Hyperion is an original song inspired by a poem by Romantic poet John Keats, called The Fall Of Hyperion: A Dream. It explores themes of fragility and resilience, and how human beings respond to suffering and change. As part of the CoDI DIY project, I had the opportunity to work with composer Pwyll ap Sion, who created a beautiful string quartet arrangement, to support my guitar and vocal parts. Together, we wanted to make a dynamic and richly-arranged track, which still feels delicate and gives space to the lyrics and voice. Hyperion is recorded by James Clarke, and strings are performed by the Mavron Quartet.

Part of our CoDa 2021 online festival : https://www.tycerdd.org/coda-2021

Hyperion - Cara Ludlow (sample)

Dealt a Hand by Niamh O’Donnell (Tŷ Cerdd commission)
Premiered at NightMusic, St David's Hall, 5 April 2022
Performed by Anne Denholm (harp), Héloïse Werner (soprano)
Recorded in Tŷ Cerdd studios, engineered and produced by Matt Collins

Niamh O'Donnell - Dealt A Hand (Anne Denholm, Héloïse Werner)

Thought I'd pick up on the 'curveball' element which Hans' initial brief requested. That '90s house/dance sound seems to be coming back in a re-invented way and because the clip had to be short, I was thinking how it would suit an intro to something - possibly the Winter Olympics. I've only used the trumpet and vocal stems with some re-tuning at the cadences to accommodate the slightly different harmony. They've been time-stretched from 100 to 130 BPM and I've re-tuned the the vocal to create a harmony towards the end. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks J. 

Destiny's Dancefloor - Bleeding Fingers Contest

This is music I wrote for a silent play called Flossie & Jet for Hijinx Theatre. It is still on tour: 

http://www.hijinx.org.uk/flossie-and-jet/

Meet Flossie and Jet. Sisters of faded grandeur. Stately home to state of homelessness. Curious at the world they find themselves in, while still clinging to the remnants of a lost era, ageing companions Flossie and Jet are on a journey to find a new place to live. Somewhere not too small, somewhere warm, somewhere they can settle.

Partial to a picnic or a trip to the seaside, and always keen to meet the locals, the genteel sisters may just take you by surprise in this delightful and poignant walkabout mask show.  

 

Dream Sequence 1

This is music I wrote for a silent play called Flossie & Jet for Hijinx Theatre. It is still on tour:

www.hijinx.org.uk/flossie-and-jet/

Meet Flossie and Jet. Sisters of faded grandeur. Stately home to state of homelessness. Curious at the world they find themselves in, while still clinging to the remnants of a lost era, ageing companions Flossie and Jet are on a journey to find a new place to live. Somewhere not too small, somewhere warm, somewhere they can settle.

Partial to a picnic or a trip to the seaside, and always keen to meet the locals, the genteel sisters may just take you by surprise in this delightful and poignant walkabout mask show.

The Picnic

Dream Sequence 2

The Grasshoppers by Ethnie Foulkes (Tŷ Cerdd commission)
Premiered at NightMusic, St David's Hall, 28 March 2023
Performed by Ruby Hughes (soprano), Huw Watkins (piano)
Recorded in Tŷ Cerdd studios, engineered and produced by James Clarke

Ethnie Foulkes - The Grasshoppers

Performance by Vickers Bovey guitar duo, recorded on 4 April 2018 and premiered at St David's Hall's NightMusic that evening.
Composed by Lucy McPhee
Recorded & produced by James Clarke

McPhee writes:
‘April 4, 1968,’ is written to remember the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King.
The melodic material is made from a chromatic cypher of April 4th.

I have taken three quotes from his final speech entitled ‘I have been to the mountaintop.’
These three quotes then make up my movement titles. 

1.	Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars…
2.	We want to be free
3.	I’m not fearing any man

Lucy McPhee - April 4, 1968 (Vickers Bovey duo)

Forever Interrupted by Claire Victoria Roberts (Tŷ Cerdd commission) 
Premiered at NightMusic, St David's Hall, 8 May 2018 
Performed, recorded and produced by Oliver Coates

Claire Victoria Roberts - Forever Interrupted (Oliver Coates, cello)

Rule the World - Clarkez version

First performed by George Fu and Thomas Ang in St David's Hall Nightmusic series on 14th January

Recorded in Tŷ Cerdd Studio 14th January - George Fu and Thomas Ang (piano)
Engineered and produced by James Clarke

Jasper Dommett - Cave

The mission of Tŷ Cerdd – Music Centre Wales is to support, develop and promote the creation, performance and empowering experience of music, both in and of Wales. In so doing, we aspire to reach people in local communities, nationally and internationally, promoting excellence through vision, participation and training.

Hyperion - Cara Ludlow (sample)

Tŷ Cerdd

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