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.
Wexford Carol
Bryn Terfel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessèd Messiah born.
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God′s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
Prepare and go, the angels said,
To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you'll find, this happy morn,
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born.
There were three Wise Men from afar
Directed by a glorious star,
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay,
And when they came unto that place
Where our belovèd Messiah was,
They humbly cast them at his feet,
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as God′s angel has foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side the virgin maid
Attending to the Lord of Life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
The Wexford Carol, as sung by Bryn Terfel, is a traditional Irish Christmas carol that reminds listeners of the importance of reflecting on what God has done for us by sending his son Jesus to Earth. The carol begins by calling on people to consider and remember the birth of Jesus and the sacrifices God has made for us. The song then describes the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, such as the shepherds in the field who saw angels and the three wise men who were guided by a star to Bethlehem. The shepherds and wise men both brought gifts to the baby Jesus, symbolizing the reverence that people have for him.
The Wexford Carol ends with a call for listeners to approach Christmas with a "thankful heart and joyful mind" and to reflect on the significance of the holiday. The carol is performed in a slow and reverent style, with the rich and powerful voice of Bryn Terfel adding to the solemnity and reverence of the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Greetings to everyone this Christmas season
Consider well and bear in mind
Take a moment to reflect and remember
What our good God for us has done,
Think about what God has done for us
In sending His belovèd Son.
By sending His beloved Son, Jesus
With Mary holy we should pray
We should pray with the holy mother Mary
To God with love this Christmas Day;
On this blessed day of Christmas, we should pray to God with love
In Bethlehem upon that morn
On that particular morning in Bethlehem
There was a blessèd Messiah born.
The Messiah, whom we bless, was born
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
The shepherds kept watch close to Bethlehem
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
They were watching over their lambs and sheep
To whom God′s angels did appear
Then, God's angels appeared to them
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
The shepherds became very afraid
Prepare and go, the angels said,
The angels commanded them to prepare and go
To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
To Bethlehem, without fear
For there you'll find, this happy morn,
For on this joyful morning they will find
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born.
The royal newborn, sweet baby Jesus
There were three Wise Men from afar
Three Wise Men came from distant lands
Directed by a glorious star,
Guided by a bright and glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
They traveled day and night
Until they came where Jesus lay,
Until they found where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
When they finally arrived at that place
Where our belovèd Messiah was,
Where our beloved Messiah was found
They humbly cast them at his feet,
They humbly knelt before Him
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
With gifts of sweet-smelling incense, and valuable gold
With thankful heart and joyful mind,
With grateful hearts and joyful spirits
The shepherds went the babe to find,
The shepherds went looking for the baby
And as God′s angel has foretold,
As an angel of God had predicted
They did our Savior Christ behold.
They saw our Savior Christ
Within a manger He was laid,
He was laid in a manger
And by His side the virgin maid
And beside Him was the virgin Mary
Attending to the Lord of Life,
Serving the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife.
Who came to Earth to settle all disputes.
Writer(s): Traditional, Gounod Charles Francois, Hazell Christopher Charles
Contributed by Josiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.