Instead of a composition describing our successful concert on Saturday I have gathered comments and views from Facebook entries, Whats App messages and anecdotes picked up during the evening. This was indeed a landmark concert in our area and the church was packed; no surprise there then!
Stand out pieces.
The range of songs performed from Sempre and the two male voice choirs made for a well-structured and entertaining concert. How to choose the best items; probably unfair and not possible given the rich performances of both male voice choirs but here are my favorites of the evening.
• Sempre – Mister Sandman, Sentimental Journey and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
• Cor Meibion De Cymru – Gwinllan a Roddwyd, Tell My Father, Y Tangnefeddwyr
• Mansfield – Shine, This is the Moment
• Joint MVC’s – Deus Salutis, Ar Hyd y Nos and World in Union
Comments on Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night)
• Ardderchog! (Excellent!) I love this arrangement and the warm /rich sound of both choirs – Rhi Williams
• Da iawn (very good) – Wayne Rowles
• Great pronunciation gents. Nailed it . Treorchy Male Choir says hello. – Tony Jones
Skill
• Two choirs that have never met before jointly performed three songs, two in Welsh.
• The conducting and directing skills of both Rhiannon and Ian made for confidence and sureness in pace and dynamics. The sound extracted by each of them was warm, rich and of high integrity.
• Tony Jones cheers Tony, thanks for releasing Rhiannon for the tour, she is amazing. – Ian Grice.
• Super concert tonight to a sellout audience, with Sempre and the amazing The South Wales Male Choir. Rhi Williams and Sian you were so good to work with, it was like we had been with each other for ever. – Ian Grice
• Thank you, Ian. Both choirs combined fantastically well together and your dedication to the Welsh language and pronunciation was so impressive! Gwych (great). Loved it! – Rhi Williams.
• The accompaniment skills of Sian and Margaret at the piano were exemplary. Margaret played fantastically as usual. – Terry Ashmore
• The compere, Phil Howells, had a welcoming and measured pace which suited everyone, making the audience and choristers feel at home.
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Dedication
• Andrew Marsh (Baritone) returned from a cruise holiday at 4pm on Saturday and was with us at 5.15 pm for joint rehearsal.
• Three family members of Matthew Wootton (1st Tenor) travelled up from South Wales especially to attend this concert.
• Amazing concert – proud of you Matthew Wootton. – Louise Norgrove
• Mario Curtis was recognised for 20 years’ membership and was presented with a certificate by Chairman, Geoff Hursthouse and President, David Marriott. That concert will take some beating! And the afterglow was great. It won’t be easy to get to sleep now. I am proud to be a 20-year-old! 😀 (chorister). – Mario Curtis.
• Justin (Bass) sang tonight in only his second concert and was surprised by the whole room singing happy birthday to him. Many thanks gentlemen. You’re all an inspiration. I very much appreciate your camaraderie and support in my new found interest (singing beside you) – Justin Agah – Gilbert
Hwyl (Having fun)
• There was a natural camaraderie between the two male voice choirs. The Afterglow was wonderful, especially the free singing afterwards.
• The Welsh choir members commented on how welcome they had been made to feel.
• The four ladies dressed in Welsh National costume looked just right and they contributed significantly by helping to run the raffle.
• The church staff did a wonderful job providing refreshments.
• The stage was set beautifully with bunting and national flags of our two nations.
In summary
• Just to say two top choirs tonight, very good sound from all plus our visitors felt wanted and appreciated. – Lynden Lowe
• Fabulous – Adele Stenton
• It was amazing – Kate Curtis
• What a night. Isn’t it fab that our reach includes such quality as Cor Meibion De Cymru. All due to contacts, trust, hard work and our reputation. – Geoff Mansfield
• Amazing concert well done to you all. I am so looking forward to the Christmas one. – Jo Witton
I thought all three choirs were stunning and the friendliness of both the Welsh choir and Sempre, plus the Welsh ladies, made the evening especially enjoyable. The enthusiasm to have the words for the Welsh National Anthem by most of the audience was very surprising. Most of them enjoyed joining in!
Eileen Lawrence M&DMVC secretary
Although we are always well rehearsed I felt some nerves as we stood for Mae Hen Wlad. However the thrill carried us through and we were far better than the rugby fans (in my opinion). At the afterglow I sang every song, even the ones I didn’t know!
It was a fabulous night, very enjoyable. And we have made some new friends, a trip to Wales in the not too distant future for a return concert no doubt.