Tour Reviews
The Straits Times
Singapore - 7 November 2006
A platter of bonbons - by Stephanie Yap
WELSHMAN Bryn Terfel gave an intimate recital on Sunday evening, presenting a programme of lieder and folksong, rather than the dramatic arias that have packed opera houses and made him a legend.
The bass-baritone's voice has been described as "chocolatey" and, indeed, it is like Forrest Gump's proverbial chocolate box: full-bodied and thunderous one minute, it can switch to pianissimo and tender in the next measure, a dexterity that is as much a Terfel trademark as his towering 1.9m frame.
Accompanied by the elegant pianist Michael Pollock, he started with a couple of Handel's arias, which showed his vocal flexibility as he glided effortlessly from the energetic Si, Tra I Ceppi from Berenice to the velvety Ombra Mai Fu from Serse.
He then spent the first half of the recital featuring British composers and their lyrical songs from the late 1900s. While easy on the ear, the onslaught ultimately left me feeling slightly peaked, as if I had stuffed myself full of candy on an empty stomach.
Still, his virtuosity was obvious as he displayed a pure falsetto in Ralph
Vaughan Williams' Silent Noon, while Roger Quilter's famous settings of poetry by Shakespeare and Tennyson were a platter of rich bonbons. '
The second half of the programme proved more nutritious, with a selection of Mozart's and Debussy's lieders which showcased to great effect the brilliant, vibrant colour of his tessitura.
But the highlight of the concert was his rendition of Henri Duparc's L'invitation Au Voyage, which was moody and dark. This was followed by a tour-de-force performance of Gabriel Faure's Automne, enveloping the hall with larger-than-life intensity.
For the finale, he got the audience to sing along to Oh What A Beautiful Morning from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma, sweeping them off their feet and winning himself a standing ovation.
Bryn Terfel's recital was a treat.
Today
Singapore - 7 November 2006
CLASSIC CHARISMA: Singer brought black-tie crowd to their feet in appreciation and in a sing-along - by Derek Lim
IT'S not every day you attend a classical music concert where the audience is on its feet, singing lustily at the behest of the star soloist of the night.
No, such is reserved for pop stars and their besotted teenage fans. Then again, it's not every day one hears a singer as charismatic as Bryn Terfel.
At the Esplanade Concert Hall on Sunday, he got the penguin-suited crowd to stand and join him in Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma.
Later, he was given a standing ovation for the thrilling Toreador's Song, the likes of which I have never seen before. Vocally, Terfel has it all - a resounding instrument, huge when it has to be, capable of infinite
shades of colour, from shimmering pianissimi to heroic climaxes capable of shaking the very hall in which he sings.
Starting off with Si tra i ceppi e le ritorte which showcased the agility of his voice, Terfel graduated to a delicately beautiful Frondi tenere e belle - you could hear the leaves rustle in his singing, segueing imperceptibly into the famous Ombra mai fu.
Equally dreamy and faraway were his performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams and that quintessentially English Roger Quilter. In these, Terfel were in his very element. The words were married perfectly to the music, evoking the silence and earthiness of the English countryside. His textured voice was equally suited to Ireland's romantic sailor's vision Sea Fever and the famous Danny Boy.
The surprise of the night was Terfel's essay of the French composers, Debussy, Duparc and Faure. It may be that his voice isn't typical of the usual French singer, but he made these work in his own way, and beautifully.
All this would have not been possible without his remarkable accompanist Michael Pollock. Never seeking attention, but always attentive, his beauty of tone was a joy to behold.
In ending with Schubert's Litanei auf das Fest Aller Seelen, Terfel again showed his consummate artistry and possibility for greatness in Lieder, completing quietly an evening that had been pure enjoyment.