Double Double
Double Double — or Epsilon Lyrae — is a multiple star system in the constellation of Lyra (the harp). The legend of Lyra tells the story of Orpheus, who was given a lyre by Apollo and proceeded to sculpt a music sweeter than that of any other mortal man. Orpheus’s music was so powerful that it could charm even inanimate objects such as trees, rocks, and stars.
A Thornbush In My Strength with Neil Percy
Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Proverbs 26:9, New Revised Standard
Ben Goldscheider & Pete Stollery at Sound Festival
A brilliant new audio-visual recording of In the Crypt — an interactive piece for horn and live electronics — is now available on YouTube. Realised by the marvellous Ben Goldscheider (horn) and Pete Stollery (electronics), this is a poignant performance of a “ghosting” piece. It stands out from previous renditions because of the way it was assembled.
Carl Rosman at Darmstadt
“Gêmdisyn – the suffix -yn designating in Welsh a singular thing found in the natural world – is based on the solo E-flat clarinet part of Morgan-Williams’s Gêmdis (2020). It is more like a new piece made from recycled materials than a mere extraction, however: sections have been reordered, reshaped and in some cases discarded entirely. While Gêmdis took several rolls through different emotional states, Gêmdisyn alternates between just two: a whimsical, skipping chatter, like a child talking to itself, and a fiery, flashing loss of control. A new central section of fragile harmonics and deliberately audible leaks of air – ironically marked ‘mechanical’ – breaks the pattern and despite its delicacy adds a degree of certainty to the random shakes of the dice. As the game comes to its end and the different temperaments depart, it is this atmosphere that remains.” – Tim Rutherford-Johnson
Enraptured at St. Luke’s
Enraptured (2015) is a one-movement fantasy for viola and piano. It was premiered by Paul Silverthorne & Aglaia Tarantino on 30 January 2016, LSO St. Luke’s (London). This recording is taken from that concert.
Gêmdis with Musikfabrik
The title ‘Gêmdis’ combines the Welsh words for ‘game’ and ‘dice’, and like a desperate gambler, Bethan Morgan-Williams’ piece for E-flat clarinet and ensemble keeps returning for another roll of the dice. Each new start takes the music through a different set of emotional states, from playful to down and dirty, from the still voice of conscience to the horns of a dilemma. Or does it keep returning to the same place?
In Kenopsia
In Kenopsia – an interactive piece for trombone & live electronics – is inspired by the experience of being present in a place that is usually bustling with life, but is now deserted. It is a duet between the known and visually-present trombonist and a violin. There is no violinist present though. Instead, all of the sounds used to comprise the samples in the electronics are taken from a single recording of a violinist improvising, and gradually over the course of the piece, the source of these exterior sounds becomes more apparent.
A Love Letter To Liverpool
A Love Letter to Liverpool was recorded by Jennifer Johnston (mezzo-soprano) and Alisdair Hogarth (piano) in May 2019, and tells the story of Jennifer’s childhood and heritage against the backdrop of her home city. It features new arrangements of songs by ten composers that have a connection to Liverpool, including Bethan’s arrangement of Liverpool Lullaby.
One, Two, Bakerloo…
Intended as an encore piece, this bagatelle for solo violin is a minimalist collision of additive melody and metamorphosis techniques. The title is derived from an unfinished poem that’s featured in The Little Book of Mornington Crescent. It reads:
Panufnik Legacies III
Conductor François-Xavier Roth leads the London Symphony Orchestra on the third album in the Panufnik Legacies series. All of the composers featured on this recording are alumni of the LSO Discovery Panufnik Composers Scheme, which offers six composers each year the opportunity to write for a world-class symphony orchestra, guided by renowned composer Colin Matthews.
Datod (Unpinned)
“In the middle of the first lockdown, Bethan — whom we had met at Composer Collider Europe — sent us a duo for violin and piano, in case we knew what to do with it. The premiere, like so many things at that time, had been cancelled.
When, a short time later, the first tentative opportunities arose to give small concerts to a reduced audience and our Concertini series was born, it was immediately clear to us that we wanted to premiere Datod and add it to our repertoire.”
— Hannah Weirich (violin)