Second CD available soon!
Wavy strings in the shape of a harp on a blue background with the words: Gwenllian Llyr, telyn/harp; soliloquies for harp
Over the past few years, I’ve been hinting at the prospect of my next CD, and somehow the release date has crept up on me! With less than a week to go, I’m so excited to share ALL the details regarding my next CD with you.
Soliloquies for harp is a project of wonderful Welsh music that I hold dear to my heart, with pieces that are firm favourites alongside newer and less familiar gems. The title is taken from one of the pieces on the CD, Soliloquies by Haldon Evans, a score that was gifted to me by the publisher many years ago with the message that it was a wonderful piece that needed championing by someone – something that I was happy to do after playing through it. I recorded a video of one of the movements of Soliloquies with City Music Foundation a few years ago, and I was keen to share the whole piece as a wonderful example of putting a new spin on the traditional folk melodies of my youth. Soon after, I was consumed by the idea of a whole CD of Welsh music, and I was so pleased that Ty Cerdd Records were keen to work with me on this venture.
It was almost akin to the feeling of a guilty pleasure, being able to indulge in playing through the wealth of Welsh music and call it work. I can’t say the same for the arduous task that was having to narrow the list of pieces to the final ten. I had to step back and consider so many factors, such as how the pieces might flow from one to another, the importance to me of including music by female composers, and whether there were too many recordings of a particular piece – was I saying anything new? The head and the heart had many arguments! I was also keen to include one of my own pieces, which was something that almost didn’t happen – indeed, I worked through the night to transcribe as many of my scribbles as possible so that the ever-patient James, sound engineer extraordinaire, had something to guide him in the recording sessions.
The first recording session went very well, and I was looking forward to the final session…fate, however, had other plans. With no fewer than five rescheduled dates for that final recording session (thanks, Covid), it took more than 15 months to get all the music recorded, by which point, I felt ready to burst – not just with excitement, but also thanks to the busy kicking, wiggling and hiccoughing of my second baby. Hence the even longer delay in releasing this CD! So, perhaps I can be forgiven in finding myself only now sharing news of this CDs imminent release. In all honesty, I might enjoy it even more now that it’s been thrust upon me so quickly – the build-up and anticipation of events and occasions (Christmas, I’m talking to you!), often leave a slightly underwhelming feel in their wake, never quite matching up to the frenzy of the few weeks before. I can enjoy the fact that the release is happening in 6 days, and savour the sharing of the repertoire in my performances over the next year. Hope to see you at one of them soon!