Transversal Music and Celtic Fusion
Alan Stivell is at the core of the concept of Celtic Music and its popularization with the general public.
However, what people commonly associate with this term is often limiting, despite its richness.
The term “Celtic Music,” which Alan Stivell holds dear, does not encompass all aspects of his music. Stivell is equally a champion of “Cross-over” music, as he has been one of the staunch defenders of cultural blending.
While Alan Stivell has popularized modern Breton and Celtic music, he has also been a global pioneer of several musical genres:
Folk-rock, Ambient, and especially World-Music, of which he was a theorist as early as his album Reflets in 1970.
In the early 1950s (starting at the age of 9), his first performances stirred the emotions of audiences at UNESCO, Vannes Cathedral, and the Olympia, reviving the Celtic harp.
From the start, he was overwhelmed by an unshakable passion for Celtic civilization, particularly for its music, which he would later conceptualize, modernize, and popularize.
As early as 1958, he designed the first electric harps, sketched out a symphony, and made his first recordings on the Celtic harp, even before the idea of Celtic Rock took shape.
In 1966, he began singing.
The following year, he accepted an international contract offer from the Philips-Fontana record label (now Universal).
His initial performances had a certain influence even before 1970.
The album “Reflets” marked the beginning (following his first professional and personal single Brocéliande-Son ar chistr, a song that would be covered countless times worldwide). It was also a manifesto for fusion music (he was one of the forerunners of the future “World-Music”).
His third album, “Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique,” recorded in 1971, inspired thousands of harpists worldwide (even encouraging some in Japan to manufacture them).
His “Pop-Plinn,” a fusion of rock and Breton music, and especially his concert at the Olympia (Feb. 1972) and the subsequent album (2 million copies sold) sparked immense enthusiasm: people began to speak of a “Stivell phenomenon” that transformed the image of Brittany.
Having already performed in Italy, Ireland, and at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1968 with the Moody Blues, his international career truly took off in 1973: major venues across Europe, America, Australia, rock festivals, and television stages.
He made regular appearances at the new Inter-Celtic Festival of Lorient (performing his Celtic Symphony in 1979-80), which he loved, and also performed at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Albert Hall, Dublin’s National Stadium and The Olympia, California’s Beverly Theater, Australia’s sports arenas, and Italy’s stadiums.
Yet Alan never felt comfortable with his “star” status: during the 1980s, he released albums that were close to his heart, though more complex, but he continued to tour extensively internationally (in Italy, the USA, Canada…).
After “Legend” and “The Mist of Avalon” in 1993, he updated his iconic tracks (featuring, among others, Kate Bush): the album “Again” and the accompanying 1994 tour were a triumph (with up to 1,000 records sold per day). Once again, large audiences and new generations of listeners came together.
This was followed by the masterful album produced by Martin Meissonnier, “Brian Boru.” For “1 Douar,” he invited Youssou N’Dour, Jim Kerr, Paddy Moloney, and John Cale.
100,000 of his records were sold annually (until the music industry crisis).
The early 21st century was notably marked by the anniversary album “Au-delà des mots,” his book “Telenn, la harpe bretonne” and the DVD “Parcours” (a gold DVD in just a few months), followed by the avant-garde album “Explore” (featured on Radio-France) and the more accessible “Emerald.”
Since then, multiple creations have enriched his body of work: the Best of “Ar Pep Gwellañ” in 2012, the live DVD “Olympia 40th Anniversary,” the book (co-authored with Thierry Jolif) “Sur la route des plus belles légendes celtes” released by Arthaud-Flammarion in 2013, the album AMzer (focused on poetry from Japanese haikus to those of 20th-century Irish poets) in 2015, Human-Kelt, with many prestigious guests (André Corr, Francis Cabrel, Claude Sicre, Bob Geldof, Yann Tiersen, Angelo Branduardi, Fatoumata Diwara) in 2018. And of course, his autobiography “Stivell par Alan” (A Life, Brittany, Music) published by Ouest-France, along with four vinyl re-releases by PIAS in 2023.
Yesterday and today, his concerts continue to sell out, each being remarkably different from the last, and even from one concert to the next: from an “electro-world-rock” approach with five musicians on stage to a symphonic setting with the National Orchestra of Brittany (as seen in “Liberté” in Rennes and at Pleyel in Paris, April 2022), or even a more intimate performance with just one keyboardist (Tangi Miossec) in churches and cathedrals, Alan presents at least three facets for those willing to see and hear him.
His approach has always been characterized by:
- a great openness to others,
- unprecedented cultural fusions,
- research and innovation, along with new technologies,
- and a deep connection to his own culture.
From the start, it has been a continuous forward motion:
- sketching out the “harps of the future,”
- electrifying his first bardic harp (he now plays on the latest prototype),
- introducing new instruments from the rock world and other cultures,
- and blending early electro and hip-hop influences with Breton sounds.
His musical explorations continue. Yet we should not forget:
- the singer, with his unique and inimitable phrasing,
- and the songwriter, who naturally mixes styles and languages.