Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Te… Read Full Bio ↴Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Leporello, but he has expanded his repertoire to include heavier roles, including Wagner.

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 Talk to the Trees
Bryn Terfel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I talk to the trees
But they don't listen to me
I talk to the stars
But they never hear me
The breeze hasn't time
To stop and hear what I say
I talk to them all in vain

[Chorus:]
But suddenly my words
Reach someone else's ears
Touch someone else's heartstrings, too
I tell you my dreams
And while you're listening to me
I suddenly see them come true

I can see us on an April night
Sipping brandy underneath the stars
Reading poems in the candlelight
To the strumming of guitars

I will tell you all the books I've read
And the way I met the King of France
Then I'll send the servants off to bed
And I'll ask you for a dance

[Chorus:]

Overall Meaning

Bryn Terfel's "I Talk to the Trees" talks about the singer's unsuccessful attempts to communicate with nature. He talks to trees and stars but they do not respond to him. He feels insignificant in the grand scheme of things and wonders if the natural world is indifferent to his presence.

However, when he talks to his beloved, it's a different story. Suddenly his words have an impact; they touch her heartstrings and give life to his dreams. This union is the catalyst to realizing his desires. Together they can sip brandy and read poems under the stars, and he can tell her stories about the books he's read and his encounters with royalty. The mundane activities such as sending the servants off to bed are elevated, and he gets to ask her for a dance.

The implication seems to be that the world can be a harsh and unresponsive place, but the love and connection with someone who cares can make it feel rich and alive. The natural world may be indifferent to our presence, but our connection to other people can give meaning and purpose to life.

Line by Line Meaning

I talk to the trees
I communicate with the trees

But they don't listen to me
But they do not respond to me

I talk to the stars
I converse with the stars

But they never hear me
But they do not perceive my words

The breeze hasn't time
The gentle wind lacks the time

To stop and hear what I say
To halt and grasp my words

I talk to them all in vain
I speak to them all uselessly

But suddenly my words
However, instantly my words

Reach someone else's ears
Are heard by someone else

Touch someone else's heartstrings, too
Stir someone else's emotions at the same time

I tell you my dreams
I share my aspirations with you