Manic Street Preachers close Llangollen’s International Musical Eisteddfod - with pictures
About 4,000 performers and as many as 50,000 visitors converged on a town for a time-honoured celebration of singing and dancing – and the breaking of a world record.
Llangollen’s annual International Musical Eisteddfod drew to a close last night with a typically blistering set by Welsh rock heroes The Manic Street Preachers.
The setlist included favourites from throughout their career, including Everything Must Go, Kevin Carter, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, Tsunami and A Design For Life.
It was a triumphant end end to the festival’s 70th year, which boasted an impressive line-up that has also seen performances from Gregory Porter, Overtones, Only Boys Aloud, Sir Bryn Terfel, Kristine Opolais and Kristian Benedikt in Tosca, Reverend and The Makers and BBC Radio One’s Huw Stephens.
This year also broke the world record for the largest collection of tenors singing Nessum Dorma together, as 89 operatic singers broke out in an unplanned chorus.
The musical extravaganza has been an astonishing success story, going from a fledgling post-war peace event that it was feared would be a flop, to a distinguished multicultural festival that brings artists and performers from all over the globe.
Exact figures have yet to come in, but numbers on the streets for the Eisteddfod’s annual town parade are also thought to be up on last year’s 7,000.
Town crier Chem marked the start of the parade by ringing his bell as he walked down the hill from the Royal International Pavilion, with visitors, performers and competitors from all nations following behind.
The parade saw representatives from some of the 29 countries at this year’s festival including, India, Australia, China, South Africa and Wales, singing and dancing together in the streets in the spirit of friendship, unity and peace.
In line with tradition, Terry Waite and the chairman of the International Eisteddfod, Dr Rhys Davies, headed up the colourful procession in a vintage car.
Dr Davies said: “Seeing people of all ages, from all nations and cultures, coming together to share their musical and performance traditions with spectators and one another was truly heart-warming. The town gave us a fantastic reception.”
for our 70th anniversary parade. It’s a tradition that truly encapsulates the spirit of the International Eisteddfod and one I hope will continue for another 70 years and beyond.”
Gregory Porter brought the sound of a jazz club to the stage on Friday evening, delighting those assembled with his attempt to pronounce the towns name properly, which he admitted he was having trouble with.
On Saturday the 89 tenors launched into an impromptu performance of the song made famous by opera superstar Pavarotti’s at the World Cup in Italy in 1990 after the announcement of the winners of the male male voice choir category as, performers spilled out of the pavilion towards the bar.
The song choice paid homage to the late Pavarotti, who credited Llangollen International Eisteddfod with launching his career as he first performed at there in 1955 with with his father, Fernando, in a choir that travelled from Modena in Italy to compete in the male choir category – and won the title “choir of the world”.
Music director Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “The International Eisteddfod is a festival of music and performance and it has such strong links with Pavarotti, so this impromptu performance was a perfect celebration of our 70th anniversary.”
Llangollen has staged the inspirational international cultural festival every year since 1947, when it was launched to help heal the wounds of World War II and bring people together through music.
