MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Wagner: Arias from Der Fliegende Hollander / Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg / etc

"This disc is only of extracts, but already it is clear that Terfel is going to be an outstanding Wagnerian bass-baritone of his generation, His tone colour is rich and full in the nest tradition, his declamation vivid and lively."
***** Five Stars. BBC Music Magazine (April 2002)

Born in 1965, the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he graduated in 1989. While still a student he won several prizes, including the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship (1988) and the Gold Medal of the Guildhall School (1989). That same year he represented Wales in the "Singer of the World" Competition, winning the lieder prize. In 1992 he received GRAMOPHONE magazine's "Young Singer of the Year" award, and in 1993 was honored at the INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDs as "Newcomer of the Year".

In 1991, Bryn Terfel made his opera debuts as Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) and Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Welsh National Opera. The following year he made his debut as Masetto in Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He first appeared at the Chicago Lyric Opera in the role of Donner in Das Rheingold in 1993, and sang Ford in Peter Stein's production of Falstaff at the Welsh National Opera. Bryn Terfel made an outstanding debut at the Salzburg Summer Festival in 1992 as Jochanaan in Strauss's Salome under Christoph von Dohnányi. He has achieved particular success as Figaro, which he has been invited to sing at almost all the important international opera houses. He sang the role again to huge acclaim for his New York Metropolitan Opera debut in 1994. In the meantime he has also appeared at the Vienna State Opera and the La Scala opera houses.

Bryn Terfel is also very active in concerts and recitals. He has sung Mahler's Eighth Symphony under James Levine at the Ravinia Festival. In 1993 he performed in Britten's War Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall and sang Balstrode in concert performances of Peter Grimes at the Britten Festival. He took part in the 1993 New Year's Eve Concert with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic and sang Brahms's Requiem under Abbado at the Salzburg Easter Festival; he sang Mahler's Kindertotenlieder under Giuseppe Sinopoli at La Scala, Milan and under James Levine at Carnegie Hall. In 1994 he joined Abbado, a distinguished cast of soloists and the Berlin Philharmonic in Mahler's Symphony no. 8, which was recorded live for release on DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON. In the same year he gave recitals in London's Wigmore Hall, at the Salzburg Festival and in Florence. He also made acclaimed recital debuts in the USA (Alice Tully Hall, 1994) and in Italy in 1995 (La Scala, Milan, 1995). In December 1997, he sang under Claudio Abbado in the Berlin Philharmonic's "Salute to Carmen" New Year's Eve concert, also released on DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.

In the same year he gave recitals in London's Wigmore Hall, at the Salzburg Festival and in Florence. He also made acclaimed recital debuts in the USA and in Italy in 1995, as well as appearing as a soloist in the 1994 BBC Last Night at the Proms and in performances of Elijah at the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh Festival and with the New York Philharmonic. Bryn made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1998. He has also given recitals in Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Edinburgh, Istanbul, and at venues throughout the USA and Canada.

In 1997 he made his La Scala opera debut in Figaro, and in 1998 he sang the role of Scarpia in the new production of Tosca at Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam. Highlights in 1999 included Falstaff for the Australian Opera and the Lyric Opera Chicago, the title role in Don Giovanni for the Opera National de Paris, the re-opening of the ROH, Covent Garden in a new production of Falstaff and guest appearances at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

This year Bryn Terfel makes his debut in the title role of Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Future engagements include Nick Shadow (Rake's Progress) for the San Francisco Opera and concert performances of Sweeney Todd with the New York Philharmonic

Bryn Terfel has made recordings for DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON since 1989 and signed a longterm exclusive contract in 1996.