This is a tuneful and effective suite using motives from Welsh folk tunes to depict four scenes or moods of the part of Wales called Gwent.

The composer is a well-established light music composer who was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1928. He wrote this suite on commission from the South Wales Argus (newspaper) for performance by the Monmouthshire County Youth Orchestra. Thus the writing is relatively simple, and the music is very accessible and attractive.

The first movement, Allegro con moto, has a theme that Walters derived from a counterpoint figure that is conventionally used in performances of the traditional Llanover Reel. The movement features bright, cheery brass chords that build note by note.

The second movement, Alla Marcia, is more or less a scherzo from the point of view of its place in the structure of this 11-minute suite. It does not use strings. It is a bit grotesque, especially in its use of spicy dissonances in the harmonies. There is a central trio that uses a bit of a folk song called Come, All ye Bards.

Naturally, the third movement, Lento, is the slow, lyrical movement of the suite. It seems to be a love song, initiated by the clarinet with a melody quoting the folk song Come ye Near.

The finale, Con brio, is a tribute to a longtime family friend, Dorothy Adams Jeremiah, who was for a long time the music advisor to the country. As such, she assisted the composer's father, Irwyn Walters, in establishing the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, the first national youth orchestra anywhere. The rhythms of the piece sketch out the accents of her name, while the tune derives from the folk song When on a Day Returning. It is brassy and celebratory, ending the suite in a brilliant flourish.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.