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I take great pride in the weekly Welsh show, , which I present on a Monday night at 7pm on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳  - the Welsh language radio station from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.  In fact, every night on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Cymru, we play all the best Welsh language music, and there are so many great artists making music all the time. Once you discover it, you'll find five more artists doing great stuff, and so on and so on. It's a never ending well of great music!

The Y Selar Welsh music awards, this Saturday night in Aberystwyth, are a way of celebrating and showcasing that talent in one big busy night of music, friends, and the awards themselves. Scroll through the music and you'll hear why the Welsh language scene is so vibrant right now.

The sheer variety of artists from solo musicians to bands and electronic composers, to hard-to-categorise projects make us very proud, and that's why we at Radio Cymru will be broadcasting the night live online for the very first time.

The sets themselves, and the awards given out on the night, really do make it a special occasion that we're delighted to be showcasing. Hundreds of tickets have been sold, and the annual highlight will sound and look great I think! See, or hear, you there!

Watch live coverage of the Y Selar Awards on and .

Listen again to highlights of the Y Selar Awards on the  programme on Radio Cymru, Wednesday 24 February at 7pm.

Gwobrau’r Selar - noson fawr, brysur o gerddoriaeth ar gael ar-lein am y tro cyntaf gyda ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Cymru

Rwy’n falch iawn o’r sioe Gymraeg wythnosol, , sef y sioe rwy’n ei chyflwyno ar nos Lun am 7pm ar ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ - gorsaf radio Gymraeg y ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.

Yn wir, bob nos ar ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Cymru, rydyn ni’n chwarae’r goreuon o gerddoriaeth Gymraeg, ac mae yna gynifer o artistiaid gwych yn creu cerddoriaeth drwy’r amser. Unwaith y byddwch chi’n darganfod cerddoriaeth Gymraeg, fe fyddwch chi’n darganfod pum artist arall sy’n gwneud pethau gwych, ac yn y blaen. Mae’n bwll di-waelod o gerddoriaeth wych!

Mae gwobrau'r Selar, nos Sadwrn yma yn Aberystwyth, yn ffordd o ddathlu a dangos y doniau hynny mewn un noson fawr, brysur sy’n llawn cerddoriaeth, ffrindiau a’r gwobrau eu hunain wrth gwrs. Sgroliwch drwy'r gerddoriaeth sydd wedi’u ac fe glywch chi pam fod y sîn Gymraeg mor llewyrchus nawr.

Mae amrywiaeth yr artistiaid, o gerddorion unigol i fandiau a chyfansoddwyr electronig, i brosiectau sy’n anodd eu rhoi mewn categori, yn ein gwneud ni’n falch iawn. Dyna pam y byddwn ni yn Radio Cymru yn darlledu’r noson yn fyw ar-lein am y tro cyntaf eleni.

Mae'r setiau eu hunain, a'r gwobrau sy’n cael eu cyflwyno ar y noson, yn golygu bod yr holl beth yn achlysur arbennig iawn, ac rydyn ni’n falch o allu rhannu hynny â chi. Mae cannoedd o docynnau wedi’u gwerthu, a bydd y noson ei hun yn swnio ac yn edrych yn wych yn fy marn i! Fe wela’ i chi, neu fe glywa’ i chi yno!

Gwyliwch Wobrau'r Selar yn fyw ar ac ar .

Gwrandewch eto ar uchafbwyntiau Gwobrau'r Selar ar raglen ar Radio Cymru, dydd Mercher 24 Chwefror am 7pm.

Broadcasting from the National Eisteddfod is one of the biggest television events in Britain - second only to Wimbledon... so they say.

The detailed work starts once we get the Eisteddfod list of events in early summer. Elfed Roberts, the festival's Chief Executive, joins us to go through the programme, and he suggests stories, ideas and observations in order for the various departments - television, radio, Cymru Fyw, news, Wales Today and marketing - to instruct their staff regarding what needs to be done.

Production Manager, Catrin Medi, has already convened the television teams - directors, producers, presenters, researchers, cameramen and sound men, editors, engineers, health and safety guys and runners. She's also worked closely throughout the year with Huw Aled, the Eisteddfod's Technical Manager, to make sure that our technical requirements are met, that the needs of the Eisteddfod are in-keeping with the broadcasting requirements, that the contracts between us and the subcontractors are ok and that the structural and technical infrastructure works!

The most difficult job is to make sure that our services get all the information and resources they need and that they operate as cost-effectively as possible. If you think about putting on an international rugby match every consecutive day for nine days, it gives you some idea of the enormity of the task.

In July, we receive all types of interesting enquiries from our services at our main office: Is there sufficient satellite link to make sure can provide web streaming through London and to Salford so that it works on all platforms and devices? Will there be enough accommodation for all the crews? How far is Oswestry? Who is Brython Shag? What will happen if one of the brass bands doesn’t arrive at the Eisteddfod in time? Does anyone know where the archive clips of the winners from the Eisteddfod in Meifod in 2003 are? Has anyone contacted the presenters? Who's organising the Album of the Year? What will the weather be like and will we need wellingtons?

Making sure each one of our various services gets the correct answers at the right time is a major responsibility. Without careful internal co-operation between us and the hard-working Eisteddfod team, you can be certain that things could become a shambles very quickly.

And if you'll be joining us on television, on the radio, on demand or attending the festival itself in Meifod, we hope you'll enjoy yourself, and save a thought for all of us who are worried about everything from the weather to the colour of the new archdruid's socks!

A comprehensive guide to ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s coverage of the Eisteddfod this year can be found on the  pages.

Discover more with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s iWonder guide on 

Yn ail yn unig i Wimbledon

Bob mis Mehefin fel arfer mae’n stumog i yn dechrau troi… 100 o oriau o deledu, 100 o oriau radio ac ar ben hyn, gwe-lifo byw o’r Pafiliwn am 8 diwrnod yn olynol… ydi, mae’r Steddfod ar y gorwel. Fy swydd i ydi gwneud yn siŵr bod holl ddarlledu ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Cymru yn gweithio mor llyfn â phosib. I wneud hynny mae angen gosod miloedd o fetrau o geblau ar gyfer ein camerâu, cannoedd ar gannoedd o fylbiau ar gyfer ein goleuadau, degau o feicroffonau, peiriannau, ‘generators’ ar gyfer trydan a phŵer, cyfrifiaduron rif y gwlith ar gyfer rhedeg popeth o sustemau canlyniadau’r pafiliwn i’r graffeg teledu. Darlledu yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ydi un o’r digwyddiadau teledu mwyaf ym Mhrydain - ac yn ail yn unig i Wimbledon… medda nhw.

Ma’r gwaith manwl yn cychwyn unwaith mae trefn weithgareddau’r Steddfod yn ein cyrraedd ddechrau’r haf. I fynd drwy’r rhaglen mae Elfed Roberts, Prif Weithredwr yr ŵyl, yn ymuno â ni ac yn cynnig straeon, syniadau a sylwadau er mwyn i’r adrannau gwahanol - yn deledu, radio, Cymru Fyw, Newyddion, Wales Today a marchnata wedyn gilio i’w gwahanol gilfachau i roi eu staff ar waith. Mae Catrin Medi, y Rheolwr Cynhyrchu, wedi rhoi'r timau teledu at ei gilydd eisoes - yn gyfarwyddwyr, cynhyrchwyr, cyflwynwyr, ymchwilwyr, gwyr camera a sain, golygyddion, peirianwyr, pobl iechyd a diogelwch a rhedwyr. Ma’ hi hefyd wedi bod yn gweithio yn agos trwy gydol y flwyddyn gyda Huw Aled, Rheolwr Technegol y Steddfod, i wneud yn siwr fod ein gofynion technegol yn cael eu gwireddu, fod anghenion y Steddfod yn cyd-orwedd efo’r gofynion darlledu, fod y cytundebau rhyngom a’r is-gontractwyr yn iawn a bod yr is-adeiladedd technegol a strwythurol yn gweithio!

Y swydd anoddaf oll ydi gwneud yn siwr fod ein gwasanaethau yn cael y wybodaeth a’r adnoddau ma’ nhw angen a’n bod yn gweithredu mor gost-effeithiol â phosib. Os feddyliwch chi am roi gêm rygbi ryngwladol ymlaen bob dydd yn olynol am 9 diwrnod, yna mae’n rhoi ryw fath o syniad o anferthedd y dasg.

Yn ystod mis Gorffennaf mae pob math o ymholiadau diddorol yn cyrraedd ein prif swyddfa gan ein gwasanaethau: Oes yna ddigon o linc lloeren i wneud yn siwr fod Cymru Fyw yn gallu gwe-lifo drwy Lundain ac i Salford er mwyn gweithio ar bob platfform a theclyn? A fydd yna ddigon o ystafelloedd aros i’r criwiau i gyd? Pa mor bell ydi Croesoswallt? Pwy ydy Brython Shag? Beth ddigwyddith os na wnaiff un o’r bandiau pres gyrraedd y Steddfod mewn pryd? Oes rhywun yn gwybod lle mae clipiau archif enillwyr Meifod 2003? Oes 'na rywun wedi cysylltu â’n cyflwynwyr? Pwy sy’n trefnu Albwm Y Flwyddyn? Sut dywydd fydd hi ac a fydda i angen wellingtons?!

Llawer iawn o gwestiynau dilys tu hwnt ac mae’n gyfrifoldeb mawr i wneud yn siwr fod pob un o’n gwasanaethau amrywiol yn cael yr atebion cywir ar yr amser cywir. Heb gyd-weithio gofalus yn fewnol a rhyngom ni a thîm gweithgar y Steddfod fe allwch fod yn sicr y galla’ pethau fynd yn rhemp yn sydyn iawn.

Ac os fyddwch chi yn ymuno â ni ar deledu, ar y radio, ar alw neu yn mynychu’r Å´yl ym Meifod gobeithio y gwnewch chi fwynhau, a chofiwch amdanom ni sy’n poeni am bopeth o’r tywydd i liw sanau’r archdderwydd newydd!

Having performed last year at the First Night of the Proms, the Chorus were chuffed to be invited back this year. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ choral family - , and joined forces for the first time and with just a short rehearsal before the concert, broadcasting live to tens of thousands of people on television and radio, it’s was an exciting and nerve-wracking time. There were over 400 of us performing Belshazzar's Feast (by William Walton) and the sound that filled the Royal Albert Hall was phenomenal.

There was no rest for me as we went straight into a Prom the next night. Over the last year our Orchestra has engaged with thousands of children through the project, which culminated in two Proms. With a life sized Firebird (inspired by Stravinsky) flying through the Royal Albert Hall, trolls causing chaos and our Principal Conductor Thomas Søndergård teaching Dick & Dom to conduct, you could see and hear the excitement of some the Orchestra’s youngest fans.

Outreach work is another part of my role so just before we started the Proms, the Orchestra, a few Chorus members and I introduced these Ten Pieces to schools in North and Mid Wales. Teaching the children to sing Zadok the Priest (by Handel) and creating thunderstorms with our hands was lots of fun!

With a few more Proms ahead of us it's a very busy time of year but for the Chorus and Orchestra it’s definitely a highlight, and of course bringing some of the magic of the Proms back to Wales at Proms in the Park in Swansea is the perfect finale for us.

Find out more about ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales at the Proms on the website.

And you can see all of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales’s latest Proms at 

Snowdonia has attracted painters and printmakers for more than 250 years. While working on this programme I was astounded by the sheer quantity of artists who have visited the area. Different generations have been drawn by different things. Some, like the pioneer Welsh landscape artist Richard Wilson, highlighted the majesty of its peaks and castles, imposing his own order onto the landscape. Others, like J.M.W. Turner, went in search of drama, relishing the stormy, changeable weather and the stunning light effects that this produced.

When we arrived with our camera, there wasn’t a cloud in sight, let alone a Turneresque storm. Standing on the edge of Llyn Nantlle, where Wilson viewed Snowdon in 1765, the sky couldn’t have been bluer. And this was exactly how Wilson liked his landscapes; he bathed Wales in the warm, glowing light that he had experienced while living in Rome.

What excited Turner was something many of us will have experienced in the mountains. I certainly did when my father led my teenage self across Snowdonia’s famously rocky ridges. Clinging on for dear life, I came to know that combination of terror and exhilaration often found in paintings, particularly Turner’s: the Sublime. It’s one thing to admire the immediacy of Turner’s sketches in an art gallery, but experiencing the actual views that inspired him brings a very different kind of insight and understanding.

Surprisingly artists also came to Snowdonia for company rather than solitude. From the mid-nineteenth century, a vibrant artistic community established itself in Betws-y-Coed, meeting at the Royal Oak Hotel. Filming there, it was easy to imagine the convivial gatherings of visitors from all over Europe. But it’s the stay of a Welsh painter that stands out for me.

In the early twentieth century, J.D. Innes regularly visited the area between Ffestiniog and Bala. In this remote district, he and Augustus John applied the colourful language of modern European art to the Welsh landscape, to dazzling effect. Standing at the foot of the imposing mountain that inspired him, Arenig Fawr, was a highlight of the filming. Apart from the fact that two of my grandparents hailed from nearby, it’s always thrilling to stand on the spot where an artist has worked and see how their renditions compare with the view that inspired them.

And maybe that’s what makes these Snowdonia landscapes so compelling – for everyone. They present familiar and much-loved views at different moments in history and through very distinctive artistic filters, always casting the familiar in a new and revelatory light.

Inspired by Snowdonia is on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two Wales, Saturday 13 June 2015 at 10pm

To find out more, and catch up with other programmes you may have missed, visit: bbc.co.uk/realnorthwales or join the conversation on social media #RealNorthWales.

Penry (or Penri) Williams was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1802. He was the son of a stone mason and house painter and from an early age showed remarkable skill as an artist. In this, the young Penry was encouraged by his school teacher, , the son of historian and folk tale collector Iolo Morganwg.

Taliesin must have had an eye for talented young artists as he also encouraged and helped the sculptors Joseph Edwards and William Davies. Clearly, despite all its many vices and problems, the seething melting pot that made up industrial Merthyr Tydfil was fostering artistic talent at a rapid rate of knots.

By 1816 the young Penry Williams was already producing remarkable pieces like “The Merthyr Riots” and it was not long before he came to the notice of iron masters and patrons of the arts like William Crawshay and John Guest. Recognising exceptional talent when they saw it, the two ironmasters paid for Williams to travel to London where he lived and studied at the schools attached to the Royal Academy.

At the Academy school, Williams was taken under the wing of the Italian painter and teacher Henry Fuseli. He was quick and adept and responded to the teaching in the most positive way, seizing his opportunity to develop his art.

In 1821, when he was just nineteen years old, Penry Williams was awarded the Silver Medal by the Society of Arts for “drawing from the antique” and from that year on he was a regular exhibitor of portraits and landscapes at the and at the .

In 1827 Penry Williams moved to Rome where he was to live for the next fifty years. Before he left, however, he produced a series of magnificent watercolour views of south Wales and England.

His industrial landscapes – one in particular, showing an ironworks at night – were based on sights and scenes around the industrial valleys of Wales. They were atmospheric and realistic but, at the same time, they were imbued with an artistic excellence that showed his innate ability and the quality of the art education he had received.

In 1828 Williams was elected associate of the Society of Painters and Watercolours and exhibited with them each year until he resigned in 1833. His studio in Rome gradually became something of a pilgrimage site for all visitors to Italy – Welsh visitors being particularly welcome.

Penry Williams died on 27th July 1885. Since moving to Italy he had concentrated on producing Italian views and scenes of ancient Roman life. They were invariably finely judged and well produced but to the eyes of many they lack a little of the emotion that can be found in his early Welsh views.

“The Procession Returning from the Fiesta of the Madonna Del Marco” is considered his masterpiece. The painting is carefully constructed, the figures in the foreground contrasting beautifully with the sight of Vesuvius smoking away in the background.

This painting, along with several other remarkable works on an Italian theme – works such as “The Ferry on the River Ninfa” and “Girl with a Tambourine” - were later acquired by the National Gallery. They have since been passed on to the Tate.

These days Penry Williams work can be seen at the , and at the in Cardiff. He remains one of Wales’ greatest painters, a man who came from humble beginnings in one of the most robust and formative of all valley communities and went on to be hailed as one of the greatest painters of his age.

Do visit the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s website for a gallery of paintings by Penry Williams.

The Rhondda School of artists was never an actual school, in the formal sense, and was in no way an official grouping. The members produced no manifesto or statement about their aims – they were, simply, a group of students from the Rhondda who, in the early 1950s, travelled by train down the valley each day to study at Cardiff College of Art.

The legend about these six men states that they would spread their drawings and paintings across the seats of the railway carriage – thereby discouraging anyone else from entering the compartment – and discuss painting and art for the full length of the journey. For two hours, as the old steam train rattled down the valley, these eager and dedicated men would discuss art with all of the bravado and enthusiasm that go with youth, talent and emerging skill.

The men in question were , , , , and . They came from different locations in the Rhondda and so boarded the train at different times and at different stations but their aim was the same – to discuss art and artists.

Zobole had been born in Ystrad, the son of Italian immigrants who arrived in Wales in 1910. He is perhaps the best known of the group, a man whose gradual move away from descriptive painting to more abstract work reflects the general trend within the Rhondda School.

Zobole, who died in 1999, might have been the best known but all of the group were influential in their effect on art within Wales.

Charles Burton, for example, became Head of Art at the Polytechnic of Wales while it was still based in Barry, dozens of students passing through his department each year. Once he had finished his course, Burton had moved from Cardiff College of Art to London, to study at the Royal College. With no grant to support him he had to sell paintings in order to live. It was a hard lesson to learn but one which the young man took to with gusto.

These days the sculptures of Robert Thomas can be seen at many locations, in particular in Queen Street, Cardiff. They are stunning representations of Welsh life but it is probably the tall and striking statue of Aneurin Bevan, just opposite Cardiff Castle, that people will know best.

All members of the Rhondda School were influenced by the industrial environment from which they came. It was impossible not to be affected by the winding gear of the collieries, the rows of terraced houses and the slag heaps that dominated the valley towns. Nor, for that matter, the broken old men who stood silently at almost every street corner – you would have had to be pretty unemotional not to be touched by all that. And the members of The Rhondda School were keen to reflect their communities and their way of life.

As such – at least to begin with – there was a distinct socialist edge to their work. That interest may have dissolved a little as abstract art began to make itself felt on the group’s work but it never totally died away.

The School – or group, call it what you will – broke up as the artists finished their studies at Cardiff Art College and moved away to different places and different jobs. Yet the influence of the School remained strong. It is another example of the vibrant and dynamic drive for expression that existed and still exists in the Welsh valleys.

 

And now here I am presenting a documentary called The Welsh Italians about the Welsh Italian community for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales. This is a community I grew up in, in the Welsh Valleys. It's still vibrant and full of life today and again centres around food and family.

It's not always easy to get people to come on camera - us Italians are often big personalities, however we do like to keep things private too! After some gentle persuasion, I have managed to get some great stories and secrets revealed in this two-part series. It shows how happy and settled the Italians were made to feel by the local Welsh communities, and how each have become intricately linked. You won't believe how many Welsh accents you hear during August in the little town of Bardi in the hills of northern Italy!

Episode 1 of The Welsh Italians is at 6.30pm on Sunday 23 March, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One Wales.

I believe that music, in particular, offers us a unique way of connecting with our most inner selves, of expressing and/or confronting emotions that are sometimes so intangible, or so deeply personal, that they are impossible to put into words. As the storyteller Hans Christian Anderson so eloquently put it ‘where words fail, music speaks’.

We at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra of Wales have an exciting 2015 ahead of us, with so many great works, both old and new to bring to our audiences around Wales, and further afield. Earlier this month we were joined by the wonderful young British pianist, Benjamin Grosvenor, considered one of the brightest lights of the keyboard in the world, for a fantastic performance of the first of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos. During the course of rehearsals programme, we worked with students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and on the concert day, with young musicians from the Swansea area.

As the seasons in Cardiff and Swansea wear on, we will also tour North Wales with young British conductor, Ben Gernon. In addition to this, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Cardiff Singer of the World is just around the corner, as is our . The first of our Sibelius recordings with Thomas will be released imminently, and we look forward to visits at myriad British festivals.

Of course, none of this would matter in the slightest if it wasn’t for you - our audience. The orchestras of the United Kingdom need the support of their audiences. We need your support. It is a cliché perhaps to say that we are nothing without our audience, but truly we are not. Music, the arts in general, are a shared experience, built upon the interaction and communication of the performer and the audience. In the absence of either party, the purpose of the other ceases to exist.

So, dear reader and listener - be vocal, be present. Get in touch with the Orchestra, let your views be heard, positive and negative alike, and help us to become the most exciting, vibrant, purposeful creative body we can be. We are not only one of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Performing Groups, but also Wales’ National Orchestra, and we want to serve the artistic wants of our audience as best we can.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to interact with our audience through my blog, and I have enjoyed the messages I have received, and the conversations I have had with many of you about the work of the Orchestra, the music we play, and the incredible artists who we collaborate with. I look forward to seeing you in a concert hall, somewhere, soon.

This is the last in Laura’s series of blogs. Many thanks to Laura for all of her contributions over the years.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NOW’s guest bloggers will continue to offer their insight into life in the Orchestra, right here on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales blog.

So what does that actually entail? What is the point of ‘workshopping’? During these workshops, we briefly rehearse and perform each of the composers’ works, and then there will follow a period of interaction between the composer, conductor and orchestra on various technical and musical aspects of the work.

For some composers, it will be the first time they have had the opportunity to work with real live musicians (as opposed to hearing their work on a computer, or in a piano reduction, or in their head). This can mean that sometimes they need a little guidance with regards to how to express an idea practically on a particular instrument.

For example, rapid semiquavers in the bass area of a piano with one note in every four a note from the high treble range will sound fabulous on a piano, but the same effect is unlikely to be achieved if you ask a whole viola section to play this. This of course does not mean that the musical idea is invalid, simply that some consideration must be given as to how to achieve its expression. One of the primary purposes of this workshop is education, and so we aim to help the composer to better their ability to convey their ideas through writing intelligently for the instruments used.

In addition to this, the opportunity to work with an orchestra can massively broaden the soundscape of a developing composer. The sounds, colours, and textures an orchestra can create are infinite, and given the chance to control the orchestral forces there can then be a temptation to use everything at once, simply because it’s there (I know if it were me, I’d have church bells, organ, two sets of timps, double brass and 18 violas in everything…and an alto flute, I love the alto flute).

However, having had the opportunity to include everything (plus the kitchen sink) hopefully the composer can leave the workshop bowled over by all the tools at his disposal but with a more measured approach to using them - a more refined palate, if you will.

After a further day of workshops on 31 March, a selection of the eight works will then be chosen for presentation in a concert on 1 April. In the rehearsal on the day, the composers will be treated as though they were any other composer who has come in to work with the Orchestra.

They are expected to be able to answer any questions arising from the score that are unclear, to be able to answer on the spot any harmonic queries and to solve any other problems that arise, as well as give concise useful information about the expression of the piece. A pretty daunting task, but an amazing opportunity.

It must be an incredible sensation to hear the work you have put so much into come alive. I hope the eight participants are excited, and feeling rightly proud of themselves for being chosen, as we had an incredible response to the call for scores. 

Find out more about ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NOW’s Composition: Wales project by visiting the . Free tickets for all of the workshops are available by calling 0800 052 1812.

Festivals or celebrations were an important part of life in ancient Wales. Quite apart from their religious or pagan connotations, they lightened an otherwise dark and often depressing year. As such they were looked forward to by everyone in the community.

There were many such festivals in the days before the Normans came. was held to mark the start of winter. It was there to celebrate and mark the end of bright summer days which, hopefully, had produced a fine harvest. Ahead lay the beginning of a dull, cold and uncertain winter period.

In contrast, Calan Awst was a joyous Midsummer celebration where everyone in the village or town could let their hair down. was a similar festival held on or around May Day, not unlike the old pagan festival of Beltane. It was a time to acknowledge that winter had passed and the fruitful days of summer lay ahead.

marked the Welsh New Year celebrations and was the name given to the tiny gifts or coins that were presented to children when they knocked the door and sang on New Year’s Day. There was a dark side to the custom as, if the door was not opened when knocked, children would often add another verse to their song, wishing the people within an evil year and a household of smoke.

The old tradition of parading the has now been revived in many parts of Wales. The Mari Lwyd, a horse’s skull shrouded in white robes, was taken around the streets, knocking on doors and demanding to be let in to celebrate the New Year. Now regarded as a happy and joyous event, the origins of the tradition are pagan and are related to fear of the dark winter and the forces of evil.

Recently given a fresh leaf of life, is celebrated on 25 January each year as the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine’s Day. The legendary figure of Dwynwen was thwarted in love, dedicated herself to religion and retired to the island of Llanddwyn off Anglesey. A well on the island is said to contain her sacred fish – their movement in the water supposedly predicts the fortunes of lovers who present themselves at the well. These days more and more people are sending cards to lovers and would-be lovers on St Dwynwen’s Day, a new/old Welsh festival that looks forward to a time of happiness.

The premier and most famous of all Welsh festivals is, of course, the . The original Eisteddfod was held at Cardigan Castle over the Christmas period of 1176 when the Lord Rhys invited musicians and poets to the castle to compete for various prizes. Such bardic tournaments continued to be held over the next four hundred years but the practice died out after the Acts of Union in the 16th century as Welsh noblemen turned their backs on Welsh culture.

The festival remained dormant until the held a ceremony at the Ivy Bush Hotel in Carmarthen in 1819, marching in full regalia through the town. The first modern national Eisteddfod was held at Aberdare in 1860. Since then it has gone from strength, being held in August every year in north and south Wales alternately.

These days there are so many more festivals for the people of Wales – and visitors – to look forward to expectantly. It seems that the British have become a nation of festival goers and Wales, with its unique cultural heritage is ideally placed to offer both spectacle and involvement.

The is now the largest cultural Youth Festival in Europe. Held at the end of May each year, the festival is a series of competitions in things like dance, singing, poetry as well as science, art and craft. The is world-renowned, a vibrant week of colour and excitement as singers and musicians from across the world descend on the tiny north Wales town of Llangollen to compete and perform.

There are so many more. From the and Literary Festivals to and the , the events are self-explanatory and cater for all tastes. and the in Caerphilly are just two more modern festivals that attract people to Wales.

The at Llanwrtyd Wells and the music festival in Glan Usk Park are two of the more unusual events held each year and are inevitably attended by thousands of spectators.

Whatever your interests there is more than likely to be a festival in Wales which caters for exactly that niche market. The Welsh love of festivals is certainly far from dead.

If you are fairly well up on your French, there are excellent interviews with Thierry Escaich available on YouTube that will give you a flavour of Escaich’s compositional approach and ideas.

Even better, in my opinion, are the great number of videos available of his improvisations at the organ. Without wanting to offend every organist in the country, the organ is not generally considered the most rock and roll of instruments, but under the fingers (and feet!) of Escaich, it becomes an instrument so far removed from the church services of my childhood that it is almost unrecognisable!

On a different note, the mentions of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳’s Ten Pieces have made terrific reading on Twitter and various other news and social media websites over the last number of months. We are so proud to have been a central part of this wonderful nationwide project, and members of our Orchestra have been busy getting out and about in schools right across Wales, working with teachers and students on further projects inspired by the film.

Tickets are already available and popular for our  - if your children enjoyed watching the film in the cinema (or on TV over Christmas), bring them along to experience the spectacle live. In the meantime, , and features members of the Orchestra talking about their instruments and favourite Ten Pieces works.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra of Wales explores the work of Thierry Escaich in a Composer Portrait on Wednesday 28 January, 7.30pm, at ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay. For more information and to book, or call 0800 052 1812.

Now we are preparing for our first , where we will be joined by our Composer-in-Association, B Tommy Andersson for a special concert curated by him. When we performed B Tommy’s ‘The Garden of Delights’ at our season opener (was that really only in October?!), I was very much taken by surprise at the audience reaction to his music. It is seldom that I have seen such immediate and positive response to a work of contemporary composition from an audience, and I cannot wait to get to know more of this music (book your tickets now for our ).

For this concert, B Tommy has chosen four works from his native Sweden, by composers whose music he admires and/or whose compositional style and approach has influenced him. Of course, if you’ve had a little look at the season brochure, you will already have noted that B Tommy has not just chosen the works for this concert, but that he will also be taking the conductors’ podium for it too. We will play works by Hilding Rosenberg, Ingvar Lidholm (who played the viola - just thought I’d throw that titbit in there!), Norman Ludvig (who composed a great sonata for viola and piano) and Hugo Alvfén.

Interestingly, most of these composers at some point studied with, or were strongly influenced by Wilhelm Stenhammer, whose work we have performed in the past. For many of them, their music is characterised by a sense of romanticism, and often folk influences, whilst also being forward-looking, and using a modern musical language.

So, fresh sounds for a fresh new year from Hoddinott Hall. Make it your new year’s resolve to come see your national symphony orchestra live and in the flesh, either at our home in Cardiff Bay, at St David’s Hall, Cardiff (where we are Orchestra-in-Residence), the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, or any number of other venues around the country. Stay in touch via our website, on Facebook and Twitter. We really do hope to see you soon.

B Tommy Andersson conducts the Orchestra tomorrow (20 January) at ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Hoddinott Hall. For tickets, call 0800 052 1812 or . You can also catch up afterwards for 30 days .

On Wednesday 25 February, the Orchestra presents a Composer Portrait of B Tommy Andersson’s music. .

Discover more about the Orchestra's Scandinavian season

Forget the poetry and the dissolute behaviour, mention Dylan Thomas to anyone who is the slightest bit interested in literature, in literary biography or literary history and the chances are they will respond with ‘Under Milk Wood’ or ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’.

The quality of Dylan’s play for voices is well known but, increasingly, ‘’ is being seen as a wonderful piece of writing. Because of its ability to conjure a time and a place when, as someone once said ‘All the world was young’, it is seen by many readers as the modern day equivalent of Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Since its first appearance back in the 1940s, ‘A Child’s Christmas’ has grown in popularity and has become something of a symbol for the way Christmas and the Christmas season used to be celebrated – and maybe will be again – not just in Wales but across the whole world.

Dylan Thomas had been writing radio scripts for some years when, in 1945, Lorraine Davies, producer of Children’s Hour in Wales, suggested he might like to come up with something on Christmas memories. Dylan duly wrote his essay; it was recorded in advance because producer Derek McCullough - Uncle Mac as children knew him - did not trust the unreliable Welsh poet, and it went out on the radio in time for the Christmas festivities. It was also published in ‘The Listener’.

Some time later Dylan revised and enlarged the piece, using parts of another essay he’d written for ‘Picture Post’ to fill out space and ‘pad’ it a little. In 1950 he sold it to the American magazine ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ for $300. During Dylan’s 1952 reading tour of America he recorded it for Caedmon Records, mainly because the poems he was going to recite did not fill the required space. He was paid $500 with royalties to be paid once sales had passed 1,000. Since then ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ has gone on to sell in the thousands.

The piece has been published in book form and has been adapted for the stage, for animation and for television. Being relatively short it lends itself to good quality illustrations by people like Fritz Eichenberg and Edward Ardizzone – all part of building the icon that ‘A Child’s Christmas’ has now become.

There is no single and clearly defined narrative structure to the story; Dylan relies on short cameos and character sketches to build an evocative picture of life in Swansea during the 1920s. He uses powerful descriptions and images so that when he writes about ‘fish-freezing waves’ or ‘the crackling sea’, the reader (or listener) is immediately transported back in time.

This is a romantic and sentimental picture of the Christmases we all had – or would like to have had – in the past and one that leaves us with a warm glow of contentment. Yet, even as we read the story, part of us knows that Christmas was never like this - not Dylan’s nor ours. The ability to suspend disbelief is the mark of a quality piece of writing and we believe Dylan’s version of Swansea Christmases partly because of the power of his prose and partly because we actually want to believe him.

So although Dylan writes “It was always snowing at Christmas” the reality is that it wasn’t, not in Swansea during the 1920s at least. Maybe it did snow in Dylan’s memory or imagination but not in Swansea. However, so powerful is the image and so effective is the picture the writer draws that we believe them implicitly and bring them happily into our own lives. Most of us will swear that we can remember white Christmases with snow up to the letter box and all traffic suspended. “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” is, quite simply, a picture of that world and of the childhood we all wanted.

When Caedmon first released the story on record back in 1952 it sold modestly – now it is probably second only to “Under Milk Wood' in terms of popularity and market sales. It is read and listened to all over the world but in Wales, in particular, the story has a special relevance. For the Welsh, “A Child’s Christmas” has become almost part of a ritual.

The story is read each Christmas, much as Charles Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ or Clement Moore’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’ are read in the weeks and days leading up to 25 December. Just as most families have their traditions – decorating the house, listening to the Queen’s Speech, chestnuts roasting by the fire – reading ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ has become part of the ritual in many homes.

Most Welsh writers have tried their hand at their own version of ‘A Child’s Christmas’, notably Richard Burton with his ‘A Christmas Story’. Dylan’s is a difficult act to follow, however, and no-one has really ever succeeded in emulating what is actually a unique and memorable achievement. We all want a Christmas like Dylan had – or didn’t have, except in his imagination – and we are willing to put aside our doubts and cynicism in the face of his images and the power of his words.

‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ has become an integral part of the Christmas experience, just like Clement Moore’s poem or Dickens’s ghost story. Beyond its Welsh context, it speaks to all mankind. This, then, is the ultimate tribute to a remarkable writer.

There will of course be seasonal family favourites, many of which have been specially arranged for the Orchestra by Welsh musicians Gareth Glynn and Jeff Howard, but this year I am particularly excited to play music from Disney’s ‘Frozen’. My Goddaughter Rosie is four years old and knows every word of the songs from this cartoon film, and I have to say I think the film itself is pretty good - at least Disney have finally made a princess who isn’t waiting around like some pathetic idiot waiting to be saved by some bland, drab knight in shining armour!

So, as you run around the shops desperately searching for the last few perfect presents, take a little time out and bring your loved ones to one of our Christmas concerts. Take a break from the hysteria of the British High Street at Christmas and let us entertain you and help you get into the Christmas spirit proper. Tickets are selling fast at all three venues, so you will have to be quick!

I am looking forward to my Christmas annual leave more than ever before. Having spent my summer break studying in Austria, I’ve not had the opportunity to visit my family for a very long stretch, and Christmas in Ireland is something very special to me.

You, however, can see/hear the Orchestra in action on a number of occasions over the Christmas period! Don’t forget to tune in to the Doctor Who Christmas Special on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One on Christmas Day, and then on Boxing Day, get your little kids and big kids alike settled in front of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two to watch our cinematic debut Ten Pieces! There is also a free interactive audiobook complimenting Ten Pieces available now, featuring members of the Orchestra (including yours truly!), talking about their instruments.

We at ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NOW HQ would like to wish all our audience members a very peaceful festive period and we look forward to sharing our music with you in 2015.

Limited tickets are available for all of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra of Wales’ Christmas Concerts – call 0800 052 1812 or visit to book.

We had great fun in the studios building rockeries, underground dens and ponds as well as filming plants and people at high frame rates. Lots of people, from our studio cleaner to dancer friends, donated their time and skills. Every day, for a week and a half, the , camera assistant and I zoomed around Bristol with the company van to film plants, trees, sky and more. We even found ourselves racing against the elements to film at night, both fun and exhausting.

Back in the studio we made environments with computers and the practical elements we had assembled. We then populated them with ethereal figures and even created a hunched stop-frame figure, constructed entirely from twigs gathered in nearby woods.

The result of all this is a kind of living collage that hopefully compliments the amazing reading given by Michael Sheen.

When we were approached about the project I was wondering about the possibilities of conveying multiple narratives by the use of double exposures. Double-exposed images have many qualities, not least a sense of half-remembering something.

Amazingly, this project allowed me to try out some of these notions because the source material has such a multi-layered quality. The words and the technique seemed a perfect marriage.

Composer John Hardy and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ NOW Director Michael Garvey talk aboutÌýcomposing and performing the musicÌýbehind the animation of this Dylan Thomas poem.Ìý

Ìýexclusively on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer until 31 October.