0:00:02 > 0:00:04Connie!
0:00:04 > 0:00:08You may remember me from a place that was alive with the Sound of Music.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Well, I've been set free to explore a much more beautiful place
0:00:12 > 0:00:15where the hills are truly alive with the sound of music.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I'm taking a magical mystery tour
0:00:19 > 0:00:23to draw my very own musical map of Wales.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27I'll be travelling the length and breadth of the country,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29meeting some fabulous people.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I used to be where you are.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33All with wonderful talents...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36# That will bring us back to doe. #
0:00:36 > 0:00:38..and amazing tales to share.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Swept away.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Hold on for a bumpy ride.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I haven't driven a car in ten years. It's really fine, honestly.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Famous last words.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52# Doe, a deer, a female deer
0:00:52 > 0:00:57# Ray a drop of golden sun... #
0:00:58 > 0:01:02I've headed north into the mountains of Snowdonia and beyond.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07People say my driving's a bit erratic, and so are my routes.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I always go the pretty way.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14And today my route takes me around this glorious part of the world.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Travelling through the mountains
0:01:16 > 0:01:18which will be alive with the Sound of Music
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and ending in the fantasy world of Portmeirion.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25And I'm not travelling alone.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28This is my travelling companion. His name is Gilbert.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32He's one of the last remaining Welsh-built sports cars.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35He'll be providing you with the best seat in the house.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I, on the other hand, might be in for a bumpy ride.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47To tell you the truth, this journey has given me a few sleepless nights.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50A combination of steep mountain passes,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54a 40-year-old travelling companion and my driving.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Be afraid, be very afraid!
0:02:02 > 0:02:04My musical map starts with the incredible story
0:02:04 > 0:02:06of the day the Beatles came to Bangor.
0:02:08 > 0:02:121967 and the Beatles were a musical, global phenomenon.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16The Fab Four defining the Swinging Sixties.
0:02:16 > 0:02:17# All you need is love. #
0:02:17 > 0:02:22So why in July of that year did they come to Bangor University
0:02:22 > 0:02:23and cause uproar?
0:02:23 > 0:02:27The Beatles' spiritual guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
0:02:27 > 0:02:30came to Bangor to lead a transcendental meditation conference.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35So far, so odd, but what made it a day to remember
0:02:35 > 0:02:39was that John, Paul, George and Ringo decided to sign up as delegates.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I'm reuniting the Bangor four who were part of that amazing event.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- Hello, gentleman. Good morning. - Good morning.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Please, tell me what was it like
0:02:49 > 0:02:51the day in '67 the Beatles came to Bangor?
0:02:51 > 0:02:53The weather wasn't as good as this.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56# The magical mystery tour... #
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Len Jones was a gardener on the campus.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Little did he know what was at the bottom of the garden that day.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04What was the buzz like?
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I came at 8 o'clock in the morning to start work.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10And there was hundreds of people here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Well, they were singing and they were meditating.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17HE CHANTS
0:03:17 > 0:03:22It was fun and they were playing their guitars and everything. It was great.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24The Beatles came then.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27You couldn't move with hundreds of people
0:03:27 > 0:03:32and especially girls who were all screaming, "Beatles, where are you?"
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The whole college,
0:03:35 > 0:03:40everybody stopped work for a day or two and it was heaven.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It was the height of flower power, you must have been a busy gardener?
0:03:43 > 0:03:48Yes, we had a big rose bed here, right round that monkey puzzle tree.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And they took all the roses, cut them all off
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and put them round their hair.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I heard that they weren't wearing many clothes when you spotted them, is that true?
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Yes, it was.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04A lot of the girls, they were bare-breasted and everything else.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10The whole Bangor area seemed to go mad, but it put Bangor on the map.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Bob Hewitt was a trainee press photographer who got wind
0:04:16 > 0:04:21of the Beatles' magical mystery tour to Bangor and rushed to the station.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I stepped off the train and they stood there
0:04:24 > 0:04:25while we took that photograph.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27So it was a bit of a thrill for me
0:04:27 > 0:04:31because I was still saving up bits of my wages to buy the albums.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I really did like the Beatles.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38When you took this shot, did you know you had an iconic image?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I was just firing away and hoping the film was going through the camera.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45To go and develop the film and seeing we had great shots,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47it just sums up the summer of love
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and whatever else you'd call it at that time.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I don't think anyone realised in the mid-'60s,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55what an impact these people would have.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01Geoff was a local teenager who decided that he wasn't going to miss out
0:05:01 > 0:05:07and with the help of his dad's camera he could get up close and personal with his heroes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10You were naughty the day the Beatles came to Bangor, weren't you?
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Well, yes I suppose, nobody famous ever came to Bangor.
0:05:15 > 0:05:22So we grabbed our cameras and just a notepad and pen from the shop
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and we said, "freelance press", cameras hidden under the coats,
0:05:26 > 0:05:27and they just nodded us in.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30We sidled down the side to near the stage,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32listened to all this mumbo-jumbo.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Cameras out, took a photograph, cameras under the coats hoping nobody noticed.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39So a peek at these photos?
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Yeah. What we weren't expecting was the fact Mick Jagger,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Marianne Faithfull,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Jane Asher, Patti Boyd were also there on the front row.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Star-studded, wasn't it? And you were there.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53He's wearing his famous crush velvet pants.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55You look a bit like Mick Jagger.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56You think so?
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Gareth Roberts was a student who was curious about transcendental meditation
0:06:01 > 0:06:06that Maharishi and the Beatles and went to the conference.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08But the Beatles' meditation
0:06:08 > 0:06:10was to be interrupted by a phone call with some tragic news.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18It was the summer holidays so there were no students.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19The telephone rang and rang.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And Paul McCartney said somebody better answer that telephone.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27We went into the hall and it was a message to say their manager,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Epstein had died and that, of course, changed the whole
0:06:31 > 0:06:35series of events, they immediately left Bangor on the first train out.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38That was a watershed in their history
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and the whole thing changed after that.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Certainly, that's what made this particular event here
0:06:43 > 0:06:46so important in the history, I think.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The Beatles left Bangor in a hurry on that day, never to return.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55And I'm off on my magical mystery tour,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57as I head a few miles south into Snowdonia.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Come on, Gilbert.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20OK, look at that, there's a sheep sign. Lookout for sheep.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Beware of the sheep!
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Wow, look at that, it's amazing.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30What music do you associate with these stunning ranges?
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Operatic arias with Bryn Terfel? Traditional Welsh hymns and harps?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Maybe, what about the Bollywood beat?
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Believe it or not, they've been more than ten Bollywood epics
0:07:41 > 0:07:42shot in Wales in the past few years.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54I'm going to meet Raj Verma,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58a Bollywood star who's performed in numerous films in India.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02He decided the celebrity lifestyle was no longer for him.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05He visited Dolgellau and fell in love with Wales.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Raj and his family now live there
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and he started his own company to help bring Bollywood to Wales.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19Raj, what a spectacular backdrop? Isn't it stunning?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Amazing, I feel I'm on a Bollywood set.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24So, when you're walking through the streets
0:08:24 > 0:08:27of Dolgellau do people stop you and say,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29you were in a Bollywood film?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Anyone who is Indian are taken by shock and surprise.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35"What is he doing here?"
0:08:35 > 0:08:38There's a lot of dancing in Bollywood, so how many people
0:08:38 > 0:08:43would come to dance in a Bollywood film in the middle of Snowdonia?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Well, if it's a reasonably-sized production,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50one would see at least 70, 80 dancers standing here dancing,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53changing lightbulbs. Doing mad things in colourful clothes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55If you tried to look for reality, you'll wonder, fine.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58The boy is singing, he's in love.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00The girl is dancing, she's in love,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03but what's wrong with the people behind them? Why are they dancing?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05But that is Bollywood.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09How are you bringing Bollywood to North Wales?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I do Bollywood dancing so I'm going to teach them.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I do my workshop in Wales which people love.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18My name is Connie 'Can't Dance' Fisher, can't dance, won't Dance.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I'll give anything a shot, could you teach me a few moves?
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Absolutely, I can but for that you need to fall in love.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Let's do it because you need a situation.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Let's go to the basics first.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35In Bollywood dancing, right from the finger, go like that.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40To the arm, to the shoulder, body, to the head,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44everything has to move at the same time.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47OK? Yes, you'll get there.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52Warm up, get the shoulder, yes. Come on, go like that.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54One, two, one two.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56One, two, one, two, right.
0:09:56 > 0:10:02Now feed the pigeons. Turn, turn, full turn. Circle.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Feed those pigeons.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- One, two.- It's getting complicated now, Raj.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10It's not complicated, it's nothing.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15One, two, one, two. One, two. One, two.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Please, do try this at home.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Is this right? Shake 'em, baby.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Oh, yes.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25So in Bollywood dancing,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29it's extremely important to have that smile and love,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31romance on the face. Yes?
0:10:31 > 0:10:36So imagine someone dancing like this, changing the light bulbs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Or... The little, yes?
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And now it's time to go for the big one.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49'The story so far.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51'A beautiful young girl - ahem -
0:10:51 > 0:10:54'is going for a gentle walk in the foothills of love.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'When suddenly she bumps into a handsome film producer.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04'Get him!
0:11:07 > 0:11:11'How many Bollywood dancers does it take to change a light bulb?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'And, of course, they live happily ever after.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'Ah, well, duty calls, time and musical maps wait for no woman.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29'Follow me, crew.'
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It might not be possible, Gilbert seems to be jealous.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Broken down!
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Come on! You know I love you, really!
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Let's go.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Gilbert's back.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55We're off and back on the road again
0:11:55 > 0:11:57as we leave totally stunning Snowdonia
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and what a view on a beautiful day like today.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Gilbert and I are heading a few miles west through Llanberis
0:12:09 > 0:12:11towards Caernarfon and the Menai Straits.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15I'm here to meet some very special young musicians
0:12:15 > 0:12:19who are following in the footsteps of one of Wales's most famous composers.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25William Mathias was a child prodigy.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27He learned to play the piano at the age of three
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and composing by the tender age of five.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32He wrote an anthem for the Royal Wedding
0:12:32 > 0:12:35in 1981 for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Here, in the gallery is the William Mathias centre
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and I'm here to seek out some stars of the future.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47This striking modern architecture is home to some of the country's
0:12:47 > 0:12:50best young musicians who want to make music their life.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55And artistic director, Sioned Webb, tutors some of the pupils.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Push.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04One of the star pupils is this award-winning pianist.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Hiya. That is pretty impressive. How long have you been playing?
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- I started when I was about seven years old?- Yes.- I'm now 15.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Are you very competitive?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Yes, I was very fortunate to win the Blue Ribbon Award
0:13:24 > 0:13:27in the National Eisteddfod, in Cardiff in 2008.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- And you're how old? - I was 12 at the time.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33What goes on here?
0:13:33 > 0:13:35It was set up as a centre of excellence,
0:13:35 > 0:13:40but it's grown and there are nearly 400 pupils here now.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42The youngest is 18 months.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- She attends... - SPEAKS WELSH
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Which is the first steps in music.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51You have to be really gifted to come here? Or is it for anybody?
0:13:51 > 0:13:55We do believe every musician is a gifted musician, but on the other hand
0:13:55 > 0:14:00we have a diverse number of pupils and diverse styles and talents.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And where would a Welsh music centre be without a harp?
0:14:16 > 0:14:20And in the talented hands of pupil Rhian Dyer.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29I don't want to stop you, it's so beautiful.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- Is that a hard piece to play? - Yes, it's quite hard.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I'm learning it for my diploma.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It sounds like you put in hours of practise a week?
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Yeah, I try to do over an hour day.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Is there anything that you have to sacrifice to be a harpist?
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Well, I can't have long nails. - You can't have long nails?
0:14:48 > 0:14:50No, I have to keep them quite short.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53OK, that counts me out completely.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Do you have any harp idols?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I like Catrin Finch because she's doing lots of different things
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- and she's experimenting a lot. - She's quite groovy. - Yeah, she is quite groovy.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Catrin Finch gives master classes at the centre to bring on
0:15:12 > 0:15:14the next generation of harpists.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23You never know, one day we might all be listening to Rhian Dyer.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Let's be off, is it?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Just a short journey across Caernarfon to the home
0:15:43 > 0:15:46of royal pageantry and music - Caernarfon Castle.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Wow, look at that! Pretty impressive.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- NEWSCASTER:- 'The castle was hung with banners.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:53And just over 40 years ago,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Caernarfon prepared for a very special event.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00'The symbol of sovereignty.'
0:16:00 > 0:16:05In 1969, royal fanfares welcomed the new Prince of Wales.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08But there was music from this period that was rather less welcoming.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Security in Caernarfon was massive as the British Government reacted
0:16:18 > 0:16:22to Welsh nationalist protest at the investiture of Prince Charles.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24A lot of it was peaceful...
0:16:24 > 0:16:26some less so.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31And one song and one young Welsh folk singer provided the soundtrack
0:16:31 > 0:16:35to the protest with his hit of the Swinging Sixties.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I'm off to meet Dafydd Iwan, better known today as
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Plaid Cymru politician and businessman, but way back then, "the Bob Dylan of Wales".
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I was involved in the language struggles
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and campaigns of the '60s and '70s and so on
0:16:48 > 0:16:54and, naturally, that was gradually taking over my life and my songs.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58The song which has really created most reaction, negative and positive,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02is the song I wrote about Prince Charles in 1969.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06I wrote Carlo as a kind of leg-pull, you know, satirising him
0:17:06 > 0:17:09as the biggest Welshman that ever was.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The hype surrounding the investiture was so intense,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31people really created a hate figure out of me
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and people threatened my life.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36On the other hand, there were people who really loved the song,
0:17:36 > 0:17:42so I actually remember concerts where the audience actually split in two.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Half of them were throwing things at me and half of them were idolising me.
0:17:46 > 0:17:52# La-la, la-la, la-la. #
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Controversial songs are strange things.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58They're controversial for a while and then they either die
0:17:58 > 0:18:00or become part of your repertoire.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And it's always good to recall the furore,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07if you like, for and against.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10But I think they can play a small part
0:18:10 > 0:18:12in changing people's attitudes.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14I've never seen it as protest, really,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18I've seen it has expressing what means a lot to you.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- So it's fair to say you'd be lost without the Royal Family?- Exactly.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I've made quite a bit of money out of them.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Not as much as they have made out of me!
0:18:27 > 0:18:28THEY LAUGH
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Time to leave Caernarfon, its castle and controversy
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and on to my next destination.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Porthmadog translates as 'port of the mad dog'.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53I'm going the beautiful way, through some stunning landscape
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and down to Porthmadog. But beauty has a price.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59These roads are a little bit tricky!
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Wee! Sorry.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Breathe in. Come on, Gilbert.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05SHE INHALES DEEPLY
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Oh, a hill start.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09ENGINE STALLS
0:19:09 > 0:19:10ENGINE RESTARTS
0:19:10 > 0:19:12It's not me, it's Gilbert.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Hill start two. Come on, Gilbert.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Woo! And we're off!
0:19:19 > 0:19:21SHE CHUCKLES
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It'll be worth it in the end, trust me, as I'm off to piano heaven.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31Porthmadog has a very unusual musical claim to fame:
0:19:31 > 0:19:35it supplies pianos for some of the biggest musical performers in the country.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38And I'm here to meet Ian Jones, AKA Mr Piano,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43to find out exactly how Porthmadog became THE place for pianos.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Ian, we're surrounded by a sea of pianos.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Tell me how this all started?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53It all started from a little old lady walking into my mother and father's shop.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56She said, "Do you sell pianos?"
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- My father being my father, said, "No, but I can get you one." - THEY LAUGH
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Off he went down to London to get two pianos, and he came back,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07sold the first, sold the second and the rest is history.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09What is your most expensive piano here?
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- We're talking £27,000 to £28,000. - Right! Yeah.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15It's the handmade, it's the precision.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17That is what you pay for in a piano.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21So, indulge me, who have you tuned pianos for?
0:20:21 > 0:20:25- I've tuned for Connie Fisher once. - Oh, really?- Yeah.- Where was that?
0:20:25 > 0:20:31- I think, was it at the Vaynol? - At the Vaynol. yes.- Yes.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33This one's just come back from Des O'Connor.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- Des O'Connor's played this piano? - Lovely, lovely man. Lovely man.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- Did he tap dance on the piano as well?- I hope not!
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I can imagine Des giving it a bit of the old shoe shuffle.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45But it's been great.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47We've tuned and supplied many pianos,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49from Carreras to Cullum to Bryn.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- Where's the furthest that you've actually shipped a piano?- Anywhere.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58- Top of any mountains? Wasn't it Bryn's?- Oh, mountains, that's been terrible for him.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59He doesn't make it easy for us.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02No, he wants to go to Bardsey Island or up Snowdon.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04That was good.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10# I am dreaming of the mountains of my home... #
0:21:10 > 0:21:13The Snowdon Railway had extra passengers on that day -
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Ian and the piano.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19But that was the easy part. It took some heave-ho
0:21:19 > 0:21:24and quite a few burly men to take the instrument the last few yards.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28# ...the summer never dies
0:21:28 > 0:21:35- # But my heart is in the mountains of my home.- #
0:21:35 > 0:21:38One minute it was nice and sunny, then, poof!
0:21:38 > 0:21:40All of a sudden, it was getting cold
0:21:40 > 0:21:44and the piano was in and out all day, really.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47But, yeah, we tuned it three or four times that day.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50- Would you mind if I had a bash? - Fire away.- Right. Woo!
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- It's an expensive one, I can tell, isn't it?- Yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54Right.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58SHE PLAYS "CHOPSTICKS"
0:21:58 > 0:22:00HE LAUGHS
0:22:05 > 0:22:06Impressive, huh?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10I'd stick to singing, Connie, really.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12That was a bit harsh.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I didn't like to tell Ian, but I think that piano was out of tune!
0:22:20 > 0:22:24The final piece of my North Wales musical map is a magical place
0:22:24 > 0:22:26just a few miles east - Portmeirion.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30The amazing fantasy Italianate village
0:22:30 > 0:22:33was the dream of world-famous architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Work began in 1926 and took many years to complete
0:22:38 > 0:22:43and it's regarded by many as one of the seven wonders of Wales.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44It was to be a very '60s theme tune
0:22:44 > 0:22:48that was to make this place even more famous.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The Prisoner was a cult series in the late-'60s.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Its story was even stranger than this place.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02If you haven't seen it it's hard to explain,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06but it involved a prisoner - Patrick McGoohan, a very threatening beach ball
0:23:06 > 0:23:09and a lot of confusion!
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But there is something about to happen here which you may
0:23:13 > 0:23:14think is even more bizarre!
0:23:14 > 0:23:17This will surprise you, because it surprised me.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Portmeirion is also home to a festival that celebrates
0:23:21 > 0:23:23the work of a great musical star.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29And it's run by a great Welsh stargazer.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34MUSIC: "We'll Gather Lilacs" by Ivor Novello
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Ivor Novello was born in Cardiff in 1893
0:23:40 > 0:23:44and became one of the world's most popular composers and performers,
0:23:44 > 0:23:45even starring in Hollywood films.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Back then he was even bigger than Lloyd-Webber,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51writing numerous hit shows and songs.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55So what you might well be asking is... what's Russell Grant doing here?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Well, Russell, I never expected you to be an Ivor Novello fan.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So what does an Ivor Novello fan look like?
0:24:01 > 0:24:02- Like this.- It's true.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'Russell Grant, who lives in North Wales, is best known
0:24:06 > 0:24:08'for his astrology and predictions.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Back in the '70s though, he was an actor and singer
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and performed in an Ivor Novello musical,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16and the love affair began.
0:24:16 > 0:24:23I was working with Olive Gilbert, who was one of Ivor's leading ladies
0:24:23 > 0:24:25and he wrote lots of the parts for her.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Beautiful songs, like,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30# Take your girl for the cherries on her lips
0:24:30 > 0:24:33# For the cherries on her lips take the girl... #
0:24:33 > 0:24:38Just the most magical music, and he wrote some of our greatest musicals.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Perhaps Ivor Novello's best known song became the troops' favourite
0:24:46 > 0:24:49during the First World War. Keep The Home Fires Burning
0:24:49 > 0:24:52was the perfect song that reminded men of home and hope,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and was inspired by Ivor's mother.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Clara, his mum, she said to Ivor,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02"You need to write something for the First World War."
0:25:02 > 0:25:06He said, "But, Mum, they've already got It's A Long Way to Tipperary!
0:25:06 > 0:25:08And she said, "No, no. You need to write it."
0:25:08 > 0:25:14And they sang it first, in a music hall setting.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16By the end of it,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19everybody was joining in and there was a standing ovation.
0:25:19 > 0:25:25Ivor Novello has become something of a forgotten hero,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27many people these days would only know him through
0:25:27 > 0:25:29the Novello music awards.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34It's rather sad that last year, one of the recipients of a Novello award
0:25:34 > 0:25:38didn't know who Novello was, which I found rather sad.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43But Ivor Novello certainly isn't as popular
0:25:43 > 0:25:46as he was or as he should be.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50As a result of that, I've been working as much as I can
0:25:50 > 0:25:56to try and think of ways to raise his popularity.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00The Ivor Novello International because he was an international star,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03coming from Hollywood, Music and Movies Festival.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07And we will hold it here in Wales, where he belongs.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09This sounds so exciting!
0:26:09 > 0:26:12You, my darling, I'm going to tell you now, you're already a patron.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- Ooh, check it out!- I just made you.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18- I love it!- A bit like, here we go, Fairy Godmother, ping ping...
0:26:18 > 0:26:20You are a patron!
0:26:20 > 0:26:24'We have a piano, pianist, Annette Bryn Parri...
0:26:24 > 0:26:26'Hey guys, let's put on a show right here!'
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Shall we do it?
0:26:28 > 0:26:33# Keep the home fires burning
0:26:33 > 0:26:38ALL: # Though your hearts are yearning
0:26:38 > 0:26:43# Though your lads are far away
0:26:43 > 0:26:48# They dream of home... #
0:26:48 > 0:26:50I know this bit.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53# ..There's a silver lining... #
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'What a perfect end to an amazing journey.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00'Ivor Novello, Portmeirion and Russell Grant.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I don't think you can top that, so I won't even try!'
0:27:04 > 0:27:13# ..Till the boys come home. #
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Gets you right there, which is what it was meant to do!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22- It's like chocolate, you want more! - We do!
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Next time, I'm travelling across the heads of the South Wales valleys
0:27:27 > 0:27:29to be serenaded by a superstar...
0:27:29 > 0:27:32RHYDIAN SINGS
0:27:36 > 0:27:39..discover a recording studio that is part of rock history...
0:27:39 > 0:27:43When Freddie Mercury wrote Bohemian Rhapsody, perhaps he got
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- "any way the wind blows" from looking up at that horse? - From that weather vane!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50..and I give a master class in music and dance.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Well, you've got to give something back to the next generation!
0:27:59 > 0:28:00I'm exhausted!
0:28:00 > 0:28:05# Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
0:28:05 > 0:28:08# Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
0:28:08 > 0:28:12# Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. #
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd