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.
In the Bleak Midwinter
Bryn Terfel Lyrics
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Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed,
What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart, my heart.
Bryn Terfel's song "In the Bleak Midwinter" opens with a vivid depiction of a harsh winter landscape. The wind is moaning and the earth is as hard as iron, while the water is frozen solid like a stone. The snow is falling relentlessly, layer on layer, creating a stark and lonely world that seems to stretch back to time immemorial. In this setting, Terfel calls forth the figure of God - a force so powerful that even the heavens cannot hold him, and the earth will be shaken to its core when he comes to reign. And yet, for all his magnificence, God once found refuge in a lowly stable, taking human form as Jesus Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
During the harsh and depressing winter, the freezing wind cried out mournfully.
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
The ground was as hard as metal and the water seemed like solid rock.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
There was a significant amount of snowfall, layer upon layer.
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
This happened a long time ago, during a cold and desolate winter.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
God is too vast and powerful to be contained by either heaven or earth.
Heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
When God takes over and rules, both heaven and earth will disappear.
In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed,
During the cold and barren winter, a simple stable was enough to provide shelter.
The Lord, God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
The all-powerful God manifested himself in the form of Jesus Christ.
What can I give him, poor as I am?
Despite my own lack of wealth, what can I offer to God?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a shepherd, I would bring one of my best lambs as a gift.
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
If I were a Wise Man, I would contribute in the best way I can.
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart.
Ultimately, the greatest gift I can give to God is my own heart and devotion.
Yet what I can I give him: give my heart, my heart.
Once again, the repeated plea to offer one's own heart to God is emphasized.
Writer(s): Gustav Holst, Ricky Ross
Contributed by Alexandra K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.