O Wyll i Wawr: Dusk to Dawn (CD)
Gwenllian's debut CD 'Dusk to Dawn' combines her love of dreaming and harp playing, with an unusual mix of pieces from well loved favourites to undiscovered gems. Her own piece 'Strawberry Moon' is featured, alongside some of the most challenging pieces in the repertoire, 'Ballade Fantastique' by Renie and her own arrangement of 'The Lark' by Glinka. Prepare to be swept away into the darkness of the night with this wonderful collection of beautiful music.
Track listing:
1. Ballade Fantastique by H. Renie
2. Rêverie by C. Debussy
3. An Evening in the Village by B. Bartok
4. Strawberry Moon by G. Llyr
5. Around the Clock Suite by P. Chertok: Ten Past Two
6. Around the Clock Suite by P. Chertok: Beige Nocturne
7. Around the Clock Suite by P. Chertok: Harpicide at Midnight
8. Around the Clock Suite by P. Chertok: The Morning After
9. Flying With the Birds by S. Rothstein
10. The Lark by M. Glinka
11. Au Matin by M. Grandjany
12. Ballade: Opus 28 by C. Salzedo
Review by the UKHA Magazine, Autumn 2017
“Gwenllian Llyr has released a solo collection that also combines well loved standards with highly personal and unusual programming touches. Beginning with Renie’s Ballade Fantastique (the tell-tale heart), Llyr’s technique is sure, powerful and well-up to the challenges of this notorious gothic fantasy. Changes in register and colour are defined and the ghoulish subject matter clearly lives in the artist’s imagination as she plays. Salzedo’s less-often played Ballade is similarly magnificent. However, it is in the more intimate numbers that Llyr really comes into her own: an arrangement of Bartok’s Evening in the Country creates an exceptionally still moment, with a liquid legato that is very rare. Her renderings of Glinka’s The Lark and Debussy’s Reverie also have that compelling mellowness. Llyr also includes the enchanting, evocative Flying with the Birds Dream by Sue Rothstein, and a charming composition of her own, Strawberry Moon. A complete programme, thoughtfully put together, beautifully played and stylishly presented.”