Owain Arwel Hughes
One of the leading conductors from the U.K., Owain Arwel Hughes has become as well known for his interpretations of Danish music as for British, and he is equally at home with choral works as with orchestral. Although Hughes successfully launched his career in England and Wales, he branched out, both in his conducting activities and in his choice of repertory, when he accepted the post of principal conductor of the Ålborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark. Not surprisingly, Hughes' orchestral/choral repertory includes much British music -- works by Elgar, Delius, Vaughan Williams, and others -- and an eclectic array of music by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Schnittke, and many more. Hughes has made over 50 recordings, spread over many labels, including BIS, EMI, and Warner Classics.
Owain Arwel Hughes was born in Ton Pentre, in the Rhondda Valley of Wales, on March 21, 1942. His father was the composer Arwel Hughes. He studied music at Cardiff University and the Royal College of Music in London; among his teachers were a quite distinguished trio of Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, and Rudolf Kempe. Hughes served as associate conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London in the 1970s. From 1980 to 1986, he worked in the same capacity for the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra.
In 1986, Hughes founded the Welsh Proms Cymru, a yearly summer festival of music for which he has served as artistic director ever since. In the 1980s, he also worked as principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Hughes accepted the post of principal conductor with the Ålborg Symphony Orchestra in 1994. He soon became a champion of the music of the composer Vagn Holmboe. A stream of recordings on the BIS label followed, including the massive Holmboe cycle, featuring all 14 symphonies (the 13 numbered symphonies and the unnumbered Sinfonia "In Memoriam").
Hughes departed his Ålborg post in 1999. In 2003, he was appointed music director of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. The following year, he was awarded the title of Officer of the British Empire, and in 2009, he was elevated to Commander of the British Empire. Hughes founded the Camerata Wales in 2005 and has since served as its music director. In 2008, he led the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in a recording of Knudåge Riisager's Benzin and other orchestral works. Hughes remained with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales until 2010. In 2014, he was named the professor of performance at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hughes launched a cycle of Sibelius' symphonies on the Rubicon label in 2020, with the second release appearing in 2022.
© Robert Cummings & Keith Finke /TiVo
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Holmboe: Symphonies Nos. 1, 3 and 10
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 mai 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holmboe: Concertos Nos. 8 & 10 / Concerto Giocondo E Severo / The Ill-Tempered Turk
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 juin 2003
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Holst : The Planets & Somerset Rhapsody (- Apex)
Classique - Paru chez Warner Classics International le 15 mars 2005
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Here Come the Classics, Vol. 10: Grand Opera Gala
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez RPO le 6 sept. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holmboe: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 nov. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 13 / Prince Rostislav
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 mars 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar, E.: Symphony No. 2 / Hoddinott, A.: Investiture Dances
National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez Divine Art le 21 nov. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hughes: Dewi Sant (St. David)
Yvonne Kenny, Martyn Hill, David Wilson-Johnson, BBC Welsh Chorus, BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Musique chorale (pour chœur) - Paru chez Chandos le 1 juil. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holmboe, V.: Kairos (Time), "Sinfonias Nos. 1-4"
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 27 oct. 2009
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Schnittke, A.: Concerto Grosso No. 1 (Version for Flute and Oboe) / Symphony No. 9
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 23 juin 2009
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Hughes: Dewi Sant (Saint David)
Owain Arwel Hughes, BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, Yvonne Kenny, Martyn Hill, David Wilson-Johnson, BBC National Chorus of Wales
Oratorios sacrés - Paru chez Chandos le 1 juil. 1990
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Holmboe: Four Symphonic Metamorphoses
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 28 févr. 1998
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Walton: The Symphonies
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 27 juil. 2010
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Holmboe: Brass Concertos
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 31 déc. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holmboe: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
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Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 janv. 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Holmboe: Symphony No. 2
Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 30 nov. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3 / Vocalise / Youth Symphony
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 juin 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Horneman: Theatre Music
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 31 janv. 1998
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Holmboe: Recorder Concerto / Flute Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Classique - Paru chez BIS le 1 août 1998
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