:00:08. > :00:11.warming up back stage here at St David's Hall. There's special
:00:12. > :00:15.excitement tonight as a singer from Wales gets his chance to shine on
:00:15. > :00:24.the main stage. Two rounds down two, to go. There's still everything to
:00:24. > :00:28.play for in the race to reach Sunday's final.
:00:28. > :00:34.20 young opera singers from across the globe hoping time press the
:00:34. > :00:38.judges with the performance of their lives. I'm looking forward to some
:00:39. > :00:45.really amazing singers. I'd like to hear a stunner. Victory can propel
:00:45. > :00:49.the winner to international fame. The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
:00:49. > :00:59.really launched my career. preparation is over, the stage
:00:59. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:38.Hungary. Tonight another five singers take to the stage. We're
:01:38. > :01:42.back here at St David's Hall for round three and there's every sign
:01:42. > :01:45.that tonight could be a very strong round indeed. Through there on the
:01:46. > :01:49.main stage, the concert is just finishing. Soon, the judges will be
:01:49. > :01:54.making their choice and we hope to bring you tonight's winner before
:01:54. > :01:58.the end of the programme. Now, we're not biassed at all, but Gary
:01:58. > :02:03.Griffiths, the Welsh competitor is taking part. He's up against singers
:02:03. > :02:10.from Lithuania, Portugal, Ukraine and Belarus. Come on, Gary!Like I
:02:10. > :02:20.said, not biassed at all (! ) We're joined by two special guests, Welsh
:02:20. > :02:21.
:02:21. > :02:24.bare ton Jason Howard who swapped his first jop for a singer. And TV
:02:24. > :02:29.and actress Shan Cothi joins us too. Are you a fan of competitions like
:02:29. > :02:33.this? Not for myself, no.What can they do for a young singer? They're
:02:33. > :02:38.incredibly important for launching a career. I only did one. I did the
:02:38. > :02:43.Pavarotti and that was enough for me. It's a real really stress
:02:43. > :02:48.situation. It's like a big audition. It was never really for me. But I
:02:48. > :02:51.admire the people who go out there and give a great performance.
:02:51. > :02:55.big night for Gary Griffiths tonight, our Welsh singer. Do you
:02:55. > :02:58.think he'll be feeling the pressure with the home crowd in? If you're
:02:58. > :03:02.not going to feel any pressure at all, there would be something wrong
:03:02. > :03:05.with you, I think. I know Gary. He's a lovely, charming, cool chap. Cool
:03:06. > :03:10.on the outside, but of course, he's going to have nerves churning
:03:10. > :03:15.inside. That would be a natural -- unnatural not to. He wants to pull
:03:15. > :03:25.it out of the bag and show everybody he can be casted in roles all over
:03:25. > :03:30.the world. There's lots more from them in the show. First tonight with
:03:30. > :03:38.a mezzo-soprano from ladies and gentleman Wayne why. Snv --
:03:38. > :03:40.Lithuania. Hello, my name is Egle Sidlauskaite. I'm represent
:03:40. > :03:50.representing Lithuania. I'm so representing Lithuania. I'm so
:03:50. > :03:50.
:03:50. > :05:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 104 seconds
:05:35. > :05:39.she perform? When you open a competition like that, she's going
:05:39. > :05:45.to be nervous. I heard her in the results this afternoon. She was
:05:45. > :05:51.marking quite a lot. I don't know if the voice is totally right. Where
:05:51. > :05:55.she should have been totally comfortable, in the Delilah's aria,
:05:55. > :05:59.that middle range, it didn't seem secure enough. It was kind of
:05:59. > :06:03.muffled. It sounded covered as if she was squeezing the voice out. It
:06:03. > :06:07.was a relief when she got up to the brighter top notes. She seemed
:06:07. > :06:11.better. I don't know, she's not really, to me, a comfortable
:06:11. > :06:18.mezzo-soprano. I don't know if it's tiredness, because there's a lot of
:06:18. > :06:22.pressure there. You mention she marked in rehearsal. That means she
:06:22. > :06:26.lightly sang it. That's fine because they have a lot of singing all week.
:06:26. > :06:31.To me, there was some intonation, pitch problems this afternoon. And
:06:31. > :06:36.at the end, one particular cadenza in her programme tonight. It sounded
:06:36. > :06:40.tired, as if the voice is not technically secure, for me. But a
:06:40. > :06:45.lovely quality to the voice. seemed pretty intense with her
:06:45. > :06:51.performance. What due make of her? Well, intense and a bit tense, I
:06:51. > :06:56.felt. I agree with everything you said. The bottom of the voice didn't
:06:56. > :07:01.have a looseness and a power that a natural moatso has. The top of the
:07:01. > :07:05.voice was sometimes fluttery. That is often tension in the body.
:07:05. > :07:07.you both for the moment. Time now to hear the second singer on stage
:07:07. > :07:17.tonight, she's a soprano from tonight, she's a soprano from
:07:17. > :07:19.
:07:19. > :07:21.Hello I'm Susana Gaspar and I'm representing Portugal. I'm really
:07:21. > :07:31.representing Portugal. I'm really representing Portugal. I'm really
:07:31. > :07:31.
:07:31. > :09:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 104 seconds
:09:27. > :09:31.Susana Gaspar, the first of two Sopranos appearing tonight. Jason,
:09:31. > :09:37.did she impress you with that performance? She did. Parts of it
:09:37. > :09:40.more than others. The middle piece she sang the Debussy was flawless. I
:09:40. > :09:45.have the music out there when I was listening and in that piece I
:09:45. > :09:50.totally put the music down. She drew me into the performance. Vokally it
:09:50. > :09:54.was perfect. It's a meaty voice. To sing Debussy I think of somebody
:09:54. > :09:59.with a lighter, higher, floatier voice, but she pulled it off.
:09:59. > :10:03.wonderful. It was the best performance for me. As a fellow
:10:03. > :10:08.soprano, was she light and fluffy enough tonight? She's very composed
:10:08. > :10:12.and still. When she came on to open with the Belini, you have to be
:10:12. > :10:18.careful, that can go on and on. Unless you connect with the people,
:10:18. > :10:21.I think maybe that was the weakest piece. But the Debussy, she hit some
:10:21. > :10:25.of the high notes and entered from the top and it was stunning,
:10:25. > :10:31.absolutely stunning. She did show more animation in the final piece.
:10:31. > :10:36.Maybe the programme was a little bit samy, but she's playing to her
:10:36. > :10:46.strengths. If casting agents are looking for operatic houses over the
:10:46. > :10:46.
:10:46. > :10:51.world, she knows what she can be cast in. I know you've been in and
:10:51. > :10:55.know that aria, it requires a meaty voice. Bird song is the lightest
:10:55. > :10:58.part. Other parts of the role require juice in the voice. She's
:10:58. > :11:02.got. It a very good singer. Possible contender there. Now it's time to
:11:02. > :11:07.fly the flag for Wales. Yes, come on! We've never had a Welsh winner
:11:07. > :11:10.on the main prize in 30 years of this competition. This year,
:11:10. > :11:16.baritone Gary Griffiths is hoping to change that. Connie went to his home
:11:16. > :11:21.patch to find out more about what makes him tick.
:11:21. > :11:28.Gary Griffiths is no stranger to excitement. For years, he was a
:11:28. > :11:32.volunteer on the lifeboat. Do you have fond memories with the crew?
:11:32. > :11:36.Absolutely. As a child I spent loads of time down here because dad was on
:11:36. > :11:40.the crew. Then when I reached 17 I joined the crew properly. Do you
:11:40. > :11:45.think there's a parallel between quelling your nerves, not going what
:11:45. > :11:49.to expect on a rescue and going out on stage and the adrenaline rush
:11:49. > :11:53.from performing? Absolutely. When you're on an emergency call, you
:11:53. > :11:58.need a level head and keep control of how you feel about the situation
:11:58. > :12:03.and so, I suppose, you could draw direct parallel to how you would
:12:03. > :12:08.cope going onto the stage in a pressurised situation. Helps that
:12:08. > :12:18.Gary's wife understands the demands of live performance too. She's
:12:18. > :12:18.
:12:18. > :12:22.Hannah Stone, royal harpist to the His personality shines through so
:12:22. > :12:30.much when he's singing. His skills as an actor as well, I think he just
:12:30. > :12:33.makes every song very memorable and just his butyism voice as well. --
:12:33. > :12:37.just his butyism voice as well. -- just his butyism voice as well. --
:12:37. > :12:42.beautiful. Gary booked his place in BBC Cardiff singer by winning the
:12:42. > :12:48.Welsh singers competition. Since then, he's been preparing for
:12:48. > :12:56.the big event and what better way than a personal audience with opera
:12:57. > :13:00.stars Rebecca Evans and Bryn n Tervyl. He liked my choices and
:13:00. > :13:06.thought I had chosen well. It was great to have that feed back from
:13:06. > :13:10.someone like Bryn. Just relax and enjoy it was his general thought. I
:13:10. > :13:14.feel ready now. I'm very excited and really can't wait to just get up on
:13:14. > :13:18.the stage and really go for it. Yes, everyone wants to win it. I want to
:13:18. > :13:23.win it, of course I do. This is a moment that you kind of have to try
:13:23. > :13:30.and grab, so I fully intend to do that. His home crowd is right behind
:13:30. > :13:35.him. Good luck, Gary!We're all on the edge of our seats. We'll have a
:13:35. > :13:38.taste now of two pieces from Gary's programme. I manage to sneak off
:13:38. > :13:47.back stage earlier to speak to him back stage earlier to speak to him
:13:47. > :13:51.back stage earlier to speak to him I'm Gary Griffiths. I'm representing
:13:51. > :13:52.Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be
:13:52. > :14:02.Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be
:14:02. > :14:02.
:14:02. > :15:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 104 seconds
:15:56. > :16:00.How was it for you? I'm on the whole pretty happy. I feel I connected
:16:00. > :16:04.with the audience. I felt surprisingly relaxed. Zblt audience
:16:04. > :16:09.went wild for you at the end. Was it more nervewracking performing for a
:16:09. > :16:16.home crowd? No, it was a comfort. Overall happy?
:16:16. > :16:18.Yes, yes. It was a pleasure to do it and very proud to represent Wales.
:16:18. > :16:23.We've got everything crossed for you, good luck.
:16:23. > :16:27.Thank you. Indeed we've got everything crossed
:16:27. > :16:31.for you Gary. We put loads of pressure on the Welsh competitor, is
:16:31. > :16:35.he a contender, do you think? course he is, like everybody else.
:16:35. > :16:39.He had a fabulous reception from the audience. We were shouting from the
:16:39. > :16:44.beginning to the end. It was a brave programme, opening with a Mozart,
:16:44. > :16:48.which is a great tongue twister. It's a difficult one. Jason probably
:16:48. > :16:53.would say it was probably a very brave choice to open with. In the
:16:53. > :16:55.opera, it's within the excitement of the scene. But to do it, it's only
:16:55. > :17:03.like one-and-a-half minutes, if that, to do it to begin your
:17:03. > :17:07.programme was very brave. Then he did a piece which was again, it is
:17:07. > :17:11.enough. He didn't do it in English, I wonder if he has done enough. I
:17:11. > :17:15.could listen to his voice all day. He's got such a beautiful
:17:15. > :17:23.personality. It's a tough round tonight, but I think he'll be
:17:23. > :17:26.pleased with his performance. sung Don Giovani. Was that a wise
:17:26. > :17:31.choice at the start? If I was advising him, I would advise him not
:17:31. > :17:35.to start with that, yeah, because there's nowhere to breathe in that
:17:35. > :17:39.aria. It's like two bars off for three pages. I hated singing it. It
:17:39. > :17:42.tends to get the voice high in the chests and a bit of tension rising
:17:42. > :17:48.up, as you progressively run out of air. It's always, you try to get the
:17:48. > :17:52.end without running out. It's a tough aria. To follow it with the
:17:52. > :17:57.big, arch arching legato aria, that's a tough call. Well, remember,
:17:57. > :18:01.if you want to see more of Gary Griffiths' performance tune in to
:18:01. > :18:06.BBC Four tomorrow at 7. 30pm for a longer version of the whole of
:18:06. > :18:11.tonight's concert. Follow the competition on Radio 3, Radio Wales,
:18:11. > :18:15.Radio Cymru and on our website, bbc.co.uk/Cardiffsinger. Two singers
:18:15. > :18:19.to go, both of them have already reached the song prize final, which
:18:19. > :18:29.runs alongside the main competition. We are expecting a high standard.
:18:29. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:37.I am Olenait Tokar. I come from Ukraine. I am Wales for the first
:18:37. > :18:47.Ukraine. I am Wales for the first Ukraine. I am Wales for the first
:18:47. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :20:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 104 seconds
:20:55. > :20:59.Ukraine. Did she hit the right notes for you? Absolutely. A wonderful
:20:59. > :21:04.performer, great voice, great technique, clarity from top to
:21:04. > :21:08.bottom. Flawless in all styles. due make of her programme this
:21:08. > :21:12.evening, was it varied? It was wonderful. It's lovely to hear a
:21:12. > :21:18.young singer, because she's only 25 or 26, I believe, singing the
:21:18. > :21:22.Handel, Mozart, the composers that are so healthy for the voice. It's
:21:22. > :21:32.important to go back to those composers. She nailed it. The Handel
:21:32. > :21:32.
:21:32. > :21:35.was beautiful. The runny bits there. Yes, the runny bits we talk about.
:21:35. > :21:40.She connected with the whole audience. You felt secure listening
:21:40. > :21:44.to her. You could tell, she means business. She knows her talent.
:21:44. > :21:51.a great musician. To hear that sensitivity and to hear a really
:21:51. > :21:55.meaty voice. You were calling her Kylie. She's an operatic Kylie. Has
:21:55. > :22:00.she got the star quality? Definitely. She's technically
:22:00. > :22:03.perfect. She uses that technique in the service the music. It's such an
:22:03. > :22:08.involving performance for the audience. It's eelsy to criticise,
:22:08. > :22:14.but it takes everything to work and be right on the night. She nailed it
:22:14. > :22:24.on the night . Let's hear the last singer tonight. He's a tenor and
:22:24. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:31.Hello everyone. My name is Yuri Gorodetski and I represented Belarus
:22:31. > :22:41.Gorodetski and I represented Belarus Gorodetski and I represented Belarus
:22:41. > :22:41.
:22:41. > :25:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 104 seconds
:25:08. > :25:12.Gorodetski and I represented Belarus during rehergs@-- rehearsal and got
:25:12. > :25:17.better. He has a lovely, stunning quality voice. I loved him and a
:25:17. > :25:25.great mouth too to watch. He's a perfect Romeo, isn't he? Somebody
:25:25. > :25:32.described him earlier, if she said Chopin, he looks like that. Is that
:25:32. > :25:37.right? He is striking. It's unusual to find a tall tenor. Yes and good
:25:37. > :25:43.looking. He has a natural French tenor voice. His voice lives up
:25:43. > :25:48.there naturally. You can hear that. Very good singer. Very interesting.
:25:48. > :25:55.The Gorno was lovely with the high, float floating, gorgeous. Beautiful.
:25:55. > :26:01.How did you feel he did in the Russian? For me, I prefer a meat
:26:01. > :26:08.meatier more baritonal tenor to sing that. He's very good linguistically
:26:08. > :26:11.because it's his neck of the woods! I prefer a slightly lower voice.
:26:11. > :26:15.quick reminder of the rules now. The winner of each round isn't
:26:15. > :26:19.guaranteed a place in the final. The jury will choose the five best
:26:19. > :26:24.performers across the week, so on a strong night like tonight there
:26:24. > :26:30.might be more than one. Jason, who impressed the most this evening?
:26:30. > :26:36.have to pick the winner of tonight, in my opinion, Olenait Tokar. She
:26:36. > :26:43.was very polished. I loved all the voices tonight. So did I.Gary has
:26:43. > :26:47.done us really proud. Yes, indeed. Asking me now, yes it would be the
:26:47. > :26:52.Ukrainian soprano. That's our favourites here. Who impressed the
:26:52. > :27:02.judges? Let's hear now from the chair of the jury, Nicholas Payne.
:27:02. > :27:06.
:27:06. > :27:11.And that winner is... Olenait Tokar. There's a very happy and gorgeous
:27:11. > :27:18.Olenait Tokar walking on stage to a delighted St David's Hall audience.
:27:18. > :27:27.She lifts the trophy aloft, a doll-like, beautiful soprano from
:27:27. > :27:32.Ukraine here who has captured the heart of Cardiff tonight. That was a
:27:32. > :27:37.few minutes ago. We are delighted now to welcome Olenait Tokar from
:27:37. > :27:43.Ukraine into the studio, the winner of round three of BBC Cardiff Singer
:27:43. > :27:53.of the World 2013. Congratulations. APPLAUSE
:27:53. > :28:23.
:28:23. > :28:28.OF COURSE All the competitors were very strong. She's very grateful to
:28:28. > :28:33.the jury and the audience for choosing her. We loved it. Bravo.
:28:33. > :28:39.That's it tonight. Congratulations to our winner, Olenait Tokar. Many
:28:39. > :28:43.special thanks to our guests, Jason Howard and Shan Cothi. There's more
:28:43. > :28:48.information on the website bbc.co.uk/Cardiffsinger. And
:28:48. > :28:52.remember, there's a longer version of tonight's concert on BBC 4
:28:52. > :28:57.tomorrow night. Make sure you're back with us at 10pm tomorrow night