{"id":44143,"date":"2024-07-01T13:00:19","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/974a08f1-33bc-4318-8e22-ad2e939ba9db"},"modified":"2024-07-01T13:36:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T11:36:08","slug":"bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Bryn Terfel: the Welsh singer who’s sung everything from Wagner to Bing Crosby – and made history in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 01 July 2024 at 11:00 AM<\/p>

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Welsh opera star Bryn Terfel was one of the artists performing at the Coronation of King Charles <\/a>in May 2023. That day saw Terfel make a particular piece of musical history, of which more in a moment. <\/strong><\/p>

On the opera stage and in the recording studio, Terfel has captivated in everything from Wagner to Bing Crosby. Read on for a guide to the life and work of this Welsh force of nature. <\/strong> <\/p>

Who is Bryn Terfel?<\/strong><\/h2>Bryn Terfel is an operatic superstar – unquestionably the most famous living Welsh operatic bass-baritone and one of the most famous Welsh singers ever<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>
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Towards the start of his singing career, Terfel was most often heard singing Mozart roles – especially those of Figaro<\/a><\/strong> and Don Giovanni<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><p>As his career has progressed, though, he has moved onto heavier roles, in particular those from the operas of <strong><a title=\"Giacomo Puccini\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giacomo-puccini\/\">Puccini<\/a><\/strong> and <a title=\"Richard Wagner\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/richard-wagner-2\/\"><strong>Wagner<\/strong><\/a>. His vocal heft has made him a particularly good fit for beefy Wagnerian roles such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagners-das-rheingold\/\"><strong>Wotan<\/strong><\/a>, as well as one of opera’s greatest baddies: Scarpia from <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-best-recordings-of-puccinis-tosca\/\">Tosca<\/a><\/strong>. <\/em> <\/p><ul><li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-newarticle-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/puccinis-tosca-guide\/\">Puccini’s <em>Tosca<\/em>: A guide to when and why this dramatic opera was composed<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong><a class=\"standard-card-newarticle-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-italian-operas\/\">Italian operas: 5 of the best to explore after Tosca<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p>And he has embraced a good deal of non-classical music too, not least <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/stephen-sondheim-master-of-reinvention\/\">Stephen Sondheim<\/a><\/strong>‘s <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/best-stage-musicals-of-all-time\/\">Sweeney Todd<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, in which he and Emma Thompson made a devilish double-act as the killer barber and his pie-baking accomplice.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sweeney Todd 2014 - Epiphany\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1T2tmfq8H5o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a class=\"standard-card-newarticle-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/famous-opera-songs\/\"><strong>10 of the most famous opera songs<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-old-is-bryn-terfel\"><strong>How old is<\/strong> <strong>Bryn Terfel?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Bryn Terfel was born on 9 November 1965 in Caernarfonshire, the son of a farmer. His first language is Welsh. He was taught how to sing by a family friend, beginning with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/welsh-songs\/\">traditional Welsh songs<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-did-he-study\"><strong>Where did he study?<\/strong><\/h2><p>After moving to London aged 19, Bryn Terfel studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, winning both the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Prize and the Gold Medal upon graduation.<\/p><p>In 1989 he came second in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/winners-of-bbc-cardiff-singer-of-the-world-a-complete-list-of-winners-of-main-prize-song-prize-and-audience-prize-from-history\/\">Cardiff Singer of the Year award<\/a><\/strong>, behind Dmitri Hvorostovsky in a close competition which would become known as the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/dmitri-hvorostovsky-and-the-battle-of-the-baritones\/\">‘Battle of the Baritones’<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bryn Terfel - Non pi\u00f9 andrai from The Marriage of Figaro (CSOTW, 17th June 1989)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-aFrzox84jk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-was-bryn-terfel-s-first-operatic-role\"><strong>What was Bryn Terfel’s first operatic role?<\/strong><\/h2><p>In 1990 Bryn Terfel made his operatic debut as Guglielmo in Mozart’s <strong><i><a title=\"Cos\u00ec fan tutte\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cos%C3%AC_fan_tutte\">Cos\u00ec fan tutte<\/a><\/i><\/strong><sup id=\"cite_ref-5\" class=\"reference\"\/> for Welsh National Opera. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-and-when-was-his-big-break\"><strong>And when was his big break?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Terfel’s big international breakthrough came in 1992, when he sang Jochanaan in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/richard-strauss\/\"><strong>Richard Strauss’s<\/strong><\/a> <em>Salome <\/em>at the Salzburg Festival.<\/p><p>The year 1992 was a big one for Terfel. He also made his <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royal_Opera_House\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Royal Opera House<\/a><\/strong> debut that year, playing the role of Masetto in <i><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Don_Giovanni\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Don Giovanni<\/a><\/strong><\/i>. That same year, Terfel took his first bow at the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Salzburg_Easter_Festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salzburg Easter Festival<\/a>,<\/strong> singing the role of the Spirit Messenger in Strauss’s <i>Die Frau ohne Schatten <\/i>(‘The Woman without a Shadow’). He also made his <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vienna_State_Opera\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vienna State Opera<\/a><\/strong> debut that year, singing Figaro, and his US concert debut singing in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/gustav-mahler\/\"><strong>Mahler<\/strong><\/a>‘s Eighth Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under <a title=\"James Levine\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/conductor-james-levine-dies-aged-77\/\"><strong>James Levine<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><p>Other prestigious roles soon followed and he went onto work with some of the most famous opera companies in the world and performed at some of the most famous opera houses, including Milan’s La Scala.<\/p><ul><li><a class=\"standard-card-newarticle-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/which-are-the-best-opera-houses-in-italy\/\"><strong>Which are the best opera houses in Italy?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bryn-terfel-and-wagner\"><strong>Bryn Terfel and Wagner<\/strong><\/h2><p>In 2010, Terfel played<strong> <\/strong>Wotan in Wagner\u2019s <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagners-das-rheingold\">Das Rheingold<\/a><\/strong><\/em> at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. As he recalled to us in an interview later that year: <strong>‘<\/strong>This appearance as Wotan came after my time doing <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagners-die-meistersinger-von-n-rnberg\">Die Meistersinger<\/a><\/strong> <\/em>at Welsh National Opera (WNO). That production involved a hard three years of dedication \u2013 learning, coaching, language \u2013 everything. <\/p><p>‘In fact, <em>Meistersinger<\/em> was one of the most satisfying experiences I\u2019ve had on the operatic stage, so <em>Rheingold<\/em> had big shoes to fill. When I got to New York, I saw the importance of this for the Met and their general manager Peter Gelb \u2013 it was a new production taking over from a very well-established Otto Schenk production, so the pressure for that company was pretty high.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wagner - Bryn Terfel Magic Fire Music (Die Walkure 2011)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bG6p8bLdaQU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>We also kept the last-night HD performance to 49 countries at the back of our minds, particularly as there was a cinema at Bayreuth that took it! While on stage, I was thinking about the fact that we were in Prestatyn and Llandudno live in cinemas, too \u2013 people didn\u2019t have to fly to New York. Peter Gelb has done something that everybody can be really really envious of. And I really pulled out the stops for that performance.’<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-i-try-to-give-wales-what-it-deserves\">‘I try to give Wales what it deserves’<\/h3><p>Terfel went on: ‘I carry with me an ambassadorial hat for music, so I try to give Wales what it deserves. It was very supportive of me through my college days, gradually nurturing me in different ways, from WNO to concerts. Wales was where I first performed Handel’s <em>Messiah<\/em>, Mendelssohn’s <em>Elijah<\/em>, JS Bach’s Mass in B minor; I\u2019ll never forget those experiences. I know where I began and I know I\u2019m still striving to bring something into Wales.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-singing-alongside-bing-crosby\"><strong>Singing ‘alongside’ Bing Crosby<\/strong><\/h3><p>For his 2010 Christmas album, Terfel recorded a number of festive favourites. These included ten Christmas songs in Welsh, at the singer’s own request, plus a ‘duet’ with Bing Crosby on ‘White Christmas’. The recording featured Terfel singing over Crosby’s legendary ‘White Christmas’ from 1942.<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/the-best-christmas-classical-music-albums\">The best Christmas albums<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>‘<\/strong>Universal gave me ten [Welsh language] songs on a second CD, so the least I could do was to be open to the suggestion of doing this!’ Terfel recalls. ‘I never thought they\u2019d get copyright or the proper permissions to go ahead. It was very interesting recording with Bing\u2019s voice in my head, trying to get it to a certain level of a duet together. <\/p><p>‘I didn\u2019t want perfection, I didn\u2019t want every syllable or consonant together, but who hasn\u2019t song along with <em>White Christmas<\/em>? Every Christmas concert that I\u2019ve ever done has <em>White Christmas<\/em> in it. It\u2019s an incredible song.’<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-performing-at-the-coronation\"><strong>Performing at the Coronation<\/strong><\/h3><p>At the Coronation of King Charles, Terfel memorably performed the ‘Coronation Kyrie’ composed by a fellow Welshman, the composer <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/who-is-paul-mealor\/\">Paul Mealor<\/a>. <\/strong>This was the first time that a Welsh language piece has been performed at a British Coronation. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-bryn-terfel-married\"><strong>Is Bryn Terfel married?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Terfel has been married twice. His first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart, Lesley. The couple were together from 1987 until 2013 and have three sons.<\/p><p>More recently, in 2019, Terfel married harpist Hannah Stone at Caersalem Newydd Baptist Church in Hannah’s home city of Swansea.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-bryn-terfel-have-any-children\"><strong>Does<\/strong> <strong>Bryn Terfel have any children?<\/strong><\/h2><p>He has three sons from his first marriage, and a daughter with Hannah. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-bryn-terfel-s-best-recordings\"><strong>What are Bryn Terfel’s best recordings?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Bryn Terfel has recorded plenty of wonderful stuff from the operatic world. Try these for starters:<\/p><p><strong>Bryn Terfel sings Tutto<\/strong> <strong>Mozart!<\/strong><\/p><p>Bryn Terfel \/ Scottish Chamber Orchestra\/Charles Mackerras <em>Deutsche Grammophon<\/em><\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B000G6H3SU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Twilight of the Gods: the Ultimate Wagner Ring Collection<\/strong><\/p><p>Metropolitan Opera\/Fabio Luisi, James Levine et al<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B008MZPW94\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong> <\/li><\/ul><p>For a general introduction to Bryn’s art, try this excellent two-CD primer, featuring beautiful renditions of a mix of opera standards and popular songs such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/amazing-grace-lyrics\/\"><strong>‘Amazing Grace’<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p><p><strong>The Art of Bryn Terfel<\/strong><\/p><p><em>Deutsche Grammophon<\/em><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Art-Bryn-Terfel\/dp\/B0083G0AQW\/ref=sr_1_1\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"12","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><p>And, especially for all our Welsh readers, try this introduction to some of Wales’s finest folk songs, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/men-of-harlech-lyrics\/\"><strong>‘Men of Harlech’<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/welsh-national-anthem-lyrics\/\"><strong>‘Land of My Fathers’<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p><p><strong>We’ll Keep a Welcome<\/strong><\/p><p>Orchestra of Welsh National Opera \/ Gareth Jones<em>Deutsche Grammophon<\/em><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Welcome-Terfel-Orchestra-National-Gareth\/dp\/B00004XRY8\/ref=d_pd_sim_sccl_3_2\/257-7270948-0318640\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"","excludeKeywords":"","price":"6","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Monday, 01 July 2024 at 11:00 AM Welsh opera star Bryn Terfel was one of the artists performing at the Coronation of King Charles in May 2023. That day saw Terfel make a particular piece of musical history, of which more in a moment. On the opera stage and in the recording studio, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":44144,"template":"","categories":[1,17],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023.jpg",625,412,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023-300x198.jpg",300,198,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023.jpg",625,412,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023.jpg",625,412,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023.jpg",625,412,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/bryn-terfel-the-welsh-singer-whos-sung-everything-from-wagner-to-bing-crosby-and-made-history-in-2023.jpg",625,412,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Monday, 01 July 2024 at 11:00 AM Welsh opera star Bryn Terfel was one of the artists performing at the Coronation of King Charles in May 2023. That day saw Terfel make a particular piece of musical history, of which more in a moment. On the opera stage and in the recording studio,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/44143"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}