Mezzo Soprano: Samantha Joy
Anglo-Saxon Lyre: Andy Glover
Produced by: Chris Lawry

The lyrics are the opening four stanzas of The Voluspa, an Old Norse Edda which tells of the creation of the world and how it will end.  

Samantha is an award winning singer currently studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire. 

Andy Glover is a composer, writer and music editor (http://www.andyglover.co.uk/). He made the lyre used in this recording and the accompanying picture is a photo of it. 

Chris Lawry is also a composer in his own right (http://www.chrislawry.com/) and did a wonderful job in putting this piece together,





The Seer's Song

"Lachrimae Rerum" (trans': Tears of Things)from Virgil's "Aenid"

Live Recording of the official premiere.
Brecon Cathedral, Brecon, Powys, Wales  Friday 28th July 2017
Descant, Sopranino and Treble Recorders - Caroline Jones
Organ - Charles Matthews

This piece was written over a long period due to hackers hitting my computer, and I losing the original sketches of the piece, until I was able to retrieve it some months later and finally finish it. The opening dropping motif is reminiscent of the Renaissance motif of "Tears" and saddness much like those that appear in the lute songs of John Dowland. With the loss of the files it became a prominant feeling knowing that the piece lay only inches away from me but was inaccessible at that time and possibly for good. When I did finally get the sketches back the line from Virgil's "Aenid" Lachrimae Rerum, (Book 1, line 462, so I believe, well it is in my copy) kept coming to mind hence the langarousness of the final piece and the title to go with it.

The photograph is one I took this year in high summer near Bidford on Avon, Warwickshire, England.

"Lachrimae Rerum" for Recorder Player and Organ

The first track of "The English Literature Suite" which are all based on favourite books of mine. Instruments used are Concert Flute, Acoustic Guitar and combines two of my own field recordings of rain and a Song Thrush. Moody and atmospheric. Considerably different to my usual style of writing or music but still definately me.

The track is now available from the following album on Bandcamp:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

"The English Literature Suite" - 1 - Far From The Madding Crowd Mix 14

The second track of "The English Literature Suite" which are all based on favourite books of mine. Instruments used are Concert Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, Tin Whistle in Bb, Electric Guitar (delay and distortion pedals), Electric Keyboard, and combines my own field recording some young girls laughing and giggling. Moody and atmospheric. Considerably different to my usual style of writing or music but still definately me.

The track is now available on the following album from Bandcamp:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

"The English Literature Suite" - 2 - Cider With Rosie

The Third and final track of "The English Literature Suite" which are all based on favourite books of mine. Instruments used are Concert Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, and combines my own field recordings of birdsong, Footsteps, gate squeak and a church door opening and shutting along with a church chimes striking 6 am. Moody and atmospheric. Considerably different to my usual style of writing or music but still definately me.

This track is now available on the following album from Bandcamp

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

"The English Literature Suite"  -  3 - A Month in the Country

This is my favourite track from my album Forthspell ...Of An Older England. Now available from Bandcamp:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

...Of An Older England

An English Landscape After Rain

Ah! A day gently rowing on a small English river with some special friends, and of course a bottle of wine to enjoy, in the warmth of an English summer.

The track is now available from Bandcamp on the following album:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

1 - Summer on The River

Now if only I had been asked to perform on that stage what may have been has finally been realised......Lol! 

I was at this festival back in '84 and what a great festival it was. Loved it apart from the cops getting really heavy trying to stop it all.

The spelling of Midsomer is the Old English one before anyone starts getting heavy about it. OK!

This track is available on the following album from Bandcamp:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/for-spell-of-an-older-england

Stonehenge '84 (Midsomer Morn)

This comes from my album "Mead Hall: Laments Lays and Idylls" found on bandcamp. 
https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/mead-hall-laments-lays-and-idyls
It is an ambient work that links to the Sutton Hoo burial where the 7th century Angle king Radwald was buried. Lying on one of the burial mounds in early spring and dreaming of the past days of the East Angle Kingdom.

The picture is of my own Lyre "Two Ravens" that I made back in 2015.

King Radwalds Lay

Loki is the God of trickery in the Norse and Anglo-Saxon pantheon of Gods. He is the one who brings the final downfall of the Gods and who spawns the creatures that face up to the might of them. 

As a piece this is a slight flight of fancy where Loki is sat dreaming of getting his own back in front of a roaring fire and a big horn of Mead. Sat beside him by his feet is his slavering wolf son Fenrir.

Comes from my album "Mead Hall: Laments, Lays and Idyls" found on Bandcamp:

https://andrewglover-whitley.bandcamp.com/album/mead-hall-laments-lays-and-idyls

Tricks Of Loki

I am a freelance composer, performer, writer and music lecturer. I have had performances around the world and have been broadcast on many national radio stations. My work has been performed by the likes of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Paul Daniel, Grant Llewellyn, Miekko Kanno, Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Ball, Mexico City Wind Quintet, Hanson Quartet, Latin American String Quartet, Asako Arai, Charles Matthews, Caroline Jones to name but a few.

I work in many genres from Orchestral to solo to electronic and have also worked in the Rock/Metal music over the years as well as the world music scene. I am also a flautist who specialises in 19th/20th century repertoire and is a specialist in extended and contemporary techniques.

I am a multi instrumentalist and this I have tried to put to good use in my Albums "Mead Hall: Laments Lays and Idylls" and "...Of an Older England".

"Lachrimae Rerum" for Recorder Player and Organ

Andy R Glover-Whitley

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