Royal Festival Hall with Bryn Terfel
For the climax of our UK tour we participated in the Wales Choir of the World concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London. This concert was presented by over 500 choristers from 15 choirs from every continent, and starred renowned bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, as part of a 4-day Brynfest.
This pre-Olympics musical event was organised by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir (the President Huw Edwards is the celebrated TV newsreader and he also compered the big concert), whose rehearsal rooms are at the London Welsh Centre in Gray’s Inn Road WC1. Our first rehearsal on the 5th took place there.
The next day we went to a much larger rehearsal venue at the City Temple, Holborn Viaduct EC1 and the logistics of moving, firstly, continental choirs and then, secondly, voice sections, were firmed up. Each continental choir then rehearsed their own numbers under the baton of their own conductor before everybody went through the rest of the massed program.
On the Saturday we had to be at the Royal Festival Hall in uniform at 8.00 am, where our first task was to get up to the sixth floor ‘green room’. Continental rehearsals were held and positions mapped out before a full rehearsal when the 530 choristers were shoehorned into the choir stalls.
The combined Australasian choir of some 150 men was the first act and under the baton of New Zealander Robert Aburn presented three numbers: Pemulwuy by Paul Jarman, Our Cities Face The Sea by Philip Norman and I Am Australian by Bruce Woodley – topped off with the amended ending “I Am Australasian”. Our contingent then had to go off to another holding area while the other continental choirs performed.
During interval all 530 men then had to reconfigure themselves into the four voice sections, led by marshalls, and get themselves onto the choir stalls in the correct order and all this was accomplished with the minimum of fuss.
The second half opened with three numbers from the British and European Brass Band champions – The Cory Band from South Wales. They then accompanied the massed choir throughout the rest of the concert. The first bracket, conducted by Paul Bateman and accompanied by Annabel Thwaite, was Speed Your Journey, Shall We Gather at the River? and Stout-hearted Men.
Bryn Terfel then conquered the capacity audience along with all the choristers with his sensitive but powerful renditions of Abide with Me and I’se Weary of Waitin’.
The second massed choir bracket comprised Who Wants to Live Forever, Take Me Home and a new arrangement of When The Saints Go Marching In which got the audience swinging.
Finally, the band and the choir performed a specially commissioned work The Hero’s Journey by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, with words by poet Grahame Davies. This very modern work was certainly very challenging for all participating choirs and it was extremely satisfying to get to perform it with over 500 other men in such a prestigious venue. The last movement is especially moving and after everyone standing up singing Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, choristers were exhilarated and emotional and drained all at the same time. It was an uplifting musical experience for everyone, consolidated by much hand-shaking and congratulations reflecting that inimitable choral camaraderie that all singers share throughout the world.
But, emptied as we were, we weren’t quite finished. After the totally rapt audience filed out of the hall, we were led outside in our voice sections where Bryn was warming up another 1500 people lining the river bank. Judging by the T-shirts and the flags, a good proportion of Welsh people had turned out on a pleasant evening and soon everyone was singing along to stalwarts like Men of Harlech and All Through The Night.
After 40 minutes we were totally sung out and urgently needed liquid refreshment. On the way towards a likely looking bar, we saw some of the South African guys performing their own songs in a space behind the Hall and doing a roaring trade selling their CDs for a tenner to help their tour expenses. Another magic moment!