Floriane Blancke - Kaleidoscope review: an aptly titled, ornately patterned collection

Parisian harpist, fiddler, pianist and singer Floriane Blancke has melded her classical music education with a finely-honed love of traditional music over the past decade, much of it in the company of Donegal accordionist Dermot Byrne.

This solo recording is a gentle snapshot of a musician in thrall of our landscape as well as our music. Peppered with her own compositions, Kaleidoscope is an aptly titled, ornately patterned collection that celebrates the riches of north, south, east and west, with some beautifully-judged contributions from Garry ó Briain and Seamus McGuire on guitar, violin and viola.

Blancke’s song choices are equally genteel, though perhaps a touch too loyal to their origins, where a tincture of her own influence would have refreshed them further. Floriane’s inclusion of Debussy’s ‘Passepied 1V’ is an unexpected delight, and a reminder of the porous nature of music.

[ dermotandflo.com ]