0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:01- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:02 > 0:00:04- "Only the purple moon
0:00:04 > 0:00:07- "At the edge of the bare mountain
0:00:07 > 0:00:10- "And the sound - of the old river Prysor
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- "Singing in the valley."
0:00:22 > 0:00:26- Catrin Finch is composing - a harp concerto...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- ..for the National Youth Orchestra - of Wales.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- What's her inspiration?
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- What turns a commission - into a concerto?
0:00:37 > 0:00:41- The landscape? History? - Community? Love?
0:00:41 > 0:00:46- All these aspects combine - in the incredible life story...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- ..of poet Hedd Wyn.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- Precisely a century ago...
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- ..global events shattered - the tranquillity of Trawsfynydd.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00- The first step is to visit his home - - Yr Ysgwrn.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- Catrin meets his family - that live there today.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- This is the story - of how Hedd Wyn started out.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19- As he was the eldest son, he could - stay up late with his father.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23- The younger children - and their mother would go to bed.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29- Dad would compose poetry - for the local eisteddfodau...
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- ..such as Eisteddfod Penstryd, - Eisteddfod Llawr Plwy'...
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- ..and Eisteddfod Stesion.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- Dad used to enter - some of his compositions.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43- He used to win sometimes, - he'd win sixpence.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- He'd write his poetry - at the table...
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- ..and Hedd Wyn, - his parents called him Ellis...
0:01:50 > 0:01:54- ..would sit across the table - writing his own poetry.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- He'd ask his father - for his approval.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- His father would say, - "Enter it in the eisteddfod...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- "..they'll give you - a fair adjudication."
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- That's how it all started.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19- Hedd Wyn's father couldn't afford - to employ a farm-hand.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24- At the time, - the farm was self-sufficient.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29- The only produce they bought - was salt, sugar and flour.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34- When you're outdoors - during spring time...
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- ..you see something new every day.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41- There are new smells, - you see something new.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43- It's never the same.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- Because of what happened to him, - the Black Chair...
0:03:05 > 0:03:12- ..his life and his work became one, - which isn't unusual for artists.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- In a way, what he became, - what he now represents...
0:03:16 > 0:03:21- ..as you look at his statue...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- ..he represents - the young shepherd...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- ..who was sacrificed.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- There were many of them, - during the World War I.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37- I think that's something which - has influenced the public psyche...
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- ..more than anything else - about the war.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- What effect did the war have...
0:04:31 > 0:04:35- ..on creative people - - poets and musicians?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- In a way, - right at the very beginning...
0:04:39 > 0:04:44- ..many regarded it as something - adventurous, something new...
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- ..and they had a duty to go.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- Soon, it struck them that they were - going to fight, going to kill...
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- ..and possibly die themselves.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- The effect on people - such as Wilfred Owen was immense.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02- Such people would fight in the war - and when they returned home...
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- ..they were very aware - of the reality.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Some die while others, - like Ivor Gurney, return...
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- ..and can't cope - with everyday life.
0:05:20 > 0:05:28- Musicians and poets, - they become spirits...
0:05:28 > 0:05:32- ..living their lives - not knowing what's happening.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- It's tragic.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- I don't understand war.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Two boys, - neither having met before...
0:05:49 > 0:05:54- ..fighting each other to the death - in the middle of a field.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59- The one who survives, how can - he feel better about himself?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- He's killed his neighbour.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- As far as I'm concerned, World War I - was an imperialist war...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- ..the remnants of the Empire - at each other's throats.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- They were related - the Kaiser - was Queen Victoria's cousin.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37- Catrin, you have family links - to Germany yourself.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- Yes, Nain was German.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- She lived during World War II.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48- The family were separated - between east and west in Berlin.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- That was a very difficult time. - She never wanted to return.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58- It was always about life moving on. - That was important for her.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- She could remember back - to World War I...
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- ..when she was growing up.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- We've chronicled - our family's history in this book.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- Members of my family - fought in World War I.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- They might have been in Ypres - with Hedd Wyn...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- ..fighting against Hedd Wyn.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25- You don't know.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30- When you think about an orchestra - of 18-year-old performers...
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- ..going out to perform in Berlin...
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- ..at the same age...
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- ..they would have gone - to fight in a war a century ago.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- A man named Eugene Van Fleteren - made the chair.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- He had a factory in Ypres, - right on the front line.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52- The British Government wanted - to station a battery in his yard.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55- They said he could move here - as a refugee.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- He arrived in Liverpool...
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- ..and they commissioned him - to make a Celtic chair.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- He lived within half a mile - to where Hedd Wyn died.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- That was a strange coincidence.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Hedd Wyn travelling to Ypres - and Eugene moving here.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- He was hoping his chair - would be seen by everyone...
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- ..but they draped - a black cloak over it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- In some ways, his masterpiece - never saw the light of day.
0:08:25 > 0:08:31- There's a letter somewhere - from a young eight-year-old girl...
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- ..she lived in Corwen.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- She writes about seeing the chair - for the first time in the station.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- The train would stop - in almost every station...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- ..from Birkenhead to here.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- The door would open - and people could see the chair.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Every carving on this chair, - there's a story behind it.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- This is the Christian cross.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- The Celtic cross inside it.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- These four are light, darkness, - fire and water...
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- ..all the elements mankind requires.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- Behind the crosses - is an intertwined ribbon.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- There's no beginning or ending - to it - it signifies eternity...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- ..yesterday, today, - tomorrow and beyond.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29- Further up, two nocturnal creatures - face away from the sun...
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- ..unable to face - goodness and justice.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- They turn away in shame.
0:09:35 > 0:09:42- Here, a two-headed serpent - looks forwards and backwards.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44- "What is our purpose in life?"
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- The circles of life - and the four axis.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- The underworld keeping an eye - on passing time.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- This is the eternal flame - from the beginning of time.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- I once hosted four people - from London.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- I think they were important people.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- I watched them arriving.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- They weren't wearing suits - off the peg.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- They were made-to-measure suits.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18- I told them that the red dragon - signified the Welsh nation.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- The serpent signified the English!
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- The serpent's tail - is wrapped around the Welshman...
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- ..telling him to do as it wishes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32- The Englishman sat over there, - looked at me and said "sorry"!
0:10:34 > 0:10:35- I liked that!
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- I liked that very much.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58- He joined the army - and they gave him 14 days of leave.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- It was a wet year.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- He stayed home for an extra week - to help bring in the hay.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Because of that, - he was classed as a deserter.
0:11:09 > 0:11:15- The Military Police arrived - and took him from the hay field.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- They took him to the jail - in Blaenau.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- He was transferred to Litherland, - and from there, taken to France.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- He was thrust - right into the front line.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- He'd written Yr Arwr here.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Since they took him - from the hay field...
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- ..he left everything at home.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39- He had to rewrite it from memory - on his way to the front line.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43- "The Hero.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- "Cry restless deep my years
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- "And my anguish heard - on ragged stone
0:11:53 > 0:11:58- "For the girl of nature I was before
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- "I cry to the stormy winds - and cold seas
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- "I might weep - for I do not see my dearest
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- "Sons of princes - the sunny country of my childhood
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- "When there was no penance - throughout our days
0:12:17 > 0:12:22- "And in its ruby summers we walked."
0:12:26 > 0:12:32- It was quite an achievement for him - to send the poem to the Eisteddfod.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38- The soldiers would send letters home - chronicling the events they'd seen.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- They took some time to find - a high-ranking officer...
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- ..who could speak Welsh...
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- ..to say it was fine - for it to be sent to Wales.
0:13:10 > 0:13:10- .
0:13:14 > 0:13:14- .
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- # Funeral March - Chopin #
0:13:20 > 0:13:25- "Why must I live in this grim age
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- "When, to a far horizon, God
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- "Has ebbed away, and man, with rage
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- "Now wields the sceptre and the rod?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- "Man raised his sword, - once God had gone
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- "To slay his brother, and the roar
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- "Of battlefields now casts upon
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- "Our homes the shadow of the war.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- "The harps to which we sang - are hung
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- "On willow boughs, and their refrain
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- "Drowned by the anguish of the young
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- "Whose blood is mingled - with the rain."
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- Hedd Wyn didn't appreciate - the enormity of war at the time.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- He was a rural boy. - The war didn't affect us here.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- He was a rural farmer.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22- His weapons were a pick and shovel - - that was his world.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- When he went to war, - he carried a rifle.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32- In some ways, he was defenceless - when he faced the enemy.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- The whole point - of the European Union...
0:14:41 > 0:14:45- ..is to prevent the mayhem of the - two world wars of the 20th century.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50- After World War I, an unjust peace - existed leading to World War II.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- It's a frightening prospect - composing music...
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- ..for an orchestra - of 120 young musicians.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- I could hear the music - in my head...
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- ..but putting it on paper - was a problem.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- Sections for the bassoon, - percussion...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- ..tuba, trumpet, violin and so on.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- To help me organise - the composition...
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- ..I studied for a course - in composing with John Hardy...
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- ..in the Welsh College - of Music and Drama.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- I've been commissioned - to write a harp concerto.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- How long is the commission?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Whatever I choose, - but up to 20 minutes.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- You're playing the harp section.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- You're playing the harp section.- - Yes.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- How long - 20 minutes? - For you and them?
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- There's about 120 - of them in the orchestra.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- There's a triple wind section...
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- ..full brass, four percussion, - four harps...
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- Four harps? Fantastic.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- And myself - five harps.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- That section alone - is quite a challenge.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- There are a lot of staves - to deal with.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- What kind of style?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- Modernism or something...?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- It starts with the cadenza.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- It starts with the cadenza.- - At the start? Cadenza at the start?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- It starts just with the harp.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32- Instead of the cadenza appearing - at the end of the movement...
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- ..I want the beginning - to be a cadenza for the harp.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41- How do you want the audience to feel - straight after they hear it...?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- For the first time?
0:16:44 > 0:16:52- I guess I want them to feel - as if they've been on a journey...
0:16:52 > 0:16:58- ..and feel as if they have an idea - what Hedd Wyn's life was like.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- They feel the different aspects - of his life.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- They create a picture - in their mind...
0:17:08 > 0:17:13- ..about the man and the events - he'd witnessed.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- We begin with a poem called Atgof.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- "Only the purple moon - at the edge of the bare mountain
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- "And the sound of the old river - Prysor singing in the valley."
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- I was thinking of using - the woodwind and doing this.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Sort of tinkly in a way.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- That type of thing.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- That comes back and forth - between the...
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- ..between the woodwind instruments.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46- With that, I want to create - something fluid, a misty scene.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- It sounds like a happy feeling.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54- Is it still happy and perfect - in your mind?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- At the beginning, it is.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- His home was a happy place, - from what I gather.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- He wanted to stay at home.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- That scene... I think that - the opening scene is a happy scene.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15- I want to move on - to the second part, about the war.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- "The harps to which we sang - are hung
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- "On willow boughs, - and their refrain."
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- It's the strong, - angry feeling of war.
0:18:25 > 0:18:33- You can rise from - the musical tonal language...
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- ..and do something angrier, - so to speak.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- Some harsh notes on the harp.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- You can create sounds when you - press the pedal between notes...
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- ..crashes and bangs.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- I've found a lovely poem about love.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54- The final verse is...
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- .."Some day, through the weather, - a day will come
0:18:58 > 0:19:00- "Two will become one in this world."
0:19:01 > 0:19:05- I want the piece to build - to that point.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- It's a simple piece, it's in ten.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- The orchestra meet to rehearse - during a summer school in Lampeter.
0:19:38 > 0:19:45- This place inspired a five-year-old - Catrin to become a harpist.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- How does it feel - to be part of something...
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- ..where you have so many musicians - - 100, 120 musicians?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- I was part of the National Youth - Orchestra of Great Britain...
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- ..for six years.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07- That included playing a prom - every summer...
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- ..in a venue like the Albert Hall.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12- We'd play Mahler's 3rd Symphony.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- You're a small part, - you're one of 120...
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- ..but you're important.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20- You're helping...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- You're helping...- - To create a complete composition.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- It's a remarkable process.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40- When you see over 100 youngsters, - 18 years or younger...
0:20:41 > 0:20:47- ..just heading to Europe happily - to perform the music in Berlin...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- ..you think back to a century ago...
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- ..about 100 youngsters - of a similar age...
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- ..heading to Europe to fight a war.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00- Today, Europe is easily accessible.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06- They catch a bus in Cardiff and - within six hours, they're abroad.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- We're privileged.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26- When you look at our lives, - the lives of youngsters...
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- ..they're so fortunate, - they have opportunities.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36- The National Youth Orchestra of - Wales began just after World War II.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40- It was an opportunity to show - what composing music was all about.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- The joint education committee - developed it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- It's important to appreciate - these opportunities.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- First off all, - the whistles are coming over...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- ..a little bit too strong - and piercing.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43- I always talk about the cutbacks - in musical education.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- I can't thank the joint education - committee enough...
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- ..and the crew of volunteers - that work so hard...
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- ..to create these opportunities - for the orchestra.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58- We must celebrate it.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07- At times, I felt for... Joss, can - you give a little more of your solo?
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- 250...
0:24:20 > 0:24:20- .
0:24:24 > 0:24:24- Subtitles
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:24:55 > 0:25:00- Crossing the sea from Wales - to Berlin is some journey...
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- ..even for the orchestra - and the crew of 150.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- The family comes along too.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10- A special adventure - for Ana Gwen and Pegi Wyn.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- I joined the orchestra in Germany.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- It was an opportunity to perform - in the Berlin's Concert House...
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- ..one of the world's greatest halls.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- "Only the purple moon
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- "At the edge of the bare mountain
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- "And the sound - of the old river Prysor
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- "Singing in the valley."
0:34:04 > 0:34:04- .
0:34:08 > 0:34:08- Subtitles
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:34:10 > 0:34:14- "The harps to which we sang are hung
0:34:14 > 0:34:18- "On willow boughs, and their refrain
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- "Drowned by the anguish - of the young..."
0:44:17 > 0:44:19- APPLAUSE
0:44:29 > 0:44:31- What a fantastic evening.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33- A great night for the orchestra...
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- ..a great night for the composers.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- A fantastic concert, - so much enthusiasm and feeling.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55- You felt the nation's emotion - in the music.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00- A new piece of music - performed by a wonderful harpist!
0:45:09 > 0:45:13- I think what's so moving - about the concerto...
0:45:13 > 0:45:19- ..the way in which she has obviously - identified very personally...
0:45:19 > 0:45:23- ..with the narrative, with - the poetry, with the individual...
0:45:23 > 0:45:26- ..Hedd Wyn, behind the poetry.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30- I feel that it's a musical - and an emotional journey.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34- Great performance, - absolutely extraordinary.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36- I've never seen something like that.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- It's really captivated everything...
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- ..that's been so fantastic - about this course.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49- The young energy and talent...
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- ..trying to harness that - and bring it all together...
0:45:52 > 0:45:55- ..new pieces, new challenges, - enormous challenges.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59- It's been a wonderful upward - learning curve for us all...
0:45:59 > 0:46:03- ..for all the way - and I feel that we've arrived.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07- Cymru am byth, I think.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:46:34 > 0:46:34- .