Concerto for Harp and Orchestra - Robert Groslot

(Scroll down for English version)
Daw teitl y darn hwn, sy’n para tua 12 munud, o Vita Davidis (Buchedd Dewi), a ysgrifennwyd - yn Lladin yn wreiddiol - tua 1090 gan Rhygyfarch ap Sulien, bum can mlynedd wedi marwolaeth nawddsant Cymru.  Bywgraffiad yw’r ddogfen, ond un sydd (fel oedd yn gyffredin mewn gweithiau o’r fath) yn rhoi pwyslais arbennig ar wyrthiau sy’n cael eu priodoli i Ddewi; mae hefyd yn dyfynnu o bregeth olaf y sant, a’i archiad cyfarwydd ‘gwnewch yn pethau bychan a welsoch ac a glywsoch gennyf i’; ac yn yr un llawysgrif darllenwn am y golomen wen gyda phig aur, a eisteddodd ar ysgwydd y sant yn ei addysgu ac yn ‘canu emynau Duw’.

Mae darn Gareth Glyn, sydd ar ffurf consierto byr mewn tair adran heb fwlch, yn cyfeirio’n gerddorol at wahanol elfennau yn y Fuchedd, gan ddechrau gyda phroffwydoliaeth am ddyfodiad Dewi gan San Padrig (galwad gan gorn unawdol, yn datgan prif thema’r gwaith).  Mae hyn yn arwain yn syth at y storm enbyd a fu’n rhuo tra bu Non, mam y sant, yn ei phoenau esgor mewn coedwig.  Yn sydyn mae’r gerddorfa lawn yn portreadu’r heulwen lachar a dywynnodd arni ar adeg yr enedigaeth, ac mae cân y golomen (ar ffliwt alto) yn nodi dechrau adran araf y consierto, lle caiff y brif thema ei datblygu.  Mae thema arall, un sy â naws dringo, yn dynodi’r bryn a dyfodd dan draed Dewi fel y gallai ei ddilynwyr ei weld a’i glywed yn pregethu, a dilynir hyn gan adran – yn bennaf i’r delyn ei hun – sy’n cyfateb i’r disgrifiad bod ei lais ‘mor gryf â chân utgorn’.  Daw thema newydd, ysgafnach, i awgrymu ‘pethau bychain’ y sant, ac mae’r adran olaf a chwim, yn cyfateb i’w ddeisyfiad ‘byddwch lawen’.

Er ei deitl Lladin a’i ffynhonnell grefyddol, nid darn difrif mo hwn – yn y bôn mae’n waith dathliadol, ac yn gyfle i’r delyn arddangos ei nodweddion mynegiannol, datganiadol, cain a disglair.
(Seiniau cyfrifiadurol sydd i’r offerynnau)

VITA DAVIDIS (A Life of St David)

This 12-minute work takes its title from Vita Davidis, a life of St David, written by Rhygyfarch ap Sulien in about 1090, half a millennium after the death of Wales’s patron saint.  In common with similar biographies, it makes extensive references to miracles attributed to David, and – in a later Welsh translation entitled Buchedd Dewi – quotes from his final sermon; his exhortation ‘gwnewch y pethau bychain’ (‘do the little things’) is as associated with him as is the white dove often depicted perched on the saint’s shoulder, instructing him and singing hymns.

Gareth Glyn’s piece, which takes the form of a short concerto in three linked sections, makes musical reference to certain elements in the Vita, beginning with a prophecy by St Patrick of the coming of his successor (a solo horn call, giving out the main theme of the work), followed by the fierce storm which raged as David’s mother, Non, was in labour in a forest. The full orchestra depicts the blaze of sunshine which shone on her at the moment of birth, and the dove’s song (played by an alto flute) marks the start of the concerto’s slow section, in which the main theme is developed. A slowly climbing orchestral passage portrays the hill which grew under David’s feet so that his followers could better see and hear him preach, and this is followed by a passage, mostly for solo harp, reflecting the description of his voice from the hill being ‘as loud as a trumpet’.  A new, delicate, theme corresponds to the saint’s reference to the ‘little things’, and the closing, lively, section is a response to another, less familiar, part of the sermon, namely the instruction for his followers to ‘be joyful’.
Despite its Latin title and religious source, the piece doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is essentially a celebratory work and showpiece for the solo instrument, allowing it to display its expressive, declamatory, delicate and virtuosic capabilities. (Computer sound rendition)

Vita Davidis (Buchedd Dewi/A Life of St David) - Harp Concerto no. 2

This piece was commissioned by the Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen Band, but is played magnificently here by the National Youth Brass Band of Wales. The piece runs continuously, but is in three clear sections - moderate, slow and fast, and much of it is quite virtuosic.

The two outer sections were reworked as 'Stag's Leap'/Llam Carw' for orchestra, which is available on the CD "Welsh Incident" from Sain Records (http://www.sainwales.com/en/store/sain/sain-scd-2653).

"Cadernid Gwynedd" for brass band (Gareth Glyn): National Youth Brass Band of Wales

Performed by the BBC National Chorus and Orchestra of Wales.

Gwlad y Gân (“Land of Song”) presents five much-loved Welsh songs and melodies, arranged for mixed choir and orchestra, and linked by short instrumental transitions. All the melodies are traditional, except for the 20th-century hymn tune which brings the work to a close.

The stirring march Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech (“The Campaign of the Men of Harlech”) is an ancient folk melody, though the music did not appear in print, and then as a harp tune, until 1794.  It was apparently inspired by the siege of Harlech Castle during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. Many poets have set words to the melody: the dramatic – and not a little bloodthirsty – lyrics in this arrangement are by John Ceiriog Hughes (1832 – 1887). 

Mil Harddach wyt na’r Rhosyn Gwyn (“You are a Thousand Times more Beautiful than the White Rose”)  is a lullaby, in which the melody, with its characteristic (and unusual, for a Welsh folksong) upward leap of a seventh, is paired with poetry of exceptional tenderness.  

It contrasts markedly with the song that follows – one in praise of the holly tree without a single mention of Christmas! It was the custom at one time for poets to write on this not-too-obvious subject, always in the same metre. The melody of Y Gelynnen offers all kinds of possibilities – at one point in this arrangement, for example, the upper three voices sing the nonsense-refrain repeatedly, while the basses give out the same melody at a quarter of the speed.

A short orchestral link slows down the tempo for a love song, Ar Lan y Môr (“Down By the Shore” – which is where the poet’s sweetheart is to be found).  Once again, a simple folk melody offers a wealth of harmonic and textural possibilities, including close-harmony singing, chromaticism and polyphony.

The sequence closes with a hymn of great power, a perennial choice for hymn-singing festivals (Cymanfaoedd Canu). The words, Mawr oedd Crist yn Nhragwyddoldeb (“Great was Christ in Eternity”) are mostly by Titus Lewis (1773 – 1811), and are notable for including the word mawr (“great”) 15 times within 18 lines. The hymn-tune, entitled Bryn Myrddin (“Merlin’s Hill”, an ancient hill-fort near Carmarthen), is by John Morgan Nicholas (1895 – 1963), a revered composer, conductor, adjudicator, organist, teacher and administrator. The vocal parts of the first verse of this arrangement are his originals; the melody is then presented as the bass line for the second verse, and a new harmonization is presented for the final stanza.

An extended ‘Amen’ is a sine qua non in arrangements of this kind, and it brings the sequence to an exultant conclusion.

Mae’r gwaith yma’n cyflwyno pump o hoff ganeuon ac alawon Cymru wedi’u trefnu i gôr cymysg a cherddorfa, a’u cysylltu â dolenni offerynnol byr i greu darn di-dor. Traddodiadol yw’r alawon, heblaw am yr emyn-dôn o’r 20fed ganrif sy’n cloi’r gadwyn.

Hen alaw werin yw’r ymdeithgan rymus Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech, er nad  argraffwyd y gerddoriaeth tan 1794, a hynny ar ffurf cainc i’r delyn. Y sôn yw ei bod wedi’i hysbrydoli gan warchae Castell Harlech yn ystod Rhyfel y Rhosynnau yn y 15fed ganrif. Mae nifer o feirdd wedi gosod yr alaw; Ceiriog (John Ceiriog Hughes, 1832 – 1887) biau geiriau trawiadol (a gwir ryfelgar!) y trefniant hwn.

Hwiangerdd yw Mil Harddach Wyt Na’r Rhosyn Gwyn, gydag alaw anarferol a chofiadwy sy’n cynnwys naid o seithfed, wedi’i hieuo â geiriau hynod o dyner a theimladwy.

Mae’n gwrthgyferbynu’n gryf â’r hyn sy’n dilyn – cân o fawl i’r goeden gelyn heb unrhyw gyfeiriad o gwbl at y Nadolig! Mae alaw Y Gelynnen yn cynnig pob math o bosibiliadau – er enghraifft, ar un adeg yn ystod y trefniant hwn mae’r tri llais uchaf yn canu ac ail-ganu’r gytgan tra bo’r baswyr, ar yr un pryd, yn datgan yr un alaw ar chwarter y cyflymder.

Wedi sioncrwydd Y Gelynnen, mae dolen fer gan y gerddorfa yn paratoi ar gyfer awyrgylch heddychlon a thelynegol un o’n caneuon gwerin mwya adnabyddus – Ar Lan y Môr. Dyma alaw arall sy’n cynnig cyfoeth o ddeunydd – yn y trefniant hwn cawn, er enghraifft, ganu harmoni-clòs, cynghanedd gromatig ac annibyniaeth lleisiau.

Yn cloi’r gadwyn mae un o hoelion-wyth y gymanfa ganu.  Un o nodweddion amlycaf “Mawr oedd Crist yn nhragwyddoldeb” yw ymddangosiad yr ansoddair ‘mawr’ bymtheg o weithiau o fewn deunaw llinell.  Lluniwyd penillion allanol yr emyn gan Titus Lewis (1773 – 1811), a chyfansoddwyd y dôn Bryn Myrddin gan John Morgan Nicholas (1895 – 1963), gŵr mawr ei barch fel arweinydd, organydd, athro a gweinyddwr yn ogystal â chyfansoddwr. Ei gynghanedd leisiol ef a ddefnyddir ym mhennill cyntaf y trefniant hwn, ond yn yr ail mae’r alaw’n ffurfio rhan y baswyr, a cheir chynghanedd wahanol yn y pennill olaf.

Fel sy’n arferol mewn trefniannau o’r fath, mae ‘Amen’ estynedig yn dilyn geiriau olaf yr emyn, ac yn cloi’r dilyniant yn orfoleddus. 

"Gwlad y Gân" ("Land of Song") - medley of Welsh melodies for choir & orchestra by Gareth Glyn

Carol yr Alarch/The Swan Carol - Gareth Glyn

Gwinllan a Roddwyd - Gareth Glyn

Genesis - a Symphonic Poem directly inspired by the magnificent painting 'Genesis' by Roswitha Foch, who lives and works in Maria Alm, Austria. Trumpet calls announce the various stages of Creation: Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. Written in Hinterthal, Austria, in August 2019.

Genesis

Recording of 'Llanrwst' by Gareth Glyn. 
Tenor - Osian Wyn Bowen 
Piano - Caradog Williams 
Recording - Jez Hewitt
(c) 2020

Llanrwst - Gareth Glyn

Gareth Glyn was born in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, in 1951, but has lived since 1978 on Anglesey, an island whose history, mythology and landscape have been important influences on his work as a composer, as has his Welsh identity.

His works were first broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation while he was studying music at Merton College, Oxford.

His compositions have been commissioned and played by eminent orchestras and ensembles and bands, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, The BBC Scottish Orchestra, the Strasbourg Philharmonic, the Ulster Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, I Musici de Montréal and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and soloists including Bryn Terfel, Catrin Finch and Charlotte Church.

His many works for choirs of all kinds are sung all over the world, and he is particularly eminent in the field of male voice choirs – his Clychau’r Gog/Bluebells recently went into its 4th printing, and Heriwn, Wynebwn y Wawr/The Future’s Beginning Today is widely regarded as one of the best original Welsh choral pieces of the last fifty years.

His output includes orchestral, chamber, solo instrumental and vocal works, musicals, songs and song-cycles for professionals, amateurs and children, music for brass band and large-scale works for orchestra, narrators, actors and audience-participation; he has worked widely with leading orchestras in many parts of the world providing specialist works like EGAD! and Strings on the Wing, which can be performed by players of many different abilities simultaneously – from absolute beginners to concert soloists.

Gareth Glyn’s work is widely published (Spartan, Gwynn, Curiad, Adlais, Alaw, Chanterelle) and recorded (principally on ASV/Universal, Sain and Laserlight).

Gareth Glyn received an Honorary Fellowship from Bangor University, and the rank of Honorary Druid in the National Eisteddfod’s Gorsedd of Bards, for his services to music in Wales.

Vita Davidis (Buchedd Dewi/A Life of St David) - Harp Concerto no. 2

Gareth Glyn

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