Tenby Male Choir's appearance at St. David's Cathedral on Friday was a great success in terms of prestige, performance and outcome.
Welcomed by the Dean of the Cathedral, who opened the concert with prayers, Tenby Male Choir gave some beautiful renderings of favourite pieces, old and new.
The presenter for the evening was Mr. Newman Vincent, of Saundersfoot, whose quiet, wily-humorous presentational skills are wholly professional. His mention of the 'Eisteddfod Fringe' brought a smile to the faces of the audience, which, though not large enough to fill the cathedral, numbered about 150.
It was good to see members of the cathedral clergy, visitors and locals present. Some had travelled from the Tenby area to hear the concert and agreed at the end, it was well worth the drive.
After the choir's first three numbers, which included 'Gwahoddiad' sung in Welsh, Newman introduced the first soloist of the evening, Mark Burrows, Mark began with an aria from Verdi's 'La Traviata', then in a complete change, sang a song written for John McCormack called 'Mother McCnee'. This was followed by another aria from the lesser known opera 'Jocelin'.
Newman next introduced, as a diversion from the music, Dr. Kath Davies from Australia, reading bush poetry. The poem, 'The Christening', was very amusing and gave a picture of life in 'the bush'.
Anne Atkinson, mezzo soprano, was the next artist introduced. She sang the beautiful aria 'What is life without Eurydize?' from the opera of that name, then a Welsh ballad and finally in English, I. Williams's 'My little home'.
When the choir returned to 'stage' it was to sing 'Dashenka', the lovely ballad 'She' and the fast and furious 'Amen', which the audience loudly applauded. In a nice touch, Newman had forewarned the audience to listen to the accompanist especially in the last piece, and Jill Williams, playing on a Steinway grand, gave her usual vivacious performance.
After a 10-minute break, for people to greet friends and stretch their legs, the choir returned to sing Ryan Davies's 'Pan fo'r nos yn hir', 'Take Me Home' and 'Rhythm of Life', which again proved very popular with the audience.
Mark Burrows returned for his second 'spot' to sing Ivor Novello's 'My Dearest Dear' in a beautifully modulated tone, 'Sylvia', and finally 'Trees', that lovely poem set to music which stirs memories for so many of us.
When Kath returned, it was to read 'Clancy of the Overflow' a humorous piece, as its title would suggest, and 'Said Hanrahan'.
In her last appearance, Anne Atkinson sang a mixture of opera and Cole Porter and she and Mark sang 'We'll gather lilacs' as a finale.
Finally, Newman re-introduced the choir. Telling little anecdotes and keeping the audience entertained between items, Newman created a smooth-flowing, easy-listening atmosphere, which, in the cathedral, was just right.
The choir's final three pieces included one of their best, in the writer's view, 'Timeless Moments'. This was followed by the Welsh 'Arglwydd mae y Nosi', and completely different in style, evocation and tone, 'American Trilogy'.
The wonderful acoustics of St. David's Cathedral, the huge open space of the central area, and the balmy summer evening outside, all lent themselves to making the choir's singing so very enjoyable. It was an evening to remember, both for the choristers and for their audience. It was regrettable that three or four stalwart members of the choir had to be absent because of family holidays, but at least two of them returned early from holiday so that they should not miss out on this opportunity.
After the concert, the choir and supporters travelled to the 'Pelcombe Inn' at Pelcombe Cross, where refreshments and a warm welcome awaited them. The aprés concert singing continued for a considerable length of time!