Eminent conductor Owain Arwel Hughes was so inspired by the new St David's Hall in Cardiff when it was built in 1985 that he decided to create the Welsh Proms, a lively music festival which would appeal to all the family, and which would create musical opportunities for the young people of Wales. The first festival was held at the Hall in 1986.
This year, the Welsh Proms this year celebrate their 25th birthday. S4C marks the occasion by broadcasting a documentary, Proms Cymru 25, which traces the story of the festival and remembers some past concerts. Live coverage of the last concert of this year's Proms will alos be seen on S4C.
"I've always been a fan of St David's Hall," says Owain Arwel Hughes. "I had been conducting the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester for years, and holding Proms there, and I thought: why not hold Proms in Wales? The hall is one of the best in the world, the acoustics are magnificent, the atmosphere delightful, and the audience can see and hear everything that's happening on stage clearly. It's also a homely place, which really suits the Proms."
But he admits that he felt nervous on that first night a quarter of a century ago. "I was sitting in the back thinking, is there anybody out there? Then I walked out on stage and saw that there was a sizeable audience, and off we went!
"The first piece we'll be playing on the opening night this year is the same piece which we played on that opening night 25 years ago, Mussorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition."
Among those sharing their memories of the Proms in Proms Cymru 25 are Dennis O'Neill, Gwyn Hughes Jones, Leah Marian Jones, Rhys Meirion, Catrin Finch, Julian Lloyd Webber and Tim Rhys Evans.
© 2012 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales