Bryn Terfel Jones was born in Pantglas, North Wales, the son of a farmer (he knew of another Welsh baritone named Delme Bryn-Jones, so Terfel chose Bryn Terfel as his professional name). Terfel had an interest in and talent for music from a very young age. A family friend taught him how to sing, starting with traditional Welsh songs. After winning numerous competitions for his singing, Terfel moved to London in 1984 and entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which he graduated in 1989, winning the Gold Medal. He came in second behind Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the Cardiff BBC Singer of the World Competition the same year, though won the Lieder Prize.
In 1990, Terfel made his operatic début as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte at the Welsh National Opera, and later in the same season he sang the title role in The Marriage of Figaro, a role with which he made his debut with the English National Opera in 1991.
Terfel made his United States début as Figaro at the Santa Fe Opera. In 1992, he made his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden début as Masetto in Don Giovanni, with Thomas Allen in the title role. Terfel's international breakthrough came when he sang Jochanaan in Strauss's Salome at the 1992 Salzburg Festival. Terfel went on to make his début as Figaro at the Vienna State Opera. That year, he also signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and returned to the Welsh National Opera to sing Ford in Falstaff. In 1993, he recorded the role of Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard, by Gilbert and Sullivan. Terfel has said that he would like to record "an album of Gilbert and Sullivan arias."
In 1994, Terfel sang Figaro at Covent Garden, and made his Metropolitan Opera début in the same role. He also sang Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Ravinia Festival under the baton of James Levine. However, back surgery in 1994 (and again in 2000) prevented him from performing in several scheduled events. In 1996, Terfel expanded his repertoire to include Wagner, singing Wolfram in Tannhäuser at the Metropolitan Opera, and Stravinsky, singing Nick Shadow in The Rake's Progress at the Welsh National Opera.
In 1997, Terfel made his La Scala début as Figaro. In 1998, Bryn had a recital at Carnegie Hall which included works by Wolf, Fauré, Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, and others. In 1999, Terfel performed in Paris the title role of Don Giovanni for the first time. That year, Terfel also debuted in the title role in Falstaff at the Sydney Opera House for Opera Australia and then performed the same role at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
I Have Dreamed
Bryn Terfel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have dreamed what a joy you′ll be.
I have dreamed every word you whisper.
When you're close,
Close to me.
How you look in the glow of evening
I have dreamed and enjoyed the view.
In these dreams I′ve loved you so
What it's like to be loved by you,
I will love being loved by you.
Alone and awake I've looked at the stars,
The same that smile on you;
And time and again I′ve thought all the things T
Hat you were thinking too.
I have dreamed that arms are lovely,
I have dreamed what a joy you′ll be.
I have dreamed every word you whisper.
When you're close,
Close to me.
How you look in the glow of evening
I have dreamed and enjoyed the view.
In these dreams I′ve loved you so
That by now I think I know.
What it's like to be loved by you.
I will love being loved by you.
The song "I Have Dreamed" is a romantic ballad that talks about the dreams that the singer has about a person they are in love with. The lyrics of the song portray the deep emotions and feelings of the singer towards the person they have been dreaming about. The song speaks of the joy that the person brings into the singer's life and the happiness they feel when they are close to each other. The singer also talks about the beautiful view of the person in the evening glow, which is something they have enjoyed only in their dreams.
Through the lyrics of the song, the singer expresses their longing for love and affection from the person they love. They talk about how they have dreamed of being loved and cherished by the person so much that they feel like they know what it's like to be loved by them. The song talks about the singer's hopes and desires to be with the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
I have dreamed that arms are lovely,
I have had dreams where loving arms are warm and comforting, embracing me with tenderness.
I have dreamed what a joy you'll be.
In my dreams, I have envisioned how happy and delightful it would be to share my life with you.
I have dreamed every word you whisper.
In my dreams, I have heard every single word you speak to me, and the sound of your voice comforts me.
When you're close, close to me.
When you are near, in my dreams and in reality, I feel a sense of security and warmth.
How you look in the glow of evening
In my dreams, I picture you in the warm light of the sunset, and I am captivated by your beauty and grace.
I have dreamed and enjoyed the view.
I have imagined a lovely scene in my dreams and appreciated the serene, peaceful setting that we share together.
In these dreams I've loved you so
Through my dreams, I have felt an intense, all-consuming love for you.
That by now I think I know
I believe, as a result of my dreams, that I have come to understand you and our connection more deeply.
What it's like to be loved by you.
I have come to understand the feeling of being loved by you, and it fills me with joy and contentment.
I will love being loved by you.
I know that I will be filled with happiness and contentment when I feel your deep love for me.
Writer(s): Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein
Contributed by Miles Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.