Valley of Song was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be. It's the first time, though, that I ever saw a Novello play without any of his own songs. Christopher Hassall did such a good job finishing it that I couldn't tell where one man's work ended and the other's began. What really touched my heart, though, is that this took place in Wales, where Ivor was born. More so, was that some of the songs I know as a fact were sung by the Royal Welsh Ladies Choir, and probably by the Novello Davis Choir, both of which were conducted by his mother. It is the closest I will ever come to hearing them, other than one recording I have under another conductor. I almost cried when they sang Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night), which I know they sung and even recorded in 1915 (I don't have it). And of course, there was a beautiful love story, too, as always.

#ChristopherHassall #ClaraNovelloDavis #IvorNovello #ValleyofSong