Grace Williams - Orchestral Works

Facts The BBC Philharmonic under the expert baton of John Andrews, illuminates four of Grace Williams' orchestral gems, spanning three decades of her illustrious career. This album opens with Four Illustrations for the Legend of Rhiannon (1939), a masterful suite that vividly brings the Welsh goddess to life with cinematic flair. The Sea Sketches (1944), composed during the wartime tumult of London, evoke the longing for her native Glamorganshire, and cement her status among Britain's compositional elite. The Ballads mark a return to Welsh mythos, with movements inspired by the emotional and cultural essence of her homeland. The regal Castell Caernarfon (1969), originally scored for the investiture of HRH Prince Charles, showcases Williams' grandiloquent style. This release pays homage to Williams' legacy, celebrating her as one of the premier Welsh composers of the twentieth century.