Histoire d’une migration

Kevin Le Pennec, harp; Soazig Hamelin, voice and violin; Brewen Favrau, voice, flute, and uilleann pipes; and Véronique Bourjot, voice.

Virtuoso Celtic harpist and singer Kevin Le Pennec, joined by Soazig Hamelin (voice and violin), Brewen Favrau (voice, flute, and uilleann pipes), and Véronique Bourjot (voice), perform as Les Irlandais de Bretagne. Together they have released a fascinating album, Histoire d’une migration, which explores a significant yet largely forgotten wave of Irish immigration to Brittany in the 17th and 18th centuries. Sung in Breton, French, Irish, and English, the album captures a rich encounter between cultures and the blending of musical traditions. It opens with the hard-hitting The Moving On Song, underscoring the age-old catalyst of migration, one group forcing another to leave. Brittany, the nearest refuge, was already steeped in the legacy of Irish saints, yet as Mdm Bro illustrates, the newcomers were unsure whether to speak French or Breton, even as they confidently danced their own traditional dances. The album is valuable both for its compelling historical narrative and its scholarly, well-researched liner notes, but above all, it is a sheer joy to listen to.

Notes to Self

Catrin Finch, harp. Bendigedig, 2026.

Atmospheric and deeply personal, Welsh harpist Catrin Finch’s Notes to Self is an alluring collection of original compositions. A former Royal Harpist to King Charles, Finch looks beyond that distinction to an earlier chapter of her life, when she was known as Katy at 13. Each musical miniature poses the same intimate question: What would I tell my younger self? Through these pieces, she reassures young Katy that she is loved, that there is no place like home—the west coast of Wales, one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world—and that she should hold fast to her dreams while being gentle with herself. These are messages many of us might wish to offer our own younger selves, yet when paired with the evocative and luminous soundscape created by the adult Catrin, they resonate all the more deeply. The album also introduces Arianrhod, the Welsh goddess of fate and rebirth, a powerful figure who serves as a reminder to remain steadfast in belief in oneself. Life, Finch suggests, may be unpredictable and difficult at times, but there is always the possibility to begin again. •