Alan Stivell is to Celtic music what the shamrock is to Ireland. This world-famous singer-songwriter is a talented French musician who has succeeded in popularizing Celtic music and culture throughout the world. Ireland has been at the heart of his preoccupations: he has helped to raise public awareness of traditional Irish music, and in so doing, has given it a new lease of life. Introducing this extraordinary artist, who inspired vocations and renewal in this once closed environment…
Alan Cochevelou (the name Stivell came later) spent his childhood in Paris, where he discovered the world of the piano. A musician at heart, he soon discovered an instrument that would change his life forever: the Celtic Harp. He decided to take lessons to become a harpist, and grew up in a family where Celtic music was very important.
Growing up, Alan was fascinated by all aspects of Celtic music. He took courses in Breton, Gaelic, Celtic mythology and Irish, Welsh and Scottish culture…
Alan soon began giving harp recitals in Brittany and Paris, introducing audiences in Brittany, Paris, Scotland and Ireland to the Celtic harp, a medieval instrument that was once forgotten… He compares himself to a bard who has come to introduce a new musical style inspired by Celtic music…
It was in 1957 that his fame began to spread, and he was asked to open for Line Renaud at the Olympia. The concert was a success, and encouraged him to continue. In 1959, he recorded his first single, “Musique Gaélique”, followed in 1963 by a 33rpm album, “Telenn geltiek – Harpe celtique”. The 2 recordings won him much critical acclaim, and Alan Stivell signed an exclusive contract with Universal in 1967. He then took the name Alan Stivell, the name “Stivell” meaning “gushing spring” in Gaelic.
In 1970, he recorded an album on a completely different scale: “Reflet”. It was an unqualified success: the whole of France, as well as the rest of Europe and the United States, fell head over heels in love with his work. Tourism in Brittany was then boosted, and many people flocked to visit the famous Broceliande forest he wrote about in his first opus. A succession of concerts and recitals followed, with Stivell playing harp, piano and bombard. He quickly followed this up with new studio albums, which led to further international tours. In 1975, he gave a magnificent concert in Dublin, the Irish capital already won over by this Celtic revival.
Over the years, Stivell has built up a loyal following, and new artists have developed around his music. Many are keen to contribute to “dusting off” the once-forgotten Celtic heritage that Stivell has revived.
It was in 1995 that Stivell revealed Irish traditional music once again with the famous album “Brian Boru”, an Irish-inspired album referring to Brian Boru, a supreme king who ruled the kingdom of Ireland. Stivell takes the opportunity to call on typically Irish instruments, and allude to Irish history…
In the meantime, Stivell has released many other albums, all marked by this Celtic touch. The musician is sometimes criticized for over-conceptualizing his music, and over-modernizing ancient music. Nonetheless, Alan Stivell is one of the most outstanding figures in Celtic-Irish music to date. And it’s clear that this one has not finished surprising us…
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