Rhys Meirion has all the attributes which combine to make a world-class singer: a powerful and sonorous tenor voice, a stage presence which commands attention, an engaging personality, and innate musicianship of the highest order.

He was brought up within a few miles of the renowned bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, and in a recent Gala Concert at London’s Albert Hall they combined to electrifying effect. There is an affinity between them in their ability to sing – and enjoy – songs from a wide range of styles and traditions. On this album, Rhys displays his mastery of the classical and operatic, and also of classic Welsh solos. He shows his natural feeling for the Welsh hymn, as well as Italian favourites. Through his connection with Côr Rhuthun, which lends its own unique sound to this album, Rhys has known composer Robat Arwyn for many years, and he sings three of Robat’s recent compositions here, the title-song, a duet with young Welsh soprano Fflur Wyn, and Cân Mair. All three songs are destined to become firm favourites with audiences and listeners.

Born in Tremadog in the North-West of Wales, Rhys Meirion graduated as a Bachelor of Education and worked as a head-teacher before beginning his training as a singer. From 1997 to 1999 he was a member of the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and currently studies with Gerald Moore.

In 1999, Rhys made his Glyndebourne Festival debut as Edmondo in Manon Lescaut and later joined English National Opera as a Company Principal, where his roles have been many and varied. In 2002 he made his Australian debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème for West Australian Opera, and his European debut in the same role for Städtische Bühnen, Frankfurt-am-Main. Recent engagements include a televised recording of the Messiah with Bryn Terfel at St. Asaph Cathedral, broadcast on Channel 4 Wales, and Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin at the North Wales Music Festival, St. Asaph.

Concert highlights include soloist in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music at the opening night of the 2001 BBC Proms, televised on BBC 2, Verdi Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, London conducted by Humphrey Burton, Desert Island Discs Anniversary Concert at Royal Festival Hall, Sailor in a concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with The Hallé Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder and a live BBC recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Rhys has also appeared at the Henley Festival, Cheltenham Festival, North Wales Festival, Swansea Festival and in concerts in Barbados, Toronto, Ottawa and Florida.

This is North Wales’s latest Country Duo, who are providing a bi-lingual entertainment at venues throughout the region and beyond. Dennis Williams lives on Anglesey (Ynys Môn) and Glyn Jones resides at Trefor, hence the name MONTRE. This is their second album.

Their repertoire is based on standard “Country” songs as performed by popular Irish and American country singers and popular Welsh ballads. They have also written Welsh words for many standard numbers and given them new treatment and thus a new lease of life.

They’ve have had many years experience on the local entertainment scene, Glyn as lead singer with Wales’ first “electric” group “The Caballeros” and Dennis with both the Caballeros and “New Castaways”. Both lads being competent instrumentalists, and vocalists, have a canny understanding of each other’s harmonising talents. Glyn will play rhythm guitar and sing while Dennis will play bass guitar and harmonise. This combined with professionally recorded extra backing tracks, investment in good quality sound equipment, provides for a “new duo” with a “new sound”, well capable of providing good entertainment at any venue.

Songs on Hen Fwthyn Bach Gwyn include Welsh favourites such as Rownd yr Horn, Dim ond yr awel sy’n rhydd and Beth yw lliw y gwynt?, and English songs such as Devil Woman, Love’s gonna live here again and Before the next teardrop falls. They are supported on this recording by that genius of the steel guitar, Dave Rowland, and on three tracks, they are also accompanied by Rhys Parry on lead guitar, John Williams on keyboards and Graham Land on drums.

No CD information

Cwrs dysgu Cymraeg

No CD information

This is the first solo CD by the young singer, Elin Fflur. After early success with her band Carlotta some years ago, Elin's name sprung to national prominence after singing the winning entry in 2002's Can I Gymru (Song for Wales) competition. Soon after she joined the ever popular Anglsey based group Y Moniars and enjoyed unrivalled success with them following the release of their first album with Elin as their lead singer – Harbwr Diogel.

With the release of her debut solo album , Elin joins the the honourable (and honoured) legacy of the Welsh singer/songwriter. Her songs derive from personal experiences or the experiences of those close to her and every song on her new album is a passionate and sincere performance. Her natural charisma and stunnig voice will no doubt captivate audiences even further, with the songs bearing a true testament to her talent as a singer and songwriter.

In order to enhance her songs and performances Elin has teamed up with an experienced and highly talented production team. Christian Phillips, Rob Reed and Nigel Hopkins are three of the most talented musicians in the country and are producers and arrangers of supreme quality. The combination of Elin and Phillips, Reed and Hopkins therefore is more than exciting as you will hear and enjoy on this album.

Albym wych gan y grwp amryddawn o Flaenau Ffestiniog, albym sydd wedi ei disgrifio fel …taith emosiynol drwy gyfrwng jazz, ffync, 'reggae', 'soul' a pop! O wrando arni, chewch chi mo’ch siomi!

Yn llechu ymhlith y mynyddoedd llechi ynghanol pentref Tanygrisiau mae Estella wedi bod yn brysur yn ysgrifennu a chyfansoddi caneuon ers blynyddoedd ac ar ôl rhyddhau eu EP “Tân” yn Haf 2001 maent wedi perfformio yn rhai o brif wyliau cerddorol Cymru, gan gynnwys yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau a Gwyl y Faenol.

Ffurfiwyd Estella yn hwyr yn y 90’au tra roeddynt yn fyfyrwyr yng Ngholeg Meirion Dwyfor. Cyfansoddodd Lauren (prif leisydd) gân fel rhan o’i gwaith cwrs ac fe gafodd cymorth Kaz (ei brawd) ar gitar, a’i ffrind Phil ar dryms i berfformio set. Cafwyd ymateb calonogol iawn i’r set, ac yn sgil hynny fe aed ati i ffurfio band, a dyna pryd yr ymunodd Robbie â nhw ar y gitar fâs, Asa (brawd Kaz a Lauren) fel gitarydd arall a Hann ab Ionas a Siaron James – y ddau ar offerynnau taro ac fel peirianwyr sain.

Daw teitl yr albym, Lizarra o enw pentref yn Nafarrda, Gwlad y Basg. Wrth feddwl am yr enw Estella doedd gan ‘run ohonynt y syniad lleiaf mai’r enw Sbaeneg ar bentref Lizarra oedd Estella! Hann a Siaron ddaeth ar draws hyn tra yn teithio gyda Bob Delyn a’r Ebillion, ac fe benderfynodd y ddau y byddant yn gwenud pob ymdrech i fynd ag Estella yno ar daith – fe aethont ac fe wnaed nifer fawr iawn o ffrindiau a chysylltiadau yno. Yn fwy diweddar mae Estella wedi teithio gogledd a chanolbarth Cymru gyda Saioa ac Ana (deuawd o Wlad y Basg) ac hefyd Dom Duff o Lydaw. Fe gyfranodd Saioa ac Ana i’r trac “Gwin Coch” ar yr albym, sydd wedi ei recordio yn Gymraeg, Saesneg, Iaith y Basg a Sbaeneg ac sy’n cynnwys addasiad o hen alaw draddodiadol o Wlad y Basg. Gobaith mawr Estella yw cael teithio i Wlad y Basg ym mis Tachwedd ac y bydd hyn, yn ei dro, yn agor y llifddorau i weddill Ewrop glywed eu steil unigryw o gerddoriaeth.

Mae cyfnod cynnar Bob Delyn a'r Ebillion ar CD o'r diwedd! Mae'r albwm yn cynnwys traciau oddi ar gasét 'Sgwarnogod Bach Bob', casét 'Bob Dolig' ac EP 'Bendigedig'. Mae'n albwm 17 trac sy'n cynnwys caneuon megis Lisa Lân, Gwyddel yn y Dre, Sgwarnogod, Dacw 'Nghariad, Dolig Del, Walio a llawer mwy...

Musical Director : John Glyn Williams
Deputy Musical Director: Eifion Wyn Jones
Accompanist: Anne Phillips
Soloists: John A. Gladman/Gareth Owen/Alan Thomas

A few years have passed since this enigmatic choir from Rhosllannerchrugog recorded an album. Their latest collection consists of TWENTY of the choir’s favourite songs. They have produced a recording of wide variation and taste encompassing traditional Operatic Choruses, Welsh hymns and folk songs with the introduction of light opera, spirituals, modern songs and film music, sung in various languages, and to suit all musical tastes. Under the baton of John Glyn Williams, the songs include the Opening Chorus by Offenbach; Soldier’s Chorus by Verdi; Alun Hoddinnott’s arrangement of the traditional Welsh song Lisa Lân; Mansel Thomas’ arrangement of Men of Harlech; Gloria by Vivaldi and The Rose by Amanda McBroom.

Established in 1957, the choir first competed at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod. Since then, they have won numerous competitions and travelled vastly from North America to China, Hong Kong and Israel as well as Britain and Europe. The choir is a registered Charity and has helped raise many tens of thousands of pounds for many diverse deserving causes including over £10,000 for the Lifeboat Institution.

Dafydd Idris Edwards, originally from Morriston has lived in the Pontypridd area for many years, and is a fine exponent, and champion, of the art of balladeering. This one tells the “story of the devillish woman”.

The Foeldrehaearn Trio from Montgomeryshire are very much a part of the “Plygain” tradition which still survives in parts of Mid Wales. Here their brand of close harmony singing, usually reserved for carol singing, is used to bemoan the loss of a way of life (with a touch of tongue in cheek).

Arfon Gwilym, another fine exponent of folk singing from Mid Wales, here sings the words of poet Ceiriog to the wondrous “Pie” of the 1858 Llangollen Eisteddfod, in the “penillion” or “Cerdd Dant” style to harp accompaniment.

The great voice of Lynn Denman (of the group Ffynnon)sings the old Welsh carol (the earliest of all the songs in this collection) “On Christmas morning”, with Cass Meurig playing the revived stringed “crwth”.

Daniel Huws sings an interesting version of the question-and-answer ballad “Where were you last night, dear son of your mother?”

Aberjaber have long been noted for presenting traditionl Welsh melodies on a variety of instruments, which here include the flute, sax, gaita galega, cello, Celtic harp and percussion.

Steeped in the “Plygain” tradition, the men of East Montgomeryshire unite to sing one of their favourite traditional carols, “Christmas came as usual”.

Linda Healy, lead singer with the Plethyn folk group, sings the beautiful folk song about “grandmother’s cottage”.

Rhes Ganol (lit. “middle row”) are so named after the middle row of strings on the Welsh Triple harp. Here five Triple harpists combine to create a scintillating sound.

Robyn Tomos, another balladeer from Glamorgan originally, sings the humorous story of “the girl who lost her petticoat”; an example of the songs lost to Wales when the “ Methodist” Revivals swept all before them!

The unmistakable voices of Breton singer Brigitte Kloareg and Fern Hill vocalist Julie Murphy combine in a unique rendition of “While two remain”.

The Llanfihangel boys tell the story of when the village of Llanfihangel ran out of water, despite being near to the Fyrnwy Reservoir. The words are by the late Elfed Lewys, who inspired most of these singers to continue the tradition of singing.

Cass Meurig has specialised in bringing life back to the crwth, and here takes it through its paces with “The red piper’s conceit” and “The hunter’s lament”.

Arthur Thomas is another “informal” singer who delights in keeping the old stories alive, and here laments the loss of “Tryweryn’s water”, a reference not to the present reservoir, but to the extinct Whisky Works of Frongoch (later turned into a prisoner-of-war camp for Irish freedom fighters).

Triawd Foeldrehaearn return to their roots and sing the plygain carol “Bells of Bethlehem”.

Crasdant, Wales’ most prominent instrumental folk group, feature the hornpipes of Stephen Rees and Andy McLaughlin on this track, “the pale lad”.

Another fine example of “Cerdd Dant” singing in its most traditional mode, as Emrys Jones of Llangwm sings the “song of the old waggoner”.

Harry Richards, of Sarn Mellteyrn on the Llyn Peninsula, is Wales’ most prominent traditional ballad singer, but the words are always contemporary, here extolling the virtues of modern skirts!