Fellowship of the Strings – The Fourth Realm

Five talented musicians make up the Fellowship of the Strings, the most innovative acoustic band to emerge on the Central Coast in recent times. Headed by sisters Ingrid and Tahlia Racz, the band has a strong vocal focus. Their powerful, expressive voices have variously been described as mesmerising and captivating, with each providing the perfect harmonic foil for the other.

Songs from the last three decades are given a fresh interpretation – an old world sound with a contemporary edge. Expect to hear strangely familiar, yet new sounding songs and tunes – Uriah Heap, Sting, Kiss, and Paul Simon to name a few! And don’t be surprised to rediscover traditional favourites. And if you think folk music isn’t glamorous then, think again. The Fellowship of the Strings takes a creative approach to presentation. Be prepared for a refreshing and unique musical experience.

Review by Jan Forbes:

Five musicians weave their own magic tapestry from an eclectic mix of traditional and popular song with unashamedly new age flavour. The airy voices of sisters Ingrid and Tahlia combined with harp, dulcimer and penny whistle give the music of The Fellowship of the
Strings a resonant other-worldly sound, at times reminiscent of panpipe music from the Andes.
Formed in 2004 for the St Albans Folk Festival, the group comprises: Jan Couchman on celtic harp; Greg Wilson, para-celtic harp and! penny
whistle; Jackie Luke, hammered dulcimer and bouzouki; Tahlia Racz, guitar and backing vocals, and Ingrid Racz, lead vocals, congas and percussion. As their name implies, the group’s chosen image is in the genre of fantasy or fairytale. There are twelve tracks and the CD starts and ends with the theme of a soaring eagle: Track 1 is an Abba song, The Eagle, and track 12, El Condor Pasa by Paul Simon. On track 5 Ingrid and Tahlia sing their own words to the Faerie Queen by renowned Irish composer, O’Carolan. This is fol-
lowed on track 6 by Scarborough
Fair made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, sung here as a traditional folk ballad. Track 7 is their own more traditional arrangement of Lady in Black, by Ken Hensley first released by Uriah Heep in 1971. Track 9 is a poignant rendition of The Water Lily by Henry Lawson, which the cover
notes say was arranged by Tania
Cassidy. The Israeli wedding music on track 10 has a touch of Mikis Theodorakis and is followed by a glam rock number, I Was Born for Loving You, a 1982 hit by Kiss which surprisingly shares a similar theme of love. The group is brainchild of Jan Couchman, and all five musicians are from the central coast of New South Wales. They are experienced performers with extensive and diverse backgrounds; all boasting previous awards or achievements. The unusual selection of music is fascinating and due to a consistency in style and taste, somehow it all hangs together.