By Mike Smith, Arts writer and broadcaster

The audience saw the best of Welsh entertainment

Security measures meant the 1,900-strong audience had time to admire the slate, steel and glass building.

Slightly chilled audience members finally emerged from the security screens, wide-eyed, in front of the airport-style check-in desk (programmes, tickets and cloakroom in one) to start exploring.

With good humour, people repeatedly bumped into each other as they hunted for function rooms, bars, and toilets.

The show honoured Welsh legends Dame Shirley Bassey, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Alan Hoddinott, Sian Phillips, and the late Richard Burton, who was represented by daughter Kate.

The magnificent auditorium, dominated by layers of Welsh woods and a proscenium edged in glittering copper, proved itself as a fitting showcase for a myriad of Welsh and international talent.

Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood opening line, "To begin at the beginning", spoken by Burton, welcomed the resident companies to the stage with dancers spelling out "croeso" ("welcome" in Welsh) and, echoing the words of the opening song, "something to be proud of".

The project's greatest ambassador, Bryn Terfel, welcomed the world to the "new beacon for Wales", adding : "There's not a dry eye in the house already".

English-speaking Fiona Phillips and Welsh-speaking Rhodri Owen, both TV presenters, compered the show, elegantly balancing the bilingual approach, carried through by those both fluent in the language and those, like Sir Derek Jacobi, willing to have a stab at it.

Even Nana Mouskouri sang in Welsh during the tribute to Cardiff icon Shirley Bassey.

Conductor Alan Hoddinott's tribute included Pendyrus Choir, royal harpist Catrin Finch, and a new commission for WMC resident dance company Diversions.

BAFTA-winning actress Sian Phillips' tribute brought Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Derek Jacobi to the stage, to laud, in Ian McKellan's words, the only woman to get a standing ovation in Oldham.

Then it was to try out the bars and function rooms and a chance to peep through the magnificent windows spelling out its bilingual message In These Stones Horizons Sing.

Show director Ken Caswell had to break the news that the safety curtain would not rise and a "10-minute wait", which lasted 25 minutes, was the preferred option to sending everyone home.

In blitz-style the audience responded with choruses of Bread of Heaven and We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside.

The delay also gave plenty of time to be awe-struck at the size and design of the auditorium but also to note how the seats were not particularly comfortable.

They were surprisingly small and cramped, the arms short and wooden, and with only a little bit of padding - but, oddly, not where your arms rest most of the time.

For the Welsh National Opera, which had waited 50 years to perform in its own home, a 25-minute delay must have seemed a trifle.

But Fiona Phillips' quip after the delay - "Are you still with us Dame Gwyneth?" - raised a titter.

Honouring opera's Dame Gwyneth Jones, soloists from the Birmingham Royal Ballet were followed by Bryn Terfel and Dennis O'Neill bringing the house down with the Pearl Fishers duet.

Then, to honour Richard Burton, Matthew Rhys, Michael Sheen, Jonathan Pryce, and Ruth Madoc performed works associated with the giant: Under Milkwood, Hamlet, and the musical Camelot.

The mixed-bag of a show reflecting the nature of the venue closed with the banners of all the Welsh counties, a giant Welsh dragon and a rousing Welsh national anthem.