Mezzo-soprano Angharad Lyddon was a Samling Artist in 2016. Following undergraduate and post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, she has appeared with English National Opera, Glyndebourne, The Grange Festival and Buxton International Festival. She represented Wales at the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and was a Finalist in the Song Prize Competition.
The last piece of music I listened to was …
Glyndebourne’s YouTube stream of ‘Billy Budd’. I saw this production three times when I was a Jerwood Young artist at Glyndebourne in 2013. It is one of my all-time favourite productions. The casting is superb and I love the way the set of the boat mimics the shape of the Glyndebourne auditorium to make you feel like you’re on the boat with the performers. The Prom they performed that year is one of my highlights. As Mark Padmore retreated from the stage after delivering the epilogue the packed Royal Albert Hall was captivated and completely silent until he had totally disappeared from view. Goosebumps. It was a very special moment.
My three seaside travel essentials are …
suncream, my multi-coloured beach towel and a good book
My favourite beach is …
Camps Bay in Cape Town. My boyfriend grew up in South Africa and we went there a couple of years ago. The sand is white, the water is crystal clear and the breeze from the mountains is lovely but the sea is absolutely freezing!
Fish and chips or ice-cream?
I have very sweet teeth so definitely ice-cream! And maybe a chocolate cone…
My dream musical companion for a long walk on the cliffs would be …
Bill Bailey. Despite being mostly known as a comedian he’s a very talented musician. His ‘Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra’ which he filmed with the BBC Concert Orchestra is fantastic and his shows always include some kind of music. He’s also a renowned bird watcher so he could teach me about the birds we’d come across on our walk and we could improvise songs about what we see before having a nice pint in a country pub to finish.
My favourite part of ‘Sea Pictures’ is …
the passage in ‘Sabbath Morning at Sea’ from ‘He shall assist me to look higher …’ to the end. The mood of the song changes and the beautiful soaring melody of positivity gives momentum all the way to the end. It always makes me smile.
My best memory from BBC Cardiff Singer of the World was …
singing Silent Noon in the final of the Song Prize. I was so delighted to have won a place in the final and the programme I chose was full of my favourite pieces so I felt nervous about the occasion but felt I could really enjoy the repertoire because I knew it so well. ‘Silent Noon’ is one of my all-time favourite songs and it was the final piece in the programme. Performing it with Llŷr Williams was a dream and when I finished I just couldn’t help breaking out into a huge smile. It’s a very strong memory for me.
Header photo supplied by Angharad.