Risca Male Choir, Llangollen International Eisteddfod, July 8, 2023
One of my first memories after joining Risca Male Choir in early 2013, was watching the choir win the Majestic Battle of the Male Choirs in Torquay. Even to my untrained ear, it was clear that RMC outclassed the other choirs taking part in terms of sound, delivery and polish. It was also clear how hard they had worked to achieve that level of professional performance.
I have never been a fan of competitions, particularly musical ones, although I recognise how important they can be in raising standards. But, with a new MD at the helm in the autumn of 2022, it was no surprise when it was announced that we would be entering the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen the following summer. Over the following months, we started to work on three numbers that would be our set within the Male Choir section of the competition. Hodie, a Latin text set to music by John Leavitt, created particular challenges for our bass and baritone sections, with high notes beyond our comfortable range and a need to sing very quietly without losing the tuneful quality of the music. The second piece that Matt chose was equally challenging. What shall we do with the drunken sailor? is a dynamic piece requiring perfect timing and focus from the whole choir. It is the sort of piece that when sung less than accurately, sounds horrible. The final piece, Gwinllan a roddwyd (This land is mine), by Caradog Williams is more of a traditional male choir item and a great showcase for our baritone section (when we get it right).
Having started on the three pieces before Christmas, Matt began to focus a good deal of time on them as the months progressed. We still had a number of engagements to fulfil, including weddings, funerals and a very important Patrons’ Concert, but as July approached, more and more time was given over to perfecting these three diverse pieces of music. I have spent most of my career in teaching and it was increasingly clear to me that our new MD has a deep understanding of how to support learning. The use of repetition, breaking sections into small parts, more repetition, singing parts at different tempos and yet more repetition, clearly began to drive improvements within the choir sound. By the end of June, I think every chorister lived, breathed and slept with sounds of the Llangollen set in our heads. Matt also spent time creating recordings of each piece for each section; a time-consuming task that is telling of his commitment to the choir.
As the performance day approached, the choir had reached a level of confidence and competence that promised to provide strong competition on the day. Unfortunately, due to a number of male choirs withdrawing from the competition, the female and male voice sections were combined, with the result that we would be judged alongside five female choirs and just one other male choir as part of an ‘Equal Voice’ category. This did not deter us, and on Friday 7th July, members of RMC, made their way to North Wales, most staying overnight close to Llangollen in order to get an early start the next day.
We had arranged an early breakfast at our hotel and as I passed through reception on Saturday morning, I was rewarded with the beautiful sounds of a Filipino choir who were warming up prior to setting off for the Eisteddfod. If this was typical of the standard we could expect at Llangollen, we clearly had a challenge on our hands. The atmosphere at breakfast was relaxed, despite the approaching event. Ever since I joined RMC, I have been happily aware of the camaraderie and mutual support within the choir. Choristers are committed to their music and inclusive in their care for each other. Having worked so hard over the previous seven months, we were all aware that we had the potential to sing well. The main remaining hurdle was anxiety and choristers were checking in with each other to ensure all were OK.
Our slot was at 10.30am and we had a 30-minute practice session allotted at St Anne’s Church, adjacent to the Eisteddfod ground. We were joined by our guest accompanist, Mackenzie, our percussionist for the event, Alison (normally our accompanist) and Matt. The tension was palpable but following a vocal warm up and little bit of work on some of the trickier bits in Drunken Sailor, I felt that we were as ready as we ever would be for this competition.
Despite the unsettled weather, the Eisteddfod ground was busy and the true nature of its ‘international’ reputation became clear as we passed contestants from many different countries and cultures, dressed in a myriad of styles and colours. For those who have not been before, the show ground includes an enormous arena (mainly under canvas) with two or three other tented stages where community choirs, dance groups and other acts were booked to perform throughout the day. The international ‘flavour’ was further enriched by numerous multi-ethnic food vendors dotted around the field.
After changing into our stage costumes (black shirt, black trousers and white tuxedo jacket) we eventually found our way over to the backstage area where we were organised, along with other choirs, into lines ready to take our turn on stage. It is at this point where the nerves can really take hold and I was very aware of the heightened anxiety within all sections of the choir. We had already been made aware that the cameras would be on us from the moment that we walked on to the stage. While there was no live feed this year, elements of the performance were likely to be used within S4C programmes and for men not used to such scrutiny, this further increased the pressure.
To say that we had been trained ‘to within an inch of our life’ by our MD, would not be an exaggeration. This included attention to every aspect of the music; timing, volume, consonants, vowel-sounds, breathing, mouth shapes, dynamics… Matt had not left anything to chance. Above all other instructions, Matt constantly reinforced WATCH THE CONDUCTOR! I cannot speak for my ‘brother’ choristers, but I for one did not take my eyes off Matt from the moment he appeared on stage to the completion of our set, when we turned to leave. As we launched into Hodie, we were glued to our Maestro, desperately trying to remember every element of what we had been taught. A quiet start… don’t sing the high notes unless you can do so without any tension in the throat… Ho-dee-air, not Ho-dee-ay… maintain balance with the other sections at all times! By the time we had completed our first number, I felt we had managed to deliver the ‘Risca Sound’ without any major mishap.
Of the three pieces in our set, it was Drunken Sailor that had me most concerned. With constant changes in dynamics, crucial timing and pressure on the basses to sing quietly and at a pace, there was a lot that could go wrong. However, as we completed the piece, I was reasonably sure that we had delivered the goods and the applause from the audience appeared to confirm this.
I think we were all more comfortable with the final number. Gwinllan, a popular piece with male choirs, offers great opportunities to showcase a choir’s ability to create light and shade and has the sort of finish we all love; one that can raise the hairs on the back of your neck. This generated the most rapturous applause from the audience and as we left the stage, I think we all breathed a sigh of relief.
Members of the choir spent the next few hours watching and listening to other acts within the main arena and on the small stages. I managed to catch three of the other choirs in our category; Le Voci and Heartbeat UK Chorus, two of the female choirs and Côr Meibion Froncysyllte (Fron), the only other male choir. Le Voci were extremely polished in their performance with perfect timing and control. Heartbeat UK sang a delightful range of more popular music and, while they were less than perfect, I really enjoyed the set. Finally, Fron came on stage and sang four pieces. I do not have an experienced ear when it comes to judging other choirs, but I could not help but feel Fron were not a serious threat to us on this occasion.
A little later in the afternoon, RMC gathered together within the arena to hear the results from the adjudicators. The weather had turned with heavy rain downpours and even thunder. This was amplified under canvas and several times acts within the Open Choirs category had to stop to wait for it to subside. A little before 2pm, Brian Hughes and Camilla King came on stage to announce the winners of the equal voice category. The points were extremely close with RMC taking third place behind Le Voci (first) and Heartbeat UK (second). While there was a little disappointment from choristers at not winning the section, I think we all felt very pleased to have sung so well at such a prestigious event and… technically… we are now the top Welsh male choir! Well… at least until next year.
Chris Denham - Baritone
