The Final BBC Cardiff Singer of the World


The Final

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For a week, this famous concert hall has been filled with the sound

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We've witnessed performances of rare power and beauty from 20

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thrilling new artists, all invited to Cardiff

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Five young talents who will compete in one of the most hotly-anticipated

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finals in this competition's long and distinguished history.

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Welcome to BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017.

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Every two years, the eyes of the opera world turn to Cardiff.

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Many of today's leading opera singers first emerged here.

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It is the number-1 composition of the world.

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Nearly 400 singers entered this time, from 64 countries.

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Amazing singers, voices, talent, here in musical country.

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Already we've seen history made, with the award of joint

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Both Song Prize winners compete in tonight's Grand Final

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in a line-up that promises something very special.

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Their challenge, to win the hearts and minds of a formidable

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international jury. What happens next is totally in

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their hands. The voice alone is not enough. Show what you can do. Sure

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what is in you. You need to have the confidence, to draw the audience to

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you. The stage is yours, make people happy.

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The line-up promises something very special.

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Five world-class voices, five very individual

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They are Mongolian baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar,

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Soprano Louise Alder from England, winner of the third round.

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I feel very lucky to be here, I hope I sing as well as I can.

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Round-four winner Kang Wang, a tenor representing Australia.

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I could not wait to share my singing with the rest of the world, who will

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be watching through television. Hello!

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Our wild card, also from round four, Scottish mezzo Catriona Morison.

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When my name was called, I was totally in shock.

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And, last to sing the evening off, another baritone,

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and winner of round one, Anthony Clark Evans from the USA.

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Hopefully I can maybe win, that would be great, and put my name on

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that with some of the great people that have won this can petition.

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The opera world is waiting to find out who will be the next BBC Cardiff

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Sauber. -- BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.

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Welcome to St David's Hall for the last time this week.

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I think we can promise a thrilling BBC Cardiff Singer

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What a great way to spend a Sunday night.

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Get the tea tray out, or the wine glasses,

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Over the next two and half hours, famous arias

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from Rossini's Barber of Seville, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin

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and Strauss' Rosenkavalier, alongside Leoncavallo and Lehar

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As well as crowning a new Cardiff Singer of the World,

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we'll also learn the winner of the Dame Joan

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Lines are now closed, but you can still have your say

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on tonight's finalists on our Facebook page and on Twitter,

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You can also follow our special live blog at bbc.co.uk/cardiffsinger

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to find out what's going on behind the scenes here, with on-the-spot

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analysis from Scottish tenor Nicky Spence and 2013 winner

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Joining me this evening, two people who know all about the pressures

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Direct from her triumphant debut at the Vienna State Opera,

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where she has been singing one of her signature roles,

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Norina in Don Pasquale, it's great to welcome back

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the acclaimed soprano Danielle de Niese.

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And alongside her, the bass baritone Gerald Finley,

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who features on a new stamp in his homeland, Canada,

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and yesterday was appointed a Commander of the British Empire

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in the Queen's birthday honours list.

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We will hear such a range tonight, somebody who was here last night,

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somebody you have worked with in Chicago, someone else who is sinking

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in houses across Europe, why risk it all on a platform like this?

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Competitions are great exposure for young singers, no matter what

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happens tonight all who wins, all of these finalists will have been seen

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on the world stage, they will have work, they have been hugely

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successful, but we are not just looking for people who can sing, we

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are looking for an artist. You avoided competitions. I find them

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very stressful. I did not always sync my desk in that circumstance, I

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try to make the most impression on the stage. We look forward to

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hearing your thoughts and analysis. If you are with us for the first

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time tonight, where have you been? Each night this week,

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the American soprano Angel Blue and I have been introducing some

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great performances, and we've been joined by vocal coach

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and singer Mary King. Right now, Angel and Mary are

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together just in front of the stage. We have had a wonderful week, and

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excitement is buzzing around backstage.

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We have a soprano, mezzo, tenor and two baritones

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I have had the pleasure of speaking with Mary, what are you looking

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forward to tonight? It is hard to say, everybody is singing good

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repertoire that suits them, and I think they will all do very well. I

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am very glad I am not the jury. I am as well!

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Well, we're now just a few minutes from the first competitor.

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No surprise that St David's Hall is packed tonight.

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Agents, directors and producers here amongst an audience

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But the reality is our singers will be aiming their performances

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They are Grammy award-winning Korean soprano Sumi Jo,

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If you participate at this level because you have a short window, you

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can make mistakes. The renowned Austrian baritone

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Wolfgang Holzmair... This is singing at the highest

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standard, you do not have one moment to relax. You are kind of naked on

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the stage. What is it that they can do that is

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most impressive? Internationally-acclaimed Estonian

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conductor Anu Tali. It is extreme pressure, but if one

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can try to make the music come through .Mac .Mac --. Mac.

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And chairing the jury, artistic director of

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The most important thing is they are delivering a message from one human

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being to another. The Cardiff Singer jury, making that

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all-important decision tonight. On stage is the BBC

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National Orchestra of Wales, one of our two competition

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orchestras, who have shared the responsibility

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of accompanying our singers throughout the week with

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the Welsh National Opera orchestra. We are live on BBC Four this

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evening, and also on BBC Two Wales, and we welcome listeners

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to BBC Radio 3. Already victorious in this year's

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Song Prize, 29-year-old Mongolian What does it mean to have won the

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song price? TRANSLATION: I sang with many strong competitors, I did not

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expect to win, it was Ed Dickson prize an amazing feeling. How do you

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feel, representing Mongolia here at the World Cup of opera singing? Of

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course, it is a fantastic feeling, I know that my teachers, my fellow

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singers and the people of Mongolia are behind me. When I hear them and

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outs Mongolia on stage, it gives me encouragement, and in my heart and

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soul I feel that I can do it. I think that the challenges that I

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have faced have prepared me for the world famous Cardiff stage. But I

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think about my life journey and reflected in my sinking, the truth

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comes out in the melody. Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar

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from Mongolia waits Tonight he sings a programme

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of Rossini, Tchaikovsky and, to open, the clown Tonio's aria

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from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. A troupe of clowns are performing

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in Calabria in southern Italy. Tonio, one of their number,

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stands in front of the curtain to deliver the prologue,

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asking the audience to remember that what they are about to see is not

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just a play, but a story Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar,

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accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

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and conductor Tomas Hanus. Thomas is the Czech music director

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of Welsh National Opera. Lets get an immediate reaction. A

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wonderful piece of character singing. I am thrilled he would

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choose that piece to open the programme. A great opener to the

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opera. He will now sing. Prince Yeletsky's aria from

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Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades next. The prince pouring out his emotions

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to his beloved Lisa, telling her that he loves

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her beyond reckoning. He sang that aria at Buckingham

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Palace after winning the Tchaikovsky competition.

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Prince Charles sent a letter of thanks afterwards.

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He is going to include his performance here at Carter singer

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with one of opera's best loved arias, Largo Al Factotum.

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the Sevillian barber, sings his own praises

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No better Mr Fixit to be found anywhere in Seville.

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APPLAUSE The 29-year-old Mongolian baritone

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Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar. Started singing at 18 but left college after

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two years unable to continue his studies. He worked as a taxi driver.

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And Labour are, and one night, he had a chance fair, picking up the

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chief of police. He suggested he joined the police ensemble and that

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got him singing professionally again. He is still a captain in the

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Mongolian police force. Perhaps the first policemen we have had singing

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at Cardiff Singer. A glorious lyrical tone.

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Beautiful, rich sound, easy all the way up the range. Being first is a

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double-edged sword, you do not have a temperature reading of the public,

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but on the other hand, you do not have the experience of becoming

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nervous. He came out and set the bar for everybody else. A mighty voice,

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does that sometimes cause problems when you have those fast runs? That

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is the challenge for all singers, if you have a big instrument, you try

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to gain flexibility, he played to his strengths in that group, because

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it was mostly long lines, and when the showmanship was needed for the

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Figaro, he did a really good job. What about the Tchaikovsky? There

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was real emotion. He can in note, that we can see. He had a queue

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intonation problems, which the judges will contribute to nerves,

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and all of that personality, I would have liked to have seen more, but he

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has got it within him. He has won over many hearts.

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Well, let's get his thoughts now, he's with Angel.

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Bravo, how did it feel to begin the competition?

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TRANSLATION: It was quite amazing, and at the same time it was

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nerve-racking. After the second song, I came back to my normal self

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and enjoyed it. Bravo, and best of luck. Thank you! Let's meet our

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second competitor. Representing England,

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let's meet 30-year-old Louise, congratulations on making it

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through. How do you feel? Really excited, genuinely excited. It is

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really fun, being out there. What does it mean to represent England?

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It means a lot, I love London, where I am from, and I love England very

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much, but I feel very European, so I think it is more a celebration of

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music and of culture and art. What a fantastic platform to showcase what

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people love to do around the world, classical sinking. No other

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competition, apart from Eurovision, maybe... This is the classical

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Eurovision! No other competition brings so many different

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nationalities together, the Mongolians are a hoot! Meeting

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singers from all over the world is really cool, you can share

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experiences and talk about what is hard about the career and what is

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different between each country. It is fascinating. I am very happy for

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you, and looking forward to hearing you sing. I can't wait. My final

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repertoire is kind of like a party. I am really looking forward to it.

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So to open her performance this evening, Elvira's aria from Act Two

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Elvira is daughter of the commander of a Puritan stronghold under threat

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from royalist troops ? one of whom, Arturo, she is in love with.

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The English sopranos starting her entry sinking from Bellini. Her

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conductor is conducting his own orchestra, the BBC Orchestra of

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Wales. Danielle? That is how do show the audience and the judges what you

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are made of, that is difficult. I am very impressed.

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Next that rare thing at Cardiff Singer,

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a contemporary opera, Andre Previn's Streetcar

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Named Desire, based on Tennessee Williams' play.

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Renee Fleming created the role of Blanche Dubois when the work

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Blanche confessing to Mitch, who she hopes will

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become her husband, that she doesn't always tell

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the truth, but rather what should be the truth.

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# That's what I try to give to people.

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# But I tell what ought to be the truth.

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# Magic's what I try to give to people.

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# If that's a sin, if that is such a sin, then let me be damned for it!

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# It'll all look so ugly in that light.

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# Why not see by candlelight, or moonlight, or starlight?

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Louise Alder, singing to the Cardiff Singer world jury, I Want Magic from

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Streetcar Named Desire by Andrei Prepelita. She is a big fan of Renee

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Fleming. APPLAUSE

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Giuditta. He ran away to North Africa and

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became a nightclub hostess and reckons all men find her

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irresistible. Ending her entry in this final, singing from Lehar's

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1934 opera Giuditta. She is good friends with a former winner, Jamie

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Barton, and was wavering about whether to enter and Jamie Barton

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told Louise she would be an idiot not to have a go. And what an

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extraordinary week Louise has had in Cardiff. Singing last night in

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Rosenkavalier at Welsh National Opera and the Song Prize final the

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night before. Two other appearances. You could not do that unless your

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voice was in the right place. She has got it all sorted out. This is

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quite an extraordinary performance and generosity. She is born for that

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stage. I enjoyed it so much. She has an incredible technical grasp. So

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happy for everything she accomplished this week. She is

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wonderful to look at, expressive. You do not take your eyes off her.

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She has a sense of languages, she showed us three to night. I do not

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think it could be better. It was a journey from the limpid tones in the

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Bellini and entering the deep South. The accent sounded good. It sounded

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perfect to me. One of the goals of Cardiff is to be able to show the

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judges all of what you can do, all the facets and colours. It is one

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thing to have a gorgeous instrument, it is another to employ vocal

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colour. I love to the Lehar. Could it have been heavy for her voice?

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What I found was wonderful that she had throughout the whole programme,

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the leap into the Previn. The contemporary. I was not bothered by

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the lightness. Let's go backstage now. Louise is with Angel.

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Just a great programme. Streetcar Named Desire is not always

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performed, why did you choose it? Especially not in the UK, I don't

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think. I was looking on YouTube and found amazing recording of Renee

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Fleming in the original production written for her. I fell in love and

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thought it was magical. It shows a lot of different sparkling high

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notes, or it should! That's why I had a stab at the American accent.

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Best of luck. Welcome, if you have just joined us

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here at St David's Hall this Sunday night,

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and the final of BBC Let us know your thoughts

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on what we have heard so far, When I was little I hated opera.

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Because my parents are singers and I grew up listening to opera. I loved

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music. I was quite rebellious. When I was a teenager. Whatever my

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parents do, I hate! Then I watched a movie starring Mario Lanza. When I

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was 17. I thought maybe I could sing. You seem very composed when

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you are singing. I think the pressure of Cardiff Singer of the

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world, the biggest competition, but you have maintained a stillness. I

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try. How do you maintain that? I have a tendency to go all over the

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place and demote all over the place. If at that moment you felt you were

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giving your heart and the audience felt, what is going on? If you are

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composed, the emotion from the audience came from themselves and

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they view it intensely. If you keep still and composed, it gives more

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impact. Kang Wang will start singing from the Donazetti opera Lucia di

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Lammermoor. Edgardo prepares to fight

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to the death in a duel He has heard that Lucia

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is marrying another and can't Let's get an immediate response.

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That was breathtaking. If you are watching at home, stop what you are

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doing and press record. A considerably incredible, a wonderful

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combination of so many ingredients that can manifest themselves into

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sound. Clearly winning the hearts of the audience. There is a reason

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behind it, it is a wonderful start. Born in China, his family moved to

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Darwin in northern Australia, where he grew up.

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Started his studies in Australia, then at the Royal Northern College

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of Music in Manchester, and is now on the Lindemann Young

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Artist Development Program at New York's Metropolitan Opera.

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He thinks his performance was a bit too slow.

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Lensky challenged Onegin to a duel in response to his advances

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on Lensky's fiancee, Olga.

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Now, on the morning of the duel, Lensky looks back on his happy youth

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He realises that he will probably die in the duel and that he does not

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The only great loss in his death would be that he would

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Our third finalist, Kang Wang, 29-year-old Australian tenor.

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Graduated as a computer programmer, who used to sing as a hobby, but now

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is the reverse, he programmes for fun and he sings around the world.

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Taught by Joseph Ward, the great singing teacher from Preston,

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founder of the opera school in Manchester and now

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Dedicated to pushing forward a new generation of Australian singers,

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like Kang Wang. Not talking to me me, I'm talking to them, he says.

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That gives you a clue as to his final aria.

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He closes his programme with an aria that may once again steel

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Mimi has lost her key in the dark, Rodolfo finds it

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Her hand is like ice but a love affair kindles.

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Kang Wang, from Australia, sinking in Cardiff Singer of the World.

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Kang Wang first applied in 2811 and did not get through but kept on

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applying and he is here on his fourth application. And he is in the

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final. His father himself facing describes this competition as being

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the Olympics of singing. Kang Wang take the goal is to night? Lisa

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Gasteen won Cardiff Singer for Australia in 1991. Could he be the

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second. His wife is expecting their child,

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a daughter, in September. Let's find out what our guests made

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of that. You just never felt anything was going to go wrong,

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absolute confidence. Absolute confidence, absolute sincerity, he

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is full of his own personality and lives each role. It is tremendous,

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again. A generous performer and very secure in himself. What a charmer.

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What is rare about someone like him is that the emotive finesse is there

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but what is rare is that he lets himself feel the music in a way that

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if we watched him tomorrow it might be different. I think the ability to

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let music live within you and to allow that to come out on a bed of

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sound that feels like it came from an emotion and not something mapped

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out ahead of time. I think that is the authenticity that makes you a

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real artist. It is a big voice. You do not always get that on the

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television when watching, but he will sing Rodolfo in America later

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this season, big opera houses he will have no problem filling. The

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sound was ringing around the hall. In the Bellini, at the beginning,

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yes, at the beginning. The Donizetti. Really, the power of the

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emotion, it was contacting every audience member. We can join him

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with Angel. You are wonderful, I love your voice

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so much. Obviously the audience loves you. How does that feel, the

:20:14.:20:18.

wonderful reception? It felt great. The first time in a final of the

:20:19.:20:33.

competition this big. Yes. Great. I did not, I am sorry, I did not

:20:34.:20:40.

really think about me me. I was only talking to the audience -- Mimi.

:20:41.:20:47.

Thank you. Back to you Petroc. This year, six mezzos

:20:48.:20:50.

made it to Cardiff. Just one has reached

:20:51.:20:52.

the final, 31-year-old She didn't actually win her round,

:20:53.:20:54.

but was the wild-card choice of the jury to join the other four

:20:55.:21:01.

contenders tonight. You are the wild card and you will

:21:02.:21:22.

be singing in the final, how does it feel? The opportunity to sing once

:21:23.:21:27.

more for the judges and audience is wonderful and it is wonderful

:21:28.:21:30.

friends from where I am based in Germany, all around the world, will

:21:31.:21:39.

be able to tune in, as well. When you are singing I notice you have a

:21:40.:21:43.

unique way of keeping the atmosphere. Do you work on that, do

:21:44.:21:49.

you practise it? You cannot really practice it because if you practise,

:21:50.:21:55.

it is fake. I think it has to be so real and truthful and part of it is

:21:56.:22:00.

living off the atmosphere in the hall. I do quite a lot of silent

:22:01.:22:07.

practice. I can imagine the emotion and connection to the text and I

:22:08.:22:11.

think that helps and it's great, because I do not have to sing and I

:22:12.:22:15.

rest my voice. What does it mean to be representing Scotland in this

:22:16.:22:21.

competition? As a proud Scot, it means everything. I am honoured to

:22:22.:22:26.

be here and the fact I am representing Scotland is fantastic.

:22:27.:22:27.

I hope I am doing them proud. She begins this evening in a trouser

:22:28.:22:34.

role, a woman singing a man, Tancredi, a banished member

:22:35.:22:37.

of the royal family, returns from exile and sings

:22:38.:22:40.

of his beloved. Little does he know that she's

:22:41.:22:42.

been promised to another Catriona Morison, mezzo soprano,

:22:43.:22:44.

singing for Scotland. Another trouser role next

:22:45.:29:54.

from Catriona Morison. Count Octavian, a young nobleman,

:29:55.:29:58.

sings of his passion for the older, They have just made love,

:29:59.:30:02.

he adores her beyond words. A graduate of the National

:30:03.:34:51.

Conservatoire of Scotland, one of three of our singers this

:34:52.:34:53.

week to have studied there. Next, an aria from Ravel's L'heure

:34:54.:35:17.

espagnole, his one-act opera about a clockmaker whose unfaithful

:35:18.:35:19.

wife Conception is While he is away winding

:35:20.:35:21.

the town's timepieces, two of her lovers turn up

:35:22.:35:24.

at the same time, each ending up How useless her lovers

:35:25.:35:27.

are, she declares. She is already a winner here, the

:35:28.:38:52.

co-winner of the song prize. Will she make it a double?

:38:53.:38:58.

Catriona is going to close her programme with Dido's Lament

:38:59.:39:01.

Dido is dying of a broken heart after her lover Aeneas has been

:39:02.:39:05.

# Darkness shades me, on thy bosom let me rest.

:39:06.:39:47.

# More I would, but Death invades me.

:39:48.:40:01.

# May my wrongs create no trouble, no trouble in thy breast.

:40:02.:41:10.

# May my wrongs create no trouble, no trouble in thy breast.

:41:11.:41:49.

Catriona Morison, sinking from Dido and NAS.

:41:50.:44:36.

Catriona is a member of the ensemble at Wuppertal Opera in Germany,

:44:37.:44:39.

and has sung in many of the country's opera houses,

:44:40.:44:41.

including Nordhausen, Erfurt and Weimar.

:44:42.:44:42.

Germany has 83 publicly-funded opera houses, many dating back

:44:43.:44:46.

to the country's old patchwork of duchies and principalities.

:44:47.:44:48.

Over 7,000 opera performances take place in Germany in an average year,

:44:49.:44:51.

Lettuce talk to my guests Gerald Finley and Danielle de Niese. What a

:44:52.:45:20.

beautifully crafted set of works. That could not have been a better

:45:21.:45:26.

entry for a competition like this? It showed complete versatility. Big

:45:27.:45:31.

demands for her, to go through all of those emotions and technical

:45:32.:45:35.

challenges. I think she did a really good job. Conception is a role

:45:36.:45:43.

familiar to you? That is right. I did think Conception at

:45:44.:45:49.

Glyndebourne. It is interesting, it was the only piece that addressed a

:45:50.:45:56.

different side of her flavour. She is a thoughtful performer. In the

:45:57.:46:03.

case of the Ravel aria, it does not have any sense of form and Ravel was

:46:04.:46:07.

playing with form when he wrote this and it is moody, an erratic piece.

:46:08.:46:13.

Pent-up. There is a lot of frustration. I was curious she took

:46:14.:46:20.

a laid-back tempo and in a way that was probably right for her

:46:21.:46:23.

temperament. It matched the programme. In the first round people

:46:24.:46:34.

thought what she sang might be dark but Octavia was perfect. She seemed

:46:35.:46:41.

very confident in the passionate, post loving mood. LAUGHTER.

:46:42.:46:47.

A good place to be! We can go backstage.

:46:48.:46:52.

The colours in your voice are magical and you create an atmosphere

:46:53.:46:58.

on stage, you are an actress. You seem to be having fun. Were you

:46:59.:47:04.

having a good time? I loved that, so exciting, a range of different

:47:05.:47:09.

characters. I felt I got to let loose. It was really enjoyable. It

:47:10.:47:15.

was enjoyable for us. I wish you luck, honey.

:47:16.:47:17.

Now on to our final singer in this year's Cardiff Singer competition,

:47:18.:47:20.

32-year-old baritone Anthony Clark Evans from the USA.

:47:21.:47:35.

Your presentation was stellar in the first round. How calm and

:47:36.:47:44.

comfortable you were. Do you work on that? Is it natural? I have never

:47:45.:47:50.

been nervous about singing and music. As soon as I got comfortable

:47:51.:47:54.

with my technique, everything else followed. There is no reason to be

:47:55.:47:59.

nervous. I was selling cars five years ago. I will never forget, the

:48:00.:48:05.

first time I asked the right question to a stage director, what

:48:06.:48:09.

kind of personality with this character have? He said you are a

:48:10.:48:15.

car salesman, sell me this aria. It clicked. Sometimes when I sold cars

:48:16.:48:19.

I would say this car is good, but this other one, it is more

:48:20.:48:24.

expensive, but it gets better mileage. In the car sales industry

:48:25.:48:29.

they call it on stage, offstage. There you go. A wonderful reception

:48:30.:48:36.

from the audience. They were kind of crazy, I loved it. They were more

:48:37.:48:41.

energetic than most of the audiences back home. I really enjoyed that.

:48:42.:48:51.

Anthony Clark Evans has had a long wait. Winner of the first round this

:48:52.:48:53.

week and last tonight. He will perform in Chicago next

:48:54.:49:04.

year. Riccardo. Distraught his beloved Elvira loves another. He

:49:05.:49:08.

fears he has lost her for good. Anthony Clark Evans. Thomas

:49:09.:54:45.

Sondergard was his conductor. From Kentucky. He says one of his

:54:46.:54:51.

passions is the odd glass of Kentucky bourbon. Wagner next.

:54:52.:54:52.

Tannhauser. Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar of Mongolia

:54:53.:54:56.

opened this Cardiff Singer final with Tonio's aria

:54:57.:00:46.

from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci The last notes have been sung in the

:00:47.:06:17.

final of Cardiff Singer of the World 2017. The baritone from Kentucky,

:06:18.:06:20.

Anthony Clark Evans. A graduate of the Chicago Opera

:06:21.:06:23.

Young Singers Programme. The first classical recording

:06:24.:06:26.

he ever bought was Bryn's The two men met this week

:06:27.:06:30.

when Sir Bryn came to his Song Prize When he left the United States, his

:06:31.:07:03.

passport was completely blank, he had never before been overseas. I

:07:04.:07:08.

think he made the right decision, to get on the plane. He is wonderful,

:07:09.:07:13.

we have worked together. What you see is what you get, he is exactly

:07:14.:07:18.

like that of the stage, a big personality with a big voice. You

:07:19.:07:26.

can feel how he sold the last aria, it suits his personality, as well as

:07:27.:07:33.

his dramatic rep. You were listening to him sinking with his mouth open.

:07:34.:07:42.

It is lovely to see a younger artist really taking on big sinking. This

:07:43.:07:53.

was a lovely performance. What is fascinating, we have heard two

:07:54.:07:57.

baritones with the same range, and yet completely different. They do

:07:58.:08:04.

have different personalities. There is a lot of talent on display this

:08:05.:08:08.

evening, and one thing I have noticed in comparison to other years

:08:09.:08:17.

is that vocally there is a lot of even, fantastic, technically sound

:08:18.:08:22.

sinking. It will be up to all of the other qualities that the judges will

:08:23.:08:27.

be looking at. We will get your opinions later, but it is still

:08:28.:08:30.

clock's night, he is backstage. Bravo, really great. You were the

:08:31.:08:40.

first person to win in round one, what has been going through your

:08:41.:08:45.

mind? Drink a lot of water! Don't drink any beer! How do you feel that

:08:46.:08:51.

the audience received due? They received me well. I do different

:08:52.:08:57.

stuff, because I think people have been catching up on who the round

:08:58.:09:03.

one guy was, so I try to change it up a little bit. A fantastic job,

:09:04.:09:09.

really excited for you. That concludes our backstage interviews.

:09:10.:09:14.

I'm now joined by chairman of the jury and Welsh National

:09:15.:09:16.

Opera's artistic director, David Pountney.

:09:17.:09:18.

And patron of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition,

:09:19.:09:21.

What a great final. I cannot remember a better one in your time.

:09:22.:09:33.

I hoped we would have something like this. It is really starting their

:09:34.:09:43.

major international career, and fantastic for the rest of the world

:09:44.:09:46.

to see these singers. You will have a tough task, you will go to the

:09:47.:09:53.

Viscount Tony Pandy room, how do you decide? What is the process? The

:09:54.:09:58.

first process is to rank the five singers from one to five. If you are

:09:59.:10:06.

lucky, that yields a clear result. Very often, it does not. If there is

:10:07.:10:14.

a draw? You have to vote again, and discussion takes place. Initially it

:10:15.:10:19.

is just a matter of, put down what your instinct told you. But if that

:10:20.:10:25.

has to be rejigged or re-voted on, debate can be intense. What we have

:10:26.:10:31.

seen tonight is proof of the wonderful showcase that this is, a

:10:32.:10:37.

chance for new talent to be spotted. Exactly. It has always been there,

:10:38.:10:43.

but now we are getting so many other countries that are interested in

:10:44.:10:46.

classical music, they study it amazingly, and the Internet does

:10:47.:10:51.

amazing things as well. I hope you will not keep us waiting too long!

:10:52.:10:55.

We will let you go and join your fellow jurors.

:10:56.:10:57.

This is the tenth time I have presented Cardiff Singer.

:10:58.:11:02.

As ever, it's been a revelatory week.

:11:03.:11:06.

Listening to and watching singers of so many different styles,

:11:07.:11:08.

I'm sure, like me, you established your favourites.

:11:09.:11:12.

Some of mine are through tonight, some not.

:11:13.:11:15.

And I know it's the same for Angel and Mary, who got

:11:16.:11:18.

There are always some standout moments. For me, Anthony Clark Evans

:11:19.:11:43.

was the first, spine tingling top notes.

:11:44.:11:51.

Because his technique is so solid, his voice is even throughout, from

:11:52.:12:00.

the top to the bottom. I am fickle, and I have a bit of previous with

:12:01.:12:02.

Mongolian baritones. He was the most exciting, he he pulls his entire

:12:03.:12:28.

being in it, I can listen to him sing all day. And all night. One of

:12:29.:12:37.

the moments I adored was with Lee, you knew all of the top Cs would be

:12:38.:12:46.

nailed, he was looking forward to showing off, and he did.

:12:47.:13:00.

I cannot say enough good things about Louise's sinking, she was

:13:01.:13:08.

poised, in complete control, and she is also in control of the orchestra.

:13:09.:13:12.

She breeds clearly so the conductor knows when to bring the orchestra

:13:13.:13:19.

in. Also, seeing that many fast notes with such clear articulation,

:13:20.:13:23.

and looking so effortless as she does it, fantastic.

:13:24.:13:31.

I love tennis, they are like sopranos, but a tenor like Kang

:13:32.:13:47.

Wang, the stage presence, his performance was dedicated to his

:13:48.:13:51.

wife, and that came across in just about every song. And by singing to

:13:52.:13:57.

one person, your whole audience received that love. I really think

:13:58.:14:00.

he is very special. Angel and Mary's review of the week

:14:01.:14:21.

and I guess nobody has been closer to the action that angel and Mary,

:14:22.:14:26.

both professional singers, and they are with me now from prompt corner.

:14:27.:14:36.

This is an amazing final. It is a fantastic final. Absolutely

:14:37.:14:40.

brilliant. I do not know how the jury can possibly make... We have

:14:41.:14:51.

lost Mary. I think we got a sense of her excitement. Mary has been coming

:14:52.:14:56.

to the competition, ten, 12 years. Are you back with us? I am sorry. I

:14:57.:15:02.

have been coming here for sometime and I think this is the best final

:15:03.:15:07.

we have ever had, brilliant. Difficult to choose a winner. Angel,

:15:08.:15:12.

your thoughts on what we have seen tonight and this week? I am happy

:15:13.:15:19.

for all of the singers. I have made friends with them, all 20 from the

:15:20.:15:25.

last week. It is a gruelling process they have been through and I am

:15:26.:15:28.

proud of them and hope to see them on the world's biggest and greatest

:15:29.:15:34.

stages. Reiterate the friendly nature of competition. You have seen

:15:35.:15:38.

singers backstage patting each other on the back, checking each other's

:15:39.:15:48.

health, getting gifts or each other. There is a lot of love. That

:15:49.:15:51.

camaraderie helps the spirit of the competition. Everybody competing for

:15:52.:15:57.

the prize, but all these singers at some point in their career will see

:15:58.:16:02.

each other again onstage and today they have made friends here, out in

:16:03.:16:06.

the world they will have friends there, so a great start for them.

:16:07.:16:12.

And for me. A wonderful example of how to be with our cast. Last brief

:16:13.:16:20.

question, Mary, did you shed a tear to night? I was in great control

:16:21.:16:25.

throughout. I do not know if that is good or bad. That was good. Lovely

:16:26.:16:32.

to have you with us in Cardiff. We are very close to a result and I

:16:33.:16:37.

gather the jury has arrived backstage. Before we hear from the

:16:38.:16:46.

jury, and I ask Jerry and Danielle, let's remind ourselves of the

:16:47.:16:55.

finalists this evening. From Mongolia, Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar.

:16:56.:17:01.

And then it was the turn of hard-working English soprano Louise

:17:02.:17:07.

Alder. From Australia, Kang Wang, the

:17:08.:17:14.

tenor, who warmed hearts here. Then singing for Scotland, mezzo

:17:15.:17:32.

soprano Catriona Morison. And finally, once he sold used cars.

:17:33.:17:49.

Now he delights audiences in Cardiff. Baritone Anthony Clark

:17:50.:17:50.

Evans. One of those singers will very

:17:51.:18:22.

shortly be crowned BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017. Danielle

:18:23.:18:27.

de Niese, Gerald Finley, the jury have a difficult task. They do. It

:18:28.:18:32.

has been an evening of fantastic singing and nobody has made

:18:33.:18:36.

mistakes. We got to see an evening of talent. The real question I think

:18:37.:18:42.

will be who has everything? Can anyone have everything in a

:18:43.:18:47.

competition like this? I think so. Whether we all feel we have attained

:18:48.:18:54.

everything to 100%, the perfection we seek, is part of being an artist.

:18:55.:18:59.

When you are in an audience, you have a feeling on your skin, when

:19:00.:19:03.

you encounter an artist who gives you everything, and moves you. It is

:19:04.:19:09.

time to put you on the spot. Do you have a winner? It has been an

:19:10.:19:14.

exhibition tonight of a wonderful range of talent. They are all

:19:15.:19:21.

winners for me. I am not sure that is good enough. If you press... Just

:19:22.:19:27.

that the joy and radiance of her singing, I would say Louise. Do you

:19:28.:19:34.

have a winner? To be different, I will go with Kang Wang. He was

:19:35.:19:42.

moving. I felt he had everything in terms of being a great performer and

:19:43.:19:49.

artists. There are two tips. Gerald Finley reckons it will be Louise

:19:50.:19:53.

Alder and Danielle de Niese reckons it is Kang Wang. I wonder what the

:19:54.:19:59.

jury thought. I think they are at the side of the stage and about to

:20:00.:20:04.

make their way on. We will go backstage to see them preparing.

:20:05.:20:09.

There they are, the eminent Cardiff Singer 2017 jury. APPLAUSE

:20:10.:20:18.

And here they come onto the St David's Hall stage. Kiri Te Kanawa,

:20:19.:20:27.

David Pountney, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, the director-general of

:20:28.:20:31.

the BBC, who will announce the first winner because we have two prizes.

:20:32.:20:36.

The Audience Prize will come first. Anu Tali. Grace Bumbry, Sumi Jo,

:20:37.:20:48.

Wolfgang Holzmair. I am delighted to be here in this wonderful constant

:20:49.:20:57.

hall -- concert Hall. I would like to thank two superb orchestra as we

:20:58.:20:58.

have enjoyed this week. APPLAUSE The Welsh National Opera Orchestra

:20:59.:21:19.

and the orchestra behind me, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Thanks

:21:20.:21:24.

also to the two conductors, Thomas Sondergard and Tomas Hanus. APPLAUSE

:21:25.:21:41.

Thank you both for your support and skill in accompanying our singers.

:21:42.:21:49.

Today, Cardiff Singer is rightly regarded as one of the world's most

:21:50.:21:55.

important music competitions. It is the result of a remarkable and

:21:56.:22:00.

long-standing partnership between BBC Wales, Welsh National Opera, and

:22:01.:22:05.

the city and County of Cardiff. This past week has seen extensive

:22:06.:22:11.

coverage across BBC services here in the UK and internationally. Thanks

:22:12.:22:16.

to an array of digital media. As well as offering audiences the

:22:17.:22:20.

opportunity to enjoy the remarkable talents of so many gifted singers,

:22:21.:22:26.

the BBC has also given viewers and listeners and online users the

:22:27.:22:32.

chance to choose their winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize.

:22:33.:22:37.

The prize, which is supported by the University of Cardiff School of

:22:38.:22:41.

music, reflects the view of audiences in St -- St David's Hall

:22:42.:22:49.

and in the UK, for the singer who impressed them in the concert

:22:50.:22:57.

rounds. The winner of the prize and check for ?2500 is Louise Alder.

:22:58.:23:04.

APPLAUSE That will come with great delight to

:23:05.:23:12.

Louise Alder's many fans in Cardiff and further afield. Cardiff, which

:23:13.:23:16.

has been her home in the past seven weeks as she rehearsed and starred

:23:17.:23:22.

in the Welsh National Opera production of Rosenkavalier.

:23:23.:23:26.

Creating this hectic schedule for her. Two finals, two rounds, two

:23:27.:23:34.

performances of Rosenkavalier. Tony Hall, the director-general of the

:23:35.:23:39.

BBC, shaking her hand. And it is Councillor Bob Darbyshire,

:23:40.:23:46.

presenting her with the Dame Joan Sutherland audience trophy. Voted

:23:47.:23:53.

for by you, viewers, listeners, to Cardiff Singer of the World. This is

:23:54.:23:58.

the prize. The jury have no say in it. Now we come to the big prize.

:23:59.:24:02.

Very well-deserved. There is a lovely phrase in the song

:24:03.:24:44.

Louise San, the Andre Previn song, magic, that is what I try to give to

:24:45.:24:49.

people. My goodness, these people have given us some magic over these

:24:50.:24:55.

last few days. APPLAUSE

:24:56.:25:10.

And to find out in a very closely calibrated group who just about gave

:25:11.:25:15.

the most magic, Dame Kiri, please, come and tell us.

:25:16.:25:26.

May I say it has been a privilege and honour since the last Cardiff

:25:27.:25:34.

Singer of the World, we always have thoughts of what would happen in the

:25:35.:25:39.

next, and here we are, 2017, the winner of the Cardiff Singer of the

:25:40.:25:52.

World from Scotland to... CHEERING No more needs to be said.

:25:53.:25:57.

It is Catriona Morison, the 31-year-old mezzo soprano. She did

:25:58.:26:02.

not win her round, but she got the wild card position in this final.

:26:03.:26:08.

And she sang her way this evening to victory. Performing Rossini,

:26:09.:26:13.

Strauss, Ravel and Henry Purcell. She makes her way down the judges.

:26:14.:26:19.

Sumi Jo, Anu Tali, the Estonian conductor. Letters get a response to

:26:20.:26:30.

that from Danielle de Niese. Gosh, what a fantastic scream from the

:26:31.:26:36.

audience. Upon hearing Catriona Morison. That is amazing. She is a

:26:37.:26:42.

thoughtful Singer and she put in a lot of personality. To her

:26:43.:26:48.

interpretations. Gerald Finley. She is a thoughtful artist and full of

:26:49.:26:54.

passion. She will have a very interesting career. Very emotional

:26:55.:27:04.

right now. Thank you for joining us. A great end to BBC Cardiff Singer of

:27:05.:27:06.

the World 2017. And if you're after more and you're

:27:07.:27:07.

in Wales, stay with us, BBC Two Wales continues

:27:08.:27:15.

with all the reaction If you're elsewhere in the UK,

:27:16.:27:17.

watch via the website - From all of us here at

:27:18.:27:26.

St David's Hall in Cardiff. Catriona Morison, the 2017 BBC

:27:27.:27:31.

Cardiff Singer of the World. # Work it harder

:27:32.:28:59.

Make it better # Do it faster

:29:00.:29:07.

Makes us stronger... # I want to, like,

:29:08.:29:09.

hang out with you guys.

:29:10.:29:12.

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