St David's Hall

Last updated

St David's Hall
Neuadd Dewi Sant
St David's Hall logo.svg
St David's Hall by night. 22 October 2014.jpg
St David's Hall by night, in 2014, showing the remodelled façade and the base of Cardiff's BBC Big Screen.
St David's Hall
General information
Status Closed due to the discovery of RAAC [1]
Type Concert Hall
Architectural style Brutalist
LocationThe Hayes
AddressThe Hayes, Cardiff, CF10 1AH
CountryWales, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°28′49″N03°10′36″W / 51.48028°N 3.17667°W / 51.48028; -3.17667
Construction started1977 [2]
Completed1982 [2]
Inaugurated30 August 1982;42 years ago (1982-08-30)
Cost £12m [3]
Owner Cardiff County Council
Technical details
Floor count7
Design and construction
Architecture firm Seymour Harris Partnership [3]
Structural engineer Ove Arup and Partners [3]
Main contractor John Laing & Son [3]
Other information
Seating capacity1,500 [4]
Number of rooms24 [4]
Website
St. David's Hall
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameSt David's Hall [5]
DesignatedInterim Protection
Reference no.87914 [5]

St David's Hall (Welsh: Neuadd Dewi Sant) is a performing arts and conference venue in the heart of Cardiff, Wales.

Contents

St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales. It hosts the annual Welsh Proms [6] and the biennial BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. [7] As well as classical music it also plays host to jazz, soul, pop, rock, dance, children's, rhythm and blues, musicals and other forms of world music, as well as light entertainment artists. The foyers in the centre are open and have regular free performances from music groups. The foyers, balconies and bar areas are also used to host art exhibitions.

History

St. Davids Hall, Cardiff.jpg
The entrance to St David's Hall in 2007
Upper floors of St. Davids Hall, Cardiff.JPG
The Upper floors of St David's Hall with St. David's shopping centre on the ground floor

Planning and Construction

Credit is given to the Conservative leader of Cardiff City Council, Ron Watkiss, for bringing St David's Hall to fruition. A bronze bust of him is on display in the foyer of the building. [8]

Architects Seymour Harris Partnership had the task of fitting a major 2000 seat, acoustically perfect auditorium, with surrounding dressing rooms, bars, foyers, a restaurant, offices and spacious concourse into a cramped city centre space. The space available was so cramped that they had to fit the complex into and on top of an already planned and partly built St. David's Shopping Centre. As a result, they had to use every inch of space available and the building has an unusual shape. The main contractor was John Laing & Son. [9] It held its first concert on 11 September 1982. [10] It was officially opened over 5 months after the first concert on 15 February 1983 by the Queen Mother, followed by a concert by the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes. Hughes and Watkiss later brought the Welsh Proms to the venue. [11]

The Wales Millennium Centre has added significantly to the arts and cultural scene already present in the city of Cardiff. The angular grey concrete that makes up nearly the whole visible exterior and some interior foyers looks unmistakably 1970s/1980s modernist new build; the architectural magazine Building Design described the hall's style as "complex late brutalism". [12]

BBC NOW

BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales (BBC NOW) is the orchestra-in-residence at St David's Hall, performing regularly between September and June each year. [13] Almost all of the orchestra's concerts at St David's Hall are recorded for live or deferred broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and there are dedicated recording facilities within the concert hall to facilitate broadcasts. [14]

21st century

The interior of St David's Hall Inside St David's Hall, Cardiff.jpg
The interior of St David's Hall

Major events held at the Hall include the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition held every two years and the Welsh Proms held annually. Prizes for the Welsh Artist of the Year are awarded at the venue every June, followed by an exhibition of the winners and shortlisted works. [15]

St David's Hall is continually developing its variety of shows. It re-branded the L3 Lounge venue, which has a partly seated capacity of 350 and is mainly used for daytime concerts, the Roots Unearthed folk series and Blas* – A Taste of the Fresh Welsh Sound. [16]

In November 2022 talks were taking place between Cardiff Council and Academy Music Group (AMG) with view to AMG taking over the running of the venue. There was also a maintenance backlog which the council hoped would be taken on by the new operator. [17]

The hall now has Interim Protection by Cadw as a Grade II listed building under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and amended by the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016. [18] As a consequence it's an offence to damage the hall or alter it in any way without prior consent. [18]

In September 2023 the hall was closed due to the discovery of Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in its roof. [19] The closure is planned to last 18 months to allow for the replacement of the roof. [19]

Organ

The concert organ of St. David's Hall was completed by Peter Collins in 1982, [20] [21] at a cost of £168,000. [22] This would be the largest organ he ever built. [23] The wooden case was designed by Ralph Downes. [24] Due to problems with the action, J. W. Walker & Sons replaced the action and console, [20] a great embarrassment at the time considering the cost of the organ. [22] The organ has 3 manuals, and German-style continental registrations. [20]

The main auditorium of St. David's Hall is regularly host to organ events, including lunchtime concerts. [25] Many organists travel to try out the organ, and others come to give recitals, [26] notably Olivier Latry, [24] Anne Marsden Thomas, [27] Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, [27] and Margaret Phillips. [27] St. David's Hall has also hosted concerts for major organ events such as the 2019 RCO OrganFest. [28] [29] [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Proms</span> Annual classical music concerts in London

The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the BBC has organised and broadcast The Proms. Each season consists of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, chamber music concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the UK on the Last Night of the Proms, and associated educational and children's events. Recently, concerts have been held in additional cities across different nations of the UK, as part of Proms Around the UK. The season is a significant event in British culture and in classical music. Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales Millennium Centre</span> Arts centre in Cardiff Bay, Wales

Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of 4.7 acres (1.9 ha). Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC National Orchestra of Wales</span> Welsh symphony orchestra founded in 1928

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra. The BBC NOW has its administrative base in Cardiff, at the BBC Hoddinott Hall on the site of the Wales Millennium Centre, since January 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alun Hoddinott</span> Welsh composer

Alun Hoddinott CBE was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.

Owain Arwel Hughes CBE is a Welsh orchestral conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arwel Hughes</span> Welsh orchestral conductor and composer

Arwel Hughes OBE was a Welsh orchestral conductor and composer.

David Wynne was a prolific Welsh composer, who taught for many years at Cardiff University and wrote much of his best-known music in retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Cardiff</span> Overview of music in Cardiff, Wales

The music of Cardiff has been dominated mainly by rock music since the early 1990s with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and metalcore music. It, along with the nearby music scene in Newport, has brought a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Beacon</span> Concert hall in Bristol, England

Bristol Beacon, previously Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadogan Hall</span> Concert hall in Chelsea, London

Cadogan Hall is a 950-seat capacity concert hall in Sloane Terrace in Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral</span> Church in Cardiff, Wales

The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St David, also known as St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, is a Catholic cathedral in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales, and is the centre of the Archdiocese of Cardiff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hayes</span> Area and street in Cardiff, Wales

The Hayes is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Centred on the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised and is the location of the Hayes Island Snack Bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Mealor</span> Welsh composer (born 1975)

Paul Mealor CLJ FLSW is a Welsh composer. A large proportion of his output is for chorus, both a cappella and accompanied. He came to wider notice when his motet Ubi Caritas et Amor was performed at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. He later composed the song "Wherever You Are", which became the 2011 Christmas number one in the UK Singles Chart. He has also composed two operas, four symphonies, concerti and chamber music.

<i>Doctor Who</i> Prom (2008) 2008 Doctor Who

Prom 13: Doctor Who Prom was a concert showcasing incidental music from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, along with classical music, performed on 27 July 2008 in the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC's annual Proms series of concerts. The Doctor Who Prom was the thirteenth concert in the 2008 Proms season, and was intended to introduce young children to the Proms.

The National Youth Orchestra of Wales is the national youth orchestra of Wales, based in Cardiff. Founded in 1945, it is the longest-standing national youth orchestra in the world.

The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is an amateur philharmonic orchestra based in Cardiff, Wales. The CPO played its first concert in 1982 and subsequently played over 250 concerts, primarily in Wales but also in England, Switzerland, and France. The CPO has a wide repertoire and appears regularly at Wales' premier concert hall, St. David's Hall.

The Welsh Proms Cymru is a week long series of classical music performances which take place at the national concert hall of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff in July each year.

Professor Christopher Wood is a Welsh-born composer of sacred choral music, best known for his setting of the Requiem Mass, his Missa Brevis, the Easter Oratorio "Holy Week" and the string orchestra piece "Aberfan", commissioned for the Last Night of the Welsh Proms in 2016.

Catherine Mary Ennis was an English organist and music director. She was president of the Royal College of Organists, the director of music at the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, and the founder of the London Organ Concerts Guide.

References

  1. "RAAC concrete issues close Cardiff's St David's Hall". BBC News. 7 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 "St David's Hall: A Brief History". Stdavidshallcardiff.couk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Reeves, Robin (12 October 1982). "Companies and Markets: St David's Hall Cardiff". Financial Times. London, England.
  4. 1 2 "Conference Rooms Capacities" (PDF). St. David's Hall Cardiff. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 Cadw. "St David's Hall (Grade II) (87914)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  6. "THE WELSH PROMS". THE WELSH PROMS. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  7. "About Cardiff Singer". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. "Bust of Ron Watkiss, St David's Hall". Historypoints.org. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. Ritchie, p. 166
  10. "Cardiff Schools". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  11. Hughes, Owain Arwel (2012), Owain Arwel Hughes: My Life in Music, University of Wales Press, pp. 115–116, ISBN   978-0-7083-2531-5
  12. Hatherley, Owen (6 November 2009). "Cardiff: Baudrillard at the Eisteddfod". bdonline.co.uk. Building Design. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  13. "BBC - BBC National Orchestra of Wales announces its 2018/19 Season - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  14. "St David's Hall, Cardiff - St David's Hall Venue & Room Hire". www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  15. "Welsh Artist of Year: Fleece painter Paul Emmanuel". BBC News. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  16. "National Concert Hall tears up its roots with search for tomorrow's Cool Cymru Set". Welsh Icons News. 17 September 2009.
  17. "Major music group makes proposal to take on Cardiff's St David's Hall". Wales Online . 11 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Plans announced to name Cardiff St David's Hall as listed building". Wales Online . 5 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  19. 1 2 Seymour, Tom; McGivern, Hannah (9 November 2023). "Raac and ruin: museums search for unsafe concrete—but can they afford repairs?". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 13 November 2023. 
  20. 1 2 3 "The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR". npor.org.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  21. IAO, Alan T. for. "Home Page". OrganFest19. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  22. 1 2 "St David's Hall, Cardiff". Mander Organs. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  23. Moult, Daniel (2 February 2016). "Peter Collins (1941 – 2015)". Rhinegold. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  24. 1 2 "BBCNOW/Atherton, St David's Hall, Cardiff". the Guardian. 10 December 2002. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  25. Calendar, The Events. "Lunchtime Concert St David's Hall, Cardiff – Paul Carr". Paul Carr Organist Recitalist. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  26. Wales), St David's Hall (Cardiff (2016). Catherine Ennis, Organ: Tuesday 22 March 2016 1pm. St David's Hall.
  27. 1 2 3 "Lunchtime Concerts at St David's Hall". Cardiff Times. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  28. "Viscount Organs Organfest BIOS, the IAO RCO". www.viscountorgans.wales. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  29. "RCO Courses, Classes and Events: OrganFest 2019". www.rco.org.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  30. "OrganFest 2019". MUSIC:ED. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

Sources