Arwel Hughes: Oratorio Dewi Sant

Album review

Dewi Sant, the subject of this oratorio by composer Arwel Hughes, is Saint David, the patron saint of Wales. The oratorio, composed in 1951, exists in an English version but is here recorded in the original Welsh for the first time. This is something unusual today and even more unusual for 1951. As with his early medieval counterpart Saint Patrick, there are various legends surrounding the life of David, but the text here, by Aneirin Talfan Davies, is pretty dry, focusing on the revelations that confirmed David's sainthood. There are beautiful moments, such as the fourth movement, in which a female chorus intones, "Come hither, David, to light and glory." The choral writing is pitched at a level for amateur community singers, and Hughes' artless melodies might work better with those than with the big Chorus of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. However, the work is colorful and joyous in a way that communicates directly, and it deserves to be better known than it is. There is a bit of Vaughan Williams but also a flavor that, although not folkish, seems distinctly Welsh. The three soloists are strong, especially tenor Rhodri Prys Jones, who is unfazed by the difficult high-register Kyrie eleison at the end. Fans of choral music from the British Isles will find something distinctive here.
© James Manheim /TiVo