(Dec. 16, 2010) - Superstar bass-baritone Bryn Terfel would like to wish you "Nadolig Llawen"--that is, a Merry Christmas. It's a jolly sentiment that he gets to express in two languages on his newest release, Carols & Christmas Songs.
The carols set comes at the close of a year that has seen the bass-baritone do everything from sing Wotan in the premiere of the new Robert Lepage production of Das Rheingold at the Met to touring another program in conjunction with another 2010 solo release, Bad Boys as well as lieder programs. "Switching between these huge roles and more intimate songs--it's like a natural oil change for the vehicle," he observes.
"Recording this Christmas album was something very important to me," says Terfel, a native of mountainous north Wales, where he was the son of cattle and sheep farmers. "I wasn't interested in doing a run-of-the-mill holiday album." What he recorded instead was a dual-language, two-CD set that embraces both English- and Welsh-language holiday tunes, with guest appearances by artists who range from tenor Rolando Villazon (who actually duet in a gorgeous Spanish carol, "El Nacimento") to a host of friends from Wales, including the harpist Catrin Finch, pop singer Caryl Parry Jones, and the crossover singing group Men Aloud. (There's also a "duet" for "White Christmas" between Terfel and the legendary Bing Crosby, who passed away over three decades ago, in a track that seems more the fruit of a marketing directive than an artistic imperative.)
"What was most important to me was to record the Welsh selections," says the genial singer. "You know, now our [Welsh-language] radio stations can play these, so that's a feather in our cap."
- "I really adore Cecilia Bartoli, Renee Fleming, Simon Keenlyside, Bo Skovhus, and Angelika Kirchschlager."
- "Hans Hotter's Winterreise is a staple on my iPod."
- "Jonas Kauffman is just amazing. I remember his performance in Tosca so vividly."
- "Jonathan Miller's production of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Met had epic casting [with Terfel, Bartoli, Fleming, Dwayne Croft, and Susanne Mentzer--with a very young Danielle de Niese making her Met debut in the minor role of Barbarina--ed.]. That was truly not to be forgotten."
- "Last Christmas, La boheme with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon had me in tears."
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by Anastasia Tsioulcas
