A Child’s Christmas in Wales (S4 | E212)
Looking back on childhood (and life) at Christmastime in a simpler age. Published in 1952, a 38 year old Dylan Thomas looks back at his childhood in the 1920’s in Wales.
We bring Dylan Thomas’ remarkable short story to life in a new reading (from memory!) on Lester the Nightfly by James Nave of Twice 5 Miles Radio. The soundtrack comes, mostly, from traditional Welsh holiday music and features The Revels, The Royal Ballet Sinfonia and the operatic bass-baritone Bryn Terfel.
James Nave – Narrator
“I am a poet, storyteller, teacher, and manuscript coach. I hold an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Having memorized over 600 poems and developed a unique background in poetic storytelling, I’ve performed shows and taught writing, creativity, and public speaking worldwide.
My latest work, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer, was published by 3: A Taos Press in May 2023. In addition, I have co-authored two Imaginative Storm books on writing: How to Read for an Audience and Write What You Don’t Know: Ten Steps to Writing with Confidence, Energy, and Flow.”
PJ Ewing – Audio Engineer
“A digital marketer and web designer today, I have been an audiophile my entire life. I turned to podcasting a decade ago. And when WPVM came calling for a new show it was in instant “yes!” Now Lester the Nightfly Radio is in its fifth year. More stations. More genres. More guests. And the show is sounding pretty amazing at this point after about a million tweaks.
This format is one of my favs. I like the misnomer “radio edit” for these storytelling music shows. So I’ll stick with that moniker. A Child’s Christmas in Wales… brought to life for you here.”
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “And death shall have no dominion”, as well as the “play for voices” Under Milk Wood. He also wrote stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. He became widely popular in his lifetime; and remained so after his death at the age of 39 in New York City.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales is a piece of prose recorded by Thomas in 1952. Emerging from an earlier piece he wrote for BBC Radio, the work is an anecdotal reminiscence of a Christmas from the viewpoint of a young boy, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. It is one of Thomas’s most popular works.
As with his poetry, A Child’s Christmas in Wales does not have a tight narrative structure but instead uses descriptive passages in a fictionalised autobiographical style, designed to create an emotive sense of the nostalgia Thomas is intending to evoke, remembering a Christmas from the viewpoint of the author as a young boy. Thomas searches for a nostalgic belief in Christmases past—”It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas”—furthering his idyllic memory of childhood by describing the snow as being better and more exciting than the snow experienced as an adult. The dissertation, with exaggerated characters for comedic effect, show how childhood memories are enlarged through youthful interpretation.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
| Song | Artist | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serenade Allegretto | William Mathias, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Andrew Penny | Welsh Classical Favourites | 1999 |
| Primavera Overture | Gareth Walters, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Andrew Penny | Welsh Classical Favourites | 1999 |
| Carol y Ganwyll | Bryn Terfel | Carols & Christmas Songs | 2010 |
| Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No. 8 Christmas Concerto III Adagio Allegro Adagio | Arcangelo Corelli, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, János Rolla | Corelli: 12 Concerti Grossi Op. 6 | 2014 |
| Pastorale | Trevor Roberts, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Andrew Penny | Welsh Classical Favourites | 1999 |
| I Orwedd Mewan Presab arr. by Mack Wilberg | Bryn Terfel | Carols & Christmas Songs | 2010 |
| Reels | Traditional, The Revels Children and Chorus, The Revels Chorus | A Revels Christmas in Wales | 2015 |
| Cwsg, cwsg, cwst – arr. by Mack Wilberg | Bryn Terfel | Carols & Christmas Songs | 2010 |
| Ar lan y mor (On the Sea Shore) | Traditional, Jamie Jaffe, Jenna Moynihan, Robert Bethel, Haley Hewitt, Revels Women’s Chorus | A Revels Christmas in Wales | 2015 |
| Overture | George Emlen, Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble | A Revels Christmas in Wales | 2015 |
| Shepherd’s Pipe Carol (Adapted by Chris Hazell) | Bryn Terfel | Carols & Christmas Songs | 2010 |
| Calon lan (Pire Heart) | John Hughes, David Coffin, The Revels Chorus, Cmbridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble | A Revels Christmas in Wales | 2015 |
| Good King Wenceslas | The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra | O Holy Night – An Orchestral Christmas Collection | 2008 |
| Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock) | David Owen, David Coffin, Haley Hewitt, The Revels Chorus | A Revels Christmas in Wales | 2015 |
| Cherry Ripe | Traditional, The King’s Singers, The Gordon Langford Trio | Original Debut Recording | 1970 |
| Tawel nos – arr. by Chris Hazell | Bryn Terfel | Carols & Christmas Songs | 2010 |
