Between June 28 and July 1, the Enescu Festival Online ends its season with an exceptional recital by the famous British bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, alongside the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Welshman Gareth Jones. One of the best-rated voices in the world at the moment and a great admirer of the Enescu Festival, which he describes in his interviews as “a wonderful treasure”, Sir Bryn Terfel electrified the Romanian Athenaeum Hall, in the 2019 George Enescu International Festival, with his fabulous voice, overwhelming stage presence, and utmost charming program.
The extraordinary versatility of this large, warm, and enveloping voice allows the baritone to easily sing Wagner’s music, as well as Welsh folklore or American musicals. Sir Bryn Terfel presented an eclectic and sparkling repertoire, passing with delightful ease from Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Arrigo Boito, and Weill to Jerry Bock, Lerner & Loewe and Rodgers & Hammerstein.
Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel has established an extraordinary career, performing regularly on the prestigious concert stages and opera houses of the world, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; the Metropolitan Opera, New York; Opéra National de Paris; Teatro Alla Scala and Zürich Opera. Roles for which he is most noted include Falstaff, Dulcamara, Wotan, and Holländer. A Grammy, Classical Brit and Gramophone Award winner, Sir Bryn Terfel was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Opera in 2003, was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2006 and received a knighthood for his service to music in 2017.
Gareth Jones regularly collaborates with Sir Bryn Terfel in opera galas throughout Europe and in 2015 conducted a special semi-staged concert performance of Tosca at the Wales Millennium Centre with the Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera as part of Sir Bryn Terfel’s 50th birthday celebrations. He was founder, Musical Director and is Principal Conductor of Sinfonia Cymru where he has worked with instrumentalists such as Llŷr Williams, Peter Donohoe, Jean Philippe-Collard, Catrin Finch and Michael Collins. He was on the music staff of The Welsh National Opera from 1990 to 2008, where he conducted Italian, French, Czech, Russian, and German operatic repertoire. As a freelance conductor, he has conducted at Bregenz Festival, Brisbane Festival, Vancouver Opera, English National Opera and Cape Town Opera.
Created in 1856 and originally named “Orchestre du Nouveau Cercle des Etrangers”, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra now occupies a prominent place in the international music world. Combining tradition and modernity, the Orchestra performs both symphonic works from the great classical repertoire, as well as rarely heard compositions, and contemporary pieces from the lyrical and choreographic creation. Numerous world premieres have been created in Monte Carlo since the 1900s, with composers such as Massenet, Puccini, Ravel, Fauré, or Poulenc finding the Orchestra as an ideal partner for performing their works. Contemporary music has also been a constant presence in OPMC seasons, including works by Henze, Dutilleux, Pärt, Lutosławski, Penderecki, Holliger, Ligeti, and Takemitsu. Important names such as Alexandre Hermann, Léon Jehin, Henri Tomasi, Edouard van Remoortel, Igor Markevitch, Lovro von Matačić, Lawrence Foster, Yakov Kreizberg, and Gianluigi Gelmetti have succeeded in conducting the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1856 to the present day. From the 2016/2017 season, Kazuki Yamada was appointed Artistic and Musical Director of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Photo credit: Alex Damian
