Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
Ar hyn of bryd mae'r cynnwys hwn ar gael yn Saesneg yn unig.
hyrwyddo a dathlu cerddoriaeth Cymru
promoting and celebrating the music of Wales
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My earliest musical memory
A few things come to mind thinking of this question — I remember my mother singing nursery rhymes to me, especially ‘Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross’. My dad used to play and listen to music constantly, and apparently he put the stereo in the kitchen right next to
where I slept in a crib as a newborn (but that’s more like a memory of a story rather than a real one).
One memory that sticks out is when my dad marched into the kitchen honking away on a soprano saxophone that was way too loud for my little ears, I was very frightened! More often he would be jamming and writing songs on the guitar. I do remember the first mixtape he made for me when I had my very own red and yellow plastic kids cassette player.. and that included songs by Donovan and The Incredible String Band — full on psychedelic hippy stuff!
The piece that inspired me to become a composer
A lot of music inspired me to become a composer, but in the early days before I even studied, I suppose it would have been either the Elgar Cello Concerto or the Shostakovich Cello Sonata. I was learning to play these and really loved them. I loved the way the intricate melodic lines soared and developed and I remember being incredibly curious how they interacted with their accompaniments. I attempted to create something similar by noodling around with my non existent piano skills and drawing my own manuscript paper
from scratch.
The piece I wish I’d written
Takemitsu: Rain Spell
I love a lot of Takemitsu’s music, but I find Rain Spell utterly beautiful. I love the everchanging textures, juxtaposed, a dreamy flow punctuated by a single harsher note, beautiful sonorous chords, multiphonics, microtones like I’ve never been brave enough to explore in my music. I love the evocative stillness it creates, resonances held, yet it weaves a tapestry of constant flow and movement… and holds me spellbound.
The recording I would give as a gift
My comfort listen
Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabati. I love this music because I find it mesmerising and peaceful. It is a very beautiful, and quietly joyful music. I’m sure in a subconscious way it reminds me of being very young when life was more carefree, (I listened to a lot of Kora music as a child.) Listening, I feel wrapped up all warm in the intricate melodies and hypnotic rhythms, helping me to find the space of calm.
The music that reignites my imagination
Almost anything really! There is so so so much music I have yet to explore, and I do find listening to things new to me fires up my imagination. I’ve chosen 5 things I already love that I go to when I need creative inspiration.
1. All of nature, especially birdsong.
I just love stopping to just listen, and becoming aware of things like the wind rustling the trees in summer, the sound of water, waves lapping, waterfalls, ripples, rain…. the imagined sound of light sparkling on water. All the sounds that bring me into the present, slowing me down momentarily, then melodies and textural ideas just seem to arrive.
2. Dutilleux Cello Concerto (Tout un monde lointain).
I love this because it has such beautiful quiet moments, intense drama, dancing and rich orchestration, endless inspiration.
3. Katsuya Yokoyama: Reibo
I love how very old honkyoku (solo shakuhachi music) sounds so other worldly, and almost contemporary. I find playing the shakuhachi
deeply meditative, and it’s a pleasure being immersed in the sounds of the masters playing.
4. Jordi Savall & Montserrat Figueras: La Rosa Enflorece
I just love this whole world of sound — utterly beautiful.
5. Palestrina: Magnificat Primi Toni
Sublime beauty in every way.