In a production that will bring the feel-good factor to stages across Wales and England this Spring, Welsh National Opera’s brand-new show, Blaze of Glory! features traditional Welsh songs and hymns, such as Gwahoddiad, Yn y Man and Llef alongside gospel music, yodelling and more.
This is not the first time Welsh music has been used to bring stories to life, to inject a little drama or to provide light relief, and it surely won’t be the last.
Netflix’s record-breaking series Wednesday, which follows Wednesday Addams’ life at Nevermore Academy, features the ancient Welsh folk tune Y Pêr Oslef. As Wednesday visits Pilgrim World in the third episode, you can hear the tune, which is sometimes called Rhisiart Annwyl, in the background.
In 1964, the defiant anthem Men of Harlech, which tells the story of the siege of Harlech Castle in Wales, is sung in the epic war film Zulu. Towards the end of the film, when the Zulu warriors approach the station, they begin a war chant and the British soldiers respond by singing Men of Harlech, creating one of the most iconic moments in cinema.
Director Steven Spielberg has even fallen for the charms of Welsh music and featured the traditional lullaby, Suo Gȃn, in his 1987 film Empire of the Sun. The tune plays a prominent role in the movie; when Jim (played by a young Christian Bale) sees a group of Japanese pilots preparing for a kamikaze ritual he salutes and sings the tune for them.
One of Wales’ most famous songs, Myfanwy, has featured in many films including the multiple Academy Award winning How Green was my Valley as well as the Swansea based film Twin Town. It is also sung in the 1992 Welsh-language biographical film Hedd Wyn. Rather surprisingly, it is both played and discussed in an episode of Midsomer Murders during a visit to Wales by detectives from an English village.
Described as a ‘full-throated, robust baritone’ Sir Tom Jones is arguably one of Wales’ most popular exports and his songs have featured in many films and television programmes. In the star-studded movie Mars Attacks! Jones is midway through It’s Not Unusual when aliens interrupt his concert. It’s impossible to mention It’s Not Unusual and not think of Tom Jones being revealed as Carlton Banks’ Guardian Angel in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in a scene which sees the pair perform a duet of the Welshman’s hit and do ‘The Carlton Dance’.
Only Boys Aloud brought Calon Lȃn to the masses when they performed the beautiful Welsh hymn in their audition for Britain’s Got Talent in 2012. The young choir made it all the way to the final with their rendition, losing out to dancing dog act Ashleigh and Pudsey and classical crossover duo Jonathan and Charlotte. Their performance in the final has become the most watched Welsh language video on YouTube.
Calon Lȃn also features in Blaze of Glory! which tours this Spring, visiting Cardiff, Llandudno, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Birmingham and Southampton. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear this beautiful piece and other traditional Welsh songs brought to life by our talented cast and Orchestra.