THE MUSIC OF WALES ON THE SAIN LABEL

SAIN is the leading Welsh-based record label, specializing in a wide range of music by artists living in Wales, and its catalogue includes the largest collection of Welsh music in the world. Many of the stars who have become household names on the British and international classical stage during the noughties started their recording career on the SAIN label. They include bass-baritone BRYN TERFEL, who still records for SAIN from time to time, harpist CATRIN FINCH, “Last Choir Standing” runners-up YSGOL GLANAETHWY, and the best boy treble singer of all time in many critics’ books, ALED JONES.

Add to this practically every leading Welsh Male Voice Choir, including the MORRISTON ORPHEUS, PENDYRUS, RHOS, LLANELLI and GODRE’R ARAN, and the rising stars of Mixed and Youth Choirs, like SERENDPITY and CF1 and and the scale and depth of the SAIN music catalogue begins to emerge.

SAIN has a comprehensive repertoire of harp music, featuring the classical, Triple and Celtic harps.

But the main feature of the SAIN collection is its range of vocal recordings, classical, contemporary and folk. Soloists abound, including names such as the tenors RHYS MEIRION, STUART BURROWS, DAVID LLOYD, DENNIS O’NEILL and GWYN HUGHES JONES, but the real strength of Welsh singing is that of the choral tradition, and the choirs range from small close-harmony ensembles to massed male choirs recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. And the tradition of harmony singing is also a feature of Welsh folk singing, notably the art of close-harmony “Plygain” carol singing, a style developed by many contemporary folk groups.

To anyone interested in good music, with the accent firmly on the enjoyment of singing, the SAIN catalogue is a rich hunting ground, and we are pleased that it will now be available through The Classical Shop.