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
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William Mathias at 90
by Rhiannon Mathias
William Mathias is one of the major composers of the twentieth century. Born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, on 1 November 1934, he served as Professor of Music at Bangor University from 1970-88 and was also the founding Artistic Director of the North Wales International Music Festival, held annually since 1972 in St Asaph, Denbighshire. The specialist music centre, Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias in Caernarfon (established, 1999), is named after him.
Mathias’s music has a compelling and immediately recognisable personal style that communicates to audiences all over the world. His compositions cover an astonishingly wide range, and include three symphonies, eleven concertos, chamber music, choral music and an opera, The Servants (1980). His Laudi for orchestra (1973) was the most regularly performed contemporary piece by a living British composer during the 1970s, and his anthem Let the People Praise Thee, O God was specially composed for the wedding of HRH Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
Mathias received world-wide recognition for his contributions to music during his lifetime, including a D. Mus from the University of Wales (1966), a CBE in the 1985 New Year’s Honours List, and an D.Mus from Westminster Choir College, Princeton (1987). His music represents the artistry and culture of Wales at its very best and continues to inspire new generations of music-lovers all over the world today.
▶ The Music of William Mathias
Rhiannon Mathias selects tracks that illustrate the extraordinary breadth and variety of her father's compositions in this special feature