News & Reviews

Shiver me timbers! It's pirates in the cathedral

What's this me hearties, pirates in St Asaph Cathedral?

For two days the adventures of Captain Exmark and dog Spot and nephew Luke Ovarthar and puppy Patch will be played out at the Cathedral.

They will feature in a colourful premiere of a specially commissioned musical work for North Wales International Music Festival that's being held between September 24 and October 1.

Welsh composer Gareth Wood has created a 25 minute score to accompany a story written by children's poet and writer Francesca Kay, from Hay on Wye.
The cathedral setting in St Asaph is much more appropriate than people might think – thanks to a couple of real-life 18th century pirates.

New research claims that Long John Silver was based on a Welsh adventurer who came from Denbighshire.

Following a nine-year investigation, author John Amrhein is adamant that Robert Louis Stevenson modelled his classic novel Treasure Island on the lives of Owen and John Lloyd, brothers born in nearby Rhuddlan.

Owen is believed to have sailed to the West Indies and went on to bury 52 chests of Spanish silver pieces of eight on the deserted Norman Island, part of the British Virgin Islands.
And John had a wooden leg – just like the book's famous character.

Tŷ Cerdd Music Centre Wales based at Cardiff has commissioned the new work inspired by the Welsh pirates.
It will be performed by the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Symphony Brass Ensemble.

Gareth, who has worked with the world's greatest conductors and was a member of the Royal Philharmonic for 33 years, said his commission was one of the "most enjoyable" of his career.

"Sea Dogs – A Pirate's Tail (corr)" is part of Ty Cerdd and the Festival's drive to encourage musical appreciation, story-telling and composition in the community, involving dozens of primary schools in Denbighshire and Flintshire.

The project is part of the North Wales International Music Festival's education programme, working in conjunction with the festival's resident ensemble, Ensemble Cymru. This project has been supported by the rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd and funded through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Union.

Artistic Director Ann Atkinson said: "This is a really exciting and colourful new work which is going to be huge amount of fun for the children involved and the audience.

"When we embarked on this project, we weren't aware of the area's connections with the world of piracy and the literary classic it is said to have inspired.

"I'm sure it will fire up the imagination of the audience and bring the whole experience to life."
The Owen brothers aren't Wales's only claim to fame in relation to piracy.
Black Bart who gets a mention in the St Asaph premiere was born John Roberts in Carmarthenshire and regarded as one of the most successful pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy having captured over 470 ships.

Welsh pirate Robert Edwards was given 77 acres of unsettled land – on which Manhattan was built – by a grateful crown for interrupting Spanish trade. His ancestors have tried ever since to get their share of an inheritance valued at $650 billion.

Tŷ Cerdd Director Keith Griffin said: "The project includes step-by-step lesson plans and resources with support from the Ty Cerdd education staff. This includes lesson plans for classroom composition and learning sea shanties; workshops on graphic scores and elements of music; live concert performances and a children's short biography of Gareth Wood.

"During the project, pupils study the story of 'Sea Dogs – A Pirate Tail', exploring how basic compositional techniques can be used to portray emotion, action and description, and how this relates to, and enhances, the content of a story. They then retell the story in their own words and compose their own version of the soundtrack.

"Based on the works of a living Welsh composer and a Welsh author, this project is strongly rooted in the Curriculum Cymreig, and will help to deliver the three areas of study for National Curriculum Music. In terms of Curriculum 2008, it has strong links with literacy, art, dance, drama and the completed composition can be performed in a school assembly, for other classes in the school and at school concerts."

Francesca will narrate the story, which includes a ghostly cameo from legendary Welsh pirate Black Bart – Barti Ddu, at the Cathedral on September 27 and 28 – dressed as Captain Exmark's grandmother.

"A couple of years ago we came up with First Dragon for the festival and it was hugely successful. Ty Cerdd wanted another fun piece for the St Asaph festival. I thought kids love dinosaurs and pirates and Ty Cerdd said let's go with pirates.

"So I've included a foolish adult with a sensible child, Luke, who saves the day. I'm very pleased with the results, it's full of puns and jokes," said Francesca who runs writing workshops.

"I'm delighted to be part of the festival, it's a fantastic event," she said.

Gareth Wood, 61, who lives and works in London but still visits family living near his home village of Cilfynydd, is planning to visit the festival for the performance on September 27.

The former Pontypridd grammar school boy, who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and became a member of the Royal Philharmonic, has had a stellar musical career.

"This is a jolly piece and I hope funny, it is quite tricky just working with brass, I had to be particularly inventive. I thoroughly enjoyed working on it, it was quite exciting and one of the most enjoyable experiences," he said.

And if you need to get into the mood for pirate stories, remember that September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Other highlights at the festival include the world premiere of a new work by the royal composer, Paul Mealor, who shot to global fame thanks to the sensational Royal wedding anthem he wrote for Prince William and Kate Middleton, and a concert by piano virtuoso Llyr Williams.

The festival's Artistic Director, Ann Atkinson, is a talented mezzo soprano in her own right and will again be among the singing stars this year. In addition, Mid-Wales Opera are going to be performing the Puccini favourite, Madam Butterfly.

Ceidiog Hughes

Royal composer's world premiere in North Wales

North Wales will stage the world premiere of the latest work by Royal composer Paul Mealor.

The Anglesey-born composer was propelled to global fame thanks to the sensational Royal wedding anthem he wrote for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Now, the North Wales International Music Festival has commissioned him to write a new work for this year's event at St Asaph Cathedral from September 24 to October 1.

The arts organisation, Tŷ Cerdd - Music Centre Wales, along with Bangor-based Ensemble Cymru, who will perform the work, were also part of the commissioning process.

The powerful seven minute piece will reflect Dr Mealor's deeply felt religious convictions and is entitled Via Crucis, Latin for Way of The Cross, the 14 "Stations of the Cross", as Jesus walks to his crucifixion.

So strong is his faith that the 35-year-old revealed that he had wanted to be a priest but felt his calling was not strong enough.

"Festival artistic director Ann Atkinson wanted to feature my music in a composer portrait concert of about one hour in length featuring Ensemble Cymru, the Aberdeen University Chamber Choir and Ann performing, with a talk by myself about the music," said Paul.

"There are two pieces of music in particular which have had a profound influence on me - one was The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams and the other Gustav Mahler's piano quartet in A-minor.

"It was the only piano quartet he ever wrote, it is a stunning piece and he only wrote one movement which was about 10 minutes long.

"I thought that for my commission I would write a companion piece for the violin, viola and cello but I am cheating and asking the pianist to also play the cymbals.
Paul, who was born in St Asaph and lived on Deeside before his family moved to Anglesey, was described in the New York Times as of the most important composers to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias (founder of the North Wales Festival)"

His motet, Ubi Caritas et Amor, at the Royal Wedding in April, was a huge world-wide success.

Artistic Director Ann Atkinson is thrilled at the prospect of the premiere at this year's festival.

She said: "Paul is a major musical talent of global renown and we are absolutely delighted that we will be unveiling this important new work at the festival.

"We have a fantastic variety of world class musical talent lined up for festival goers this year and Paul is the icing on our cultural cake."

Paul added: "Via Crucis (or 'The Way of the Cross') refers to the journey of the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ as he walks to the crucifixion. This spiritual 'walk' is measured in 'stations' – moments of deep significance to Christians.

"The Stations of the Cross number fourteen and, in today's church are intended to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death.

Paul has a strong faith. "Very much so, I am an Anglican and my faith is very important to me. I wanted to be a priest but to take that life you need a deep calling and so music became like a surrogate way of having the spiritual.
"But I think my music can be enjoyed by people who do not have faith. I am in the middle of composing the piece, but I know how it is going to be, I sketched it out beforehand.
"My composition for piano quartet and small cymbals is a meditation on the 'Stations of the Cross' and is constructed as a long processional.

"It begins with a powerful explosion of sound, and then develops into an intense aria, punctuated by the sounds of small bells (or cymbals) representing – in my mind – a call to prayer.

"The work is a kind of 'song without words' and rises from the lowest notes of the cello to the very highest harmonics of the violin in an attempt to paint an image of the final, powerful hours of Christ's life."

Paul, who is music Professor in composition at Aberdeen University, will be arriving in North Wales with the 25 members of the university choir on September 28, ready for the performance in St Asaph Cathedral at 7.30pm, September 29. And he will be doing some work with local children during school visits in the area.

Paul is hoping to start recording some of his choral music with his record label Decca in July, and the newly commissioned work should be part of the album.

He is also currently working on a more complex half hour long piece called Crucifixus, an Easter Oratorio, with words by his friend, the writer Peter Davidson, which he does not contemplate completing until next year.

"I have studied a lot of religions, faith and scriptures and the same messages come through, and my message has always been a reflection of those things."

Tŷ Cerdd - Music Centre Wales, housed in the Wales Millennium Centre, has a national and international remit to be a "one-stop shop" for information and resources for both amateur and professional music making.

Its director, Keith Griffin, said: "As part of our commissioning policy and support for Welsh composers we have co-funded this new work by Paul with NWIMF and Ensemble Cymru, who are giving the performance. It's good for musicians to have the opportunity actually to work with the composer."

Ensemble Cymru's Artistic Director, Peryn Clement-Evans, said: "We couldn't think of a better way of starting Ensemble Cymru's 10th anniversary year than by performing a new work by a major Welsh composer.     
"His choice to write a piece inspired by the journey of Christ as an innocent man going to his execution promises quite an inspirational experience especially when combined with the wonderful setting of the Cathedral and the intimacy of a small group of musicians."

Its musicians had the distinction of reaching the shortlist of the top three ensembles in the UK in the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in 2006.

The first concert of this year's festival features the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who appeared in the very first festival and have returned many times since, and baritone Roderick Williams.

Strings feature strongly in the week's programme, with artists including Welsh triple harp virtuoso Robin Huw Bowen, classical guitarist Dimitris Dekavallas, the ensemble Blazin' Fiddles and the Vida Guitar Quartet.

Other highlights include a recital by top pianist Llyr Williams, from Rhos, near Wrexham

Ceidiog Hughes

Festival hits high notes with new funding deal

One of Wales's top music festivals is celebrating after clinching a major funding deal.

The North Wales International Music Festival, at St Asaph Cathedral, has secured a £40,000 grant from the North Wales Regional Arts Lottery Fund.

The successful bid came after the Wales Arts Council changed the way it funds festivals.

Organisers believe it is a reward for the "huge success" of last year's event against all the economic odds.

Audience figures went up by 14 per cent on the previous year at a time when other similar events struggled, with a number of high profile casualties like Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival which was cancelled for the second year running.

Artistic Director Ann Atkinson said: "The funding for all festivals will change from them being revenue funded organisations funded by the Arts Council to going into a new pot of funding that comes via the National Lottery.

"In many ways, it will ensure that all festivals are on a level playing field. When you've been revenue funded, it's very scary going out of that comfort zone but it means we are able to do earlier planning and it should work out well for us.

"It was a great delight and relief to find out that our bid for funding had been successful for this year from the North Wales Regional Arts Lottery fund."

"I felt that we had been supported greatly by the Arts Council and the staff of the North Wales Office."

"We felt a great sense of support when we were making the transition – they value what we're doing.

"It is a special event in a very special place and this year will be our 39th year so we are looking forward to our 40th anniversary next year.

"When the late Professor William Matthias, our founder, tried to find the best acoustic in North Wales he chose St Asaph Cathedral.

"The acoustic is exceptional because of the combination of wood and stone. It's a very crisp and a very clean acoustic which enhances any performance.

"There is a great deal of affection for the festival among our supporters.

"Some of the core audiences have come faithfully every year and many of the stewards are hardy perennials. We've also got sponsors who go back to the beginning.

"The performers who come are always very happy to be asked back because the audience creates a very special atmosphere.

"We are certainly not resting on our laurels and we are going all out to get even more people through the doors this year.

"As well as a host of world class performers, we believe in giving a chance to the next generation of musical stars.
"This year we're hoping to stage Noye's Fludde (Noah's Flood) by Benjamin Britten – it will have about 100 schoolchildren in it.

"We'll also have National Youth Jazz Wales as well so we'll have quite a young feel to the festival.

"Another important part of the festival is reaching out into the community and getting people in who would never ever have dreamt of coming to the festival.

"The aim is to get them to realise that classical music is very accessible – good music is good music."

Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales said: "Our new scheme for funding festivals will allow us to fund the very best of Wales's engaging, celebratory and inspiring festivals. North Wales International Music Festival aims to bring the finest international classical artists to North Wales.

"Festivals like this are an important part of cultural life for local communities, and for many they can be the highlight of the year.

"We are delighted to support a Festival that plays such role and we are pleased to be supporting the passion and imagination of the programme that the Festival is offering."

Ceidiog Hughes

Piano virtuoso reveals childhood inspiration

One of the world's best pianists has revealed how he was inspired to become a professional musician by the founder of the North Wales International Music Festival.

Appropriately, virtuoso Llŷr Williams will be one of the star attractions at this year's event at St Asaph Cathedral between September 24 and October 1.

Llŷr, from Rhos, near Wrexham, has played in many of the world's best and most iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall.

But he says the cathedral has unique acoustic qualities which make playing there a joy.

His concert on Tuesday, September 27, is being sponsored by the Wrexham-based Pendine Park care organistion.
Pendine Park has a track record for incorporating the arts within the organisation.

It was one of the first in the UK to employ an artist in residence and has won awards for a long running collaboration with the Hallé orchestra. More recently, Pendine Park was unveiled as one of the Welsh National Opera's first Community Champions.

St Asaph Cathedral was chosen as the venue for the Festival by William Mathias, the royal composer who wrote the anthem, Let the people praise Thee O God, for the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

According to Professor Matthias, one of his greatest achievements was the creation of the hugely popular music Festival in 1972.

He visited every potential venue in North Wales before deciding that St Asaph Cathedral provided the very best acoustic setting for the event.

The launch of this year's festival was held in aristocratic surroundings by kind permission of Eaton Park, near Chester, where Llyr Williams enthralled the audience in a sublime curtain raiser for the main event.

Llŷr read music at Queen's College, Oxford, and went on to take up a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music where he won every available prize and award.

From 2000-02 he was a 'Shinn' Fellow at the Academy, coaching singers and studying conducting. He was also an active member of the Live Music Now! scheme for several years and in 2004 received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Llŷr said: "St Asaph Cathedral is a great place to play and the acoustics are excellent – I always look forward to playing here.

"I have very fond memories of the festival when I was very young – I played here when I was 10 years of age.
"After the performance, I went round the back and met the festival's founder, Professor William Mathias.

"He was a big inspiration when I was young and it's always nice to return to the Cathedral because Professor Mathias is buried here and that always inspires me when I'm playing here."

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft, who lives in Denbigh, said: "Llŷr is such a huge talent – he is a North Wales artiste with a worldwide following.

"We're delighted to have this opportunity to help the festival in a small way and support Llyr which is just fantastic."

"Llyr has an absolutely world class talent and audiences feel a real warmth towards him - I think people recognise that they're in the presence of somebody very special.

"The festival is also very special, it's an incredible event that is going from strength to strength.

"The line-up this year demonstrates yet again that this is an international festival of the highest order."

The first concert of this year's festival features the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who appeared in the very first festival and have returned many times since, and baritone Roderick Williams.

Strings feature strongly in the week's programme, with artists including Welsh triple harp virtuoso Robin Huw Bowen, classical guitarist Dimitris Dekavallas, the ensemble Blazin' Fiddles and the Vida Guitar Quartet along with the harp quarter, 4 Girls 4 Harps.

Apart from Llŷr Williams, the main highlight this year will be the world premier of a new work by the royal composer, Paul Mealor, who shot to global fame thanks to the sensational Royal wedding anthem he wrote for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The festival's Artistic Director, Ann Atkinson, is a talented mezzo soprano in her own right and will again be among the singing stars this year. In addition, Mid-Wales Opera are going to be performing the Puccini favourite, Madam Butterfly.

Ceidiog Hughes

Firms in the running for awards double

Two Denbighshire businesses are in the running for prestigious awards for their "amazing contribution" to the success of one of Wales's top music festivals.

The news comes hot on the heels of an announcement that North Wales International Music Festival, at St Asaph Cathedral, has secured a £40,000 grant from the North Wales Regional Arts Lottery Fund.

The Arts and Business Cymru Awards, to be presented during a glittering ceremony at the Wales Millennium Centre, are designed to recognise the finest examples of partnerships between the two sectors.

The critically-acclaimed festival, which began in 1972, has always relied heavily on the support from local organizations.

In acknowledgement of their contribution, the Festival nominated the St Asaph accountancy practice of Salisbury and Company and the Ruthin hotel and restaurant Manorhaus.

According to Sue Last, Vice-Chair of the Board of the Festival, having such reliable, long-term support was extremely important and it was only right that their "amazing contribution" should be recognized.

She said: "We are absolutely delighted that Salisbury and Company and the Manorhaus are in contention for such prestigious awards and we wish them both well on the night.

"Having also received excellent news in relation to funding, we're on a bit of a roll at the moment and we have an exciting and imaginative programme in place for this year's festival."

Both Salisbury and Company and the Manorhaus have been nominated in the category for small businesses – those for under 100 employees – and Salisbury have also been included in the section for Arts, Business and Employees.

The Manorhaus, established in 2002 by Chris Frost and Gavin Harris, are nominated in the category for long-term support for the arts.

The Festival administrators actually share a building with Salisbury and Company but their relationship goes much deeper than that.

Under their previous name of Gardner Salisbury they began supporting the week-long festival and were highly commended in the Small Business category of the Arts and Business Cymru awards.

The Festival's artistic director Ann Atkinson has held workshops for the company's employees, illustrating how music can help improve business skills.

Director Jeremy Salisbury said the Festival had been a "fantastic" advert for the arts as well as for St Asaph and the local community.

"We've been more than happy to support this cause over the years as one way of supporting the community in which many of our clients live and work," he said.

Festival co-ordinator Katy Williams said that Chris Frost, who is a member of the Festival's Board, and Gavin at the Manorhaus had also been tremendous supporters in various ways.

"They have formed a Ruthin-based syndicate involving chartered architect Robin Wolley and Astbury Civil Engineering who are sponsoring the event and they frequently host meetings and other functions at the Manorhaus," she said.

Chris Frost said they were delighted to have been nominated for the award and to have been closely linked with such a prestigious event.

"I suppose we bring a bit of business acumen into the organization as well as bringing businesspeople along to the concerts, but there's no doubt that we also benefit from our association," he said.

Meanwhile Katy Williams herself, through her own personal company of Katy Morgan Photography, has also nominated the Anglesey-based firm of Peninsula Home Improvements in the category for small businesses.

It follows her work at Peninsula with her father, Mold-based artist/photographer John Butland Morgan.

The Managing Director of the Gaerwen company, Ken Grayson, challenged his workforce to work in teams to show off their skills by installing some of the company's products in unusual settings.

Katy and her father worked closely with the staff in the project and recording their efforts, which included a door fitted into the sand at Porth Trecastell and a window installed in a quarry face near Holyhead.

This year's festival opens on September 24 and runs until October 1. The first concert features the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who appeared in the very first festival and have returned many times since, and baritone Roderick Williams.

Strings feature strongly in the week's programme, with artists including Welsh triple harp virtuoso Robin Huw Bowen, classical guitarist Dimitris Dekavallas, the ensemble Blazin' Fiddles and the Vida Guitar Quartet.

Among other highlights are a recital by top pianist Llyr Wiliams, from Rhos, near Wrexham, and a Portrait of Composer Dr Paul Mealor featuring Ensemble Cymru, Aberdeen University Chamber Choir and mezzo-soprano Ann Atkinson, who is also the Festival's talented Artistic Director.

Dr Mealor will also conduct a choral workshop for mixed choirs.

Ceidiog Hughes