Bryn Terfel, Simple Gifts - 1h 10m 25s

Tracks & Durations

1. Ave Verum Corpus	3:05
2. Deep river	5:12
3. The Lord bless you and keep you	2:46
4. I'll walk beside you	2:34
5. Stabat Mater Dolorosa - Bryn Terfel & Simon Keenlyside	4:01
6. Still, still, still	4:06
7. Simple gifts	3:12
8. How great thou art	4:51
9. Panis angelicus - Bryn Terfel & Aled Jones	3:41
10. Bless this house	2:22
11. Ave Verum Corpus - Bryn Terfel & Simon Keenlyside	3:20
12. She was beautiful (Cavatina) - Bryn Terfel & John Williams	3:35
13. The Rose	3:42
14. Amazing grace	4:02
15. Mae ehangder (God's mercy)	3:05
16. Morning has broken	2:30
17. Nearer my God to thee	3:54
18. Ave Maria	2:35
19. Send in the clowns	4:54
20. God be with you	2:56

Note: The information about this album is acquired from the publicly available resources and we are not responsible for their accuracy.

Review

Everything about Bryn Terfel is over-life-size: his physique, his personality, his breath-control, and of course his extraordinarily beautiful voice. This recording displays his stunning vocalism and versatility to full advantage, but its title belies its content. Alhough it does include some simple pieces, the execution is fussy, overdone, and calculated for maximum external effect. The program ranges from Mozart, Pergolesi and pseudo-Bach to Sondheim in arrangements that are pure Hollywood, complete with throbbing strings and rolling drums, often destroying the spirit as well as the letter of the original compositions. It begins with Mozart's heavenly "Ave verum" arranged for baritone solo and chorus, frustratingly cut off after a few phrases (another setting of the same text by Karl Jenkins, written for Terfel, is more satisfying, being complete and original). The splendid baritone Simon Keenlyside joins him here as well as in the opening number of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater;" originally for soprano and alto, this must be the baritones' revenge on female singers who usurp songs written for men, like Schubert's and Schumann's cycles. Franck's "Panis angelicus" also inexplicably becomes a duet; unfortunately, Terfel's and tenor Aled Jones' voices do not match. Bach-Gounod's popular "Ave Maria" is all swells and exaggerations. The rest of the program consists of folksongs, hymns, show and film tunes, inflated to operatic proportions and generally ending in a fade-out or a flourish. Even the title song is anything but simple. This record is not for purists who like their music performed the way the composer wrote it, but aficionados of great singing will love it. --Edith Eisler

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