Celtic Fantasy

Tracks:

1. Greensleeves Fantasy (8:14)
2. All On a Spring Morn (5:08)
3. Wild Mountain Air (5:42)
4. Celtic Medley (Amazing Grace, Auld Lang Syne, Loch Lomond) (7:55)
5. Peace in the Meadow (Bach) (6:13)
6. Rondo - Violin Concerto (Beethoven) (6:11)

Kobialka chose the classics and familiar melodies for Celtic Fantasy after a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with the San Francisco Symphony. Deeply moved by what he saw there and throughout Europe as music "steeped in the spirit of relationship and family tradition", Kobialka shares here lullabies and folk ballads with a Celtic flavor and interpretation.

Timeless, classic folk melodies such as these have been used to evoke fond memories in patients with Alzheimer's and also have been used to communicate with autistic children. Music therapy often includes familiar tunes because of the security and happiness found in music that reminds one of past relationships and family.

Arthur Fiedler praised Kobialka for his "special warmth and subtlety of phrasing and intonation", and both are evident in this album that touches and involves the listener. Greensleeves is a resplendent interpretation of the classic melody. Kobialka productions' signature "twinkles" evoke images of Little People, horns bring rolling green landscapes to mind, and Rondo is romantically defined by Kobialka's spritely, crisp violin.

Celtic Fantasy is a masterful expression of tradition, family, and community, sure to warm every heart and every family gathering.