World renowned bass baritone classical singer Bryn Terfel has returned to the Australian stage with a sold out Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Starting his career a little later than many singers, Terfel made his debut in his mid 20’s, some 35 years ago, after graduating the Guildhall School of Music with their Gold Medal and the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Award. His career was launched off the back of the Cardiff Singer of the World competition where he came in a close second to Russian singer Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Initially celebrated for his interpretations of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Don Giovanni, Terfel expanded into the more demanding and very popular dramatic repertoire of Wagner – such as the Ring Cycle – Verdi and Puccini, particularly well known for his interpretation of Tosca’s evil Scarpia. Around the best opera houses in the Western world, audiences loved his natural acting and story telling. With a highly expressive face he could project character traits and thought process right to the back of the Gods.
From opera, he expanded into Musical Theatre including Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof and Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd. He clearly has a great sense of humour, loves his job and has no qualms about looking the fool or sharing a joke.
Among his numerous recordings, including opera and concert favourites, are light songs, sea shanties, Welsh traditional folk and Christmas Carols. He shared a Grammy for Best Opera Recording by the Met for “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, won Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, both twice, from the Classic Brit Awards.
Terfel has enjoyed a long association with Australia. His first appearance was 1999 in the title role of Falstaff for Opera Australia under the baton of Simone Young. He has returned for a number of recitals in Sydney and Melbourne, the most recent being in 2019 (just in time) featuring opera arias and musical theatre favourites.
This time around, he brought intimacy to the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House with a personalised program of favourites, accompanied by two superb artists.
Hannah Stone (his wife) was royal harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales. She has won a host of accolades and appeared as guest artist from UK to Canada, Italy to Japan. In her solo work, Stone included the jaunty “Viejo Zortzico” by Guridi, the gorgeous “Baroque Flamenco” by Henson-Conant and one of the traditional Welsh songs, possibly “Dafydd y Garreg Wen” (David of the White Rock) arr. John Thomas and Bryan Davies. (Can’t be sure as there were changes to the programme order.) Stone offered a flawless performance, clear and concise, musical and moving.
Australian pianist Andrea Lam spent two decades performing in New York, including Carnegie Hall and touring the US. She returned to Australia and became a household name as the classical expert on ABC’s “The Piano”, a Logie-nominated TV series. Here, as accompanist to Terfel, she was sensitive to his direction and frequently flashed her gorgeous smile. She was clearly having a ball of a time with him.
The stage was set for just the three of them. We could see them enjoying working together and felt we knew them by the close of the concert. It was so intimate yet, in an auditorium that seats more than 2,500 people they used their outstanding technique to reach every one of us. It was noticeable how Terfel’s words and the notes from both harp and piano were spaced perfectly so that the bounce back from the auditorium did not cloud the next phrase. Thus, every word was understood, every note heard. It was a masterclass in articulation.
The first half of the program had an emphasis on Welsh songs, both modern and traditional. It included a series of songs from Ivor Novello, who was Welsh and made it big in Hollywood. If you’ve ever seen the murder mystery movie “Gosford Park”, one of the guests is Ivor Novello, beautifully played by Jeremy Northam. His performance showed how well the songs work in a salon environment. They are wordy and witty, so require special attention to get the jokes. Amplifying that out to Sydney Opera House sized audience required some planning. The most tricky “And Her Mother Came Too” is highly dependent on hearing and understanding every line. Terfel and Lam succeeded in delivering this clearly by slowing down the story telling, even at one point leaving silence so the audience could laugh, knowing what was coming next. Great comedy skills.
The second half featured the classical genre with Lieder by Schubert, the stunning “Nuit d’étoiles” by Debussy, veering into an aria “O du mein holder Abendstern” from Tannhauser (Wagner) and closing with “Stars” from Les Misérables.
Terfel quipped that he felt he really should have played the role of Javert for the movie Les Misérables which drew instant applause. Then he back peddled a bit and offered a compliment to Russell Crowe, knowing he was on Crowe’s homeland. Most in the audience would have preferred Terfel anyway.
With the programmed performance complete, after continued applause from the audience, the artists gave no less than 4 encores. The audience left humming their favourite tunes from the night. Trains heading in all directions from Central showed many passengers reading through the programme.
No one would complain about value for money in this concert. It brought to mind another concert by a certain well known pianist who was guest artist to the Sydney Symphony some years ago. He was the main headline act used to promote the concert yet, the orchestra filled out the main content. The pianist appeared for 1 x 20 minute concerto, a 1 minute encore (seriously, it couldn’t have been shorter) then left and the orchestra continued with the program.
Terfel’s concert was a stark contrast with over 2 hours and 4 encores, Terfel was only missing from the stage for a few harp solos. He clearly loves being with his audience, starts conversations with the kids in the front row, cracks jokes and effortlessly shifts from the evil Scarpia to the most sensitive Welsh lyrical song.
The concert was outstanding. Terfel is now 60 years old and already winding down from the heaviest opera roles. You simply must see him or the retirement years will arrive too soon.
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You have two more chances to hear Bryn Terfel before he heads away from Sydney. The Sydney Symphony will perform Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” in the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October 2026.
Be quick to book your tickets here: https://www.sydneysymphony.com/concert-tickets/whats-on/calendar
Artists
Bryn Terfel – Bass Baritone
Hannah Stone – Harp
Andrea Lam – Piano
Program
IDRIS LEWIS Cân yr Arad Goch
OWEN WILLIAMS Sul y Blodau
MEIRION WILLIAMS Y Cymro
FREDERICK KEEL Salt Water Ballads
TRAD arr. Thomas Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn
IVOR NOVELLO I Can Give You the Starlight
TRAD arr. Hazell Suo Gân
IVOR NOVELLO We’ll Gather Lilacs
TRAD arr. Hazell Ar Hyd y Nos
TRAD arr. Thomas/Davies Dafydd y Garreg Wen
TRAD arr. Hazell Ar lan y môr
IVOR NOVELLO My Dearest Dear
IVOR NOVELLO And Her Mother Came Too
-Interval-
FRANZ SCHUBERT Liebesbotschaft
FRANZ SCHUBERT Litanei auf das Fest Aller Seelen
FRANZ SCHUBERT Auf dem Wasser zu singen
JESÜS GURIDI Viejo Zortzico
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Nuit d’étoiles
ROBERT SCHUMANN Mein schöner Stern!
TRAD Ar hyd y nos
RICHARD WAGNER Tannhäuser: Wie Todesahnung…
CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG Les Misérables: Stars
Encores:
JERRY BOCK “If I were a Rich Man” from Fiddler on the Roof
DEBORAH HENSON-CONANT Baroque Flamenco
JOAQUIN RODRIGO (arr. Cameron) En Aranjuez con tu amor
ARRIGO BOITO “Son lo Spirito che nega” from the opera Mesfistofele
Related Links
What’s on from Sydney Symphony? https://www.sydneysymphony.com/concert-tickets
More about Bryn Terfel https://keynoteartistmanagement.com/artists/sir-bryn-terfel-cbe/
