Commissions & Premiere Broadcasts

Lewis Merthyr Band have been keen innovators and exponents of new music for brass throughout its history. The band has been fortunate to work closely with a number of leading composers of music for brass, with particularly notable and prolific periods during the tenure of former Musical Director Nigel Seaman in the 1980s, and now again at the present time under current Musical Director Craig Roberts

You can read more about the band's many commissions below, including our Man Engine and Aberfan commissions from Helen Woods and Professor Christopher Wood; our 2020-22 Arts Council of Wales supported "New Directions" project featuring works by Steve Bingham, Chris Marshall and Andrew Powell; and recent major work projects "Eastern Horizons" and "Aberfan Requiem" by Gareth Trott; "Fulling Mill Lea" by Chris Marshall; "Mirkwood" by Christopher Painter; and our recent Ty Cerdd supported "Under Milk Wood" commission "Rum & Laverbread" by Gareth Wood

Lewis Merthyr are always interested in new music projects. If you would be interested in working with Lewis Merthyr Band on such a project, please contact us here

Lewis Merthyr Band Commissions To Date

2025
Chris Marshall - Homecoming
*premiere performance - Konzerthaus Ravensburg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
*UK premiere - VE Day 80 commemorative concert, St Elvan's, Cynon Valley
Chris Marshall - TNT
​Timpani Soloist - Chris Marshall
*European premiere - Konzerthaus Ravensburg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Chris Marshall - Towers of Friendship
with the Stadtorchester Ravensburg, Conductor: Harald Hepner
*premiere combined performance - Konzerthaus Ravensburg, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

2024
Gareth Wood - Rum & Laverbread
*premiere performance - Oriana Festival 2024, St Elvan's, Cynon Valley
Christopher Painter - Mirkwood
*premiere performance - Oriana Festival 2024, St Elvan's, Cynon Valley

2023
Christopher Painter - The Lone Ranger
*premiere performances - Welsh Open Championships, Riverfront Theatre, Newport (contest); Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon (concert)
Gareth Trott - Aberfan Requiem
*premiere performance - St Elvan's, Cynon Valley

​2022
Gareth Trott - Eastern Horizons
*joint premiere performances - Sage, Gateshead (Grimethorpe Colliery Band); Riverfront Theatre, Newport (Lewis Merthyr Band)
Chris Marshall - Fulling Mill Lea
*world premiere performance - World Music Contest, Kerkrade, Netherlands
*UK premiere performance - Oriana Festival 2023, St Elvan's, Cynon Valley

2021
Grace Williams | Trans. Christopher Painter - Fanfare: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
*premiere performance - Oriana Festival, St Elvan's, Cynon Valley

2020
​Steve Bingham | Trans. Chris Marshall - Ascension
Chris Marshall - Homecoming
Andrew Powell - The Curious Case of The Wolf & The Hawk
*premiere performance - BBC Hoddinott Hall, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Gareth Trott - I'll Bring Daffodils 
commissioned in memory of Lynfa & Rachel Andrews
*premiere performance - Covid Memorial Heart Sculpture atop Bwlch Mountain
soloist: Ron Andrews
Grace Williams | Trans. Christopher Painter - Mountain Scene (from The Blue Scar)
*premiere performance - Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

2019
Mervyn Burtch | Trans. Craig Roberts | Ed. Keith Griffin - Deep Harmony
*premiere performance - Welsh Proms 2019, St David's Hall, Cardiff
Arwel Hughes | Trans. Craig Roberts - Arwelfa *Welsh Proms commission & premiere
*premiere performance - Welsh Proms 2019, St David's Hall, Cardiff
Arwel Hughes | Trans. Craig Roberts - Sanctus *Welsh Proms commission & premiere
*premiere performance - Welsh Proms 2019, St David's Hall, Cardiff

2018
Christopher Wood - Aberfan
*premiere performance - Welsh Proms 2018, St David's Hall, Cardiff
Helen Woods - Man Engine Anthem
*premiere performance - Cyfartha Castle, Merthyr Tydfil

2017
Arwel Hughes | Trans. Christopher Painter - Cwm Rhondda
*premiere performance - Rhondda Heritage Park with Sir Bryn Terfel
*premiere broadcast - December 25th 2017, S4C television

1984
Goff Richards - Oceans
*premiere broadcast, BBC Radio 2
Stephen Hampton - Lacrymosa
Stephen Hampton - Overlord
*premiere performance - Opening, Rhondda Heritage Park
John Golland - Te Deum

1983
Mervyn Burtch - Paean
*premiere broadcast - BBC Radio 2
John Golland - Sounds
*premiere broadcast - BBC Radio 2
John Golland - A Gloucester Psalm
*Cinderford commission | Lewis Merthyr premiere recording - Gloucester Cathedral

1982
Mervyn Burtch - Overture: Pinocchio
*premiere broadcast - BBC Radio 2
Peter Graham - Dimensions
*West Glamorgan commission | Lewis Merthyr premiere broadcast / recording

1980
Nigel Seaman - Fanfare: LMB
​Charles Barnes - Prelude & Dance

Lewis Merthyr Band are indebted to the following organisations for their support of the above commissions

​- Arts Council of Wales
- British Broadcasting Corporation | BBC
- Friends of Rhondda Heritage Park
- National Lottery
- S4C
- Ty Cerdd
- Welsh Amateur Music Federation
- Welsh Government
- Welsh Proms Cymru

Recent Projects

Gareth Wood - Rum & Laverbread

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With the support of Ty Cerdd, Arts Council of Wales, National Lottery and Welsh Government, Lewis Merthyr commissioned the highly respected Welsh composer Gareth Wood to write a new work for band based on scenes from Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood

"Rum & Laverbread" was originally a four movement suite for 40 piece orchestra, commissioned and premiered by Camerata Wales for the Dylan Thomas centenary concert, held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank London on the eve of the great poet's 100th birthday in 2014. The work was narrated by Jonathan Pryce and the orchestra conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE

Gareth was commissioned in 2021 to realise a new version of the work, which is designed to be performed with narration, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the completion of this iconic poem (originally entitled "Llareggub Hill") in 1951

The work was, alas, to be Gareth's last. He passed away in August 2023

The premiere performance of the third movement of the work, "The Prayer", was performed in tribute to Gareth at the 2023 Oriana Festival at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley in October 2023, in the year marking the 70th anniversary of the premiere of Under Milk Wood at 92Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York

The premiere performance of Gareth's full suite then took place in May 2024, at the 2024 Oriana Festival again held at St Elvan's, in conjunction with International Dylan Thomas Day

A recording of the orchestral original, recorded by Camerata Wales | Cymru as part of the orchestra's Arts Council of Wales supported "Penblwyddi | Anniversaries" project, can be heard below

Christopher Painter - Mirkwood

Mirkwood is a major work for brass band and wind orchestra by Christopher Painter. The premiere performance was given by the massed bands of Lewis Merthyr and City of Bristol as part of the Oriana Festival at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley on Saturday May 18th 2024, in the presence of the composer

Programme Note:

Myrkviðr (Mirkwood) is the Old Norse word for “dark wood” or “black forest” and occurs in several folktales of Germany, Norway, Sweden and related forms of the name occur across Europe and may be a general term for a dark and dense forest. The name was anglicised by Sir Walter Scott (in Waverley) and William Morris (in The House of the Wolfings) and later popularized by J. R. R. Tolkien as "Mirkwood". Tolkien comments on Myrkviðr in a letter to his eldest grandson:

“Mirkwood is not an invention of mine, but a very ancient name, weighted with legendary associations. It was probably the Primitive Germanic name for the great mountainous forest regions that anciently formed a barrier to the south of the lands of Germanic expansion. In some traditions, it became used especially of the boundary between Goths and Huns.”

In the Norse tradition 'crossing the Black Forest' came to signify penetrating the barriers between one world and another, especially the world of the gods and the world of fire, where Surtr, the god of fire, lives. The old Norse manuscripts describe Surtr as the first of the fire giants to emerge from the flames of Muspelheim, the realm of fire, holding an immense fire sword

Although the work is not intended to be overtly programmatic, the opening chords reveal the awesome, dark majesty of the forest before settling into the almost complete absence of light and, as the mists clear, they may encounter evil spirits, dwarves forging metal into weapons, the gathering of elven armies, battles, the fair Melusine bathing and meeting her prince before her secret is discovered and she wreaks her terrible vengeance, the games and tricks of sprites and goblins, the arrival of Oberon and Titania (or, possibly, Gandalf) to restore order and even the occasional dragon, breathing fire and spitting sparks before a bacchanal draws the work to its conclusion. It is for the listeners and performers to conjure up whatever images they will as everyone’s perception of Myrkviðr (Mirkwood) is different

This work is dedicated to the memory of Walter White, long-time conductor of the Ystradgynlais Silver Band. Walter was Christopher Painter's first trumpet teacher (and later classroom teacher for both ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels) and introduced Painter to the world of brass bands. It was Walter who encouraged Chris to compose and to apply to study with Alun Hoddinott at University College, Cardiff. The composer states that "I owe everything to this mild and generous man".

​Duration: 17 minutes

Gareth Trott - Aberfan Requiem

Gareth Trott's "Aberfan Requiem" is an incredibly poignant work which received a standing ovation at its premiere performance by Lewis Merthyr Band at the prestigious Oriana Festival, hosted at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley in October 2023

This incredibly powerful work was later reprised in the same setting for a project entitled "Atgofion Aberfan", a collaboration between Lewis Merthyr Band and the progressive theatre company Avant Cymru

Taking place on Thursday April 11th 2024, "Atgofion Aberfan" featured the dramatisation "Hiraeth" by Sue Bevan, performed by members of Avant, plus two works dedicated to Aberfan, performed by Lewis Merthyr Band - Christopher Wood's "Aberfan" and Gareth Trott's "Aberfan Requiem"

​"Hiraeth" is the incredibly poignant real-life story of playwright Sue Bevan. Sue was a ten year old volunteer at the Aberfan tragedy. Inspired by Sue's story, Avant reached out to the community. They heard in Tylorstown how recent landslides had affected people's lives; they heard from survivors of Aberfan about how they were told "not to talk about" the tragedy; grieving families who were encouraged not to speak, and not to share what they had experienced and saw... Avant explored how the disaster has shaped the lives of our community and, alongside Sue Bevan's incredible story, through this production, Avant spoke further, sharing what they had, and what members of the community now want to be shared. "The Silent Volunteer" is a play about the voices that haven't yet found the words to speak, but who want the world to know the Aberfan disaster was not “an act of God”

Christopher Wood's "Aberfan" and Gareth Trott's "Aberfan Requiem" were commissioned and premiered by Lewis Merthyr Band. ​In 2018, the band worked together with Owain Arwel Hughes CBE and Christopher to undertake the first performance and recording on brass of  Aberfan. Originally written for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the work was first premiered by the RPO at the Welsh Proms in 2017, the performance of which was then subsequently broadcast on Classic FM. ​In Spring 2018, the work was then arranged for brass band and featured on Lewis Merthyr's Brass & Voices of Wales disc, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE. The brass version then received its premiere performance at the 2018 Welsh Proms in the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff, performed by the massed bands of Lewis-Merthyr & RAF St Athan, and again conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE

The live performance of Gareth Trott's "Aberfan Requiem" from the Atgofion Aberfan event, filmed by St Elvan's and Gavin Owen Media, is available to view above, while the studio recording Christopher Wood's Aberfan laid over imagery from Aberfan, compiled by Lewis Merthyr Band, is available to view below

Christopher Marshall - Fulling Mill Lea: Tonypandy 110

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With the support of a second cultural recovery grant from the Arts Council of Wales, Lewis Merthyr commissioned a new major work for brass band from Chris Marshall, based on memories of the Tonypandy Riots and strike of 1910/11

​Suitable for use in both competition and concert performance, a feature of the work is optional scoring for groups of additional world or classroom percussion, enabling the band to perform and work together with youth music groups, plus additional, optional parts for male voices

"Fulling Mill Lea" received its world premiere performance in summer 2022 at the prestigious World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. The UK concert premiere of the work then took place at the Oriana Festival, held at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley in October 2023

​A video of the performance from Kerkrade is available below

​For full information on the project and premiere, visit www.lewismerthyrband.com/fulling-mill-lea

Gareth Trott - Eastern Horizons

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In 2021 | 22, Lewis Merthyr was delighted to work closely with the emerging Welsh composer Gareth Trott on an exploration of world music of the east

A graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and member of the Band of the Irish Guards, Lewis Merthyr was delighted to commission Gareth's "Eastern Horizons", originally a five movement exploration for brass band of music inspired by India, China, Turkey, Iran and Egypt, with an additional sixth movement later being added to encompass Russia and the Slavic world

The work was commissioned in autumn 2021 and was originally workshopped, with the composer present, by the massed bands of Lewis Merthyr and the Band of The Prince of Wales at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley

The resultant work then received joint premiere performances at the prestigious Brass In Concert Championships at The Sage, Gateshead by the famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band, and by Lewis Merthyr Band at the Welsh Open Championships held at the Riverfront Theatre, Newport

A digitisation of the initial draft of the work can be found below, together with the Welsh premiere at the 2022 Welsh Open Championships

New Directions

Through the latter part of 2020, with the support of the Arts Council of Wales, the band undertook a project called New Directions, which saw Lewis Merthyr commission and workshop a number of short works from composers and other professional musicians through the 2020 covid-19 lockdown

The featured works and artists were:

- Steve Bingham | Chris Marshall: Ascension
- Mervyn Burtch: Fanfarette for Northop
- Gareth Wood: Concerto for Harp with Claire Jones
- Chris Marshall: Homecoming
- Andrew Powell: The Curious Case of The Wolf & The Hawk
- Gareth Trott: I'll Bring Daffodils
- Grace Williams | Christopher Painter: Mountain Scene (from The Blue Scar)
- Grace Williams: Fanfare - Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau 
- Mick Wilson: Concerto for Six String Electric Violin

Further information on the project can be found at www.lewismerthyrband.com/new-directions
Arwel Hughes | Arr. Craig Roberts - Arwelfa
Arwel Hughes | Arr. Craig Roberts - Sanctus
Mervyn Burtch | Trans. Keith Griffin / Craig Roberts - Deep Harmony

In July 2019 and 2018, Lewis Merthyr Band featured in Wales' national classical music festival, the Welsh Proms Cymru at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff. Conducted by Proms Artistic Director & Founder Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, the band performed together with 250 voice Massed Male Choir, RAFT St Athan Band and, in 2019, organist Robert Court

Excerpts from the 2019 performance are available on the band's YouTube channel, and include the below premiere performances of Craig Roberts' settings of Arwel Hughes' "Arwelfa" and Sanctus, plus a setting by Mervyn Burtch of Handel Parker's "Deep Harmony", adapted for brass band & organ by Craig Roberts & Keith Griffin from the composer's original manuscript arrangement for brass band and male choir. The work was performed in celebration of the composer's 90th birthday, in the presence of Rita Burtch

The band's "Brass & Voices of Wales" album, produced in partnership with the Welsh Proms, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, and also featuring the Massed Male Choirs of Bridgend & Pendyrus, is available for download at www.lewismerthyrband.bandcamp.com Physical copies of the CD are also available by mail order from 
www.lewismerthyrband.com/cd 
Arwel Hughes | Trans. Christopher Painter - Cwm Rhondda
In 2017, the band worked together with Welsh composer Christopher Painter to give the premiere performance and broadcast of a new setting by composer Arwel Hughes of the traditional hymn Cwm Rhondda. The resultant recording with the band and Sir Bryn Terfel was broadcast nationwide on S4C television on Christmas Day 2017 and Christmas Eve 2018
Christopher Wood - Aberfan

​In 2018, the band then worked together with Owain Arwel Hughes CBE and the composer Professor Christopher Wood to undertake the first performance and recording on brass of Wood's Aberfan. Aberfan was originally written for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and premiered by the orchestra at the Welsh Proms in 2017, the performance of which was then subsequently broadcast on Classic FM.

​In Spring 2018, the work was then arranged for brass band and featured on the Brass & Voices of Wales disc, and given its premiere performance at the 2018 Welsh Proms in the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff, performed by the massed bands of Lewis-Merthyr & RAF St Athan, conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes CBE

Previous Commissions

In 1980, the band commissioned and premiered "Prelude & Dance" by Charles Barnes, a professional violinist with the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra, now BBC National Orchestra of Wales. 

On 9th October 1983, Lewis-Merthyr also performed John Golland's "A Gloucester Psalm" for brass & voices at Gloucester Cathedral, the premiere recording of which can be found below

Later, in 1988, Lewis-Merthyr undertook the premiere performance of Stephen Hampton's "Overlord", commissioned by the Friends of Rhondda Heritage Park for the opening of a new museum in the former pit head baths of the recently closed colliery. The performance was captured by BBC Wales and broadcast on television.

BBC Broadcasts

In 1982, the band gave the first performance and broadcast of Mervyn Burtch's Overture: Pinocchio together with the first broadcast performance of Peter Graham's Dimensions 

A year later, in 1983, the band again worked with Mervyn Burtch giving the premiere broadcast performance of Burtch's ​Paean plus the first broadcast performance of John Golland's Sounds

In 1984, the band then gave the first broadcast performance of Goff Richards' Oceans under Denzil Stephens, and in 1985 of Stephen Hampton's Lacrymosa, in a performance conducted by the composer
Mervyn Burtch: Paean
Premiere recording & broadcast
Lewis Merthyr Band
BBC Radio, 1982
https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0739c1f593774aeb8793e6cb2f8af6fc
Peter Graham: Dimensions
Premiere recording
Lewis Merthyr Band
Centennial Brass, 1981
https://www.discogs.com/Lewis-Merthyr-Brass-Band-Centennial-Brass/release/12850474
John Golland: Sounds
This performance is the winning performance by Brass Band Berner Oberland conducted by James Gourlay at the 1993 European Brass Band Championships

The first UK performance of Sounds was given by Lewis Merthyr on October 6th 1983 for BBC Radio Wales
https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0739c1f593774aeb8793e6cb2f8af6fc

Early Works - The Cymmer Band

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One of the antecedent bands of the modern day Lewis Merthyr Band was the Cymmer Colliery | Military Band. The band was a pioneer of its time

Dating back to at least 1855, the band was one of the earliest British style brass bands and, somewhat unusually, converted at some point from all brass to mixed brass and woodwind. Typically bands would convert the other way, from wind to brass

Many of the early works for bands were written or arranged by their Musical Directors. The Martyn Family had a long association with the Cymmer Band. Richard and George Martyn conducted the band for a period of 44 years from 1882 to 1926, and James V Martyn from 1939 to 1942. Other family members also played in the band. In addition to directing and performing in the band, the family's musical output was also known to be prolific

"The Devil's Own" is a march composed by  James V. Martyn. A published record of the march can be found at www.lewismerthyrband.com/history The band is currently searching for manuscripts and works composed or arranged by the family. Should you have any information, please contact us here