Songs of the season

If the recent profusion of world-class singers performing in Prague is any indication, 2011 is going to be the year of opera. Following the trend, Welsh opera star Bryn Terfel is returning to Prague for a wide-ranging performance that will demonstrate the singer's versatility and dramatic depth without foregoing his lighter side.

Pavel Kašpar and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Welsh conductor Gareth Jones will accompany Terfel on his second performance in Prague. The program reprises some of Terfel's most famous roles, such as Ford from Verdi's Falstaff, as well as some of Terfel's favorite pieces, including Wagner's Walkürenritt. Terfel tells The Prague Post that he hopes to use this opportunity to further familiarize local audiences with his repertoire while displaying his enthusiasm for some rarely performed pieces.

"In all my concerts, there always must be some Wagner, for he is a priority on my list, but I have also selected some pieces from my album Bad Boys, featuring pieces by Weill, Gershwin, Schönberg and Boublil and others; perhaps a somewhat lighter repertoire," he says.

Terfel's 2009 recording Bad Boys cemented his reputation as one of the leading bass-baritones in opera and exemplified both the power of his voice and his uninhibited approach to performance.

As is common in opera, the lower the singer's voice, the more sinister the characters he plays. Terfel has accepted this fate with relish since his debut as Guglielmo in Cosí fan tutte at the Welsh National Opera in 1990. Terfel's early career was dominated by performances in Mozart's operas, including Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro. More recently the singer has taken on several more dramatic roles in Wagner's operas. Terfel says this transition "seemed natural for my voice."

"With time, Falstaff, Wotan and Hans Sachs became my most featured characters. One cannot spend his entire lifetime singing only Mozart. Now, that doesn't mean I don't portray Figaro and Leporello now and again, and it is always a pleasant experience when I do," he says.

Despite Terfel's experience in a number of roles over the past two decades, the singer has remained close to his Welsh roots, and has often claimed it was his childhood in Wales that forged his voice and his approach to music. Terfel always returns to the classic songs of his country and says the significance of the Welsh language and culture to his singing style cannot be overestimated.

"My favorite role is being a modest Welsh countryman singing the adorable songs of my motherland. They are the most important things I have ever sung and will ever sing. The Welsh language is of huge significance, due to its natural singing advantages. There is an amazing tradition of singing there, be it in choirs or as soloists. And last but not least, the tradition is there and always being nurtured from all ages. Only after Welsh folk songs comes Wotan, Hollander and others," he says.

Terfel visits Prague after a number of well-received international performances in recent months, including an appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall in November, which garnered the singer wide acclaim, especially for his performance of Schumann and "Let Us Garlands Bring," a cycle of five Shakespeare poems set to music by British composer Gerald Finzi. Terfel says he is anxiously awaiting his return to Prague.

"I adore returning to cities. My first trip to Prague was short, and I had no possibility to see or do much. Unfortunately, my family will not be able to travel with me due to the children having rather busy school activities. Hopefully, [they will] one day," he says.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com