Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir, Victoria Hall, Bolton.

WELSH male voice choirs are always well received in Bolton, but on Saturday night the applause for the one from Maesteg and District was particularly warm.

Some members of the audience stood in appreciation at the close of this Gala Evening presented by the Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs of Turton in aid of the Bolton Life Education Unit.

The choir, under its expressive musical director Norma Ridout, opened with Men of Harlech and closed with Cwm Rhondda, a combination almost guaranteed to stir any audience with a preconception of what a Welsh choir should sound like.

But, in between, its programme varied greatly from a moving rendition of I vow to thee my country, from Holst's Planets Suite to Rhythm of Life, the up-tempo number from Sweet Charity. Scarlet Ribbons and Chorus of of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi's Nabucco were sung with great feeling. The choir achieved a Russian sound with the folk song Casatschok, and the full weight of 62 voices was hear in Stout-hearted Men from Romberg's New Moon. The audience was happy to join the choir in an Anglo-Welsh version of the hymn Who is on the Lord's Side?

Ann Kingsbury (soprano) and Byron Hughes (baritone) sang solos drawn mainly from opera, operetta and musicals.

Hello Young Lovers, Summertime and Over the Rainbow suited Ann Kingsbury's easy style. Byron Hughes's programme varied from the Hippopotamus Song by Flanders and Swan to the Toreador Song from Carmen. He added a little dance to the former!

The pair joined effectively in the duet from Mozart's Magic Flute, Papagena and Papageno.

Valerie Francis was a talented and versatile accompanist, and Rotarian Frank Lord, a good-humoured and relaxed compere. Doreen Crowther

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