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Bryn Terfel to sing in Wellington and Auckland


Welsh singing star Bryn Terfel, one of the most sought-after international voices, will perform a special gala concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
 

John Daly-Peoples
Mon, 01 Apr 2013

Bryn Terfel, A Gala Evening with the NZSO
Sponsored by ANZ Private
Conductor Tecwyn Evans

WELLINGTON 
Michael Fowler Centre / Friday, May 3, 6.30pm
AUCKLAND 
ASB Auditorium, Aotea Centre / Saturday, May 4, 7.30pm


Welsh singing star Bryn Terfel, one of the most sought-after international voices, will perform a special gala concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra next month.
 
New Zealand audiences will be able to hear him singing his career highlights with the full accompaniment of a live symphony orchestra.

The concert will be a rare opportunity to witness the breadth of his mastery amid an especially busy year for the opera world, being the twin bicentenaries of two giants of the romantic repertoire, Wagner and Verdi. This time, he takes on some of the world’s most impressive vocal works by the master of opera – Richard Wagner.

After the success of last year’s NZSO production of The Valkyrie, he will present Wagner arias that had The Guardian proclaiming him “the new Wagnerian king at Covent Garden”. From Wotan’s heart-wrenching mountain top farewell to the romantic aria O! du mein holder Abendstern in Tannhäuser; Terfel’s natural ability appears effortless.

The New York Times was equally enthusiastic saying “He can roar – with pain, with pleasure, with fierce indignation, filling the hall with full, strong tone. But he can also coo and purr at an extreme pianissimo, making a sound that stays audible only because there is so much in it to feel, as well as to hear”.

One of the world’s finest bass-baritones, Terfel is no stranger to some of the best international stages in the world, including the Metropolitan Opera House, Covent Garden or La Scala, and is the winner of Grammy and Gramophone awards.

His on- and off-stage charisma sets him apart from other artists. He is equally at home in opera, music theatre and the traditional songs of his native Wales.

In this concert you will hear some of the finest operatic repertoire as well as sparkling musical theatre gems – from the wide open cornfields in musical theatre classic Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’; to Bryn’s favourite folk songs such as My Little Welsh Home; and even the menacing whistling of Mefistofele, see why Gramophone declared: “This astonishingly gifted bass-baritone seems able to touch with magic whatever he sets his voice to”.
 
Terfel has charmed audiences and critics worldwide and New Zealand fans have been eager to see him return to perform with the full backing of a live symphony orchestra after his 2009 recital tour.
 
“I can't think of anyone who could present a concert quite like this, other than Bryn,” says guest conductor Tecwyn Evans, who is based in Sweden. “From the passion of Wagner, to the intimacy of some of the traditional folk songs in the second half, the audience will be treated to one of the great voices of this generation.

"I had enormous fun recording a Christmas CD with Bryn for Deutsche Grammophon a few years ago and it will be highlight for me to work alongside him once again, in partnership with the gem that is the NZSO.”

Concert programme

WAGNER:
Tannhäuser Overture
Aria: O! du mein holder Abendstern
Das Rheingold Aria: Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge
Die Walküre
The Ride of the Valkyries
Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music

BOITO: Mefistofele Aria: Son lo Spirito
WEILL: Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (The Ballad of Mack the Knife)
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN: Oklahoma! – Overture & Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’
LERNER & LOEWE: Camelot – How to Handle a Woman
BOCK: Fiddler on the Roof – If I Were a Rich Man
LILBURN: Aotearoa Overture
TRAD. Passing By
WILLIAMS: My Little Welsh Home
TRAD. Molly Malone

John Daly-Peoples
Mon, 01 Apr 2013
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Bryn Terfel to sing in Wellington and Auckland
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