Our next concert is Rhossili Duo—Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Alumni Gabriella Alberti & Cai Charles on Saturday May 10th 7:30pm 2025 at St. Michael & All Angels, Cwmdu, NP8 1RW.
More information here and via our newsletter (subscribe above).
Tickets available online.
If you'd like to help publicise our next concert you can download an A4 PDF poster or set of flyers of this concert to print out.
If you are an arts/music organisation we'd be grateful for reciprocal publicity arrangements. You can view a summary of our next concert publicity to use in newsletters etc. here.
Hay Music Baroque Alchemy
Saturday, 26 April at 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm). The Castle, Hay-on-Wye.
Baroque Alchemy
International recorder player and Red Priest frontman Piers Adams - described in the Washington Post as “the leading recorder virtuoso in the world today” - joins forces with multi-talented keyboardist Lyndy Mayle in an extraordinary ‘electro-baroque fusion’. By replacing the familiar sound of the harpsichord with the universe of possibilities offered by the modern-day keyboard, Piers and Lyndy expand upon the dreams of composers of the past, re-imagining music from mediaeval and baroque masters to modern day tango and jazz. The wizardry of the keyboard - a plethora of instruments in one - is balanced by the natural expressive power of Piers’ recorders, creating a perfect blend of ancient and modern in a dazzling and moving performance. Tickets and full details at https://www.haymusic.org/events.
Rhossili Duo
Our next concert: Saturday, 10th May 7:30 pm St Michael and All Angels, Cwmdu, NP8 1RW
Rhossili Duo—Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama alumni Gabriella Alberti (Bute Wind Quintet) and Cai Charles, who perform as a flute and guitar duo–their programme will be ‘Last Tango’.
Image: Rhossili Duo
Programme
Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzola
Romanian Dances by Bela Bartok arranged by Arthur Levering
Mazurka Appassionata by Agustin Barrios Mangore (for solo guitar)
Interval
Image by Eugene Bozza (for solo flute)
Dafydd y garreg wen and Suo gan (Welsh Folk Songs) arranged by Stephen Goss
Sonatina by Castelnuovo-Tedesco
First Milonga, Last Tango by Stephen Goss
Our Artists-in-residence will be:
Emma Bevan & Francesca Kay of The Makers.
Our March 2025 Nantwen Ensemble concert
We were treated to an inspiring and varied programme by the wonderful Nantwen Ensemble (website) on the 8th March.
Nantwen Ensemble preparing for their concert.
Firstly the imaginative sound world created with some unusual string techniques by composer Caroline Shaw in Plan & Elevation, her musical drawing of Dumbarton Oaks, and then the beautiful and hypnotic Verses by Ólafur Arnalds. Then Nantwen’s own commission, Songs without Words composed to complement the Schubert string quintet, from Welsh composer John Metcalf. This set the scene perfectly for the concert’s second half with its closing hymn-like prayer.
In his introduction, Daniel said that each time he prepares the Schubert Quintet with different colleagues, they each bring something new to the work with their ideas and interpretations. Schubert’s mastery of writing for all the instruments and the sheer beauty and scale of the work meant that time almost stood still for us. It’s a work that never seems to date or lose its popularity.
Our Artist-in-residence, Helen of InSpired Pottery—“Beautifully handcrafted wares for everyday use” had a stunning display of her work. (Website).
Display with the artist, Helen.
Our last concert of 2024
In October we had a fabulous concert from composer, vocalist and violinist Claire Victoria Roberts with string players Treske Quartet and Swansea-based keyboardist and jazz band leader Dave Cottle.
Claire Victoria Roberts is a composer, vocalist and violinist–blurring the boundaries of jazz, contemporary and singer-songwriter genres. https://www.clairevictoriaroberts.com/
Treske Quartet–Oli Baily & Mollie Wrafter (violins), Abigail Hammett (viola), Robert Wheatley (cello)–is an emerging ensemble based in Manchester, UK. https://www.treskequartet.com/
Dave Cottle formed the Dave Cottle Band in 1985. Swansea’s Lord Mayor Awarded Dave for his services to music in the City at a Gala dinner in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea November 2018. https://www.davecottlemusic.com
See our 2025 calendar for next year’s events.
Very enjoyable RWCMD concert from The Bute Wind Quintet
On Saturday 11th May, graduates of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Bute Wind Quintet gave us a fabulous concert on an evening with balmy weather.
The performers were introduced and we also updated the audience with a salutary description of the state of music funding in Wales; for example the Welsh National Opera and their orchestra who have had funding by both Arts Council in England and Wales significantly cut.
Even closer to home and relevant in particular to this evening’s activity has been a recent threat to “Young RWCMD” whose Young Acting and Young Music activities provide the opportunity for promising new performers to develop their individual talents. A reminder that “As music lovers we cannot afford to be complacent”.
There is a petition about the RWCMD threat.
Also one for the Welsh National Opera.
The night’s programme gave us an insight into the range of the Quintet, including a soaringly lyrical Milhaud La cheminée du roi René, Celia McDowall’s Subject to the Weather—commissioned for the Presteigne Festival in 2010 and evoking the countryside and birdsong. After the interval works included cinema composer Nino Rota’s theme for Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet and Szervánszky’s Wind Quintet. The evening concluded with Brazilian composer Júlio Medaglia’s Tango from suite Belle Epoque en Sud-America.
Our Artist/Maker in residence Rebecca ‘Becky’ Way displayed a stunning collection of work.
A great evening which highlighted how lucky we are to have RWCMD’s graduates and students on our doorstep.
The Bute Wind Quintet are playing at Gŵyl Beaumaris Festival on 25th May details, and Fishguard Festival of Music/Gŵyl Gerdd on 22nd July details.
IWD Hero Isata Kanneh-Mason
For International Women’s Day, here are a couple of snippets to celebrate the work of pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.
"…in great demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She offers eclectic and interesting repertoire with recital programmes encompassing music from Haydn and Mozart via Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, Chopin and Brahms to Gershwin and beyond."
—Kanneh-Mason website.
Firstly a YouTube video of a performance of Clara Schumann’s Scherzo No.2 in C Minor. (Note: YouTube may include adverts for everyone’s benefit 🤦🏽.)
Clara Schumann’s Scherzo No.2 in C Minor
And then an episode of BBC Radio’s “Add to Playlist” programme with Isata Kanneh-Mason as a guest.
Add to Playlist with Isata Kanneh-Mason
BBC announces new classical music programming
The BBC has announced updated schedules for Radio 3 and a new TV series about Mozart. Highlights include the return of Clemency Burton-Hill, and a weekday afternoon programme Classical Live presented by Elizabeth Alker, Tom McKinney, Linton Stephens and Fiona Talkington.
Karl Jenkins birthday
Happy 80th Birthday, Sir Karl Jenkins! Born and raised in Penclawdd, Gower.
Image: St David Awards 2017, CC BY 3.0
His initial musical instruction was from his father, who was the local schoolteacher, chapel organist and choirmaster. Initially a jazz and jazz-rock musician, he played with legendary Canterbury Sound band Soft Machine.
He’s had a prodigious choral classical output, including Cantata Memoria: For the children, a response to the 1966 Aberfan disaster.
Currently BBC Radio3 Composer of the Week.
Updates on this website
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