St. Mary's Church was the venue for a most successful evening of music, on Tuesday, May 26, when Tenby Male Choir and Miss Rhian Morgan entertained a large crowd of visitors and locals.
The event was organised to raise funds for Barnardos charity and the success of the evening could be measured by the delight and pleasure of the audience throughout the performance. In traditional style, the choir began with the Welsh hymn 'Gwahoddiad' (meaning 'invitation') sung in Welsh, followed by a moving performance of 'Timeless Moment,' a piece written originally by Mahler for orchestra.
Following this, the choir sang two of their 'new' songs, 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square' and 'I Believe' which was beautifully harmonic and gave a new depth of sound to the choir.
The soloist for the evening, Rhian Morgan, is a young mezzo-soprano, who has recently graduated from Trinity College, Carmarthen. Rhian sang two well-known pieces; 'He shall feed his flock' from Handel's 'Messiah' and Brahm's Lullaby, sung in German. Her accompanist was Dr. John Harrison. The first piece was especially moving, with Rhian's young voice easily reaching those top notes.
In their second section, the choir sang 'Softly as I leave you' and 'Ave Maria,' with Eric Mullins, from the bass section of the choir, taking the solo part. It was a complicated operation for the MD Christine, as she conducted the choir with her right hand and Eric with her left.
The next song demonstrated the beautifully controlled singing for which Tenby Male Choir is renowned; 'She,' a song revived for the film 'Notting Hill.' This was followed by a very quick version of 'Rhythm of Life,' leaving the choir, and I should think the MD and accompanist Jill, gasping for breath. Eric Mullins remained 'on stage' to perform 'If I were a rich man' to the obvious delight of the audience, who appreciated his very passable Jewish accent and body language!
When Rhian returned, it was to sing two very different songs; firstly 'Londonerry Air' and secondly 'Smoke gets in your eyes!' In the second song, Rhian was accompanied by her grandmother, Mrs. Pat Allen.
As Rhian's father John sings in Tenby Male Choir bass section, the members of the audience were treated to a wonderful feast of music from three generations of one family, and this, of course, is why Wales is known as 'The Land of Song,' a typical Welsh family passing on the love and performance of music from generation to generation.
In their final section, the choir provided a complete contrast to Rhian's music, beginning with 'When the Saints go Marching in' and an unaccompanied 'Eli Jenkins Prayer' adapted from Dylan Thomas' 'Under Milk Wood.'
Their penultimate piece was led in by the bass section and beautifully accompanied by Jill Williams. This was 'American Trilogy,' providing varied intonation and volume.
In traditional style, the MD invited any visiting male choristers to join the ever-lovely rendering of 'Morte Christe' and three men did so; a fitting end to a fine performance.
The evening concluded with the singing of the Welsh National Anthem 'Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.'