British Celebration Volume 3

The proceedings commence with one of my favourite pieces of ‘light’ music: Anthony Hedges Overture: Heigham Sound. It was originally written in 1968 as a Holiday Overture, but the composer felt that it was too short and ‘concentrated.’ It was revised in 1978 as the present work.  The composer has indicated that the location in the Norfolk Broads can be either very busy or tranquil. This dichotomy is reflected in the music. The overture opens and closes with bustle and energy, with a beautiful contrasting middle section.

Paul Conway has perceptively suggested that the Overture: Heigham Sound is the equal of such British overtures as Portsmouth Point (William Walton), Derby Day (William Alwyn), Beckus the Dandipratt, (Malcolm Arnold) and Street Corner (Alan Rawsthorne).

Sunderland-born composer Edward Gregson is best known for his important contribution to brass band and wind ensemble music. However, he has composed for many other genres including concertos, chamber works and film music. The present ‘Sarabande’ was written in 2016 in memory of the late composer and pianist John McCabe. The ‘Tarantella’ is dedicated to the recorderist John Turner. These two pieces work well as a short ‘suite.’ The beautiful ‘Sarabande’, full of melancholy and introspection is balanced by a vibrant ‘Tarantella.’ This ‘Italian’ dance was inspired by English artist JMW Turner. Any relation I wonder to the soloist?

Gareth Glyn is one of the most significant contemporary Welsh composers. His large catalogue includes diverse work including a splendid Symphony, many songs, orchestral and chamber works and ‘incidental’ music for TV and radio. The present Gododdin is a short tone-poem inspired by one of the founding stories in British literature. It was written in the 6^th century AD when much of the country spoke the language that would eventually mutate into present day Welsh. The music describes the campaign waged by Mynyddawg Mwnyfawr, the King of Gododdin. against the Angles and their allies. The king called 300 (or 363) warriors to his court in Din Eidyn (Edinburgh) to participate in a year of practice manoeuvres. This was in preparation for the great battle at Catraeth (Catterick)Yorkshire. The tragic outcome was that only three of Mynyddawg Mwnyfawr’s troops survived the conflict. The work is divided into six sections: ‘Muster’, ‘Training’, ‘Feasting’, ‘Catraeth’, ‘Sorrow’ and ‘Remembrance’.  Each section is self-explanatory; nevertheless, it is important to note that the finale insists that the soldiers’ bravery should be recalled for all time. Gododdin was first heard at a concert in 2014, the centenary year of the commencement of the First World War. The important lesson is surely that ‘We will remember them’, whether at Catraeth or Cambrai.  Gareth Glyn’s music is both striking and reflective. The progress moves easily between Waltonian bombast, Welsh dance music inspired (maybe) by William Mathias or Alun Hoddinott, towards introspective music written for harp and muted strings which echoes the culture of the poem’s source. It is a completely satisfying and approachable tone-poem that deserves wider appreciation within and without the Principality.

I have not heard any music by Roger Cann before listening to the delightful Fantasia: Where the Watchful Heron Strands. There seems little information about this composer on the Internet: I did discover that he has written an Oboe Concerto and a Sinfonietta. The inspiration for the Fantasia was a weather-vane visible from Cann’s music room in Lancaster. A heron regularly stood ‘sentinel silhouetted against the sky.’ The piece was written for John Turner in 2004: it features a solo part for recorder. This is a lovely little pastoral meditation lasting just shy of six minutes. It is not challenging music, but quite simply something to sit back and enjoy. I guess that the solo part would be equally effective played on the oboe or cor anglais.

Bryan Kelly’s short work Lest We Forget is presented in two contrasting parts. The commission required that the first ‘movement’ be scored for woodwind, brass and percussion, whilst the second featured strings only. The former is entitled ‘Omens of War’ and is aggressive and violent in mood. The latter is elegiac, as befits the deeply felt and utterly heart-breaking ‘Epitaph for Peace.’ 

I enjoyed Philip Godfrey’s Fugal Fantasia composed in 2017. I would have imagined that in this world of sub-Einaudi vacuous meanderings that ‘fugue’ would be an outlawed form. The work was originally part of a musical play about an ‘aspiring pianist’ and featured a rock band backing group. The heavy metal has gone, to be replaced with the orchestra. The original has been expanded into a seven-minute piece of sheer pleasure. It features cool echoes of Bach and has not quite lost its ‘pop’ origins. It is a little showstopper.

Gareth Glyn’s second piece on this CD is the 2015 Harp Concerto No.1 subtitled ‘Amaterasu.’  The liner notes explain that this ‘programme music’ is based on the Shinto religion’s story of the Divinity of Light. Upset by her mistreatment by her ‘volatile’ brother, Amaterasu disappears into a deep cave, plunging the world into darkness. Not be outdone, the other gods hold a boisterous feast outside her cave. Aroused by curiosity, she emerges and floods the world again with light. Clearly, the harp represents Amaterasu, but the darkness of the world (and her brother) is heard in the powerful and sometimes wayward solo trombone part. This is an evocative piece that is often ravishing, but sometimes deeply sinister. All in all, it is a splendid concerto. ‘Amaterasu’ was commissioned for the St Asaph Festival as part of the celebrations for the UN/UNESCO International Year of Light (2015).

The final piece is The Nightingale Rondo, by the Welsh composer John Parry. This was written for an ‘octave flageolet’ which was a forerunner of the descant recorder. The liner notes mention this piece being the only ‘substantial British concert piece for duct flute.’ Now I am confused. Are Duct Flutes and Octave Flageolets the same or similar? They don’t look like it on Google. The sheet music for this piece declared it was originally for the octave flageolet. More explanation needed here… I understand that this attractive little Rondo was discovered by John Turner, who edited it and provided the cadenza. It was arranged for recorder and orchestra by Peter Hope. The Nightingale Rondo makes an excellent conclusion to this diverse collection of British music.

The concise liner notes by Philip Lane are helpful and give a brief overview of each composer and their music. The two orchestras and their respective conductors give a great performance of each work. The four soloists (recorder, harp, piano and trombone) are excellent. The method used to associate works with orchestras and conductors in the track listing is a little confusing. It is a little like a game: I hope I have got it right!

The notion of ‘war’ may be the connecting thread in these varied pieces. Each work is standalone. Are there any masterpieces here? I think that the most important (and hopefully lasting) piece is Gareth Glyn’s Harp Concerto. The same composer’s Gododdin deserves to be better known. Bryan Kelly’s profound ‘Epitaph for Peace’ could become a Remembrance Day ‘favourite’. And not forgetting Cann’s ‘watchful heron…’

Track Listing: 

Anthony HEDGES (1931-2019) Overture: Heigham Sound (1978)

Edward GREGSON (b.1945) Sarabande & Tarantella (2016)

Gareth GLYN (b.1951) Gododdin (2014)

Roger CANN (1938-2006) Fantasia: Where the watchful heron stands (2004)

Bryan KELLY (b.1934) Lest We Forget (2013)

Philip GODFREY (b.1964) Fugal Fantasia (2017)

Gareth GLYN Amaterasu (Harp Concerto No:1) (2015)

John PARRY (1776-1851) The Nightingale Rondo, orchestrated Peter HOPE (b.1930)

John Turner (recorder) (Gregson, Cann, Parry) Dimitri Kennaway (piano) (Godfrey), Hannah Stone (harp), Donal Bannister (trombone) (Glynn Harp Concerto)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Gavin Sutherland (Hedges, Glyn), Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Ronald Corp (Gregson, Cann, Kelly ‘Omens of War, Godfrey, Parry); Barry Wordsworth (Kelly, ‘Epitaph for Peace’)

Rec. Angel Studios, London 14 November 2018; 7 June 2014 (Kelly’s Epitaph for Pease), Alun Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, 7 November 2018 (Hedges, Glyn)

HERITAGE HTGCD 181 

Caneuon Gareth Glyn (Songs of Gareth Glyn)

This is an enjoyable CD of songs by the Welsh composer Gareth Glyn. They have been composed over his entire career with the earliest dating from 1970 and the most recent in 2015.  They are sung here by tenor voice, but not all were first conceived in this form. The first, eleventh and the last feature all ‘Three Tenors’. Glyn is not afraid to use ‘modern’ technology: he is perfectly happy to feature keyboards, bass and drum kit where he feels it is appropriate.

I want to reflect on what for me were highlights. The opening song, Gwynt yr Haf (Summer Wind) is possibly the most appealing of the set. This was composed in 1974 and was subsequently recorded by the Welsh five-piece female vocal group Sidan. The song is all about strolling with one’s lover in the countryside, presumably Welsh, on a beautiful summer’s day. It is powerfully sung by the ‘Three Tenors.’

The second song on the disc is much more in the mould of an art song. Araf y Tipia’r Cloc (Slowly the Ticking Clock) was written in 1970; it is the earliest work on this CD. The composer explains that the poet describes ‘a traditional Welsh kitchen displayed in a museum, but longs to see and hear the family which would once have occupied it.’ It is a moving number that reveals Glyn’s skill at setting words and creating an appropriate musical mood.  

The most significant work on this disc is the first recording of the song cycle I Wefr Dadeni (Life Reborn) composed in 1995. It was commissioned by Wynford Evans (1946-2009). After recovering from surgery, Evans ‘vowed to travel widely giving concerts to celebrate what he saw as his ‘rebirth’.’ The five songs all reflect this idea of rebirth.

The opening number, Y Pair (The Cauldron), compares a ‘coal-blackened collier,’ entering his tin bath to a warrior placed in the Cauldron of Rebirth found in the great Welsh legends known as the Mabinogion. The second song, more predictably, majors on Golgotha and Christ’s suffering and resurrection. The concept of Resurrection is continued in the song Eirlysiau (Snowdrops), where the poet sees the early snowdrops as an allegory for believers at the Last Judgement ‘clad in dazzling white raiments.’ Equally symbolic, is the Y Gwanwyn (Spring) which matches the ‘birth’ of an early primrose with the revelation of the empty tomb. The music here is passionate and reflects the fast-paced poetical examination of metaphors connected with this new birth. The final song is all about the onset and implications of middle and old age. Again, Sialens (Challenge) is an ardent song which concludes with the challenge ‘I’ll not surrender, but come young and free/I know, from my sore strife, when that shall be.’ It is an effective and demanding song cycle that deserves much better recognition. All the songs in the published cycle have English lyrics too, so the material is there for anyone who might consider making a recording in that language.

Turning to a different genre, Fy Ngeni dan Felltith Mam (Born under a Mother’s Curse) was taken from the musical ‘Gwydion’. This was first heard at the 2015 National Eisteddfod. Glyn has provided a new arrangement of this song with the refrain including the ‘three tenors.’ It is a rather splendid number which is probably better than anything written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (in my opinion!). The song derives from the Mabinogion legend of Blodeuwedd, where a young man complains to his mother that she has laid three curses on him: one of these is that he could never have a human wife.

The final track also features the three tenors. Carol y Seren (The Star Carol) is one of the composer’s most popular pieces. The carol was a winning entry in a 1984 competition to write and compose a carol for Trebor Edwards. Glyn’s wife provided the text. He has arranged this attractive number for many combinations, including soloists, massed choirs with orchestra and ‘everything in between. It is, as they would say in the North of England ‘a reet good sing.’

It was unfair of me to select only nine of the songs on this CD. I enjoyed all of them. Up to now I have only really known Gareth Glyn as an orchestral composer. Certainly, based on the works presented here, Glyn deserves an accolade for his vocal music which provides ‘excellent examples of his skill for setting words, clothed in the most loving and sensitive melodies and harmonies.’ (Dr Alwyn Humphreys MBE, CD liner notes).

One of the problems with this CD release is the lack of an English translation of the songs. Most CDs of lieder and song that I have reviewed provide this essential facility which allows the listener to engage fully with the singers and the songs. I accept that that the gist each number is presented in English in the liner notes.

It would be a pity if this attractive CD does not gain traction beyond the Welsh border, simply because most people do not understand the language. The rest of the liner notes are given in both languages.

The sound quality of this disc is excellent. Whether it is the singers, the piano or the keyboards, it is all superbly performed.

I did feel that the programme was a wee bit short: 49 minutes does seem a little mean for a CD these days. I am sure that Gareth Glyn has many more songs up his sleeve that could have been included.

On the other hand, this disc presents a song-cycle and 14 other songs which are all approachable, enjoyable, and with limited resources for non-Welsh speakers, sometimes exciting and at other times quite moving.

Track Listings:

Gareth GLYN (b.1951)

Gwynt yr Haf (Summer’s Wind) (1974)

Araf y Tipia'r Cloc (Slowly the Ticking Clock) (1970)

Llys Aberffraw (The Royal Court of Aberffraw) (2007)

Brodyr Maeth Hywel (The Royal Court of Aberffraw) (2007)

I Wefr Dadeni (Life Reborn) (Song Cycle) (1995) Y Pair (The Cauldron); Golgotha; Eirlysiau (Snowdrops); Y Gwanwyn (Spring); Sialens (Challenge)

Carol yr Alarch (The Swan Carol) (1989) 

Fy Ngeni Dan Felltith Mam (Born under a Mother’s Curse) (2015)

Llanrwst (1988)

Ionawr (January) (2001)

Eirlysiau (Snowdrops) (2001)

Crafangau (Talons) (1970)

Carol y Seren (The Star Carol) (1984)

Rhys Meirion, Elgan Llŷr Thomas, Rhodri Prys Jones

Annette Bryn Parri (piano and keyboards), Owen Lloyd-Evans (bass), Graham Land (drums)

Rec. Stiwdio Sain, Llandwrog April-June 2017

SAIN SCD2768

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. 

Gareth Glyn: Anglesey Sketches – Revisited

Several years ago, I wrote a short blog post/review about the Welsh composer Gareth Glyn’s evocative Anglesey Sketches for string orchestra. After a recent trip to the Island, I decided to revisit this work and to include a little ‘reception history’.

The Sketches, which were completed in 2001, are conceived in five movements, each bearing the title of a location on the beautiful and mysterious island of Anglesey. The mood is ‘light’ rather than profound – except for the last movement which explores deeper matters. They were specifically composed for the original CD release (British String Miniatures Volume 2, CD WHL 2136).

The composer told me that the Anglesey Sketches have been misnamed on the CD cover! In fact, they were originally called the Anglesey Seascapes.  They were ‘very deliberately conceived as five views of the sea from the Anglesey coastline, and not various snapshots of parts of the island itself.’ The error was corrected when the work was partially re-issued on the Halcyon Days compilation (CD WLS 501). Personally, I find ‘sketches’ more appropriate– but obviously bow to Glyn’s original intent, however, the composer’s website gives both titles and the only full recording the work is cited as Anglesey Sketches. I retain that title in my essay.

The first live performance was during the FEVA (Festival of Entertainment and Visual Arts) in Knaresborough, West Riding, Yorkshire on 17 August 2003. It was performed by the Knaresborough Pro Musica. The Sketches have subsequently been given by the Ensemble Cymru Chamber Orchestra in Pwllheli (28 January 2005), Bangor (29 January 2005), the Llandudno Festival Strings at the Llandudno Festival (9 July 2005) and by I Musici de Montréal (10 May 2007) in the Pollack Concert Hall, Montréal.

The composer has told me that there have been other concert performances resulting from hearing the CD or one of the numerous radio broadcasts. The work seems particularly popular in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Anglesey Sketches has not been published, but Gareth Glyn will supply the full score and parts to anyone who wishes to perform it. Other versions of the work exist: string nonet, string quartet and symphonic wind band.  Glyn told me that this last incarnation was a bit unexpected, but leading USA wind band conductor and arranger Paul Noble – having heard a radio broadcast of the Sketches – decided to make a version for wind band. It is available for hire from J. W. Pepper

The liner notes (CD WHL 2136) suggest that the Anglesey Sketches are ‘infused…with the Celtic spirit - lyricism, expressiveness and extremes of temperament.’

The first movement is a ‘reverie.’ It is subtitled ‘Llanddwyn’ which is a magical and secretive place associated with St Dwynwen. ‘Llanddwyn’ translates as ‘The Church of St Dwynwen’, who is the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine - the patron saint of lovers. His festival is celebrated on 25 January. Topographically, Llanddwyn is a small tidal island, located on the west coast of Anglesey, near the village of Newborough. There is a lighthouse and ruins of a church dedicated to the saint. The score is dominated by a romantic melody supported by pizzicato strings which opens and closes the proceedings. The middle section is a little variation on this theme. It is an extremely beautiful, but never sentimental, piece of music.

The second Sketch, ‘Malltraeth’ is much more expansive, with its depiction of a brisk stroll along The Cob beside the sands and the sea. It is typically a happy, jaunty, breezy movement with just a touch of wistfulness. ‘Malltraeth’, which translates as ‘desolate beach’ is a small community on the south coast of Anglesey. It lies at the head of a long and narrow bay which makes deep inroads into the island.

The third movement is an ‘intermezzo’, entitled ‘Penmon’. This is located on the south-east coast of the island, a few miles from the impressive Georgian town of Beaumaris with its World Heritage Site castle built by Edward I. At Penmon there is an ancient priory dating from the 6th century and containing traces of Saxon work. There is also a well-known wishing well, which was originally use by St Seiriol to baptise converts to the Christian faith. From the abbey, a track leads down to Penmon Point off which lies Puffin Island, also known as Ynys Seiriol or St Seiriol’s Island. There is an iconic lighthouse, Trwyn Du, complete with tolling fog bell, sounding every 30 seconds, to warn sailors of the dangerous reefs. From this vantage, can be seen a vast sweep of North Wales, including the Great and Little Orme and parts of Snowdonia.  Gareth Glyn’s score is reflective, with just a hint of ‘broad canvas’ as the yachts tack at the entrance to the Menai Straits. It is sad music that seems to embrace the wide-ranging history of Penmon.

The mood is lightened with the ‘scherzo’ which is a representation of the wonderful sea-side resort of Cemaes Bay on the northern coast of the island. We sense the mood of happy holiday-makers, watching the boats moored in the quaint harbour, shrimping in the rock pools or paddling in the sea from one of the delightful beaches. This movement acts as a foil for the finale, the sad but memorable ‘Moelfre’, which translates as ‘barren hill.’ The music, which is deeply felt, reflects on this dangerous but very beautiful coast which has claimed many lives and has caused so much grief and sadness. The piece features a haunting cello solo which contributes to the elegiac mood of the finale. The first four movements are good music – the last is great.

Two reviews appeared in the Fanfare magazine. The first (September 2003) suggested that ‘an unassuming set of Anglesey Sketches…[are] unaggressively tonal, [with] a couple of neat and sweet cadences.’ Gareth Glyn is a man who ‘knows how to end a piece.’ Two months later, (November 2003) Fanfare reported that the Anglesey Sketches were ‘somewhat muted’ and ‘lacked the energising scope and spirit’ of the composer’s earlier Snowdon Overture. 

Andrew Lamb, reviewing British String Miniatures Volume 2 for The Gramophone (August 2003), noted the approachability of the music and the ‘contrasted portraits of coastal points of the island.’ He was particularly impressed with the ‘scherzo’ which he thought depicted ‘donkey rides’ on the beach at Cemaes Bay. Equally satisfying was the ‘moving final elegy in memory of the many lives lost in the shipwrecks near Moelfre.’ The cello part of this movement offered ‘eloquent and rewarding material.

The same CD was reviewed on MusicWeb International (3 July 2003) by Jonathan Woolf. He wrote that the ‘opener is open-spaced and lyric, one that rises and falls over pizzicati underpinning in a gently effortless way.’  Woolf considered that the pastorale ‘Malltraeth’ ‘is by contrast jaunty and blustery and just mildly capricious too but with some gorgeous melodies embedded into it.’ After an ‘evocative’ ‘Intermezzo’ the composer contrives the ‘frolicsome naughtiness’ of the ‘Scherzo’ before ‘a keening solo cello adds even more plangency to 'Moelfre', the final movement, one that alludes to the treacherous stretch of coast of the same name that has cost so many lives.’

Discography:

British String Miniatures Volume 2 White Line CD WHL 2136 includes works by Purcell, Warlock, Delius, Curtis, Elgar and Lane (now deleted) (2003)

Halcyon Days: A Treasury of British Light Music [‘Malltreath’ and ‘Cemaes’ only] White Line CD WLS 501, 5 CDS (2004) (now deleted, but available as download)

With thanks to the composer for providing additional information.

Gareth Glyn: Welsh Incident - a new CD

This is a fantastic CD: from the first to the last track there is interest, variety, and sheer enjoyment. All the works on this disc are approachable and satisfying, yet they bear repeated hearing. It would be easy to categorise Gareth Glyn’s musical style as being ‘light’ – a number of his pieces have been released on CDs dedicated to that particular genre. However there is a much greater depth and variety to his music that defies any easy attempt at stereotyping.

The first track on this two-CD album is close to my heart. I have to confess that of all the musical forms, opera, is the one that I least relate to. I have tried, but largely failed to get into Wagner, Verdi and Richard Strauss. [I do dote on G&S tho’!]

A Night at the Opera was commissioned in 1997 for the Beaumaris Festival. The composer has written that ‘a three act opera can take as many hours to stage...’ And even longer if it is part of The Ring! What this present piece does is condense the whole operatic experience into ‘one-twentieth’ of the time. The work begins with a mini-overture and is followed by a series of solos, duets, ensembles, recitatives and choruses – minus the vocal parts! Glyn has introduced all the passion, anger, love and humour into a short piece that is well constructed and delightfully scored. It is my kind of ‘Night at the Opera...’

The title track of the CD, Welsh Incident is a marvellous piece. When one takes the poetry of Robert Graves, the music of Gareth Glyn, and the voice of the Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce one is guaranteed a successful work of art. In addition there is a virtuosic part for double-bass which is beautifully played by Dominic Seldis. The action of this ‘narration’ takes place in the sea-side town of Criccieth: it concerns the arrival of ‘aliens’ on a local beach. Do not try to read too much into the text: just enjoy the lovely language and the striking imagery that owes not a little to Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood. It is one of my discoveries of 2011!

The following piece is a much more serious work that owes something to the musical style of Aaron Copland. Enduring City was written to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Bern, which was the first permanent seat of the colonial government of the US state of North Carolina. It is an historical portrayal of the city with an optimistic nod to the future. The work has number of sections which refer to people and events in the city’s history. Enduring City opens with a reflection of John Lawson and then Christoph von Graffenried who were the founding fathers. The next movement considers the history of ‘Tryon Palace’, which was the governor’s residence. In this music a variety of historical styles are rehearsed including ‘fife and drum’ bands, minuets and African slave music. The conclusion of this section combines all these elements into a riotous coda. The following movement considers the various conflicts that have beset the city, including a major battle during the Civil War, which is then followed by a long and beautiful meditation on ‘reconciliation and beauty’. Enduring City concludes with a positive look to the future. This is not light music: it is an involved and vital work which is written in an approachable language. It is probably the most important work presented in this retrospective CD.

The Microconcerto for double bass and orchestra is a little masterpiece. It was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 as part of its ‘Endangered Species’ series which was an attempt to encourage young people to take up instruments that were less popular. Gareth Glyn writes that it is the intention of this short work (lasting just 4½ minutes) to explore ‘the full range of the double bass – pitch, technique, style, and so on...’ It is an interesting and often striking exploration. The main ‘slow movement’ theme is gorgeous – I never knew the double-bass could be so expressive and play so ‘high’. It is a work that nods to Charlie Mingus without being in any way a jazz concerto. It should be a Prom favourite!

I really enjoyed Cariad, which is an arrangement or reworking of a number of Welsh folksongs with the theme of love (cariad). This is light-music at its very best with lots of lovely tunes, harmonies and effective orchestration. Look out for a few nods to the brass band tradition. Ardderchog!

The second CD begins with an impressive Trumpet Concerto. This is a good substantial work that is composed in a modern but not ‘difficult’ style. Each of the three movements has a title, which is in Welsh. The first is ‘Hyder’ meaning confidence – which is expressed in music that at times is ‘impetuous, quiet or assured’. It is exciting music that is well-balanced and evokes a variety of moods and emotions. The middle movement is entitled ‘Hiraeth’ which the composer suggests is untranslatable, but means something akin to ‘nostalgia’ or ‘longing’. Certainly Glyn has written heartfelt, almost valedictory music that uses the lyrical tones of the trumpet to such good effect. The finale is based on ‘Hwyl’ which in this usage means ‘farewell’. It is a romp from start to finish, with a gorgeous big tune emerging at the halfway mark. The work closes with rhythmical excitement which the composer suggests is somewhere between laughter and tears. This is a great concerto that demands to be in the repertoire of all good trumpet players. There are so few good examples of the genre: Gareth Glyn’s is one of the best.

It is always good to hear the organ in its secular guise. The concerted piece Gwlymabsant was commissioned by the BBC and was first performed on March 1 1994 with the present soloist, Jane Watts. Gareth Glyn points put that the title literally means ‘the festival of a patron saint’ which was for many years a tradition on Ynys Mon (Anglesey). It was originally a joyous religious festival which changed character over the years into an opportunity for dancing, drinking and feasting. This dichotomy is represented in the music, although the emphasis appears to be on the festivities rather than a deep meditation on the life of ‘any’ saint! The work is full of Mathias-ian rhythmic vitality and angular melodies. A real show stopper!

Llam Carw (Stag’s Leap) is based on a Welsh legend about St. Eilian. He was sent to Ynys Mon as a Papal emissary in the 5th century. One of his early acts was the ‘righteous’ blinding of a certain Cadwallon Lawhir (Cadwallan Long-hand) as a rather severe punishment for cattle rustling. However, the king begged for his sight to be restored. St Eilian agreed on the condition that he (or was it the Papacy) were granted the land that his stag could cover before being brought down by Cadwallan’s hounds. However, the stag leapt across a mighty gorge and escaped the dogs and ran far and wide. Much more land was gained than anyone imagined. The location of the jump is called ‘Llam Carw’ and is located near the town of Amlwch in Anglesey. The subject makes an ideal opportunity for an exciting and musically satisfying little tone poem. The work is in two sections with a ‘leap’ lasting a few seconds in the middle of the piece. The first section is the chase and a highly coloured ‘scherzo’ with some clever orchestration. The leap is cleverly contrived – brass over tremolo strings and then the stag is free (rhyddid) and with tonally unambiguous music escapes the threat of death.

Llam Carw is an excellent example of programme music which does not rely too heavily on the listener following a detailed narrative – chase/leap of faith/freedom is a fairly universal emotion that can be understood without the appurtenances of medieval hagiography. However, the story is a good one and deserves to be remembered.

The final work on this retrospective CD is the absolutely charming Little Suite for Strings. To my ear this is a work that is right up there with all the best ‘string orchestra’ pieces in the British music repertoire. The work is divided into five movements – Strings on the Wing, Waltz, Moto perpetuo, Prayer and Hoedown. Perhaps the opening movement is the most impressive and the waltz is a little gem. The concluding Hoedown is as good as the slightly better known example from Rodeo by Aaron Copland!

Only two minor complaints about this CD – firstly it is a wee bit short – with just over 100 minutes of music on two discs. And secondly, the liner notes are difficult to read: maroon-ish text on grey, shiny paper!

This is a great double CD that will give much pleasure and entertainment to listeners. However, there is also a great deal of music here that is deeper and requires our attention and concentration. Gareth Glyn is one of the best composer’s around and I guess that he deserves a greater popularity. This CD is an important step in that direction. I await (eagerly) a release of his fine symphony.

Gareth Glynn

Noson yn yr opera (A Night at the Opera) (1997); Welsh Incident (1989); Dinas Barhaus (Enduring City) (2010); Microconcerto for double bass and orchestra (2004); Cariad (2008); Conseirto i’r Utgorn (Trumpet Concerto) (2008); Gwylmabsant (1994); Llam Carw (Stag’s Leap) (2010); Cyfres Fechan i Linynnau (Little Suite for Strings)(2011)

Jonathan Pryce (narrator), Philippe Schartz (trumpet), Dominic Seldis (double bass) and Jane Watts (organ) BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Grant Llewellyn and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Gavin Sutherland & Julian Bigg

SAIN SCD2653 2 CDs

This CD can be ordered from Sain Records

Gareth Glynn: Pianimals

I was browsing in Forsyth’s music shop in Manchester. Regular readers of my articles on MusicWeb and this blog will know that it is one of my favourite shops. My grandfather, a part time conductor and church organist used to shop there, as did my uncle. So, it is really a family favourite. Over the past year on my blog I have been exploring the music of the Welsh composer Gareth Glyn. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy of his Pianimals in the sale box. Naturally I bought it.
When I returned to London I tried to play it through – and found that it was a bit difficult to sight read at sight! But what bits I could get my fingers around impressed me. Anyway I asked Gareth to tell me a bit about this work.

The Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music invited composers to submit pieces for young pianists who had reached Grade 6. Glyn had an idea for a piece in which one hand would play only black notes whilst the other played only white. It is hardly surprising that he called it ‘Zebra’. Unfortunately, the album of pieces did not appear. However, Glyn sent the piece to Spartan Publishing to see if they were interested. In fact they were: they asked the composer to provide another two pieces in similar vein – so an album was born. The second and third pieces were written for black notes only and for white notes only. The new pieces were called Polar Bear and Crow respectively.

The printed music is an attractive production. The contents page does not use titles but pictures. It is certainly a novelty. However Glyn had originally provided subtitles describing each piece, which for the record I append here:-

"A Polar Bear dances in front of his mirror" (because the left hand
music is an exact inversion of the right hand’s”

"Sad dance of a one-legged Crow" (one-legged because only one hand,
the left, is used in the piece, despite its being laid out on /three/
staves)”

"A Zebra tries to dance on his hind legs" (because the music is
deliberately lopsided in rhythm and harmony”

The work did have an effect on musical history and the teaching of future musicians! Pianimals was one of the set works for the GCSE syllabus used for ‘Musical Analysis’ classes. The composer told me that the work was recorded by Mervyn Burtch for distribution to schools. So, I guess that it may well have an influence far beyond the ephemeral nature of much music written for ‘young’ pianists. It certainly deserves a commercial recording.
The music is available from Spartan Publishing. Unfortunately there is no recording of this work currently available.

Gareth Glyn: A Composer in Wales - Update

At the end of October I asked the composer to give me an update of what he was doing, musically. Bearing in mind that he lives on the Anglesey, which is a wonderful place, but which has suffered a worse than average summer, he remains remarkably upbeat! In fact on the day that he replied to me, he told me that there had been ‘apocalyptic rainfall…’

Nevertheless, this is as it should be. A lot is happening in his musical life that is positive and encouraging. There is a forthcoming CD that will feature a piece of music in which the main protagonists are Dominic Seldis (star of Maestro recently on BBC) and Jonathan Pryce (Bond villain and star of such films as Pirates of the Caribbean, Rise of Cobra and Evita) with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, in Glyn’s Welsh Incident. This is pending future release on the Dutton label.

More immediately important is the fact that the Gwynn publishing company of Penygroes in North Wales have embarked on a major programme of publishing Glyn's choral works. This will put into the public domain a number of interesting and singable pieces. They have recently published Fy Ngwlad (My Country), Cymru (Wales), Y Gymraeg (The Welsh Language) and Gwinllan a Roddwyd (A Vineyard was Given), all for SATB and piano and separately published under the umbrella title of Four Patriotic Songs. In the coming months Machynlleth Fair, Feet, Fluff and Sixth Birthday (the set Four Playful Songs), and 'Never was Dawn so Bright' (all for SATB) and Psalm 150 and The Harp (both for male voices and piano or orchestra) are due for publication.

Recently, there have been a number of important performances of Gareth Glyn’s works. His chamber suite Mabinogi received several performances in Ensemble Cymru’s tour of North Wales in October. In the same month, in London, Eleanor Turner played his suite for harp Child’s Play at the Wigmore Hall.

Seldis has also recorded as soloist, Glyn’s superb Microncerto for double bass and orchestra, which is a great treat for all music enthusiasts. It certainly beats Dragonetti's and Dittersdorf's! Much of this work is an inspired use of jazz, yet somehow it is not a jazz concerto as such. However, the double bass so often associated with jazz (Charlie Mingus et al) that it must be hard to avoid such a label. What does impress me is the singing tone of the more reflective moments. It has a personality far removed from the inevitable pizzicato. My only complaint and it is a big one, is that at just under 5 minutes- it is way too short…!

Finally, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, recorded his Cariad for orchestra .The title of this work means 'love’. This is an orchestral work which is composed in a 'Friday Night is Music Night' style. It presents several Welsh folksongs on the theme of love in one span of about eight minutes. Gareth pointed out to me that “they aren't all, strictly speaking, love-songs as the Welsh folk tradition is full of songs about unrequited and spurned affection, but there aren't that many expressing true and reciprocated love.”

Glyn is presently working on a Trumpet Concerto, which has been commissioned for Philippe Schartz and the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales It will be given its first performance on their tour in Luxembourg and Germany. Finally, he is working on an as yet unnamed piece which has been commissioned by the city of New Bern in North Carolina to mark the 300th anniversary of its foundation.

A few months ago I heard a recording of Gareth Glyn’s Symphony. It is one of the finest new works in that genre I have heard in many years. It was largely recorded at a live event. However the ‘scherzo’ was played by ‘Sibelius’ from the digital musical score. It is certainly a piece that deserves to be recorded. There is not doubt that Glyn comes from the same ‘symphonic’ stock as Daniel Jones, Alun Hoddinott, Grace Williams and William Mathias and surely deserves to be recognised as such.

John France November 2008

Garth Glyn: Work in Progress

Further doings of the busy Anglesey composer Gareth Glyn:-

Gareth tells me that he is “continuing his connection with the LSO, not only by providing arrangements for their educational wing ‘LSO Discovery’, but also with a commission following on from the success of “EGAD!" for multiple string orchestras and soloists - the exact details of this are yet to be confirmed.”

On the international front “there's also a commission by the North Carolina Symphony to write an extended work to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Bern, the historic state capital - the piece will be performed in the grounds of Tryon Palace (the Governor's mansion) in 2010.”

Earlier in the year, BBC Radio 3 broadcast Gareth’s Overture for organ and orchestra 'Gwylmabsant', in which the soloist was Huw Williams from St. Paul's Cathedral. It received positive reviews. At about the same time, BBC Radio also broadcast his cantata for 3 male choirs, harp and orchestra Y Delyn ("The Harp").

His plans for the future include preparing the next candidate for CD recording - an Overture 'A Night at the Opera' – there is no connection with the Marx Brothers film! -which is more or less in the style of pieces such as 'Legend of the Lake';

Arrangements are also in hand to record his chamber suite Mabinogi which was originally commissioned way back in 1983 by the Llandaff Festival, though it did have a subsequent performance and broadcast for the Radio 3 series 'Music in Our Time' in 1984.

And finally Gareth Glyn recalled that “recently I was told that some guitar pieces, which I'd completely forgotten I'd written, were chosen for the ABRSM syllabus!"

Gareth Glyn: New CD on the Stocks!

I recently wrote a post about Anglesey composer Gareth Glyn's superb orchestral work, Anglesey Sketches which was recorded on White Line 2136

I am pleased to report that another CD of his music is on the way – he recently wrote to me:-

“At the moment I'm quite busy with getting tracks recorded on CD for future release, all with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Gavin Sutherland. Already in the can are: Cariad - an unbroken sequence of Welsh folksongs on the theme of love (though only a few of them are love-songs as such - in Wales we seem to have cornered the market in songs about unrequited love, or making fun of the love-life of others!), and two unrelated works for solo double-bass and orchestra - the Microncerto (not 'Microconcerto' as some have assumed it to be)”

Gareth further wrote that when the Microncerto was played “in the recording sessions, [the] orchestral musicians and studio technicians alike were astounded that such virtuosity was possible on the instrument.”

The solo bassist on this new release is the section principal of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Dominic Seldis"

I have heard a live recording of the Microncerto and it is an impressive piece. There are few works composed for Double Bass solo and orchestra – so this is a welocme addition to repretoire. It is a great work that nods to Charlie Mingus without claiming to be a ‘jazz concerto’

Another orchestral work to be included on the new CD is a Welsh Incident, which additionally calls for a narrator. This contribution will be dubbed onto the already-recorded music…

I am looking forward to adding this CD to my collection!