Huw Dixon

Four Pieces for Piano, Opus 4 (2024/25)

No 1: Incident at Careg Cennan

Carreg Cennen is a ruined castle in South Wales perched on a mountain with a sheer cliff face
on one side. Incident at Careg Cennan is a piece that evokes the mysterious timeless
atmosphere I feel at this unique place, with the place name made undefined and mythic.The incident is undefined but relates to times past remembered. It can be seen as mysterious, melancholic and possibly sinister.

Its musical foundation is a sequence of  four compound chords are stated ion the first eight bars
as arpeggios. There then follows a sequence of developments on this basic structure.

The heart of the piece is travel in time (a clock turning backwards) taking us back to 1807 and the Sonatina in F often attributed to Beethoven, which is twisted into the harmonies of Careg Cennan, reaching a dramatic climax.  

The time signature switches from 4/4 to 3/4 and we revisit old melodies in the new rhythm
and at a faster beat. After it combines 4/4 and 3/4 into 7/4 with elements of earlier sections
combined with the material.

Finally we return to 4/4 and are back in the modern age with a relaxed walking bass line and our four compound chords become jazz harmonies. At the end we have a short coda which takes us back to the beginning, the inscrutable and mysterious Castel Carreg Cennan re-appears as the music slows down to its final cadence.

The musical notes provide the skeleton, but the performer must add the flesh to bring the incident into life. I would like to thank David Mikic for undertaking the task of interpreting this piece: he had no recordings to listen to, no tradition of interpretation passed on by his teacher.  Just his inner musician with some hints from the composer.