas first met Fraser at age 11 while attending one of his fiddling school camps. In 2004 the artists released ‘Fire & Grace’, which went on to win the ‘Scots Trad Album of the Year’. The dynamic duo followed up with ‘In the Moment’ in the fall of 2007. Perhaps the first album’s title describes their sound together best, with Fraser’s fiery fiddle and Haas’ graceful, rich cello.
Listen to the Celtic Connections Festival when they say, ‘The duo’s near-telepathic interplay was dazzling both for its breathtaking technical prowess and its boundless dynamism, be it in tunes from that same golden era, the age of Burns and Gow, or Fraser’s own memorable compositions.’
Don’t miss the chance to see these two brilliant musicians engaging each other on stage. They’ll be burning the horsehair Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, tickets $20/Adv, $23/Door, Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St, Grass Valley, 800-594-8499, thecenterforthearts.org.
