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# Gwlad, gwlad | 0:00:02 | 0:00:06 | |
# Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad | 0:00:06 | 0:00:13 | |
# Tra mor... # | 0:00:13 | 0:00:15 | |
Bryn Terfel is one of the world's top opera singers. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:18 | |
He's a bass baritone and sings a wide variety of musical genres. | 0:00:18 | 0:00:22 | |
He lives in North Wales where he grew up. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
I went to meet him on the final day of a festival in his name, | 0:00:25 | 0:00:29 | |
the BrynFest, at the Royal Festival Hall in London. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:32 | |
# ..barhau. # | 0:00:32 | 0:00:38 | |
I wanted to talk to him about his musical life | 0:00:38 | 0:00:42 | |
and find out what makes him tick. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:44 | |
RAUCOUS CHEERING | 0:00:44 | 0:00:46 | |
Choirs from around the world are arriving | 0:00:56 | 0:00:59 | |
to take part in the day's performances, | 0:00:59 | 0:01:01 | |
and I'm going to start the morning with Bryn outside his dressing room. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:05 | |
15, 16, 17... | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
-Bryn, great to meet you. -Hello there, good morning. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
-Really excited about today. -Have you warmed up your voice yet? -I have a bit. | 0:01:10 | 0:01:13 | |
-Well, I've been practising this aria from The Magic Flute. -You have? | 0:01:13 | 0:01:17 | |
-The O Isis. -Oh, that's really low. -It's quite low. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:21 | |
I'm a baritone, I don't know whether I can get that low. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:23 | |
I thought at some point today, we could give it a go together. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:27 | |
Why not? Well, we've got the choir here, | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
we've got the quarry band here as well, warming up. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
-So it's a hive of musical activity. -It's a good atmosphere. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:34 | |
-Yeah, it's fantastic. -How are you feeling? | 0:01:34 | 0:01:36 | |
I just went for a coffee over there and already met some members of the choir from Africa, from India... | 0:01:36 | 0:01:43 | |
It's brilliant. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:44 | |
-This is the BrynFest, isn't it? -Yes, yes. | 0:01:44 | 0:01:47 | |
We've already had three evenings, | 0:01:47 | 0:01:49 | |
so this is the one that closes the door on the festival of Bryn. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:53 | |
It's nice to be interviewing someone who's actually taller than I am. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:57 | |
-Am I? -I think you are, yeah. | 0:01:57 | 0:01:58 | |
I think you might be, just a little bit. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:00 | |
-Shall we do back-to-back? -Yeah, come on, then. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
What do you think? | 0:02:03 | 0:02:05 | |
-Me? -He does it, yeah. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
Yes, it's a good thing I put my heels on today. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
-Shall we go into your dressing room? -Yes, come on. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:13 | |
-How do you pronounce your name? You pronounce it Ter-vel. -Terr-vel, yes. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
Not an F, but a V. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:18 | |
Yes. In Welsh, one F is a V sound, | 0:02:18 | 0:02:22 | |
and two Fs, like - what shall I say? - | 0:02:22 | 0:02:27 | |
Ffestiniog, for instance, where the railway is, it's two Fs, | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
so it's a 'fuh'. | 0:02:30 | 0:02:31 | |
So, Terr-vel. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
How many hours' practice do you put in a day or does it vary enormously? | 0:02:33 | 0:02:38 | |
Erm, depends what opera I'm singing. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
If it's a Wagner opera, then I sing quite a bit, | 0:02:42 | 0:02:46 | |
just to bring this vehicle back into your voice | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
because, for me personally, | 0:02:49 | 0:02:51 | |
I don't know if it's the same for any other singer, | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
I seem to forget German very quickly. | 0:02:54 | 0:02:56 | |
So I have to keep on top of it, my finger has to be on the pulse. | 0:02:56 | 0:03:01 | |
My music room at home has a window that looks over | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
the Snowdonia Mountains. | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
Many a score has been thrown from corner to corner, you know, | 0:03:06 | 0:03:10 | |
many a glass of wine or a cup of coffee has been spilt over scores. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:15 | |
It's sometimes infuriating in the music room all by yourself, | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
trying to learn words, learn music, | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
but when the final light at the end of the tunnel is there, | 0:03:23 | 0:03:28 | |
it's such a fantastic feeling to think that you've achieved something monumental. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:34 | |
I sang for the Welsh National Opera a couple of years ago | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
the Meistersinger of Nuremberg which, by any yardstick, | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
is the longest role ever written for my voice category. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:43 | |
It took me a year to actually learn this piece. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
So it's very... Dedication, you know, homework is regimental. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:55 | |
You cannot just think, | 0:03:55 | 0:03:57 | |
"Oh, I can't do it today. I'm off on the golf course." | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
So, yes, I have to sing nearly every day. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:04 | |
10 o'clock rehearsal with choir of the world. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
10 until 12. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:13 | |
Bryn will be singing various songs during the day | 0:04:13 | 0:04:16 | |
and I'm going to listen to him warm up his voice. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:18 | |
Bryn took part in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1989 | 0:04:28 | 0:04:32 | |
and this helped to launch his career. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:34 | |
That should do it. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:11 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:05:11 | 0:05:12 | |
-Are you serious? That's it? -Yes. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:14 | |
What were you playing? | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
Oh, just a little bit, just to check if it's there. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
Still there, still got it? | 0:05:19 | 0:05:21 | |
Still there, still ringing. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:22 | |
Hello. Ti'n iawn, blodyn? | 0:05:26 | 0:05:28 | |
It's time for Bryn to rehearse with the choirs. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
First, though, there's a chance to catch up with another Welshman, | 0:05:36 | 0:05:39 | |
BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
who will be compering the concert in the hall. | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
Chi am ganu heddiw? | 0:05:44 | 0:05:45 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:05:45 | 0:05:46 | |
-Not quite. -Not quite. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:48 | |
Na. Yn sicr nid tra bo ti o gwmpas! | 0:05:48 | 0:05:50 | |
Singing is part of the cultural fabric of Wales | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
and Bryn hails from the tradition of the Welsh male voice choir. | 0:05:56 | 0:06:01 | |
Look at them in their red jackets. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
-This brings you alive, doesn't it? -Oh, yeah. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
The older I get, maybe I'm a little bit more... | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
..melancholic. I love it. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:14 | |
I could have a little tear already but I'm keeping it back, maybe. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:18 | |
This is the moment where it does all start to come together, doesn't it? | 0:06:18 | 0:06:22 | |
Hey, they like their 'amens'! | 0:06:22 | 0:06:23 | |
Amen! | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
Do you think... | 0:06:27 | 0:06:28 | |
-..the piano would be better there? -In the middle? | 0:06:30 | 0:06:33 | |
The problem with that is that there are choirs down here in the first half. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:39 | |
-Oh, they are, right. That's fine, yeah. -In front of the band. -OK. | 0:06:39 | 0:06:43 | |
-Let's see what it's like coming out. -Yeah. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
See whether you're OK and whether we can be heard, | 0:06:45 | 0:06:47 | |
-and Mick will decide with you if we need amplification for you. -OK. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:51 | |
# I'se weary of waitin' for the gospel train | 0:06:53 | 0:07:07 | |
# Old, tired and dreary | 0:07:07 | 0:07:14 | |
# Take me home again | 0:07:14 | 0:07:21 | |
# Massa calls me to join... # | 0:07:22 | 0:07:26 | |
Conductor Paul Bateman has worked with Bryn before. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:29 | |
Who's in charge when you're working with Bryn? | 0:07:29 | 0:07:32 | |
Ah, that's a good question, when working with all singers. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
It's a collaboration, you know. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:37 | |
In a sense, the soloist is going to be the soloist and, therefore, | 0:07:37 | 0:07:40 | |
you're accompanying the soloist. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:43 | |
At the same time, you might have musical ideas | 0:07:43 | 0:07:46 | |
to suggest how you want the music to be. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
But, in general, people come to a pretty quick understanding. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
# ..for the gospel train. # | 0:07:52 | 0:08:03 | |
Woo-hoo! | 0:08:03 | 0:08:05 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:08:05 | 0:08:07 | |
Calm down, calm down! | 0:08:07 | 0:08:09 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:08:09 | 0:08:10 | |
Bryn's got a rehearsal with the pianist Annabel Thwaite, | 0:08:13 | 0:08:16 | |
who's going to be accompanying him. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:18 | |
-I wish I could play the piano. -You can. We saw you earlier. | 0:08:18 | 0:08:22 | |
Not like this. | 0:08:22 | 0:08:23 | |
# If I can help somebody as I pass along | 0:08:28 | 0:08:37 | |
# If I can cheer somebody with a word or song | 0:08:37 | 0:08:45 | |
# If I can show somebody he is travelling wrong | 0:08:45 | 0:08:52 | |
# Then my living shall not be in vain. # | 0:08:52 | 0:09:06 | |
Good work! | 0:09:06 | 0:09:07 | |
Der-dum-tsssh! | 0:09:07 | 0:09:09 | |
Incredible sound! I mean... In the tiniest of rooms, as well. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:14 | |
Just fantastic. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:15 | |
I did a duet once with Tom Jones in one of his An Evening With Tom, | 0:09:15 | 0:09:20 | |
and sang in a rehearsal room like this. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:23 | |
He has - well, had - an operatic voice as a youngster. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:28 | |
He could have been a tenor, undoubtedly. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:30 | |
# I chwalu'r holl amheuon | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
# Anfonaf angel atat ti | 0:09:34 | 0:09:39 | |
# A guardian angel keeping watch till morning | 0:09:39 | 0:09:48 | |
# A guardian angel with undying love | 0:09:48 | 0:09:55 | |
# I'm safe with you to guide me and rest with you beside me | 0:09:55 | 0:10:03 | |
# My guardian angel from above | 0:10:03 | 0:10:10 | |
# My guardian angel from above. # | 0:10:12 | 0:10:25 | |
-Great! -Beautiful. | 0:10:26 | 0:10:28 | |
Annabel, your instrument's the piano, | 0:10:28 | 0:10:31 | |
your instrument is your voice... | 0:10:31 | 0:10:33 | |
Do you treat it as an instrument and treat it with real care? | 0:10:33 | 0:10:39 | |
Yes. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:40 | |
I...sometimes treat it with care, | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
especially when I've got big debuts and Wagnerian operas. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:51 | |
That is go back home and lock the door, | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
but, usually, I'm pretty, you know, comfortable. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:58 | |
I like to also enjoy a little bit of life. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
-So, I've got the words, I've scribbled the words down... -Yes. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
..to an aria from The Magic Flute. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
Yes. And this is sung by Sarastro, yeah, which I've never sang. | 0:11:07 | 0:11:12 | |
-You've never sung it? -No, because it's a bass role. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
So it's lower than you and it's actually lower than me, really, | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
-cos I think I'm a bass baritone. -Let me see, then. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
# O I... # | 0:11:19 | 0:11:21 | |
Put your hands down! Why are you putting your hands up? | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
-Why do my hands need to be down? -Stay still. -OK, I'll stay still. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
Cos people want to look at your face, not your hands. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
I'll keep my hands down, all right. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:32 | |
# O Isis... # | 0:11:32 | 0:11:34 | |
Your hands are up again. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
# ..und Osiris schenket | 0:11:37 | 0:11:42 | |
# Die Weisheit Geist dem neuen Paar... # | 0:11:42 | 0:11:50 | |
Nice. Breathe. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:52 | |
# Die ihr der... | 0:11:52 | 0:11:55 | |
# ..Wand'rer Schritte lenket | 0:11:55 | 0:12:03 | |
# Staerkt mit Geduld sie in Gefahr | 0:12:03 | 0:12:12 | |
# Staerkt mit Geduld sie in Gefahr. # | 0:12:12 | 0:12:23 | |
Fantastic! Nice. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
When I had a singing teacher, he could play the piano, | 0:12:25 | 0:12:28 | |
he could speak six languages, | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
and he was perfect for what I had to learn in music. | 0:12:31 | 0:12:36 | |
You know, I came from a little farm in North Wales. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
My dad has sheep and cows - or had, cos he's retired now. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:44 | |
So it was a big culture shock to leave the square mile of North Wales, | 0:12:44 | 0:12:50 | |
but I had told myself, you know, | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
"This is your only chance, so you better embrace it." | 0:12:53 | 0:12:56 | |
People often want to know how a big star becomes a big star, | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
so how did you start out in music? | 0:13:00 | 0:13:03 | |
I sang in competitions in Wales, little Eisteddfod, they call it. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:09 | |
It's a gathering of people competing against each other. | 0:13:09 | 0:13:12 | |
So I started performing when I was about three or four years old, | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
reciting, then going into singing. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
And my parents were very influential, | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
in the fact that they drove me to these different places - | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
north, south, east, west. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:27 | |
And it certainly gave one a love of performance. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:32 | |
# Y gwrol hyn a gar wlad | 0:13:32 | 0:13:36 | |
# Y gwerin a fu'n gariad... # | 0:13:36 | 0:13:41 | |
Maybe I liked performing at that age, | 0:13:41 | 0:13:45 | |
but then the voice started developing and people started noticing. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:49 | |
I would win a couple of these competitions which is an incentive. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:54 | |
For me, it gave me a little bit of money, | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
which bought a new football boots or new Manchester United kit. | 0:13:57 | 0:14:01 | |
It was very important for me then. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:03 | |
During rehearsals, | 0:14:04 | 0:14:05 | |
there's an opportunity to have a chat with Huw Edwards backstage. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:09 | |
Describe Bryn's voice for me in a couple of sentences. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:13 | |
Instantly recognisable, | 0:14:14 | 0:14:18 | |
resonant, | 0:14:18 | 0:14:19 | |
immensely powerful, | 0:14:19 | 0:14:21 | |
and yet able to be sensitive. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:23 | |
Probably the best quality voice of its kind anywhere in the world. | 0:14:23 | 0:14:28 | |
Doesn't get much better than that. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
'Before he performs, | 0:14:31 | 0:14:33 | |
'Bryn's been invited to a function hosted by the Welsh government.' | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
John Morris was the British Secretary of State for Wales in the 1970s. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:42 | |
Wherever you go, if you think of Welsh music these days, | 0:14:42 | 0:14:46 | |
it is Bryn Terfel first, second and third. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:49 | |
Roger Lewis is the group chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:54 | |
I've been fortunate enough to stand in front of Bryn Terfel | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
when he has sung the national anthem Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau at the Millennium Stadium, | 0:14:58 | 0:15:02 | |
and I tell you what, it's like having a front seat | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
at Covent Garden | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
because, behind me, towering, was Snowdon, vocally. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
# ..bur hoff bau | 0:15:10 | 0:15:15 | |
# O bydded i'r heniaith barhau. # | 0:15:15 | 0:15:26 | |
Preparations are continuing behind the scenes. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:29 | |
-How are the nerves? -Fine. No problem. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:34 | |
Did you have nerves when you started out? | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
I did, incredible, terrible nerves. They were... | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
-..so bad that I nearly gave it all up. -Really? -Yeah. | 0:15:43 | 0:15:47 | |
But I learned to kind of regulate them. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
You know, you do need your kind of adrenaline, I don't know... | 0:15:52 | 0:15:56 | |
There's a sudden build-up to having a certain kind of nerves, | 0:15:56 | 0:16:02 | |
but to be able to use it to your advantage - | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
that's what you have to maybe teach yourself, or I did. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:10 | |
Later in my career, | 0:16:10 | 0:16:11 | |
I think I'm enjoying my singing much more than I did when I was young. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:16 | |
I think more about my music. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
I embrace it more. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:24 | |
When I know I've got big operas coming up, | 0:16:24 | 0:16:27 | |
I look forward to them now. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:29 | |
Whereas before, it was... | 0:16:29 | 0:16:30 | |
..making a living, you know? | 0:16:32 | 0:16:33 | |
But now it's... | 0:16:33 | 0:16:35 | |
I've got Wagner's Ring coming up in Covent Garden. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
I can't tell you how much I'm chomping at the bit to get it done | 0:16:38 | 0:16:43 | |
because I controversially pulled out when The Ring was there | 0:16:43 | 0:16:46 | |
a couple of years ago because my son had an accident with his finger. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:51 | |
And, you know, I've got three boys, | 0:16:51 | 0:16:54 | |
so whilst my wife was looking after one child who was having a couple of operations, | 0:16:54 | 0:16:59 | |
I had to be home to look after the other two, | 0:16:59 | 0:17:01 | |
and that's the first time, really, | 0:17:01 | 0:17:04 | |
that I made a decision that was primarily for my family. | 0:17:04 | 0:17:09 | |
Of course people were disappointed that I pulled out of six shows, in essence. | 0:17:09 | 0:17:15 | |
But I've got the chance now to repay them | 0:17:15 | 0:17:18 | |
with three Cycles coming up in the autumn. | 0:17:18 | 0:17:21 | |
What have you got there? | 0:17:23 | 0:17:24 | |
-The Royal Festival Hall visiting artists book. -Oh! | 0:17:24 | 0:17:28 | |
I know you signed a previous one when you did your Bad Boys concert. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:31 | |
-Yes. -But could you sign these? -Do I sign it again? -Yes, please. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:35 | |
And you can write something in Welsh, if you like. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:38 | |
-You're after Harry Belafonte. -Harry Belafonte! Well, well. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:41 | |
Do you lift weights? | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
-No, I don't. -You just naturally seem very strong, then. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
I don't know. Maybe I've got the size of a rugby player from the '70s. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:54 | |
I wouldn't even get into the Welsh team now. I'd be too small. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:58 | |
What about the acting? Where do you learn to act? | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
I... I couldn't answer you that question | 0:18:01 | 0:18:04 | |
because I've always made the distinction that you should always | 0:18:04 | 0:18:09 | |
trust what the director says. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
And if he says for me to do something, then I listen, | 0:18:12 | 0:18:15 | |
and I write it down in my score, you know. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:18 | |
I might disagree sometimes, | 0:18:18 | 0:18:19 | |
but I've learned not to disagree in this profession, | 0:18:19 | 0:18:22 | |
because the road ahead of you is much clearer | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
and people seem to react better to you if you say yes. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:31 | |
When you trained as an opera singer, did you also train to act? | 0:19:08 | 0:19:12 | |
Yes, when I was at the Guildhall we had acting lessons. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
We had everything at the Guildhall, | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
-jazz, blues, tap dancing - can you imagine that? -No! | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
Fencing, opera, oratorio, lieder, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:25 | |
so it was like a big tree | 0:19:25 | 0:19:27 | |
and all the branches were there to guide you in a given way. | 0:19:27 | 0:19:32 | |
I went to the operatic branch. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:35 | |
I think it's fair to say that there's a stigma attached to Wagner. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
He had extreme views and Hitler used some of his music. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:20 | |
As a performer, do you leave that to one side or does it trouble you? | 0:20:20 | 0:20:24 | |
Certainly, I'll leave it to one side. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
Look, I've got enough on my plate to think about, | 0:20:26 | 0:20:28 | |
especially when you're singing such an important vehicle as Hans Sachs, for instance, | 0:20:28 | 0:20:33 | |
and the music that you refer to was taken from the Meistersinger. | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
It comes up in rehearsals, you talk about it with the director | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
but, in essence, once that overture starts, | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
there's only one thing on your mind - | 0:20:45 | 0:20:47 | |
to be concentrated, your style, your interpretation, | 0:20:47 | 0:20:51 | |
and that's what's really important. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:53 | |
Other views you can leave to yourself when you close that door when you're at home. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:57 | |
-Good luck, Bryn. -Thank you, sir. -Enjoy. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:01 | |
Bryn Terfel, thank you very much. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:21:06 | 0:21:07 | |
# When other helpers fail and comforts flee | 0:21:15 | 0:21:28 | |
# Help of the helpless | 0:21:28 | 0:21:34 | |
# O, abide with me | 0:21:34 | 0:21:43 | |
# Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes | 0:21:43 | 0:21:56 | |
# Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies | 0:21:56 | 0:22:10 | |
# Heaven's morning breaks and Earth's vain shadows flee | 0:22:10 | 0:22:24 | |
# In life, in death O, Lord, abide with me | 0:22:24 | 0:22:40 | |
# In life, in death O Lord, abide with me. # | 0:22:40 | 0:23:10 | |
APPLAUSE | 0:23:10 | 0:23:12 | |
Wow! | 0:23:16 | 0:23:17 | |
There we go. A little song. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:26 | |
-How did that go, Bryn? -That? Oh, excellent! | 0:23:26 | 0:23:29 | |
Wow! | 0:23:30 | 0:23:31 | |
Does the voice become more powerful as you get older? Or richer? | 0:23:33 | 0:23:39 | |
No. No, I don't think so. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:41 | |
Maybe there are tricks of the trade | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
that you are content to use later on in life, I don't know. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:49 | |
Ask me in about ten years. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:51 | |
But, at the moment, I'm enjoying my singing, | 0:23:51 | 0:23:55 | |
and you can't beat that - | 0:23:55 | 0:23:58 | |
to walk into your office with a smile on your face. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:01 | |
CHEERING | 0:24:03 | 0:24:04 | |
The day concludes with the big sing, | 0:24:04 | 0:24:07 | |
where members of the public can join with Bryn | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
and the choirs in a medley of songs. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:12 | |
# Can you hear me? # | 0:24:12 | 0:24:14 | |
-AUDIENCE: -Yes! | 0:24:14 | 0:24:16 | |
Let me sing some Wagner first to just warm the voice up. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:22 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
# Abendlich strahlt die Sonne... # | 0:24:24 | 0:24:28 | |
Yeah, that's OK. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:29 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:24:29 | 0:24:31 | |
# I am weak, but thou art mighty | 0:24:35 | 0:24:40 | |
# Hold me with thy powerful hand | 0:24:40 | 0:24:45 | |
# Bread of heaven | 0:24:45 | 0:24:48 | |
# Bread of heaven | 0:24:48 | 0:24:51 | |
# Feed me till I want no more | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
# Want no more | 0:24:54 | 0:24:56 | |
# Feed me till I want no more. # | 0:24:56 | 0:25:03 | |
# Agor y ffynhonnau melys | 0:25:03 | 0:25:09 | |
# Sydd yn tarddu or Graig i maes | 0:25:09 | 0:25:14 | |
# 'Rhyd yr anial mawr canlyned | 0:25:14 | 0:25:20 | |
# Afon iachawdwriaeth gras | 0:25:20 | 0:25:25 | |
# Rho im hynny, rho im hynny | 0:25:25 | 0:25:30 | |
# Dim i mi ond dy fwynhau | 0:25:30 | 0:25:35 | |
# Dim i mi ond dy fwynhau | 0:25:35 | 0:25:42 | |
# I will ever give to thee Give to thee | 0:25:42 | 0:25:48 | |
# I will ever give to thee. # | 0:25:48 | 0:26:00 | |
CHEERING | 0:26:00 | 0:26:02 | |
There are plenty of autographs to sign and photos to be taken | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
when the music stops. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
I'm going to slip this inside. | 0:26:13 | 0:26:15 | |
Bryn's first language is Welsh and he's got an interview with Welsh TV station S4C, | 0:26:15 | 0:26:20 | |
before I get to ask some final questions in English. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:25 | |
..stad y Faenol, yn yr awyr agored o flaen y Fenai. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
How do you actually deal with the celebrity side of things? | 0:26:27 | 0:26:31 | |
Look, I have seen Placido Domingo, | 0:26:31 | 0:26:36 | |
I have seen Jose Carreras sign | 0:26:36 | 0:26:39 | |
signatures and books and scores and pictures till 3am, | 0:26:39 | 0:26:44 | |
in a place called Peralada in Spain. | 0:26:44 | 0:26:48 | |
And I was the last one in that queue, when I was 23 years old, | 0:26:48 | 0:26:53 | |
for Carreras to sign my score and I said to him, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:57 | |
"Jose, I've learnt something from you today. | 0:26:57 | 0:27:00 | |
"You are the most gracious, most warm human being that I've ever seen. | 0:27:00 | 0:27:05 | |
"And you only gave your time." You know, he signed for four hours. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:08 | |
I signed for 30 minutes, so if Carreras can do it, | 0:27:08 | 0:27:11 | |
then it's good enough for me to do it as well. | 0:27:11 | 0:27:14 | |
I want to ask you what your top karaoke song is or, | 0:27:14 | 0:27:20 | |
if you don't do it, what it would be. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:22 | |
It would be... | 0:27:22 | 0:27:23 | |
# I went to the desert on a horse with no name | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
# It felt good to be out of the rain. # | 0:27:26 | 0:27:29 | |
America. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:30 | |
Here's, perhaps, a silly question, but do you ever have to audition for anything any more? | 0:27:30 | 0:27:34 | |
HA! Huh! | 0:27:34 | 0:27:36 | |
Erm, good question! | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
-No. -No, I haven't auditioned for anything apart from one thing, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:42 | |
which was a couple of years ago. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:44 | |
I sang an opera that Roger Waters from Pink Floyd had written - | 0:27:44 | 0:27:47 | |
Ca Ira it was called - and I auditioned for that. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:51 | |
It was kind of a recording audition, though, | 0:27:51 | 0:27:54 | |
in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. | 0:27:54 | 0:27:57 | |
-I finally got to record the whole piece... -So you got it? | 0:27:57 | 0:28:00 | |
I did, which was an incredible meeting of horns again, | 0:28:00 | 0:28:06 | |
because I loved Pink Floyd when I was a teenager, | 0:28:06 | 0:28:09 | |
and have since become friends with Roger. | 0:28:09 | 0:28:11 | |
He's an avid golfer, fisherman, | 0:28:11 | 0:28:14 | |
he's a big supporter of Arsenal and I'm a supporter of Manchester United. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
He loves his English rugby and I love my Welsh rugby, | 0:28:18 | 0:28:21 | |
so it's just the perfect collaboration. | 0:28:21 | 0:28:24 | |
But that was the only time, maybe the last time, | 0:28:24 | 0:28:27 | |
I had to audition for something. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:28 | |
What would you like your legacy to be? | 0:28:28 | 0:28:31 | |
My legacy is that I tried my best. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:37 | |
Bryn Terfel, thank you very, very much for letting me spend the day with you. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:41 | |
Ah, it's been a pleasure! Thank you very much. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:44 | |
# ..hoff bau | 0:28:44 | 0:28:46 | |
# O bydded i'r heniaith barhau. # | 0:28:46 | 0:29:02 | |
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 |