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A celebration of the classical performers of Wales

It is not an overstatement to say that the 21st century so far in the world of popular classical music in Britain has been dominated by singers and instrumentalists from Wales, a small country which punches far above its weight when it comes to music. The towering figure of bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is world-renowned, and the first BBC TV series “Last Choir Standing” saw two choirs from Wales coming to the fore – Only Men Aloud and Ysgol Glanaethwy; all three can be heard on this compilation, which celebrates the best of Welsh classical performers. Accompanying them are other successful singers who have caught the imagination of the public far and wide – Katherine Jenkins, Aled Jones (heard here from a 1985 recording when he was at the height of his prowess as one of the best boy trebles ever recorded), and Elin Manahan Thomas, and the extraordinary talents of harpist Catrin Finch and pianists Llyr Williams and Annette Bryn Parri.The outstanding tradition of Welsh tenors is represented here by Dennis O’Neill, Gwyn Hughes Jones and Rhys Meirion, and they are joined by sopranos Shân Cothi and Gwawr Edwards, baritone Paul Carey Jones, and the versatile treble from Clwyd Steffan Rhys Hughes. The new choirs already mentioned are supported by the female choir from Bangor, Côr Seiriol, one of Karl Jenkins’ favourite vocal ensembles, and the male choirs of Godre’r Aran from Meirionnydd and Morriston Orpheus. Serendipity is another of conductor Tim Rhys Evans’ creations, of which Only Men Aloud are the male section, and David Kempster is a baritone who is rapidly making a name for himself, on the concert and opera stage, and this unique compilation of talent is made complete by one of Europe’s leading Brass Bands, the Cory Band.