Heart-warming night with a new star
Last Night of the Welsh Proms, St David’s Hall
IT is said that familiarity breeds contempt. Well, the format of the annual Last Night of the Welsh Proms concert is very familiar, but it continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Welsh music lovers.
This year’s concert had all the patriotic music-making, singing, dancing, flag-waving fun and frolics that we have become used to over the past 31 years.
It came at the end of a week of concerts which included some fine programmes, especially the Masterpieces concert, with a splendid performance by John Lill of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2.
This season celebrated the 75th birthday of Welsh Proms founder Owain Arwel Hughes. He was on top form as he led the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the essence of the Celtic soul. The an invigorating evening of music, evocative opening and closing sections including Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, had a lilting beauty which enchanted the Rossini’s William Tell Overture and, capacity audience. This is a genuinely inevitably, Elgar’s Pomp and impressive new work which deserves to Circumstance No 1 (Land of Hope and be heard in concert halls around this Glory). land and beyond.
But of all the delightful musical The evening would not have been offerings during the evening, the complete without the most familiar undoubted highlight was a new work by segment, Wood’s Welsh Songs, which Paul Mealor, the Concerto for saw the indefatigable Owain Arwel Euphonium, which received its world Hughes lead the audience in communal premiere performance at this concert. singing, including the ever-popular
It was played with great subtlety and Goat’s Song. skill by international brass soloist David As always, it was great, heart-warming Childs. fun and a fitting end to what is an
There was a mysterious, haunting indispensable part of the cultural life of quality to this music, but also a lively, Wales. sparkling edge that seemed to capture Peter Collins The winning numbers in Saturday night’s Lotto main draw were
bonus number was The Thunderball numbers were and
1, 26, 41, 55 , 56
The Thunderball was and
59.The 36. 10, 14, 22, 33 34. 7.