Morfydd Owen: Selected songs and piano music (2026) - Gail Pearson, soprano; Christopher Williams, piano

Morfydd Owen: Selected songs and piano music (2026)

Gail Pearson (soprano), Christopher Williams (piano)

Gail Pearsons’s introduction to the album:

"The idea for this recording was conceived back in 2016 when I performed in a theatre piece about Ernest Jones called Elements of Figure Skating, with myself acting, singing and dancing as Morfydd.

I felt a real connection with her music, and speaking with Rhian Davies and members of Ernest Jones’s family after the show, I became curious to learn more about Morfydd the woman, and felt compelled to research her unpublished songs.

I’ve known Gweddi Y Pechadur and Suo-Gân since my student days, thanks to AJ Heward Rees, and I made the mistake of thinking that all of Morfydd’s songs were in a similar vein, so I was delighted to find so many songs in different styles and languages. I was determined to bring them out of the archives and encourage more performances of a greater variety of her works.

In 2018, I asked Chris to join me in a recital of Morfydd’s music at Cardiff University to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her death. We both worked there at the time, and like Morfydd, we also studied there.

We have subsequently performed Morfydd recitals in Pontypridd, where she was born, and in the Mumbles, where she died. We have added more songs and piano pieces as we have developed the recitals. We know over 30 songs, and we are bringing 28 of them to you here, along with 4 piano pieces. Morfydd’s music has become very personal to the both of us and we felt it was time to share this with a wider audience.

We are very grateful to Rhian Davies for her support since the start, and especially for introducing me to the silly songs!

This recording is dedicated to the memories of CB, who believed in me from the start and BG, who has been a constant presence with us throughout this project. We remember them both with deep love and affection.

1.      Gweddi Y Pechadur 3’56

2.      Suo-Gân 2’29

3.      Slumber Song of the Madonna 1’55

4.      To Our Lady of Sorrows 2’05

5.      Orbits 1’37

6.      Foredoomed 2’49

7.      The Nightingale 0’59

8.      Piano Prelude in E minor 2’50

9.      Infant Joy 0’50

10.  The Lamb 2’50

11.  Spring 0’59

12.  Maida Vale 2’51

13.  A Mother’s Lullaby 2’37

14.  A Noontide Lullabye 1’30

15.  Dear Home in The Hills 2’11

16.  Goldfish 1’07

17.  The Year’s at the Spring 0’41

18.  God Made a Lovely Garden 1’57

19.  Speedwell 2’58

20.  To Violets 1’13

21.  Daisy’s Song 1’05

22.  La Tristesse 2’54

23.  Chanson de Fortunio 2’36

24.  Rhapsody in C sharp minor 4’27

25.  If I Had But Two Little Wings 2’02

26.  Mister Rain 0’58

27.  April 1’11

28.  Sunshine Town 1’57

29.  Four Welsh Impressions 7’30

30.  The Land of Hush-a-bye 2’47

31.  In Cradle Land (January 1916) 3’20

32.  The Fairies’ Wedding 3’39

Total running time: 75’11