Bryn Terfel - download (MP3 & FLAC)

This double-CD set brings together for the first time two of Claudio Abbado’s Wagner recordings, the first of orchestral music, the second a selection of vocal works with Bryn Terfel, the leading Wagner baritone of our day.

“Terfel brings a wide palette of tone to peer into the Dutchman's soul and express Wolfram's evening thoughts, where his legato and half-voice are admirable” (Gramophone)

Leading tenor, Rolando Villazon, has personally selected 34 great Verdi tracks, sung by the great names of the present and past, both to celebrate Verdi at 200 and to inspire a new generation with the composer’s great arias, powerful choruses and popular tunes.

The tracklist is framed by two stirring overtures, it includes famous numbers by all the leading singers on DG and Decca (as well as a couple from EMI), including Roberto Alagna, Carlo Bergonzi, Grace Bumbry, Joseph Calleja, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Luciano Pavorotti, Katia Ricciarelli, Joan Sutherland and BrynTerfel. There are rousing choruses and several extracts from the Requiem too. It’s a splendid 150-minute collection.

The striking cover includes one of Rolando’s inimitable Verdi sketches, and will include a sticker incorporating a photo of the artist. The all-colour booklet has an article by journalist Richard Lawrence which also takes in some quotes from the artist in a recent interview for this release.

Villazón is confident that every excerpt on these discs will make the listener want to hear the complete work. “No other composer creates such an immediate link with the audience. Go to see La traviata: you hear those rhythms, those melodies, that dramatic force, and you are drawn into his world. It doesn’t matter whether you love opera or know nothing about it: it just captures you, it grabs you.” Listening to the numbers from La traviata here, you have to agree.

Bryn Terfel is one of Britain’s best-loved singers, as comfortable in popular musical repertoire as he is in the great roles of opera. Ahead of his curated BrynFest appearances at London’s Southbank Centre, and his career-defining role as Wotan in Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Royal Opera House this autumn, Deutsche Grammophon is proud to release this 2CD career retrospective.

No more communicative, charismatic, or instantly recognizable artist than Bryn Terfel today bestrides the world’s stages. He is the heart and soul of this album’s special assemblage of Welsh and international top talent for a very personal, intimate album of his favourite Christmas carols and songs from around the world and from his native Wales. The guest list for this studio recording is lead by the immortal Bing Crosby – as a tribute to Bing Crosby the legendary singer and actor Bryn has recorded a new duet version of “White Christmas”. Other guests are the tenor Rolando Villazón who joined in for the beautiful Spanish Christmas song “El nacimento”, as well as the brilliant Welsh harpist Catrin Finch. With the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera under Tecwyn Evans and the chorus Cordydd Bryn has secured local Welsh forces for his new project. Bryn has also asked two Welsh singers and songwriters to contribute: Gwarw Edwards sings a duet with Bryn and Caryl Parry Jones has new Christmas songs for Bryn

Bryn Terfel returns with his stunning new album 'First Love', Songs from the British Isles'. First Love explores the whole of Britain with 16 songs beautiful songs that provide an incredible musical journey.

Tracks include Danny Boy, an amazing duet with Irish pop superstar Ronan Keating, Loch Lomond, Scarborough Fair (a beautiful duet with Kate Royal), My Lagan Love (featuring the fiddle playing of Sharon Corr), The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and many more.