Heart of the Heartland is the first album in Peter Ostroushko

Peter Ostroushko

Peter Ostroushko is an American violinist and mandolinist.-Background and career:Of Ukrainian ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast Minneapolis...

's "heartland trilogy", released in 1995. Pilgrims on the Heart Road and Sacred Heart complete the trilogy.

Music from Heart of the Heartland was used by Ken Burns

Ken Burns

Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...

 for the PBS documentary Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery is a 1997 documentary film directed by Ken Burns. Its subject is the Lewis and Clark Expedition.-Actors and historians:...

and his arrangement of "Sweet Betsy from Pike" was used in Burns' Mark Twain

Mark Twain (documentary)

Mark Twain is a documentary film on the life of Mark Twain produced by Ken Burns in 2001. Burns captures both the public and private persona of Mark Twain from his birth to his death. The film was narrated by Keith David and the voice of Mark Twain was provided by Kevin Conway....

. "Dakota Themes" featured in the film Into The Wild

Into the Wild (film)

Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...

(2007).

Track listing

All songs by Peter Ostroushko unless otherwise noted.

1. "Seattle (The Fantasy Reel)" – 7:20
2. "Prairie Sunrise" – 3:26
3. "Puppy Belly Dance" – 5:07
4. "Montana" – 4:50
5. "Dakota Themes: Kasposia/Pioneer Waltz/Pigs Eye Reel" – 5:48
6. "Heart of the Heartland" – 3:26
7. "Nicaragua (Prelude and Dance)" – 8:30
8. "Sweet Betsy from Pike" (Traditional) – 5:03
9. "Virginia Reel from Hell Medley: Spotted Pony/Mississippi Reel/Wrystra" (Ostroushko, Traditional) – 5:00
10. "(Twilight on) The Sangre de Cristos" – 3:35

Personnel

• Peter Ostroushko – mandolin
  Mandolin
  A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
  
  , fiddle
  Fiddle
  The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
  
  
• Richard Dworsky
  Richard Dworsky
  Richard A. Dworsky is a pianist, a composer, and appears weekly on the A Prairie Home Companion public radio variety show from American Public Media as the resident pianist and band leader...
  
   – piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  , Hammond organ
• Dean Magraw – guitar
• Gordon Johnson – bass
• Bruce Kurnow – harmonica
  Harmonica
  The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
  
  
• Cecilia Rossiter - cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
  
• Sarah Lewis – cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
  
• Marc Anderson – percussion
• David Bullock – violin

Production notes

• Produced and mixed by Peter Ostroushko
• Bob Feldman – executive producer
• Engineered and mixed by Tom Mudge
• Artwork and design by George Ostroushko
• Photography by Dan Corrigan