THE latest community news from Dolgellau
Music club
THE 2019-20 season was launched at Ysgol Bro Idris on Friday, 11 October with a performance from Côr Godre’r Aran, directed from the piano by Eirian Owen.
A varied programme showcased the choir’s flexibility, moving fluently across different styles and languages. The core sound is magnificent as evinced in the opening hymn Bryn Myrddin.
Committed renderings of other sacred pieces included Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, Gounod’s Cristus Salvator, Eric Jones’ setting of Psalm 23 and the gospel song Great Day.
An undoubted highlight, sung in Russian, was Mikhail Mikhailovitch’s Blagoslavi, dushe moia, Gospoda (Bless the Lord, O my soul).
Three soloists interspersed the choral items, two of them Blue Riband winners, baritones Trebor Lloyd Evans (2009) and Erfyl Tomos Jones (2018), who gave heroic voice to Verdi arias from Ernani and Macbeth respectively.
In contrast the young lyric tenor Elis Jones brought all the required delicacy, as well as power when needed, to Llanrwst and I believe.
Elis and Erfyl made the most of the patriotic fervour in their duet, Rhys Jones’ Dal ein tir.
The next concert in the series is back in Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor on Friday, 8 November, in the company of Aneira Evans (soprano) and Robyn Lyn Evans (tenor, with Eirian once more at the piano. The choir’s annual concert in Bala is on Saturday, 14 December.
If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]