| Reviews
of 'Y Gwenith Gwynnaf':
"Gwenan
Gibbard’s harp and voice album is a well-considered
project that ranges from soft lullabies and courtly tunes
to boppish arrangements in which she uses the natural inflections
of the Welsh language as colour and variation. Her rolled
‘r’ consonants and other vocal embellishments
are especially nice counterpoints to her classically smooth
harping. So too are the small contrasting bursts she uses
throughout – quick cascades of notes that add backbeat,
runs that sound more like slides than plucked notes, and rising
scales that give her trained soprano Loreena McKennitt-like
drama.
Gibbard’s
mix is equally winning. ‘Gwenni aeth i ffair Pwllheli’
is a bouncy, cheerful folk song whose upbeat tempo sets the
table for the polkas that follow, not to mention the several
soft lullabies that come later. When she interprets a slip
jig such as ‘Hoffedd ap Hywel’ or a hornpipe such
as ‘Rhif Wyth’ she knows to attack her strings
rather than being stately, as she is on ‘Ty a Gardd’,
the latter a Danish song rendered in Welsh. She does the same
vocally, punching out the notes to ‘Gwcw Fach’
with such vigour as to suggest a march. Gibbard is equally
at home with the old ways and offers a truly lovely example
of Penillion singing, the art of combining poetry and harp
music, on ‘Y Delyn’. Gibbard’s stiching
of old and new material produces a quilt that’s as colourful
as it is tasteful".
R Weir, Sing Out!,
Spring 2007
“Gwenan
Gibbard plays both the small Celtic harp and the Welsh triple
harp. She has studied the music of the harp at the University
of Wales, Bangor and the Royal Academy of Music, London and
has now returned to her roots in her home town of Pwllheli.
Her lively style is at times reminiscent of the old crwth
tradition. While many of the dance tunes will be familiar,
Gwenan has come up with some excellent new arrangements with
subtle and interesting variations. I particularly like the
Welsh gipsy version of that old chestnut Llwyn Onn.
Her harp develops a rhythm all of it’s own on the hornpipe
set Rhif Wyth/Pibddawns Abertawe and is here played with more
swing than is normally associated with this instrument. Maartin
Allcock provides superb accompaniment on this and other tracks.
More ‘A list’ Welsh musicians appear throughout
the recording but it’s Gwenan alone that really packs
the punch. Her voice is as musical as her harp and the song
Deryn Du may be short but it’s perfect. There’s
plenty here to satisfy the hardened folk enthusiast but still
the album remains very open and accessible to the average
Joe. A cut above the rest.”
Rees Wesson, Shreds
and Patches, May 2006
“An
intriguing range of material…melodic intricacy and rhythmic
drive with an emotional depth unusual in dance music.”
Songlines
“Gwenan
Gibbard, from North Wales, debuts with an album of traditional
Welsh song and music, played chiefly on the small Celtic harp
and the Welsh triple harp. Accompanied by Maartin Allcock
on guitar, bass and bouzar, Huw Roberts and Stephen Rees on
fiddle and Dafydd Roberts on flute and whistle, it’s
nevertheless the vocal and instrumental talents of Gibbard
that shine through. Whether in the infectious jollity of songs
like Gwenni aeth i ffair Pwllheli or in the haunting Adar
mân y mynydd, there’s a consistent warmth of delivery
that makes this an engaging and accessible sound.”
Sean McGhee, Rock n
Reel, Jan/Feb 2007
“From
the Llyn peninsula, harper/vocalist Gwenan Gibbard hits stride
with a debut in the knowing care of Maartin Allcock. Other
support, from members of Ar Log, makes this a competent representation
of Welsh trad sounds.”
Folk Roots
“Her
music is haunting and I hope that this will be the first of
many recordings we can enjoy”.
Wales United website
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