Bryn Terfel life and biography

Bryn Terfel Jones: A Majestic Crescendo in Opera

Bryn Terfel Jones is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner.

A relative newcomer to the international arena of opera during the 1990s, Bryn Terfel emerged as an acclaimed bass baritone. By 2000, Terfel was distinguished among a rare elite of male singers, having starred masterfully both in the title role of Don Giovanni, and on separate occasions, as Giovanni's servant, Leporello.Among the performances in his repertoire, Mozart's Figaro was recognized as Terfel's signature role early in his career. Even in his early thirties, before he presumed to tackle the heavier roles reserved for the well-cured vocal chords of middle-aged singers, Terfel possessed a captivating combination of polished vocal skills, emotive acting ability, and an imposing physical bearing. He evoked a charismatic persona and endeared himself to fans worldwide.

An Overture to Life

Terfel was born Bryn Terfel Jones on November 9, 1965, in Pentglas, North Wales. He was raised in the fresh air and open space of the town of Pentglas in Northern Wales where his parents, Hefin and Nesta Jones, kept a sheep and cattle farm. The tiny hamlet was home to no more than one dozen structures, including a church and a shop, and it was a local family friend, D. G. (Selyf) Jones who initially taught Terfel to sing.

As a youngster, Terfel was the quintessential boy soprano. He spent weekends with his family, attending public recitals and competitions in the locale. It was the popular Welsh Eisteddfod folk festivals that served as the vehicle through which Terfel established his reputation as a youthful singer. Initially he won regional Eisteddfod contests, expanding gradually to compete in increasingly sophisticated challenges. He was particularly adept in the unique Welsh musical tradition of dueling harp and bard, called cerdd dant. In cerdd dant,Terfel's stage presence and improvisational skills came through clearly, as he assumed the role of the bard and responded ably with ad-lib verses to a harpist's melodies.

Musical Education and Transformation

As Terfel grew to adulthood, his body assumed a burly girth and a height of six feet, four inches. Likewise, his voice dropped to an equally burly bass baritone. His talent unfolded as his voice matured, and in 1983 he won the Wales International Eisteddfod. Although Terfel sang constantly as a boy--in church and at social events--his knowledge of music was drastically limited to pop and religious tunes. It was not until he moved to London, England, in 1984 and enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama that his musical horizons expanded to encompass the classical realm. At Guildhall, he studied with Arthur Reckless and then with Rudolf Pierney. Terfel continued working with Pierney even after graduating from the music college in 1989, and at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition that year Terfel took second place in the overall competition, with first prize in the lieder competition.

The Operatic Debut

As a professional performer, Terfel dropped his given surname of Jones when he joined the actor's guild because another member of the guild was already using the name Bryn Jones. He made his world debut in 1990 at the Welsh National Opera in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte,singing the role of Guglielmo. He performed in a London debut at the Royal Opera House at Convent Garden in 1991 as Don Giovanni in the Mozart opera of the same name. At the Salzburg Festival in 1992 he attracted international attention with his performance of Jochanaan (John the Baptist), which he sang opposite Catherine Malfitano's Salome in the Richard Strauss opera of the same name. Deutsche Grammophon signed the singer to an exclusive contract in 1993. The following year heralded Terfel's Metropolitan Opera debut as Figaro in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.The young tenor awed critics and so impressed the opera world that the report of his debut received front-page coverage in the New York Times,a rare occurrence for that publication. The Figaro character quickly became associated with Terfel as his signature role. Upon his return to the Metropolitan Opera in 1995, he sang the role of Leporello opposite Patricia Schuman's Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni. When he later appeared in the title role of a Met production of the same work, he achieved a rare accomplishment coveted among male opera stars of performing in two starring roles on the same stage.

According to critics, Terfel's talent lay in his rare ability to change voice, a capability that enhanced his dramatic potential within the context of the opera. From smooth tones to guttural, straining exhortation, his voice clearly reflected the emotional extremes of his characters. "Only a handful of singers can spin a musical yarn as deftly [as Terfel]," according to George Jellinck in Stereo Review.Likewise Heidi Waleson noted of Terfel's Don Giovanni in the Wall Street Journal in 1999: "Yet every note Mr. Terfel sang was gorgeous. He shaped the recitatives with the mastery of a Shakespearean actor, and when he did 'La ci darem la mano' ... the voice turned soft and exquisitely caressing...."

By the mid 1990s, Terfel was a major force in opera. His 1995 recording of Schubert, An die Musik,with Malcolm Martineau on piano, won the Gramophone solo vocal album of the year. Terfel had already won the Young Singer of the Year in 1992 and the Newcomer of the Year in 1993 from Gramophone. The following year he received the People's Award, also from Gramophone. A well-received recording of Mozart's Le Nozze,featuring Terfel in his ever-popular Figarowith John Eliot Gardiner conducting, won both Grand Prix and Edison Awards in 1995. World & Irated it among the best available versions of the Mozart opera. That year Terfel embarked on a recital tour of Europe, appearing in Vienna, Austria; Munich, Germany; and La Scala in Milan, Italy. Later in the same year he performed Mahler's Kindertotenliderand Sixth Symphony for a debut concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall with James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In 1996, Terfel debuted in Orange County.

Artistic Maturity and Critical Acclaim

In January of 1996, Jamie James cited Terfel's recording, The Vagabond, in Stereo Review, facetiously dubbing the singer the Prince of Wales. James noted further that Terfel "... brings true elegance and grace to his music," and his voice is "... a flexible, richly rued, marvelous thing." In April of 1996, Terfel appeared on the calendar for the James Levine Twenty-fifth Anniversary Gala at New York City's Lincoln Center. Terfel released a compact disc that year of Rodgers and Hammerstein selections entitled Something Wonderful.The album was a hit on the Billboardchart and sold more than 100,000 copies. Something Wonderfuland ensuing crossover recordings by Terfel received plaudits from classical critics nonetheless.

In 1997, Terfel released Opera Arias,recorded with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and James Levine conducting. Critics hailed the work as a turning point that marked a significant maturation in Terfel's career and catapulted him to the forefront of his art, with arias selected from Terfel's best-loved roles including Prince Igor, Falstaff, and Wolfram. The acclaimed album won two Grammy Awards for the rendition of Sir William Walton Balshazzar's "Feast" as best solo vocal and for best vocal album. On February 1, 1998, Terfel performed at the Symphony Center in Chicago, with Malcolm Martineau on piano, a performance which inspired critical poetry from Lawrence A. Johnson in New Criterion who praised "the fluidity of [Terfel's] legato," and his "melting tenderness," music that "floated like gossamer." Terfel inspired the muse in all who witnessed his performances, or so it seemed, as Lawrence and others praised Terfel as, "one of the most engaging musical personalities of our time." Many agreed that his spontaneous and lighthearted mien virtually beckoned his audiences and invited spectators to become enrapt in his performances. Indeed his recitals have featured Terfel performing even the moonwalk dance, among other feats of showmanship.

Terfel's magnanimous persona led to his status as an established guest at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, Illinois. In 1998 he performed his Jochanaan with Malfitano there. He performed his trademark lead character in Marriage of Figaroin San Francisco in October of 1998, followed by Wolfram in Tannhauser at New York City's Metropolitan Opera. Again in February of 1999, he reprised his Figaro at Chicago's Lyric Opera.

In 1999, he performed as Verdi's Falstaffwith the Royal Opera at Convent Garden. The following year, he appeared as Don Giovanni opposite Renee Fleming as Donna Anna. The production, under the direction of Stephen Lawless at the Metropolitan Opera with James Levine conducting, was a restaging of the Franco Zeffirelli version from 1990.

In the spring of 2000, Terfel performed as Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress in June, in San Francisco. That performance followed a 1999 release of John Eliot Gardiner's Rake--also featuring Terfel--on Deutsche compact disc. Terfel and his 1999 recording partner, Cecilia Bartoli, were dubbed, "musical aristocrats" by David Gates in Newsweek.The two were viewed as "highly artistic and dramatically believable and also great entertainers,"by Mark Michael in American Record Guide.The album, Celia & Bryn, was recorded with the St. Cecilia Orchestra and Myung-Whun Chung conducting.
Critics looked to Terfel to perform heavier Wagnerian roles as his voice reached full maturity. He was scheduled for his first Wotan in Das Rheingold in Munich, Germany, in 2001.

Personal and Artistic Triumphs

Terfel, who eventually married his long-time sweetheart, Leslie, has one son, Tomos, born in 1994. The breadth of his fame earned for him the stature of a folk hero among the population of his native Wales. He maintained open communication with his fellow townspeople, sending postcards and conducting long-distance interviews from his various concert venues.

In 2010, Terfel made his debut as Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger in a production for Welsh National Opera, in Cardiff and on tour. On 17 July 2010, the cast of this production gave a "concert staging" at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2010 BBC Proms, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and on BBC Four television. On 31 July, again at the Proms, he performed in a concert from the Royal Albert Hall celebrating the works of Stephen Sondheim, in his 80th birthday year.

Terfel took on the role of Wotan for the premiere performances of Robert Lepage's new Met staging of Wagner's Ring 2010-2012. He sang the role in all three of the four Ring operas that feature Wotan: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried.

In September 2011, Terfel joined Andrea Bocelli in his concert at the great lawn of Central Park, performing for over 70,000 people. In December 2011, he opened the season in La Scala as Leporello in Don Giovanni.

Expanding Horizons

In September 2013, Terfel collaborated with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, releasing the album "Homeward Bound," a testament to his versatility beyond the operatic realm. The album secured a place on the Official UK Charts, reaching No. 58.

Terfel's journey continued to transcend classical boundaries. In September 2014, he reprised his role as Sweeney Todd in the Live from Lincoln Center concert production of Sweeney Todd, broadcast on PBS. This collaboration with renowned artists like Emma Thompson and Philip Quast showcased Terfel's ability to seamlessly navigate between genres.

The year 2016 witnessed Terfel taking on the title role in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov at the Royal Opera House, directed by Antonio Pappano. This marked another milestone in a career defined by artistic exploration and mastery.

On May 6, 2023, Terfel performed a historic setting in Welsh, by Paul Mealor, of Kyrie eleison at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla in Westminster Abbey. This groundbreaking performance marked the first time Welsh had been sung at a coronation service. The following day, at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, Terfel sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" in a duet with Andrea Bocelli, showcasing his enduring ability to captivate audiences with his powerful and emotive voice.

Awards:

In 2003, Terfel became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, receiving the honour from the Prince of Wales. In 2006, he became the second recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music (the previous recipient was conductor Sir Charles Mackerras). In 2008, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. Terfel is also President of the Welsh homelessness charity Shelter Cymru and is Patron of Bobath Children's Therapy Centre Wales, a registered charity based in Cardiff which provides specialist Bobath therapy to children from all over Wales who have cerebral palsy.

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