June 1996

Bryn Terfel: Opera Arias: arias by Mozart, Wagner, Borodin, Donizetti, Rossini, Offenbach, Gounod and Verdi - Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone); Metropolitan Opera Orchestra/James Levine - Deutsche Grammophon 445 866-2 - 70:51 DDD

After two successful lieder recitals it's good to find Bryn Terfel back in the field which got him on the New York Times front page. This, he tells us, is a showcase for the roles he wants to perform over the next 20 years. No small ambition, since his selection cuts right across the heart of the core repertoire, from Mozart through Offenbach and Rossini buffo to Verdi, Russian and Wagnerian heroics. He nonetheless justifies it, with James Levine's expansive assistance. For all his way with lieder he isn't, thank heavens, a polite singer in the way all too fashionable now. His sense of style and concern for language (despite poor French) are strong, but they don't stand in the way of vigorous, large-scale vocal acting in the grand tradition.

The comparison that Falstaff invites with Sir Geraint Evans is mostly specious; the voice is huger and less tautly focused, the character darker - Robbie Coltrane instead of George Robey. Nevertheless the same kind of charismatic humanity is here, even for villains and fools, and the vibrant sense of fun. The full roles will be worth watching for, but until then here's an exciting sampler.

- Michael Scott Rohan