Bryn lightens up for a second half sizzler

Reporter: Bryn Terfel, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, by Mari
Date online: 15 October 2008

LARGER-than-life Welsh singing star Bryn Terfel filled the Bridgewater Hall last night not only with an avid audience, but with his rich and strong baritone voice.

Accompanied on the grand piano by Malcolm Martineau, the pair worked perfectly together, delivering a varied programme.

Bryn has an amazing range of vocals and wonderful diction, which contribute to superb talent, as does his obvious enjoyment in what he does.

Choice of pieces for the first half of the concert resulted in it being a rather sombre affair, and Bryn said little to lighten the mood in between songs. But he came to life in the second half, regaling the audience with anecdotes and tales relating to the songs he was about to sing.

For me, the final part of the programme, made up of popular songs, proved to be the highlight of the two-hour show.

One disappointment was the hugely popular “Danny Boy,” a well-loved song I had been looking forward to hearing.But it lost some of its magical quality when Bryn turned away from the audience and directed the entire song to one person sitting in the wings.

Molly Malone was another surprise, but in a different way.

Bryn gave the “crying cockles and muscles” an eye-watering eye-popping expression for some reason — perhaps it had a significance among his regular followers, but it certainly gave me and a number of the people sitting near me a giggle.

MB