In a perfect prelude to the holiday season, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel presents a magical selection of seasonal works from a candlelit Brecon Cathedral as part of the Met Stars Live in Concert series (filmed in December 2020). He is joined by a stellar group of fellow Welsh musicians: soprano Natalya Romaniw, tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, pianist Jeffrey Howard, harpist Hannah Stone and folk group Calan. Alongside such favourite carols as Silent Night and In the Bleak Midwinter, complete with verses in Welsh, their repertoire also includes excerpts from Wagner’s Tannhäuser and Lerner & Loewe’s film-musical adaptation of The Little Prince, the much-loved traditional Welsh song Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night) and two works by contemporary Welsh composer Robat Arwyn. The perfect setting for this concert with its themes of peace and hope, Brecon Cathedral began life as a Benedictine Priory in 1093, built on the site of an earlier Celtic church. The present building, with its Gothic arches and magnificent stained-glass windows, dates primarily from the thirteenth century.
Robat Arwyn Guardian Angel Franz Xaver Gruber Silent Night Ariel Ramírez “El Nacimiento” from Navidad Nuestra Franz Schubert Ave Maria Gustav Holst In the Bleak Midwinter Traditional New Year’s Eve in Caernarfon Carlos Salzedo Concert Variations on “O Tannenbaum” Jester Hairston Mary’s Little Boy Child Frederick Loewe “Little Prince” from The Little Prince Traditional Still, still, still Robat Arwyn Benedictus Adolphe Adam O Holy Night Ivor Novello “I Can Give You the Starlight” from The Dancing Years Traditional “Ar Hyd y Nos” Richard Wagner “O du, mein holder Abendstern” from Tannhäuser John Francis Wade O Come, All Ye Faithful
Bryn Terfel bass-baritone Jeffrey Howard music director, piano Hannah Stone harp Natalya Romaniw soprano Trystan Llŷr Griffiths tenor