:00:42. > :00:44.Welcome to Llangollen and the first of two highlights programmes from
:00:44. > :00:48.the 2011 International Eisteddfod. The pavilion is getting ready for
:00:48. > :00:51.tonight's concert. There is a week's worth of events him at
:00:51. > :00:56.Llangollen, and he was a taste of what is becoming tonight's
:00:56. > :01:01.programme. Our pick of the coral and dance competitions. We meet
:01:01. > :01:05.this year's star performers Lulu and Russell Watson. We will be out
:01:06. > :01:08.and about experiencing the magic of Llangollen. What better way of
:01:08. > :01:13.starting our highlights then that the colourful opening parade
:01:13. > :01:18.through the town. Worry from? Bradford, in West
:01:18. > :01:28.Yorkshire. Have you been before? came two years ago. How does it
:01:28. > :01:30.
:01:30. > :01:40.compare to last time? It is brilliant. Whereabouts? Perth.
:01:40. > :01:47.
:01:47. > :01:52.Hello, whereabouts in Canada after you from? Alberta. How long are you
:01:52. > :02:02.here? 16 days. Is at your first visit? This is the second time we
:02:02. > :02:10.have been here. It is great to see Hello, welcome to Wales. Hello.
:02:10. > :02:19.do you say hello in your language? What do you think of Llangollen?
:02:19. > :02:25.is a very beautiful town. I love Wales. What does Llangollen mean to
:02:25. > :02:27.you, do come all this way? It is such an honour to be here. We are
:02:27. > :02:37.so excited and the children are so excited to give America this
:02:37. > :02:39.
:02:39. > :02:44.Welcome to Wales. Are you having a great time? Yes, great time,
:02:44. > :02:50.thousands of people. What are you doing in the competition? Singing,
:02:50. > :02:55.of course. We are from Slovakia, singing in three categories. It is
:02:55. > :02:57.not just about the parade. Llangollen is an all-inclusive
:02:57. > :03:02.Dancing Music singing experience and for the people who watch it as
:03:02. > :03:08.well. What do you enjoy about it?
:03:08. > :03:18.colour, the music, it is so inspiring. I can't sing or play
:03:18. > :03:29.
:03:29. > :03:39.As well as attracting international competitors, Wales has always been
:03:39. > :03:44.
:03:44. > :03:48.well represented at Llangollen and taking part for the very first time
:03:48. > :03:54.this year Cor Ysgol y Strade and we followed their preparations for the
:03:54. > :03:57.children's competition. It is such a privilege, competing at
:03:57. > :04:02.Llangollen with the other groups and they are from different
:04:02. > :04:11.countries. It is an honour to be there, when we found out we were in
:04:11. > :04:16.shock. When we think of Llangollen has just the world. We have been
:04:16. > :04:21.practising every day, every dinner time, after school. We don't see
:04:21. > :04:26.the light of day. Never, not really. Keeping them indoors and to on
:04:26. > :04:30.their toes is Christopher Davies. Since we were able to compete in
:04:30. > :04:39.Llangollen, it has been non-stop between concerts and recordings. It
:04:39. > :04:48.has been quite a challenge to fit everything in, to be quite honest.
:04:48. > :04:52.Mr Davies is amazing. He is really fun. Really good. He makes us laugh.
:04:52. > :05:00.He is nice. He criticises us sometimes but he gives us words of
:05:00. > :05:03.praise. It is a scary feeling to be completing a with kids choirs from
:05:03. > :05:10.all over the world. It makes you wonder if we are good enough.
:05:10. > :05:12.pressure is on. There accompanist is the head of music. The school
:05:12. > :05:16.children will gain valuable experience in this international
:05:16. > :05:26.festival. I think it will be an experience that will stay with them
:05:26. > :05:28.
:05:28. > :05:38.I expect we are going to have really good fun, nice food. We're
:05:38. > :05:42.
:05:42. > :05:52.going to enjoy it and we're hoping And after all of that hard
:05:52. > :05:53.
:05:53. > :06:03.rehearsing, here is CoA is gone Ystrad Rhondda stage. -- Cor Ysgol
:06:03. > :06:03.
:06:03. > :06:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 48 seconds
:06:51. > :06:57.Now to Perth, Australia, and the I am delighted to say I am with, in
:06:57. > :07:02.the very middle of the Young Voices of Colorado, and we have Victoria
:07:02. > :07:08.and police. I am right in thinking you have a very in rock -- a very
:07:08. > :07:11.strong Welsh collection, haven't you? Yes, most of my family is from
:07:11. > :07:21.Wales and my grandma is from Wales and here today. It must be like
:07:21. > :07:42.
:07:42. > :07:47.coming home to you? Yes, it is Five years ago a 10-year-old girl
:07:47. > :07:53.took the Llangollen stage by storm and since then she has starred in
:07:53. > :07:55.Britain's Got Talent. Soprano Faryl Smith is back in Llangollen and
:07:55. > :08:04.supporting Harold -- old choir, masquerade, with whom she has also
:08:04. > :08:09.appeared here. The last time I came, we won. It was quite a nice way to
:08:09. > :08:13.end it. We know you now from your solo career, which is going great
:08:13. > :08:18.places. You have been sharing the billing this week in the Tuesday
:08:18. > :08:25.night concert with Russell Watson, but today, you are supporting
:08:25. > :08:30.Masquerade. They are fantastic, it is fantastic. Now, it is a two-way
:08:30. > :08:40.thing. You are her Grace's fans come aren't you? -- greatest fans,
:08:40. > :08:57.
:08:57. > :09:00.As part of a very strong competition this year, the senior
:09:00. > :09:10.children's choir from Croatia appeared on the stage after
:09:10. > :09:22.
:09:22. > :09:30.spending two-and-a-half solid days And so to that all important
:09:30. > :09:37.announcement. And the marks. Methodist Ladies College, total 170.
:09:37. > :09:47.Young Voices of Colorado, 164. Children's Choir Brevis, Croatia,
:09:47. > :09:56.
:09:56. > :10:06.178. Masquerade, England, 174. Cor Congratulations to Croatia, first
:10:06. > :10:11.
:10:11. > :10:16.place to them. And a very proud second place to his glory strap. --
:10:16. > :10:21.Cor Ysgol y Strade. How you feeling about it? I'm very
:10:21. > :10:25.proud of them. It is a relatively new choir? It is a normal school
:10:25. > :10:34.choir, we will be back next year. We will be waited with bated breath.
:10:34. > :10:39.Well done, all of you. They do. we're at one of the most iconic
:10:39. > :10:42.places near by. After six years of campaigning the
:10:42. > :10:47.great Llangollen aqueduct can shut -- can proudly stand shoulder to
:10:47. > :10:50.shoulder with the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, as a World
:10:50. > :10:54.Heritage Site. One can argue that only in gamble -- and Llangollen
:10:54. > :11:04.can you get such a dramatic backdrop mixed with a dance group
:11:04. > :11:19.
:11:19. > :11:23.The Dance Group was formed in 2002, to promote gunmen culture. They
:11:23. > :11:27.have ambitions to establish their own international festival, their
:11:27. > :11:37.version of the Eisteddfod in Ghana, perhaps. The dances inspired by the
:11:37. > :11:42.
:11:42. > :11:45.The President of the International Eisteddfod is Terry Waite and his
:11:45. > :11:55.many responsibilities during the week includes welcoming all the
:11:55. > :11:58.
:11:58. > :12:02.nations to the Llangollen pavilion Terry, it is lovely to meet you.
:12:02. > :12:06.is very nice to be here, even though today is a little damp. It
:12:06. > :12:09.has not dampened the its spirits of the Eisteddfod, as you come here
:12:09. > :12:15.with the children in the background. It doesn't. What does Eisteddfod
:12:15. > :12:20.mean to you? A great deal. Ordinary people from here, and from Wales,
:12:20. > :12:25.build on what is natural to Wales, which is music and the language of
:12:25. > :12:31.music and news that to work for peace. Because here, in this little
:12:31. > :12:35.town in Wales, people come from every part of the world and young
:12:35. > :12:39.people especially and they form relationships across cultural
:12:39. > :12:43.boundaries come across religious boundaries, which last a lifetime.
:12:43. > :12:48.It is 20 years ago this year that you were held hostage in the
:12:48. > :12:52.Lebanon. It is 65 years ago this year at Llangollen was born, so all
:12:52. > :12:55.of those things have a special resonance, don't they? That is true.
:12:55. > :12:59.I don't tend to remember days very well but I do remember when I came
:13:00. > :13:04.out and I came out into a world that was still confused and it is
:13:04. > :13:09.still confused today. I do think we live in an age when people tend to
:13:09. > :13:13.go to walk too quickly, rather than talk and rather than get together.
:13:13. > :13:18.I think for instance of groups that came here, the Chechen children,
:13:18. > :13:23.they came from the most appalling background. Wonderful performance
:13:24. > :13:28.they put on. I spoke to those kids, there wasn't one child who hadn't
:13:28. > :13:32.had a relative who hadn't been either killed or injured in the
:13:32. > :13:40.conflict, yet they came with that marvellous vivacious spirit. It was
:13:40. > :13:43.drawn out from them by the rest of it. I think the future is good. I
:13:44. > :13:48.dashed by the Eisteddfod. It will continue to attract people from all
:13:48. > :13:53.over the world and with the spirit that has emanated from this place
:13:53. > :13:59.since 1947. We will do it. When I was invited to be President I said,
:13:59. > :14:01.you don't want me, I'm not Welsh. They said, this is the
:14:01. > :14:04.International Eisteddfod and it is Wales'' contribution, one of
:14:04. > :14:08.Wales'' contribution to the world. I'm very proud to be associated
:14:08. > :14:13.with it. Over the years the whole host of celebrity artists have
:14:13. > :14:23.performed here at Llangollen, from Pavarotti, Katherine Jenkins, to
:14:23. > :14:30.
:14:30. > :14:34.Shirley Bassey. Rocking her way I am so thrilled to be in
:14:34. > :14:39.Llangollen. This is a very famous festival. You have the most
:14:39. > :14:44.unbelievable people here. I am very honoured. I have been performing in
:14:44. > :14:50.front of Welsh audiences for 47 years. That is since I was 15 years
:14:50. > :14:55.old. The great thing is that, it is actually not so great, the
:14:55. > :15:02.audience's sing better than I do. But I like it when I hear a Welsh
:15:02. > :15:07.boys because there is nothing like a Welsh boys. Surrey, Glasgow! -- a
:15:07. > :15:17.Welsh voice. Sharing the stage was the Eighties pop Blair don't, Rick
:15:17. > :15:24.
:15:25. > :15:30.It was kind of strange because my first song, I was lucky to have it,
:15:31. > :15:34.it was a bit hit around the world. It can become a bit of a stone
:15:34. > :15:41.around your neck, because far a long time I was, not sick to death
:15:41. > :15:45.of it, but I had had enough of it. The past five or six years, I have
:15:45. > :15:50.got into singing publicly again, not just at friends' weddings. I
:15:50. > :16:00.enjoy singing the old songs again now. When I hear the intro, it
:16:00. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:10.This is what makes me tick. I am 62, and I will probably do this until
:16:10. > :16:15.the day I die. It is all about the music. The Welsh a know about
:16:15. > :16:19.singing. You know all about how important it is too... It is a
:16:19. > :16:27.muscle, and if you do not work it, it will get smaller and not be so
:16:28. > :16:32.powerful. All my secrets, I have given new! I have met Lulu before
:16:32. > :16:37.but I have never sung with her. She sings for six or seven hours. I
:16:37. > :16:41.have said to her that she will have be stopped doing it. If there is a
:16:41. > :16:51.microphone there, she was saying. Her voice is amazing. She goes for
:16:51. > :17:09.
:17:09. > :17:12.The Llangollen International Music festival was established in
:17:12. > :17:17.reaction to the second world war, to help heal the wounds of war and
:17:17. > :17:22.to promote peace and understanding bit dreamy nations. Culture, music
:17:22. > :17:27.and dance can play a part in rebuilding relationships. Tent-
:17:27. > :17:34.pegging was initially division of Harold to death. He took his vision
:17:35. > :17:41.to Llangollen where a musicologist receive the idea with a great deal
:17:41. > :17:44.of enthusiasm. In June 1946, a public meeting was held at the Town
:17:44. > :17:54.Hall in Llangollen and the new international project was announced
:17:54. > :18:03.
:18:03. > :18:12.with invitations sent to choirs Is anybody here who understands
:18:12. > :18:15.music? Yes! Just give me a hand to move this piano. They came and they
:18:15. > :18:20.have been coming here since ever since. As the visitors arrived,
:18:20. > :18:26.they needed somewhere to stay. afternoon. Can you help us to find
:18:26. > :18:30.some accommodation? Yes, I think we can help you. While we are waiting
:18:30. > :18:38.to see if you can help these girls, perhaps you can tell me how many
:18:38. > :18:45.people you have accommodated this year? Our private accommodation has
:18:45. > :18:50.accommodated, I should think, well over 600 people. One or two nights?
:18:50. > :18:54.You can decide tomorrow? I have to decide today because someone else
:18:54. > :18:58.might need the accommodation tomorrow. I believe you have some
:18:58. > :19:04.camp bed accommodation? I am in charge of the camp bed
:19:04. > :19:12.accommodation. We have approximately 600 camp beds in
:19:12. > :19:17.various buildings. Excuse me. Hello? Yes, what a breath?
:19:17. > :19:22.Llangollen has been a welcoming home for groups of 65 years and in
:19:22. > :19:26.the period, it has witnessed a huge social and cultural changes
:19:26. > :19:31.including a South African group, reflecting the new post apartheid
:19:31. > :19:37.era. We have become a rainbow nation and we have come into the
:19:37. > :19:44.international Rainbow. We have come to enhance the rainbow of the
:19:44. > :19:48.nation and we are very proud. Am I right? Yes! In 1955, a young tenor
:19:48. > :19:58.came to Llangollen as part of a competing male voice choir from
:19:58. > :20:08.Italy. Require one and the fires -- the choir one and the tent-pegging
:20:08. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:13.left a lasting impression on the 40 years later, Pavarotti returned
:20:13. > :20:23.to the International Pavilion in a spectacular gala concert, welcoming
:20:23. > :20:36.
:20:36. > :20:39.him back to a stage that meant so APPLAUSE.
:20:39. > :20:45.It is the first day of the tent- pegging and it is children's day
:20:45. > :20:50.and we have local schoolchildren promoting a message of peace and
:20:50. > :20:59.goodwill. We have a whole pavilion full of children getting to enjoy a
:20:59. > :21:09.world-class performances. One of the most colourful performances
:21:09. > :21:10.
:21:10. > :21:20.came from disquiet from the Ukraine. I like to St. It was really good
:21:20. > :21:23.
:21:23. > :21:33.I like watching the people dance because I have never seen at that
:21:33. > :21:44.
:21:44. > :21:54.APPLAUSE. Not only do they get to enjoy the shows, schoolchildren
:21:54. > :21:56.
:21:56. > :22:02.from the Llangollen area get to It was a really good show. We got
:22:02. > :22:08.the audience going more this year. It was really fun. It made me get
:22:08. > :22:12.up off my seat and go like this... It was really fun. The star of the
:22:12. > :22:18.show was this man. Here's the former chairman of the Notting Hill
:22:18. > :22:25.Carnival. Have you been here before? This is my third time. It
:22:25. > :22:28.is so beautiful. I like it. And why do you keep coming back? A the
:22:28. > :22:34.management invited me here to take over at what they were doing and
:22:35. > :22:44.what I did with the Notting Hill Carnival. Let us see how we can
:22:45. > :22:51.
:22:51. > :22:56.I am here now and I am looking forward to next year. Why they are
:22:56. > :22:58.told to -- while they are talking about the Olympic, let us make an
:22:58. > :23:02.international song and dance their Olympics here. Bring people from
:23:02. > :23:12.the smoke and fog of London and bring them here. Thank you very
:23:12. > :23:18.much. Wicked, so stuff. PC! standard of the instrumental
:23:18. > :23:28.soloists is always very high. At just 13-year-old, the skull from
:23:28. > :23:29.
:23:29. > :24:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 48 seconds
:24:12. > :24:16.Hong Kong was a very accomplished With me now is a special guest who
:24:16. > :24:20.has been keeping an eye and the tapping their feet watching the
:24:21. > :24:29.first dance competition of the week what adults here at tent-pegging. I
:24:29. > :24:33.am sure many of us recognise her. Welcome. We know that you know that
:24:33. > :24:38.you know what you are talking about. What were your impressions of the
:24:38. > :24:42.competition? It was a very high standard. It is always beautiful,
:24:42. > :24:46.the costumes are fantastic. There is such a variety. I think, to be
:24:46. > :24:52.honest, I would have hated to be one of the judges because the
:24:52. > :24:58.standard was so high and it is hard to compare. They are also good
:24:58. > :25:03.within their own styles. How do you compare them? Who stayed out?
:25:03. > :25:08.first group that took my type were from India. They had beautiful
:25:08. > :25:18.costumes, red and gold. They were very elegant dancers, they had a
:25:18. > :25:25.
:25:25. > :25:29.very slow approach and they were A group from Newcastle, they were
:25:29. > :25:33.very impressive. They had very specific skills and the way they
:25:33. > :25:37.interacted with each other and the skills that they had a with props
:25:37. > :25:42.were incredible. They were very agile men.
:25:42. > :25:48.It is not just about agility, each dance that tells a story, doesn't
:25:48. > :25:51.it? Yes, you want to be taught and educated about whatever style you
:25:51. > :25:59.are watching at the time. The more information you can get, the more
:25:59. > :26:03.you are going to enjoy it. The dancers from the Ukraine, they were
:26:03. > :26:10.such an exciting group of girls To Watch, there were so many of them,
:26:10. > :26:13.they were beautifully dressed. The energy needed for this style of
:26:13. > :26:17.dance is huge. The group from Northern Ireland,
:26:17. > :26:22.they are always impressive and this year, they were better again. They
:26:22. > :26:26.are always so professional and they make everything look so easy and
:26:26. > :26:30.barefoot work is so technical. I do not really know how they all
:26:30. > :26:36.managed to do it. We have been all around the world. What about the
:26:36. > :26:40.group from Wales? They were lovely. They really managed to capture the
:26:40. > :26:45.Welsh spirit that we had, the fairground feel, it was such a
:26:45. > :26:53.relaxed environment, very enjoyable. The standard of the clog-dancing
:26:53. > :26:58.was very high. It was lovely. you had to choose, if you were the
:26:58. > :27:05.judge, who would win top prize? I said, I would not want to be the
:27:05. > :27:15.judge, but if it was my personal opinion, I would go for... Let us
:27:15. > :27:15.
:27:15. > :27:23.It was actually this dance groups from Brittany who received the
:27:23. > :27:26.first prize. A surprise? Yes, I am surprised. They were not so much to
:27:26. > :27:36.my taste. I can see why the judges would have been impressed by the
:27:36. > :27:40.
:27:40. > :27:44.Here we are, live backstage with the performers of tonight's concert.
:27:44. > :27:50.Terry Waite himself is appearing as the voice of God. There will be