World premiere for ‘gritty’ new harp concerto inspired by Welsh power station

Nation Cymru staff

A new harp concerto inspired by a gas-fired power station and a Welsh music legend will have its world premiere at the festival he founded.

Composer Cameron Biles-Liddell drew on the work of the acclaimed William Mathias when he wrote the homage to Flintshire’s rugged industrial heritage when creating Nature’s Dance which will be performed at St Asaph Cathedral on September 18 at 7pm.

The dramatic and gritty concerto was co-commissioned by the North Wales International Music Festival and BBC Radio 3 for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) and former royal harpist Alis Huws.

Cameron, who lives in Hawarden and was brought up in Corwen, listened to Mathias’ harp concerto alongside work by Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera before beginning to sketch out his own piece.

It will be performed by the orchestra and Alis, who is from the Banw Valley, near Llanfair Caereinion in Powys, and conducted by Tianyi Lu

The festival, which runs from September 10-19 and features concerts, workshops and fringe events, has been made possible thanks to main grant funders the Arts Council of Wales and Colwinston Charitable Trust.

Other partners include the headline sponsors, Pendine Park care organisation, through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), established by owners Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, along with Scops Arts Trust, Tŷ Cerdd, St Asaph City Council and Salisburys Chartered Accountants.

Cameron said: Cameron said: “The whole theme was inspired when I was driving back from Manchester along the A55 Expressway and I saw the Connah’s Quay power station.

“That was the trigger and what I am seeking to do is champion the county of Flintshire where I live.

“When you think of the harp you naturally think of an angelic, mystical type sound when there’s actually a whole lot more to offer from the instrument and it’s so richly varied. From listening to the Mathias concerto I realised I had to do something different and try to create something that is distinctive and unique.

“I am very grateful to the Vale of Glamorgan Legacy Fund, Hinrichsen Foundation and Marchus Trust for their support in the concerto.”

William Mathias, professor of music at Bangor University for many years, founded the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph in 1972 to promote classical music and to make it more accessible in the region. He directed the festival until his death in 1992.

According to Cameron, he worked closely with Alis Huws while composing the piece.

“It began in January when I sent her a sketch of some of my ideas and she played through some of them and offered some practical advice about the harp and since then it’s gone through several revisions as a result of her feedback.

“In reality it’s a concerto which has been composed for her and I like to think it’s got a bit of her style and personality in there,” he said.

Having performed for the Royal Family on several occasions, Alis was appointed the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales in July 2019.

Following the accession of Charles III in September 2022, Huws’ role became that of Royal Harpist, and in February 2023 she was chosen to play at King Charles’ coronation.

Cameron’s music regularly takes inspiration from north Wales, local folklore and landmarks across the UK.

From depicting dramatic medieval battlefields in Caer Drewyn (The Hill Fort) which was premiered by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, to setting Scottish poetry of shorelines in The Breakers, a recent song-cycle commission for Beth Taylor and Hamish Brown which was performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in August.

BBC NOW performed Afon yn yr Awyr, a piece of his inspired by the Pontcysyllte aqueduct near Llangollen, at the festival a couple of years ago.

The festival’s Artistic Director, Prof Paul Mealor, said the concert also features two other well-known pieces which also chime with the event’s theme, Macrocosm: Music and Conservation.

“The programme examines the natural world and its many wonders, from the beautiful warmth of Vaughan Williams’ ever-popular, The Lark Ascending, via Cameron’s dramatic harp concerto, to the joyous Sixth Symphony of Beethoven – a pioneering piece of programmatic music, depicting rural life with scenes like a brook, peasant dances, and a thunderstorm”.

Global opera star Sir Bryn Terfel will headline the opening concert on September 10, performing a selection of his favourite songs accompanied by talented young pianist Ellis Thomas and sharing stories from his remarkable career.

There will be a lunchtime concert on Friday, September 11, featuring Canadian violinist Jack Campbell and Welsh composer-pianist Pwyll ap Siôn, performing as Duologue, whose programme will include new works inspired by endangered birds and traditional folk melodies.

That evening The Gesualdo Six, one of Britain’s leading a cappella groups will perform music from their latest album, Wishing Tree.
Taking centre stage the following evening will be youngsters from the North Wales Music Cooperative’s Fusion and Jazz Bands and outstanding soloists.

Last April they performed for King Charles III and Queen Camilla when St Asaph Cathedral hosted the Royal Maundy service, the first time in 800 years that this ancient ceremony had come to north Wales and only the second time in Wales.

Among the other highlights is the Pendine Young Musician of Wales Grand Final which takes place on Wednesday, September 16, with four young musicians from throughout Wales competing for £4,000 in prize money.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf will be performed on Thursday, September 17, narrated by Classic FM presenter and former BBC newsreader Zeb Soanes and played by the acclaimed NEW Sinfonia orchestra, with BSL Interpretation.

The festival closes with a choral concert featuring two choirs, Anglesey-based Encôr and Hen Nodiant from Cardiff. Both are long-time rivals who have only ever met in competition at the National Eisteddfod, uniting in song for the very first time.

Tickets and further details about the festival programme and free fringe events are available online at https://nwimf.com. Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph – 07471 318723 (Weds – Fri, 10 – 4) and Theatr Clwyd – 01352 344101 (Mon – Sat, 10 – 6).

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