To celebrate St David’s Day this year, S4C has released a special version of the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, performed by Welsh icon and former Gwynedd councillor, Dafydd Iwan.
The aim is to use one of Wales' most prominent voices to perform a new but evergreen version of the anthem in its entirety. To help those less fluent or who are learning Welsh, a special version has been created with phonetic subtitles to give everyone the opportunity to learn and join in singing the anthem with pride.
The musical arrangement for the performance has been created by Music Director Owain Roberts – and the full version will include the lesser-known verses of the anthem.
The video in its entirety was shown for the first time during the last commercial break of the Cân i Gymru competition, broadcast live on S4C on Friday 28 February.
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The versions of the performance are available on S4C’s YouTube channel following Cân i Gymru and can be seen on all S4C social media platforms.
Dafydd Iwan said: "It’s great that we have one song that brings everyone together, and what’s wonderful about it in Wales, of course, is that it’s in Welsh, and that non-Welsh speakers sing it as they can in Welsh.
"It works as a song for the nation—one that we can truly claim as our own. The anthem in Welsh represents the nation."
This was the first time that Owain Roberts, who is better known in Wales for his band Band Pres Llareggub, collaborated with Dafydd Iwan. Originally from Bangor, Owain now lives in London where he works as a composer arranging music for groups and orchestras as well as composing for the screen.
Owain said: "It’s been a pleasure and an honor to work with Dafydd Iwan, but there’s a lot of pressure when working with something as iconic as a national anthem—everyone wants something different from it, and it’s impossible to please everyone, of course. But I hope we’ve created something new that will stand the test of time.
"There’s been a lot of flexibility in the arrangement. I’ve tried to work with Dafydd’s strengths and his voice while also creating something quite cinematic for the screen that people will enjoy."
"I’ve come to know the song better than ever before. I’ve really gotten to know the second and third verses—something we rarely sing at all, and I didn’t know the words that well myself."