Entertainment
St Davids Cathedral Music Festival promises a spectacular line-up
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AFTER a pause last year, the beloved St Davids Cathedral Music Festival is set to make a grand return this May, bringing a vibrant mix of international talent to Pembrokeshire. The festival, a staple in the cultural calendar, will coincide with the May half-term week, offering six days of musical excellence.
The 2024 festival will open with a dazzling performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on May 25. The orchestra will treat audiences to Mathias’s Festival Overture and Brahms’ Second Symphony. Adding to the splendour, award-winning violinist Inmo Yang will grace the stage with his rendition of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.
This year’s festival will also introduce several new performers. The Choir of Royal Holloway is set to debut on May 27, enchanting attendees with choral arrangements of orchestral classics. Local talent is also in the spotlight, with Pembrokeshire-born horn player Simon Lewis performing alongside Trio Preseli on May 26, showcasing works by Welsh composer Anthony Randall.
Adding a touch of environmental consciousness to the festival, clarinet virtuoso Emma Johnson returns on May 28 with her Orchestra for the Environment. Their repertoire will include pieces by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Johnson’s own composition, ‘The Tree of Life’.
The festival will kick off with the 150-strong Children’s Festival Chorus on May 24, captivating audiences with their youthful energy and a live band. Throughout the week, the cathedral musicians will feature prominently in several concerts, with the highlight being the full Cathedral choir performing Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3.
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online, over the phone, or at the box office. Entry for under-18s is free with an accompanying adult, with other tickets starting at £8. Early booking is encouraged to secure seats, although last-minute tickets may be available at the door.
Simon Pearce, the artistic director, expressed his enthusiasm for the festival’s return, hoping that it will draw a large crowd to celebrate the rich musical heritage and the serene setting of the cathedral. All cathedral services, including festival ceremonies, will be open to the public free of charge, making it a perfect family-friendly event.
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PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Friday 24th May
6.00pm: Festival Launch Concert with Children’s Chorus
The 2024 Festival kicks off with a performance by the Festival Children’s Chorus, led by Mathew Wright MBE, Artistic Director of the Barnsley Youth Choir. Matthew is a member of the international jury representing the World Choir Games and in 2023 was appointed as a representative for Great Britain on the World Choir Council.
8.30pm: Vox Angelica and Vicars Choral by Candlelight
Join Vox Angelica and the Vicars Choral of St Davids Cathedral Choir for their annual late-night concert. Expect light-hearted songs and anthems, perfect for a late spring evening.
Saturday 25th May
11.00am: Coffee Concert – Choristers Unplugged!
The Cathedral Choristers ditch the cassocks and present a programme of their favourite popular and musical theatre songs. One not to be missed!
7.00pm: BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales return for their annual performance at the Festival. Conductor Dinis Sousa leads the orchestra in William Mathias’ ‘Festival Overture’, in the composer’s 90th anniversary year. Violinist Inmo Yang joins the orchestra for Sibelius’ popular Violin Concerto in D minor. The programme concludes with a staple of the classical repertoire, Brahms’ 2nd Symphony in D Major. This annual performance is one of the highlights of every Festival programme, and this year’s promises to be no different.
Sunday 26th May
Choral Services: 11am Choral Eucharist, 4pm Choral Evensong
St Davids Cathedral Choir sing the services for Trinity Sunday.
7.00pm: Preseli Trio
The dynamic Preseli Trio join us from Santiago de Compostela in Spain, with strong links to Pembrokeshire. The trio, consisting of Soprano, Horn and Piano, are champions of contemporary composers and the work of Welsh composer Anthony Randall. Simon Lewis, the horn player, hails from Pembrokeshire, and named the trio after the rolling hills of our beautiful county. Join them for their debut UK performance, including the UK premiere of a new work by Galician composer Fernando Buide.
Monday 27th May
11.00am: Coffee Concert – St Davids Cathedral Choral Scholars
Join our fabulous choral scholars, Lucy Dunn, Alto, George Webb, Bass and Nathanael Laidlaw, Bass, in a recital of arias, art songs and lieder.
Choral Service: 5pm Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Singers
7.00pm: Orchestral Classics for Choir with The Choir of Royal Holloway
The Choir of Royal Holloway is now well-established as one of the leading collegiate choirs in the UK. This crack team of 24 choral scholars and director, Rupert Gough are known internationally for their highly engaging performances and vast catalogue of stunning recordings, particularly in collaboration with Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. In their Festival debut, they present a programme of popular orchestral music arranged for chorus, including Vaughan Williams’ ‘Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis’, Ravel’s ‘Pavane une infante defunte’, and a new mass setting based on Peter Warlock’s ‘Capriol Suite’ by George Arthur. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear this wonderful choir in Britain’s smallest city!
Tuesday 28th May
11.00am: Coffee Concert – Young Musician of Dyfed
We’re delighted to announce that pianist Raphael James, winner of the 2024 Young Musician of Dyfed, will be performing in this morning recital. Full programme details to be announced soon, including music by Rachmaninov, Schubert and Chopin. The Recital will also include the first public performance of ‘Barbarica’ for harp by promising young composer Gerard Coutain – performed by the young professional harpist Nia Evans.
7.00pm: Emma Johnson with the Orchestra for the Environment
Join clarinettist Emma Johnson, winner of the 1984 BBC Young Musician of the Year, and her orchestra in a programme of music celebrating the beauty of our natural world. Expect classics in the repertoire such as Mozart’s Ein Kleine Nachtmusik, and Paul Reade’s ‘Suite from the Victorian Kitchen Garden’ complimented by Emma’s own composition ‘Tree of Life’, inspired by a wish to say something about the climate emergency.
Wednesday 29th May
4.00pm: Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3
St Davids Cathedral Choir sing the office of Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3, on the eve of Corpus Christi. Please be seated by 3.45pm.
8.00pm: Alaw
To round off the 2024 Festival in style, dynamic folk trio Alaw treat us to a concert full of soulful folk songs and toe-tapping melodies and dances. A joyful concert not to be missed!
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Entertainment
Pobol y Cwm unveils 50th anniversary celebratory tours
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BBC CYMRU WALES has announced the opening of its Pobol y Cwm set to the public, to mark the series’ 50th anniversary in October.
Tickets have been released at bbc.co.uk/pobolycwm – giving fans a special opportunity to celebrate the big birthday together, behind the scenes at Cwmderi, the fictional village filmed at BBC Studios Wales’ centre in Cardiff Bay.
As well as taking a peek around the interior iconic sets at the drama studios, the exclusive 50th anniversary tours will visit the well-known main street, offering guests a taste of life at Pobol y Cwm, the BBC’s longest-running television soap opera that has been broadcast on S4C since 1982. The series was first broadcast on 16 October 1974 and the studios are usually closed to the public.
Series Producer Dafydd Llewelyn says, “There’s been such a demand for these tours and we’re absolutely delighted to be opening our doors again on such a momentous occasion in the history of the series. We look forward to welcoming everyone here.”
The bilingual tours will allow guests to follow in the footsteps of the characters and to see the exact locations where the banter and bickering, and the laughter and tears take place.
Pobol y Cwm’s actors including Jonathan Nefydd (Colin), Sera Cracroft (Eileen) an Dyfan Rees (Iolo) are excited to lead the tours and there will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions as they take in the sights around the famous studios. There will be a different set of actors every day leading the tours.
The series has nurtured the talent of some of Wales’s biggest stars – including Hollywood actor Ioan Gruffydd, West End and television star, Iwan Rheon and film and television star, Alexandra Roach – who all honed their craft on Pobol y Cwm.
During the anniversary week, S4C will broadcast many special programmes to note the occasion and events will mark the series’ 50th. This includes a special anniversary programme on Wednesday, 16th October at 8pm on S4C, Clic and BBC iPlayer.
Tickets are available online now at bbc.co.uk/pobolycwm and the tours will be held Saturday 12 October, Sunday 13 October, Thursday 17 October, Friday 18 October and Saturday 19 October. Eight tours will be hosted every day with British Sign Language (BSL)/Welsh and English interpretation on Sunday 13 October.
Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C’s Head of Film & Drama, says, “I’m sure our audience will grab this unique opportunity to step on Wales’ most iconic high street. It will be an unforgettable experience and a great way to celebrate Pobol y Cwm’s special 50th birthday.”
Sian Gwynedd, Head of Culture and Partnerships, BBC Cymru Wales says, “It’s brilliant, on such a significant birthday, to welcome some of our viewers to Cwmderi and to give them a sneak peek, behind the scenes, at one of Wales’ best-known streets! The series has long held a special place in the hearts of viewers across Wales and it’s a wonderful opportunity for them to play a part in the celebrations and to meet some of the actors. I’m sure it’ll be a day to remember.”
Entertainment
The Importance of the Horse in Welsh History
![Horse facing the camera.](https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/horse-1.jpg)
It is estimated that there are over 400 breeds of horses in the world. While many are bred for racing and beauty, some are alive just for their hardiness and ability to work. In Wales, some of the toughest of these were named pit ponies and are a symbol of the industrial heritage of the country. In this article, we discuss the importance of the horse in Pembrokeshire and Welsh history.
The Pit Pony
From the 18th to the mid-20th century, the pit pony was a staple of Welsh mining. These horses, ponies or mules were used to work underground and have been recorded as being used as far back as 1750. This horse would generally work an eight-hour shift each day. They would haul coal in tubs, living on a diet of hay and any scraps the miners fed them. In some instances, they were even stabled underground.
This horse came from a range of breeds. Welsh horses were the most common, but Shetlands, Devons and Dartmoor breeds were also used. Even larger horses like Cleveland Bays were used in some instances.
Way outside Pembrokeshire, but worth a visit nonetheless, is Sultan the Pit Pony. Resting in Caerphilly, from the ground it seems like a formation of small hillocks. Yet from far away, the Sultan takes shape and is a fantastic earthen sculpture to commemorate the pit ponies.
Ffos Las
Ffos Las racecourse is a fitting tribute to the country’s link between the horse and its industrial heritage. The track was the first National Hunt racecourse built in the United Kingdom for 80 years when it opened in 2009. Previously, it had been the site of an open-cast coal mine, that was left without a purpose once mining there had ceased.
Racing has now become bigger than ever, and Ffos Las is one of the few courses that is based in Wales. Recent developments in communications, such as the ability to watch races through streaming technology, have increased popularity and Ffos Las is thriving. Even the ability to participate in racehorse ownership has been made much easier, due to online syndicates. They allow racehorse ownership for attractive entry prices, providing all the information members need to follow their horses to Ffos Las and beyond. Thus, the industry is in a boom period and Ffos Las is one of many UK courses at the forefront of this.
The Horses That Built the Henge
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To the northeast of Pembrokeshire in Eglwyswrw is Carn Goedog. For many, it may look like quite an unremarkable rocky outcrop in the Welsh wilderness. Yet modern methods of analysis have managed to trace it as the place where the materials for the famous Stonehenge were mined. This is believed to have happened around 2500 BC. Weighing two to five tonnes each, it is unlikely these stones would have been moved without the help of Welsh horses.
In the age of petrol and electric transportation, the horse may not play as important a part in the economic structure of the country as it once did. Yet it remains a strong image, a metaphor for Welsh work ethic and spirit. Wherever the Welsh work hard and maintain their identity, the horse will be there to guide them.
Entertainment
Biggest Horse Racing Events Remaining in 2024
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As the year progresses, the horse racing calendar remains packed with significant events both in the UK and internationally. The sport has already delivered thrilling moments, and several prestigious races are still to come before the year ends. This article highlights the most important races remaining in 2024 and reflects on the key moments from events that have already taken place.
Highlights of 2024 So Far
The year so far has already seen some of the biggest names in the sport make their mark, making waves in the world of horse racing betting.
Notably, State Man claimed victory in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, a race that saw him rise to prominence after Constitution Hill ruled out to compete this year. This victory solidified State Man’s status as one of the leading hurdlers of the season.
The Grand National at Aintree followed in April, where I Am Maximus claimed victory in a race that once again proved to be a gruelling test for both horse and rider.
Royal Ascot, held in June, lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s premier racing festivals. Kyprios delivered a stunning performance in the Gold Cup, while Bedtime Story’s victory in the Chesham Stakes highlighted her potential as a rising star.
Upcoming Major UK Horse Racing Events
1) St. Leger Festival (12-15 September 2024)
Held at Doncaster Racecourse, the St. Leger Festival is home to the St. Leger Stakes, the oldest of the five British Classics. This event is a key highlight of the Flat racing season and often serves as a platform for three-year-old colts and fillies to prove their stamina over a testing distance of one mile and six furlongs.
2) QIPCO British Champions Day (19 October 2024)
This day is the grand finale of the British Flat racing season, taking place at Ascot. It features some of the season’s most prestigious races, including the Champion Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. The event brings together the best horses, jockeys, and trainers from across the globe, vying for significant prize money and glory.
3) The November Meeting (15-17 November 2024)
As the National Hunt season gains momentum, Cheltenham’s November Meeting is a significant event in the jump racing calendar. Featuring races like the Paddy Power Gold Cup, this meeting is often seen as a precursor to the famous Cheltenham Festival in March.
4) Betfair Tingle Creek Festival (6-7 December 2024)
Sandown Park will host this two-day festival, which is a highlight of the early winter National Hunt season. The Tingle Creek Chase is the main attraction, often featuring the top two-mile chasers in the country.
Key International Horse Racing Events
1) Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (6 October 2024)
Held at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, “the Arc” is widely regarded as Europe’s most prestigious race. It attracts the best middle-distance horses from around the world, competing over 2400 metres. The event is not just a race, but a cultural celebration, with Parisian flair adding to the spectacle.
2) Breeders’ Cup (1-2 November 2024)
Held at Del Mar Racetrack, the Breeders’ Cup is a top North American event with multiple Grade 1 races. Over two days, elite horses, jockeys, and trainers compete, with the Breeders’ Cup Classic often deciding the Horse of the Year. This event is a key highlight on the international racing calendar.
3) Melbourne Cup (5 November 2024)
Known as “the race that stops a nation,” the Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most famous race. Held at Flemington Racecourse, this two-mile handicap is a unique blend of top-tier competition and Australian cultural tradition. The event draws enormous crowds and is watched by millions around the world.
4) Hong Kong International Races (8 December 2024)
The Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse is the climax of the global racing calendar. Featuring four Group 1 races, it attracts a stellar lineup of horses, jockeys, and trainers, making it one of the most important international race meetings of the year.
Conclusion
As we approach the final months of 2024, horse racing promises more thrilling moments. With historic classics and global spectacles ahead, intense competition and unforgettable performances are guaranteed. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or new to the sport, these events offer a chance to witness history, ensuring the year’s racing calendar concludes spectacularly.
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