Atgof o'r Sêr (Memory of the Stars) is a musical composition by Welsh contemporary composer Robat Arwyn. [1] It was commissioned for the 2001 National Eisteddfod of Wales in Denbighshire and was written specifically for baritone singer Bryn Terfel, soprano Fflur Wyn, and the Ruthun and District Choir. [2]
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendance generally exceeds 150,000 visitors. The 2018 Eisteddfod was held in Cardiff Bay.
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales, named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but with substantially different borders. Denbighshire is the longest known inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd-Llanelwy) Palaeolithic site has Neanderthal remains from 225,000 years ago. Its several castles include Denbigh, Rhuddlan, Ruthin, Castell Dinas Bran and Bodelwyddan. St Asaph, one of the smallest cities in Britain, has one of the smallest Anglican cathedrals. Denbighshire has a length of coast to the north and hill ranges to the east, south and west. In the central part, the River Clwyd has created a broad fertile valley. It is primarily a rural county with little industry. Crops are grown in the Vale of Clwyd and cattle and sheep reared in the uplands. The coast attracts summer tourists, and hikers frequent the Clwydian Range, which forms an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the upper Dee Valley. Llangollen hosts the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in each July.
Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Don Giovanni, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner.
Following the live performance at the National Eisteddfod, a book of the music score was published by Curiad, and the recording was released as an album by Sain in 2002. Atgof o'r Sêr comprises eight movements that set Welsh-language poems about stars to music. The title song was written by poet Robin Llwyd ab Owain, translated into Welsh from English. Allmusic gave the recording three out of five stars, noting that Bryn Terfel dominates the album, and giving Fflur Wyn's soprano as a highlight. [1]
Robin Llwyd ab Owain is an author, national award winning poet, and Wikipedian. He won the chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1991 at Mold for a poem titled "Merch Ein Amserau". In 2013, he was appointed Wikimedia UK's first Wales Manager.
Due to its success, a second musical based on the life of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, was performed in August 2005: 'Er Hwylio'r Haul' ("Although the Sun has Set"); it was written by Robat Arwyn. The soloists were Bryn Terfel and soprano Fflur Wyn. It is published in a book under the same title by Curiad.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last, rarely styled as Llywelyn Yr Ail, was Prince of Wales from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 1282. The son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr and grandson of Llywelyn the Great, he was the last sovereign prince of Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England.
Prince of Wales was a title granted to princes born in Wales from the 12th century onwards; the term replaced the use of the word king. One of the last Welsh princes, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, was killed in battle in 1282 by Edward I, King of England, whose son Edward was invested as the first English Prince of Wales in 1301.
