Loreena McKennitt: Nights From the Alhambra

LOREENA: I once came across a quote by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, "A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving."

I'd long intended to make a pilgrimage to Spain and to visit the palace called Alhambra.

But it wasn't until I learned that the ancient Celts had settled on this Iberian Peninsula that I finally travelled there.

I discovered Moorish towers built by a 13th Century Muslim sultan, interior courtyards with pools of water, elegant pillars and intricate tracery, all designed to duplicate the famous descriptions of paradise within Islamic poetry.

For centuries, it served as an oasis for nomads and travellers, a meeting place for cultures and traditions, a crossroads for religions, where Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted in harmony.

It is a place where darkness gives way to light... every stone has heard 1001 secrets, and where distance feels so near.

It's a place of infinite beauty, a mystic stream: Alhambra.

A clouded dream on an earthly night Hangs upon the crescent moon A voiceless song in an ageless light Sings at the coming dawn Birds in flight are calling there Where the heart moves the stones It's there that my heart is longing for All for the love of you A painting hangs on an ivy wall Nestled in the emerald moss Eyes declare a truce of trust Then it draws me far away Where deep in the desert twilight Sand melts in pools of the sky Darkness lays her crimson cloak Lamps will call, call me home And so it's here my homage's due Clutched by the still of the night Now I feel, feel you move And every breath, breath is full So it's here my homage's due Clutched by the still of the night Even the distance feels so near All for the love of you A clouded dream on an earthly night Hangs upon the crescent moon A voiceless song in an ageless light Sings at the coming dawn Birds in flight are calling there Where the heart moves the stones There that my heart is longing for All for the love of you La, di, la, di La, di, da La, di, da Di, da, da La, di, da, di La, la, di La, la, la, di Di, da, da (Cheering and applauding) When in the springtime of the year When the trees are crowned with leaves When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew Are dressed in ribbons fair When owls call the breathless moon In the blue veil of the night The shadows of the trees appear Amidst the lantern light We've been rambling all the night And some time of this day Now returning back again We bring a garland gay Who will go down to those shady groves And summon the shadows there And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms In the springtime of the year?

The songs of the birds seem to fill the wood That when the fiddler plays All their voices can be heard Long past their woodland days We've been rambling all of the night And some time of this day Now returning back again We bring a garland gay And so they joined their hands and danced Round in circles and in rows And so the journey of the night descends When all the shades are gone A garland gay we bring you here And at your door we stand It is a sprout well budded out The work of Our Lord's hand We've been rambling all of the night And some time of this day Now returning back again We bring a garland gay We've been rambling all of the night And some time of this day Now returning back again We bring a garland gay (Cheering and applauding) LOREENA: This next song takes me much further down the line of the history of the Celts.

When I first discovered that they attempted to sack Delphi in Greece somewhere around 275, that seemed to open a door for me to explore Homer's Ulysses, particularly from Penelope's point of view.

This song reflects upon those who sometimes go away and we're waiting and waiting for them to come back.

Now that the time has come Soon gone is the day There upon some distant shore You'll hear me say Long as the day In the summer time Deep as the wine dark sea I'll keep your heart with mine Till you come to me There like a bird I'd fly High through the air Reaching for The sun's full rays Only to find you there And in the night When our dreams are still Or when the wind falls free I'll keep your heart with mine Till you come to me Now that the time has come Soon gone Is the day There upon Some distant shore You'll hear me say Long as the day In the summer time Deep as the wine dark sea I'll keep your heart with mine Till you come to me... (Cheering and applause) LOREENA: I remember the Alhambra rising out of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Surrounded by a fertile flatland, it was a perfect place to build a defensive fortress, and the castle grew organically on the top of its own mountain down through the centuries.

Moorish poets described it as a pearl surrounded by emeralds.

Alhambra exists out of time.

In my mind, it's nestled right next to eternity.

And the architectural details everywhere are overwhelmingly Arabic.

Alhambra Palace was at the apogee of civilization when it was built.

Even the courtyard where we're performing our concert, constructed by Spanish King Carlos V, pays tribute to the unknown Muslim architects who first erected turrets and storehouses here centuries earlier.

The name "Alhambra" means "the red" in Arabic.

Some say that this derives from the colour of the bricks on the outer walls.

Some say it refers to the red colour of the torches by which construction was carried out.

For me, Alhambra means mystery, it means eternity, it represents the human spirit.

(Middle Eastern music playing) Na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na (Cheering and applause) The sand was shimmering In the morning light And dancing off the dunes So far away The night held music So sweet, so long And there we lay Until the break of day Calling Yearning Pulling Home to you We crossed the river beds all etched in stone And up the mighty mountains ever known Beyond the valleys in the searing heat Until we reached the caravanserai Calling Yearning Pulling Home to you Calling Yearning Pulling Home to you What is this life that pulls me far away?

What is that home where we cannot reside?

What is that life that pulls me onward?

My heart is full When you are by my side Calling Yearning Pulling Home to you Calling Yearning Pulling Home to you (Cheering and applauding) Thank you.

We often think of these times as times that we've become much more aware of the environment, the climate and so on.

So, it was with some surprise that about fourteen years ago or so, I came across this traditional piece that, although it laments the demise of a particular handsome tree in the northern part of Ireland, it seems to capture a sentiment that is broader in scope in terms of the decimation of the forests.

This is a traditional piece called "Bonny Portmore."

O bonny Portmore You shine where you stand And the more I think on you The more I think long If I had you now As I had once before All the lords of Old England Would not purchase Portmore O bonny Portmore I am sorry to see Such a woeful destruction Of your ornament tree For it stood on your shore For many's the long day Till the long boats from Antrim Came to float him away O bonny Portmore You shine where you stand And the more I think on you The more I think long If I had you now As I had once before All the lords of Old England Would not purchase Portmore All the birds in the forest They bitterly weep Saying, "Where shall we shelter?

Where shall we sleep?"

For the oak and the ash They are all cutten down And the walls of bonny Portmore Are all down to the ground Bonny Portmore You shine where you stand And the more I think on you The more I think long If I had you now As I had once before All the lords of Old England Would not purchase Portmore... (Cheering and applause) Na, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, ni LOREENA: I first came to Spain in search of the Celts.

I was surprised to learn that Celtic tribes had lived in Galicia in North-western Spain before being pushed north towards Britain and Ireland by invading Roman armies.

In fact, Galicians still play bagpipes and there are aspects of their music which almost sound Scottish or Irish.

So, it was this pan Celtic connection that lead me to the door of Spanish history and a whole new path of discovery.

La, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, ni Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na La, na, ni, na, na, na, na, na Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na (Cheering and applause) Like many people who've immersed themselves in some corner of Celtic history or literature, it's impossible to avoid-- not that one would want to-- the Arthurian legends.

So, with that, I gravitated to this poem of Alfred Tennyson's and set it to music, and this is called "The Lady of Shalott."

On either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye That clothe the world and meet the sky Through the field The road run by To many-towered Camelot And up and down the people go Gazing where the lilies blow Round an island there below The island of Shalott A bow-shot from her bower-eaves He rode between the barley sheaves The sun came dazzling through the leaves And flamed upon the brazen greaves Of bold Sir Lancelot A red-cross knight for ever kneeled To a lady in his shield That sparkled on the yellow field Beside remote Shalott She left the web, she left the loom She made three paces through the room She saw the water-lily bloom She saw the helmet and the plume She looked to Camelot Out flew the web and floated wide The mirror cracked from side to side "The curse is come upon me," cried The Lady of Shalott In the stormy east-wind straining The pale yellow woods were waning The broad stream in his banks complaining Heavily the low sky raining Over towered Camelot And down she came and found a boat Beneath a willow left afloat And round about the prow she wrote The Lady of Shalott Who is this?

And what is here?

In the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer And they crossed themselves for fear The Knights at Camelot But Lancelot mused a little space He said, "She has a lovely face God in his mercy Lend her grace The Lady of... Shalott" (Cheering and applauding) Bonfires dot the rolling hills Figures dance around and around To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness Moving to the pagan sound Somewhere in a hidden memory Images float before my eyes Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires Dancing till the next sunrise I can see the lights in the distance Trembling in the dark cloak of night Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing A waltz on All Souls Night Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows Held up tall, as the flames leap high The green knight holds the holly bush To mark where the old year passes by I can see the lights in the distance Trembling in the dark cloak of night Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing A waltz on old All Souls Night Bonfires dot the rolling hills Figures dance around and around To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness Moving to the pagan sound Standing on the bridge that crosses The river that runs out to the sea The wind is full of a thousand voices They pass by the bridge and me I can see the lights in the distance Trembling in the dark cloak of night Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing A waltz on old All Souls Night I can see the lights in the distance Trembling in the dark cloak of night Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing A waltz on old All Souls Night (Cheering and applause) LOREENA: When I arrived at the Alhambra, I felt as though I'd always been there, as though I'd never, ever leave.

It's a magical and mystical place filled with inspiration, and the music that one hears here is eternal.

The civilization that one feels here knows no borders.

But as the philosopher says, a good traveller has know fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving.

For me, a journey is a never-ending road, a discovery that there is so much more to bind us together than tear us apart.

These are the dreams that we hold in the palm of our hands.

The road now leads onward As far as can be Winding lanes And hedgerows in threes By purple mountains And round every bend All roads lead to you There is no journey's end Here is my heart I give it to you Take me with you Across this land These are my dreams So simple, so few Dreams we hold In the palm of our hands Deep in the winter Amidst falling snow High in the air Where the bells they all toll And now all around me I feel you still here Such is the journey No mystery to fear Here is my heart I give it to you Take me with you Across this land These are my dreams So simple, so few Dreams we hold In the palm of our hands The road now leads onward And I know not where Deep in my heart You will be there Whenever a storm comes Whatever our fears The journey goes on As your love ever nears Here is my heart I give it to you Take me with you Across this land These are my dreams So simple, so few Dreams we hold In the palm of our hands... (Cheering and applauding) (Cheering and applauding) Thank you.

(Vocalizing) (Vocalizing) (Vocalizing) (Laughing) (Cheering and applauding) (Cheering and applauding continuing) Thank you.

(Cheering and applauding)