: All the world's a stage; Abigail Hughes previews this year's Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Byline: Abigail Hughes

THE World Cup may be well and truly over and Wimbledon is in full bloom, but there is another universal language other than sport that sees the cream of international talent go head to head.

It does not have the aggression of high-profile sporting contests and its competitors are more likely to hit a tuneful high note than a ball. And rather than stir up disdain for other peoples, this multi-cultural meeting ground stirs the heart through music.

It can only be the annual Llangollen International Eisteddfod where singers, dancers and musicians from over 40 countries take to the stage in a collection of blazingly colourful costumes to compete for such prestigious titles as Choir of the World.

Filming it all for the ninth year running will be Opus Television's production team, led by director Hefin Owen.

``Of course there's nothing quite like experiencing the Eisteddfod for yourself, but with our extensive knowledge of the site and music, we can give a flavour of what it's about,'' he says. ``Our job is to give the person at home the best seat to experience a wide cross-section of the entertainment.''

Not only will Hefin be tracking down the finest performances on the field, but he will also be on the look out for interesting tales.

``We ask the folkdancers what inspired their amazing costumes and find what difficulties people faced getting to Llangollen. Incredibly, some people travel for five days to come, sleeping on buses.''

It's not just those participating who make a special effort to arrive on time. Many tourists visiting Britain plan their trip to Wales to coincide with the Eisteddfod.

``I think the beauty of it is that music is a common language and it is a joy for people to sing together and understand different cultures. People like to see the good in human nature, which music expresses. It's a bit like the typical Hollywood ending which shows that people can live in harmony,'' says Hefin.

But that does not mean the 70-strong production team, which includes a dozen camera crew, sound engineers, lighting technicians, runners, researchers and presenters, have a smooth week of filming.

``The constant danger is that something important will happen without being aware of it and we might miss the next Pavarotti,'' he says.

``The language barrier is also a problem and we spend a long time gesticulating. Last year, we filmed the Eisteddfod for nine other countries apart from Britain, like Estonia, Japan and Norway. We asked people to introduce themselves in their own language, which is quite dangerous since they could have said anything and we'd be none the wiser!

``Once I was talking to someone who was a painter and asked him what sort of paintings he did, thinking he was an artist, but he turned out to be a decorator who painted walls.''

The team must also be sensitive to cultural differences.

``We need to be very diplomatic when asking people from countries like Siberia or Japan to do something in front of thecamera. Requests we may consider quite ordinary, they may find unusual or even insulting.''

And the polished end result gives no hint of the long hours spent making each programme.

``We film everything, which goes out live on the digital channels, then produce programmes of the highlights for analogue channels,'' says Hefin. ``We are often editing overnight till 7am and work very much as a team, throwing ourselves into it wholeheartedly, with everyone doing everything, including making the coffee.''

They say necessity is the mother of invention and Hefin is constantly facing logistical problems.

``We may decide to hike a big bass drum up to the top of a hill for a nice shot, but then realise we have no means of transporting it,'' he says.

But one thing the crew have no control over is the weather.

``We pray for good weather because if it rains consistently, we can't speak to people who are out and about enjoying the events in Llangollen itself,'' he says.

Music may bring nations closer, but that does not mean the Eisteddfod can be even loosely compared to that other great lyrical showdown, the Eurovision Song Contest.

``At Llangollen there is a terrific standard of competition, but at Eurovision there is not always the consistency of quality,'' said Hefin although he warns the Eisteddfod must constantly keep up with changing times to remain popular.

``It needs to always be re-inventing itself to stay modern. It's no good thinking, it's worked this way for years, why change it.''Llangollen International Eisteddfod S4C, Wed, Thurs, Fri, 8pm S4C Digital, Wed, Thurs, Fri, 9am HTV, Sun, 5pm, Fri, 2.10pmDid you know?L Llangollen's first international Eisteddfod was held in 1947 and has taken place every year since.

L It was the brainchild of former Daily Post journalist, Harold Tudor of Wrexham.

L Three million people have visited the Eisteddfod field, which has seen 400,000 competitors.

L Famous tenors, Pavarotti and Domingo have both performed there.

L 50,000 flowers are used to decorate the main stage and 5,000 gallons of water are needed to keep the flowers fresh. This year, an early spring means a shortage of foxgloves and delphiniums for the stage. L Over the years, Llangollen has welcomed musicians from as far away as Lapland, the Sakha Republic and Tartastan.

L Over 2,000 metres of fabric are used to cover the pavilion roof.

L The local economy receives a pounds 6m boost during Eisteddfod week.

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CULTURE CLUB: Dancers from around the world bring a blaze of colour in their traditional costumes