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.
They Call the Wind Maria
Bryn Terfel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For wind and rain and fire
The rain is Tess, the fire's Joe,
And they call the wind Maria
Maria blows the stars around
And sends the clouds a'flyin'
Maria makes the mountains sound
Maria, Maria
They call the wind Maria
Before I knew Maria's name
And heard her wail and whinin'
I had a girl and she had me
And the sun was always shinin'
But then one day I left my girl
I left her far behind me
And now I'm lost, so gone and lost
Not even God can find me
Maria, Maria
They call the wind Maria
(Out here they got a name for rain
For wind and fire only
But when you're lost and all alone
There ain't no word but lonely)
And I'm a lost and lonely man
Without a star to guide me
Maria blow my love to me
I need my girl beside me
(Maria, Maria)
They call the wind Maria
(Maria, Maria)
Blow my love to me
The song "They Call the Wind Maria" by Bryn Terfel is a melancholic ballad narrating the story of a lonely man who is lost in the wilderness and longs for his lover's companionship. The lyrics speak about how, in the vast expanse of the outdoors, everything has a name, like the wind, the rain, and fire. The rain is named Tess, and the fire is called Joe, but the wind is named Maria. Maria is portrayed as a powerful entity, which can move the mountains and the clouds, she blows the stars around, and her howling sounds like cries of people dying on the peaks of the mountains.
The singer then reminisces about his life before he knew Maria's name, where he was with his girl, and the sun was always shining. However, one day he left his girl behind, and since then, he's been lost, too far gone even for God to find him. He's left with nothing but his loneliness, which deepens the further he goes. The lyrics describe how the only solace he seeks is for Maria to blow his love to him, bringing his girl back to him. The song's ending repeats the refrain "Maria, Maria, blow my love to me."
The song has a darker tone, with clear Western influences. Its narrative is cinematic and thematically evocative, describing the natural world in grandiose terms, giving the song a sense of grandeur. At the same time, the song emphasizes the singer's personal journey, his longing, and desire for companionship. The song has been covered by many musicians and artists, including The Kingston Trio, Johnny Cash, and The Statler Brothers, to name a few.
Line by Line Meaning
Away out here they got a name
In this remote place, there exists a distinctive name
For wind and rain and fire
That represents wind, rain, and fire
The rain is Tess, the fire's Joe,
Referring to rain as Tess and fire as Joe
And they call the wind Maria
The name given to wind is Maria
Maria blows the stars around
Maria moves the stars with her force
And sends the clouds a'flyin'
Causing the clouds to move swiftly
Maria makes the mountains sound
With her strength, Maria creates a sound like someone dying
Like folks were up there dying
As if someone's life is fading away up there
Maria, Maria
Calling Maria repeatedly
Before I knew Maria's name
Prior to when Maria was known
And heard her wail and whinin'
Or heard the howling of the wind
I had a girl and she had me
I once had a lover who was dear to me
And the sun was always shinin'
The sun always shone and the days were filled with happiness
But then one day I left my girl
However, one day I had to leave her behind
I left her far behind me
Left her way behind, far from where I am now
And now I'm lost, so gone and lost
I'm lost now and completely lost
Not even God can find me
Lost entirely so God cannot even locate me
Maria, Maria
Announcing Maria again
Before I knew Maria's name
Before becoming familiar with Maria's name
And heard her wail and whinin'
And heard the wind howling
I had a girl and she had me
I had a girl and we were happy together
(Out here they got a name for rain
(In this place, there's even a name for rain
For wind and fire only
Distinctive names only given to wind and fire
But when you're lost and all alone
But when you are lost, all by yourself
There ain't no word but lonely)
No other word for how you feel except 'lonely'
And I'm a lost and lonely man
I am now very lonely and lost
Without a star to guide me
Without any particular direction or guide
Maria blow my love to me
Hopeful that the wind would bring back my love
I need my girl beside me
I miss my girl and I need her by my side again
(Maria, Maria)
(Mentioning Maria again)
They call the wind Maria
Reiterating that Maria is the name for the wind
(Maria, Maria)
(Mentioning Maria again)
Blow my love to me
Asking the wind to carry my love to me
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind