edmund (eddie) evans - Treorchy Male Choir

Excelsior for 2007 (Smaller):Excelsior for 2005 (Mac).qxd 4/8/09 16:54 Page 14
14 EXCELSIOR
aware that families were enjoying the fine weather on the beach across the
road from “The Brangwyn”. Realising that something HAD to be done in
order to break the tension, I climbed up to the organ
console and gave a virtuoso performance of “Oh, I do
like to be beside the seaside” - on full organ! Everyone
roared with laughter, and things improved immeasurably.
Our recording sessions for BBC Radio Enterprises
– entitled ‘Blessed the World that Sings’ were fraught with
difficulties. They took place at BBC Llandaff on the
afternoon and evening of a Saturday, the day of the FA
Cup Final. Not only did I have to deal with a greatly
reduced number of choristers, but most of our performances
during the afternoon session had to be
re-recorded as a result of defective reels of audio tape.
An exhausted group of singers completed their work
John Cynan Jones
late on Saturday evening – and were amazed to witness
the outbreak of a small fire in the over-heated electronic organ!
Then there were the PIANOS … of all sizes, conditions and placements.
At New Tredegar, dear Bryn Samuel (my fine accompanist with the Treorchy
Choral Society and future father-in-law of William Hague, MP) had volunteered
to take the place of Tom Jones, who was unwell. As sometimes
happened at weeknight concerts (when many choristers had to work until 5
p.m.) we arrived late and had to rush onstage. From the outset of the performance
Bryn looked distinctly uncomfortable at the keyboard of the baby
grand piano, and his playing was un-naturally tentative. During the interval I
spoke to him and discovered that not one of the three legs of the piano was
of the same length and that when he used the lower part of the keyboard, the
piano rocked violently to his left, moving similarly to his right when he used
the top end of the keyboard. To add to his problem, the legs of the piano
STOOL were also of unequal length! The cognoscenti of the Second Bass section
solved the problem during the mid-concert interval by carving two
wedges from pieces of scrap wood to correct the imbalance of the piano - and
collecting quantities of cigarette packets from smokers in the bar to prop up
the stool!
It must be realised that “lines of sight” between Conductor and
Accompanist are very important during concerts. In one of my very first concerts
I stepped onto the rostrum at a concert in Trecynon, Aberdare (a case
of yet another late arrival!) and was unable to see any piano whatsoever. I
need not have worried, for dear Tom Jones had found himself in a similar