St David’s Day Wales & the World Concert

The concert kicked off in a typically rousing way with Faleiry Koczkar conducting Gwŷr Harlech with guests Eleri and Aled Edwards singing with the choir. With the house lights still up, patrons were exhorted to find their song sheets and sing along to the English verses which they did in full voice.

Compère Drew Hopkins introduced the music team and our guest Welsh conductor Dilwyn Price who immediately delighted the audience with his cheerful and humorous personality as he gave the background to Calon Lân (A Pure Heart), Aberystwyth and the passionate 

O Gymru (O Wales) featuring Eleri in a flaming red dress and waving a small Welsh flag to much applause.

Exit Eleri and enter husband Aled who introduced his two solos before his rich baritone voice soared in the serenade Deh! vieni alla finestra (Oh, Come to the Window), from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni and pulsated with passion on Y Cymro (The Welshman).

Dilwyn came back on stage and gave the background to two favourites from the Welsh choral repertoire – Gwahoddiad (Invitation) and Myfanwy before the more modern Yfory (Tomorrow) with another fine solo by Aled and sensitive flute accompaniment by Nigel McGuckian.

Exit Aled and enter Eleri this time. Her magnificent mezzo soprano voice was ideal in the lovelorn aria Voi Che Sapete (Those Who Know) from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. This was followed by the equally romantic My Life Belongs To You by Welsh composer Ivor Novello  from his 1939 musical The Dancing Years.

Drew then introduced the Opera medley – Pilgrims’ Chorus from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, The Soldiers’ Chorus from Gounod’s Faust, The Toréador Song from Bizet’s Carmen with a spirited solo by tenor Drew himself, finishing off with the gypsy girl inspired Anvil Chorus from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, complete with metallic accompaniment by Colin ‘Smith’ Evans.

After interval, Dilwyn (referencing the earlier Myfanwy) challenged the audience to give him any first name and he would instantly sing a song with that name in it. Someone shouted out ‘Sheryl’ which initially stumped the irrepressible conductor…until he remembered the very thing – Happy Birthday to You….!

Once the laughter had subsided, Dilwyn explained the passion and meaning behind the Eisteddfod welcome song Unwaith Eto’n Nghymru Annwyl (Once Again in Dear Wales) with Eleri, now in a glittering gold dress, leading the choir with the first verse before tenor Rushan Hewawasam took up the second  and the hall resounding with the final chorus.

Drew then alluded to how the next two brackets tied in with the concert theme of Wales and the World. First was Australian composer Paul Jarman’s iconic song about the famous Aboriginal guerrilla Pemulwuy. Second was African Prayer,  the melody of which was inspired by the Welsh song Aberystwyth which we sang in the first half. Composed by Xhosa-speaking Enoch Sontonga, this is now the official National Anthem of South Africa, our accompanist Lorna Ogilvie’s birth country, and sung in Xhosa, Zulu and English.

Sri Lankan chorister (one of two in VicWelsh) Rushan Hewawasam then came to the microphone and explained that the next song Danno Budunge/Jehovah,Thou Hast Promised is sung at nearly every public event at home. With a lovely flute introduction by Nigel, Rushan then conducted the choir in a beautiful rendition of this anthem which the choir started in Sinhala – with Rushan singing  the middle section himself – before finishing with the final English hymn structure. The extended applause said everything.

President Tony Davies stepped forward to thank Rushan for bringing this arrangement to the choir’s repertoire and taking the opportunity to tell the assembly that this was the seventh language they had incorporated so far in tonight’s concert. 

As the appropriate Morse code machine had now been set up on stage, he then introduced tenors Geoff Roberts and Tony Hosemans who then superbly combined their voices in the heart-wrenching duo The Proposal/The Night Was Alive from the 1997 musical Titanic. 

At its conclusion the house exploded with well-deserved sustained clapping.

Coming in from the cold, as it were, the choir next accompanied Aled in a masterful performance of I’se Weary of Waitin’ which was triumphantly appreciated.

As the clapping subsided, bass Barry McMahon led the choir in the popular Working Man composed by Canadian Rita MacNeil. Sung with considerable brio, Barry’s performance also drew great applause and Faleiry quickly seized the moment to reprise the last chorus with many in the audience eagerly joining in.

Our guest singers then came back on stage to present three duets. The first was the sensitively sung romantic Barcarolle from the Tales of Hoffman. They then introduced a Scottish element with Robbie Burns’ famous poem My Love is like a Red Red Rose, splendidly and delicately sung. Their final duet was the comic The Spider and the Fly 

with the coquettish Eleri drawing in the reluctant Aled with a string of tiny Welsh flags, until he was completely caught. Such was the delicacy of the singing and the superb comic timing, the whole audience was totally enchanted.

These two superb performers next joined the choir on the famous Cwm Rhondda (Rhondda Valley) before stepping to the side as Drew and Graeme Sanderson combined on the modern arrangement of Waltzing Matilda which then cleverly segued into the Welsh National Anthem. With our Welsh guests and half of the choir singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau and the rest and many of the standing audience singing Matilda, the bilingual finale brought the concert to a rapturous ending for patrons, guests and choir alike. A standing ovation indeed.

To the strains of Men of Harlech the choir filed off stage leaving the indefatigable Lorna, Faleiry, Dilwyn, Eleri and Aled to join hands to be bathed in waves of applause and cheering as a wonderful heartfelt thank you for a night of outstanding musical pleasure.