‘Cennin aur’ for Cantorion Ardwyn
During my time singing with the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in some of Wales’ best-loved tunes. One piece, in particular, has remained close to my heart—and to many Welsh singers who perform it: Mansel Thomas’ Cennin Aur. This work embodies an immediate sense of hiraeth, woven through its harmonic suspensions, close harmonies, and the poignant sentiment that beauty is fleeting.
Cennin Aur was Mansel Thomas’ first notable composition, written in the mid-1920s for the newly formed Pendyrus Choir, which rehearsed near his home in Tylorstown. Perhaps still one of Thomas’ most-performed works, it evokes a deeply Welsh nostalgia—for a time lost, or even for the loss of time itself. These are the elements I sought to capture in my response to Mansel Thomas, nestled within the words of Psalm 144 (Psalm 143 in the Latin Vulgate): “Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.”
This work was composed for David Leggett and Cantorion Ardwyn, in celebration of the choir’s 60th anniversary.
About the commissioning project
The Cardiff Ardwyn Singers has a long track record of commissioning new music for choir. The choir's mission of championing contemporary music in concert at home as well as abroad has brought new Welsh music to a wider audience. Cantorion Ardwyn Caerdydd would now like to undertake a new project with the ambitious aim of commissioning five new pieces to be premiered in Cardiff and then to be shared through workshops collaboratively with choirs across Wales.
Awen yr Ardwyn (Ardwyn Inspirations) is a concept designed to link contemporary choral music with the nation's legacy of fine choral music. The choir would select five warhorses of the Welsh Choral Tradition and allocate one to each of the five contemporary composers. They in turn would be commissioned to compose a companion piece to be paired in performance with the original piece.
When can i hear this being performed live?
For more information about when you can hear this in concert, please visit this webpage (link embedded)
More information about Cennin aur
For full information about this new work, please visit this dedicated webpage. (lInk embedded)
