© Deutsche Grammophon, Mat Hennek
© Deutsche Grammophon, Mat Hennek
"I started singing because I come from Wales" Bryn Terfel
Worshipped as he is throughout the music world, it's appropriate that Bryn Terfel is being acclaimed as one of the greatest ever performers of the role of chief god Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The combination of a great voice, immaculate diction, commanding stage presence and flair for acting has made Bryn Terfel the hottest property in opera throughout the world.
The Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel rose to prominence when he won the Lieder Prize in the 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. In 2003, Bryn was awarded a CBE for services to Opera in the Queen’s New Year Honours list and received the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2006. He is also the last recipient of the Shakespeare Prize by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation, Hamburg.
He has performed in all the great opera houses of the world, and is especially recognized for his portrayals of Figaro and Falstaff. Other roles include Wotan in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Holländer in Der fliegende Holländer, Méphistophéles in Faust, both the Title Role and Leporello in Don Giovanni, Jochanaan in Salome, Scarpia in Tosca, the title-role in Gianni Schicchi Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Balstrode in Peter Grimes, Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore and the Title Role in Sweeney Todd.
Bryn is also known for his versatility as a concert performer, with highlights ranging from the opening ceremony of the Wales Millennium Centre to Last Night of the Proms and the Royal Variety Show. In 2007 he sang the title role in concert performances of Sweeney Todd as part of the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall, London. He has given recitals in the major cities of the world and hosts his own festival every year in Faenol, North Wales.
In January 2009 he made his Prague debut at the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House at a great audience and critical acclaim.
He is a Grammy, Classical Brit and Gramophone Award winner with a discography encompassing operas of Mozart, Wagner and Strauss, as well as more than ten solo discs including Lieder, American musical theatre, Welsh songs and sacred repertory.
Operatic Highlights in 2010 include Bryn’s debut in the role of Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnburg for Welsh National Opera, his return to Metropolitan Opera, New York as Scarpia in Tosca and Wotan in Das Rheingold and his debut for Monte Carlo Opera in the title role in Falstaff. Concert highlights in 2010 include a European concert tour to promote his album “Bad Boys” released in November 2009 and recitals in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Bryn is pleased to have an association with several companies, most notably Rolex, Clogau Gold and the Penderyn Distillery.
“As well as drawing warmly shaped playing from the Welsh National Opera Orchestra, the conductor Gareth Jones took great care with balance, and the audience, quiet as mice, was on the edge of its collective seat following word by word, note by note.” The Times (Carmelites for Welsh National Opera)
Gareth Jones, born in South Wales, was a member of the Music Staff of Welsh National Opera from 1990-2008 where he conducted performances of Un Ballo in Maschera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Turandot, Nabucco, La Traviata, Die Fledermaus, Eugene Onegin, Faust, La Boheme, Fidelio, Billy Budd, The Carmelites, Carmen, Katya Kabanova, The Cunning Little Vixen, Jenufa, Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Fliegende Holländer, Madame Butterfly, La Cenerentola, The Magic Flute and Hansel and Gretel. In 2004 he made his ENO debut conducting The Mikado, which he has also conducted for Vancouver Opera.
Concert work in the United Kingdom has included appearances with the Hallé Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and the Manchester Camerata.
In 1996, Gareth formed Sinfonia Cymru, which in its brief history has established itself as a major orchestral force in Wales. Many established artists have worked with Gareth and the orchestra including Dennis O’Neill, Rebecca Evans, Gwyn Hughes Jones, Peter Donohoe, David Pyatt, Jean Philippe-Collard, Michael Collins, Chloe Hanslip, Catrin Finch, Guy Johnston, Liwei, Alina Ibragimova, Jiafeng Chen and Llyr Williams.
As a result of a highly acclaimed concert given by Sinfonia Cymru in April 2000 with Bryn Terfel, which included a performance of “Wotan’s Farewell”, a special bond has developed between Bryn, Gareth and the orchestra. Gareth has worked with Bryn Terfel on numerous projects including the disc “We’ll Keep a Welcome”, opera galas at Faenol, Henley and Hampton Court Festivals in addition to concerts in Dublin, Stockholm, Sydney and Melbourne and a television recording of Handel’s Messiah for S4C. Gareth also made his BBC Proms debut in September 2002 with Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming in works by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Gareth has been the regular conductor for the Opera Gala at Bryn Terfel’s Faenol Festival where he has conducted international singers such as Andrea Bocelli, Angela Gheorghiu, Rolando Villazón, Simon Keenlyside, Carlos Alvarez and Diana Damrau.
Highlights in 2009 included performances of Aida at the Bregenz Festival, a concert with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Rolando Villazon in Paris, a concert at the Bergen Festival and a UK concert tour with Bryn Terfel. Operatic engagements in 2010 include further performances of Aida in Bregenz and The Magic Flute for Welsh National Opera. Future concert engagements include Henley Festival with the Philharmonia Orchestra, gala concert with Ulster Orchestra, and concerts in Germany, Austria, France, Finland, Norway and Sweden.