Telyn Rawn

Think you know the harp? Think again. I’ve been aware of Rhodri Davies, the uncompromising, experimental harpist for decades, but seeing him perform at Green Man Festival in 2019 with Richard Dawson and their band Hen Ogledd, renewed my interest. Davies played his harp like a true rock star, but with Telyn Rawn, Davies, a master of improvisation, explores and juxtaposes a medieval Wales and the global here and now. A telyn rawn is a horsehair harp, resurrected by Davies, and the sole instrument of this album. Folk influences are strong, however, leave all your expectations at the door.

The music is improvised, and the effect is both hypnotic and strange, yet familiar enough to take you with it down the flowing river. For this album, Davies studied historical text and the importance of the horse in Welsh culture. ‘Lwc i’r Ceffyl Melyn’ and ‘Erddigan Gwawr’ conjure up a galloping horse, which then trots playfully on ‘Gorhoffedd Rhisiart’ and ‘Maen Ceti’. His plucking and bowing highlight his skills and the often surprising range the instrument has to offer, with echoes of the past given a re-imagined, ambient treatment. This album will confront the listener, drawing them out of their comfortable listening habits into a new world.