Based on Irish folk dancing styles, Riverdance was originally devised as a 20-minute intermission entertainment for the Eurovision Song Contest. There, its phenomenal reception inspired composer Bill Whelan to expand the piece into a full-length stage show, still centred around Irish music, but now telling a loose story of many different peoples who in the twentieth century have found themselves émigrés. The paradoxically formal yet expressive, sensual and exhilarating energy of traditional Irish dance and Irish folk music is only the beginning. A work full of strong melodies, excitement, romantic dreams and nostalgic longing, the full Riverdance show is a spellbinding spectacle. Complete with orchestra, Bill Whelan brings influences from Irish classical music, incorporates the haunting sound of vocal group Anuna, and adds the diverse folk sounds of Nova Scotia, Macedonia, Russia and Andalucia to his rich cultural melting pot. Playing on the album are some of the finest folk musicians around, including piper Davy Spillane and Eileen Ivers on fiddle. The result is not just a tuneful souvenir of a great stage show, but a most enjoyable release in its own right. Bill Whelan has also worked on the soundtrack for Rob Roy, and composed The Seville Suite and The Spirit of Mayo. --Gary S. Dalkin

1 - Reel Around The Sun - Maire Breatnach, David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Tommy Hayes, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore
2 - The Heart's Cry - Anúna, Michael McGlynn, Sara Clancy
3 - The Countess Cathleen / Women Of The Sidhe - Maire Breatnach, David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Tommy Hayes, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore
4 - Caoineadh Cu Chulainn - Davey Spillane
5 - Shivna - Davey Spillane, Anúna, Michael McGlynn, Tommy Hayes, Des Reynolds
6 - Firedance - Maire Breatnach, David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Tommy Hayes, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore, Rafael Riqueni
7 - Slip Into The Spring - Maire Breatnach, David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore
8 - Riverdance - Bill Whelan
9 - American Wake (The Nova Scotia Set) - David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore, Eileen Ivers
10 - Lift The Wings - Aine Ui Cheallaigh, Davey Spillane
11 - Macedonian Morning - Nikola Parov, Kenneth Edge
12 - Marta's Dance / The Russian Dervish - Maire Breatnach, David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Tommy Hayes, Noel Eccles, Des Moore
13 - Andalucia - Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Des Moore, Rafael Riqueni, Juan Reina Gonzalez, Bill Whelan
14 - Home And The Heartland - Anúna, Michael McGlynn, Katie McMahon
15 - The Harvest - David Spillane, Mairtin O'Connor, Kenneth Edge, Nikola Parov, Eoghan O'Neill, Des Reynolds, Noel Eccles, Des Moore, Eileen Ivers, David Hayes
16 - Riverdance Remix - The Riverdance Orchestra