James Galway And Phil Coulter - Legends (1997)

Flutist James Galway and pianist Phil Coulter seek to present a handful of the most widely recognizable Celtic melodies in Legends. "Danny Boy" gets an intimate flute and piano treatment, while the famed "Riverdance" gets a full orchestral background and uillean pipes solo. There's the evocative, sweet expanse of "Harry's Game," and the classic "Mna na h-Eireann (Women of Ireland), with which Sean O'Rioda helped rekindle Irish interest in the country's musical history. Galway and Coulter go beyond the Celtic border to pay Henry Mancini tribute with the lush television miniseries theme, "The Thornbirds," thus crossing into easy listening and certain radio hit territory. This isn't the blazing traditional Celtic music of the post-1960s generation, nor is it the polyethnic mix of today's young Celtic artists. Instead, Legends is a listener-friendly mix of Celtic moods and lite classical, something for all ages to hum along with. --Andrew Bartlett