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
My earliest musical memory or at least one that has been mentioned by my mother so many times that I am now able to remember it as my own is being able to whistle in my pram.
This was more like a long-pitched sound that I could make on my inhale to the accompaniment of the traffic and the pram’s wheels pounding over the uneven pavements at the bottom of Penglais Hill leading to North Parade and into Aberystwyth town. Punctuated by sudden stops where Mam would poke her concerned face close to mine to see if I was OK and still breathing.
I suppose this was the beginning of my fascination with listening intently and hearing sounds as layers and it could even be seen as the percussor to my very first improvised violin solo Tri Sŵn released on Absinth Records.
The piece that inspired me to become a composer
I think of myself more as a violinist that uses improvisation to make pieces. When I moved from Düsseldorf to London in 2002 after six years of freelancing as a violinist, I was lucky to be immediately embedded in a vibrant improvising scene and then at the end of that year I was introduced to the experimental contemporary music scene. This was mainly due to my brother Rhodri Davies’ impossible to ignore persuasion and support and then meeting my husband-to-be Tim Parkinson who gently and consistently encouraged me to just try things out and not worry. So rather than a piece it’s Tim and Rhodri and all the musicians that I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with that have inspired me.
Tim Parkinson: The Waiting Room (No.9 from the Waiting Rooms)
Rhodri Davies: Gardd a Thŷ (from Telyn Wrachïod album)
The piece I wish I’d written
I love the pacing, production, simplicity, use of field recordings and rhythmic propulsion of P J Harvey’s A Noiseless Noise. Everything!
The recording I would give as a gift
Erosão by Maria Portugal. I heard Maria Portugal in June 2022 when I travelled out of the UK for the first time after the pandemic. I went to record a duo with Burkhard Beins for Ni Vu Ni Connu record label and played the result of our collaboration at Ausland which is a fantastically vital venue for experimental music in Berlin. We shared the bill with the Beijing based musician/poet Yan Jun and Maria Portugal who presented a version of her solo album with Burkhard Beins and Emilio Gordoa. This trip is etched in my mind as a turning point in slowly finding a way through the artistic uncertainty that I was experiencing at the time.
My comfort listen
The third movement of Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor played by the Orpheus String Quartet when my teacher Charles André Linale was a member.
This reminds me of his generosity, patience and encouragement and my younger adventurous self.
The music that reignites my imagination
There’s tons!
Attending live events and collaborating with other musicians are my go to for inspiration.
1. Tony Conrad Unprojectable at Tate Modern 2008.
2. Moor Mother’s performance at Borealis festival in 2017.
3. Mazen Kerbaj: Walls will fall - The 49 trumpets of Jericho
4. Anton Lukoszevieze playing Cassandra Miller’s Duet for Cello and Orchestra in 2019.
5. Lydia Lunch’s performance with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks at All Tomorrow’s Parties, Minehead 2008.
6. Playing with Mariam Rezaei at Live Theatre Newcastle 2023