My Name is Oswald is a new song cycle by award-winning composer Hannah Conway and writer Hazel Gould, based on the multiple stories of Oswald of Northumbria.
Hannah and Hazel developed the piece using new research by Sarah Bowden and Johanna Dale, and also drew on workshops with young people and community groups in Peterborough. The three songs of My Name is Oswald explore the different ways in which Oswald’s kingship and sanctity were manifested in the stories told about him in medieval Europe, as well as how he continues to be relevant today.
The songs are performed in the following recordings by Timothy Dickinson (baritone), Peter Sparks (clarinet), Joe Walters (horn) and Hannah Conway (piano).
I. The Silver Plate
The first song, The Silver Plate, draws on the depiction of Oswald in early medieval English chronicles and legends, particularly the story in which he gives away silver dishes to the poor.
II. The Raven
The second song, The Raven, is inspired by medieval German legends of Oswald, in which he quests for a bride with the help of a talking raven.
III. Harvest
The third song, Harvest, takes as its starting point the tradition in rural Alpine villages of venerating Oswald as a saint who can protect the harvest and cattle.
Oswald of Northumbria 