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.
Ode To Joy
Bryn Terfel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tochter aus Elysium
wir betreten feuertrunken himmlische dein Heiligtum
Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt
alle Manschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt
Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt
alle Manschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt
wer ein holdes Weib errungen mische seinen Jubel ein
ja, wer auch nur eine Seele sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund
und wers nie gekonnt der stehle weinent sich aus diesem bund
ja, wer auch nur eine Seele sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund
und wers nie gekonnt der stehle weinent sich aus diesem bund
Freude Freude heißt die Feder in der ewigen Natur
Freude Freude treibt die Räder in der großen Weltenuhr
Blumen treibt sie aus dem Keime, Sonnen an das Virmament
ein dringtsie in Tiefen, die des Sehers Rohr nicht kennt
Blumen treibt sie aus dem Keime, Sonnen an das Virmament
ein dringtsie in Tiefen, die des Sehers Rohr nicht kennt
The lyrics to Bryn Terfel's "Ode To Joy" are a declaration of the power of joy to unite humanity. The song begins by invoking the "beautiful spark of the gods" and the daughter of Elysium, an idyllic paradise in Greek mythology. The singer invites us to enter heaven's sanctuary, "drunken with fire" - a metaphor for the transformative power of joy.
The song's central message is the idea that joy has the power to heal social divisions: "Your magic unites what fashion has strictly divided / All men become brothers where your gentle wing abides." The repetition of this line emphasizes the importance of this message. The second verse emphasizes that joy is not an exclusive emotion, but something that can be shared by all: "If you have achieved the great leap of being a friend to a friend / If you have won the heart of a fair maiden, then join in the jubilation / Yes, even if you can call just one soul your own on this Earth / Then let them steal away weeping from this band."
The final stanza of the song takes a more cosmic view of joy, declaring that it is the driving force behind nature itself. Joy is the "feather" that powers the universe's eternal clock, driving the growth of flowers and the movement of the stars. The song's message is ultimately a hopeful one - joy is not just a fleeting emotion, but a force that has the potential to bring us all together.
Line by Line Meaning
Freude schöner Götterfunken,
Joyful, beautiful divine spark,
Tochter aus Elysium
Daughter of Elysium
wir betreten feuertrunken himmlische dein Heiligtum
We enter, intoxicated by fire, your heavenly sanctuary.
Deine Zauber binden wieder was die Mode streng geteilt
Your magic reunites what custom has strictly divided.
alle Manschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt
All men become brothers where your gentle wing resides.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen eines Freundes Freund zu sein
He who has succeeded in the great attempt, to be a friend's friend,
wer ein holdes Weib errungen mische seinen Jubel ein
He who has won a lovely woman, let him join in jubilation.
ja, wer auch nur eine Seele sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund
Yes, whoever calls even one soul his own on this earth,
und wers nie gekonnt der stehle weinent sich aus diesem bund
And he who never could, let him steal himself away weeping from this group.
Freude Freude heißt die Feder in der ewigen Natur
Joy, joy is the spark that drives the eternal cycle of nature;
Freude Freude treibt die Räder in der großen Weltenuhr
Joy, joy keeps the planets in their orbits and all the stars spinning;
Blumen treibt sie aus dem Keime, Sonnen an das Virmament
Joy brings the blossoms from the dirt and lifts the sun up to the sky.
ein dringtsie in Tiefen, die des Sehers Rohr nicht kennt
It penetrates the depths unknown to the vision of the prophets.
Blumen treibt sie aus dem Keime, Sonnen an das Virmament
Joy brings the blossoms from the dirt and lifts the sun up to the sky.
ein dringtsie in Tiefen, die des Sehers Rohr nicht kennt
It penetrates the depths unknown to the vision of the prophets.
Writer(s): TOM SCOTT, LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Contributed by Oliver W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joseph Earle
A soaring baritone! Bryn Terfel is the best! Brilliant!
Big Citygirl
Enchanting
alwena jones
It`s nice to know that from a very small country we can produce mega talant like Bryn Terfel.
Rosa Angela
Fascinating! Beautiful recording. Thank you. Love it so much.
Doc Portland
I just came across this, beautiful. Although this isn't sung by the Phantom, I do prefer the role of Phantom performed by a baritone. I saw Norm Lewis and he was incredible. I really does sound much better with a haunting darker timbre...
PhantomFan1a
His voice is simply beautiful :) He could play a good Phantom too :)
ThePersianTenor
He should play the role of the Phantom. I wish there was a recording of him singing Music of the Night
Boundary
@ThePersianTenor there are recordings of Bryn Terfel singing a high A. He is a bass-baritone, yes, but his voice is remarkably lyrical for his voice classification. He trained a tenor at first, so that may provide an explanation for that.
Leonardo Wilson
Xaris Pagkapunan Timothy Nolen is an operatic Bass Baritone and did the phantom, the most powerful vocal performance of the role I ever heard. I saw him live back in 1988
Oliver Delica
@William Delargy I know baritones who can sing an Ab4