The top of his game. What sir bryn terfel� s long and stellar career tells us about how to make opera fit for the future. Let me take you to the opera. He sings in italian. Sir bryn terfel has all the Magic Ingredients it takes to become a world class opera star incredible stage presence, amazing acting range from dramatic to comic, and of course, a rich Bass Baritone voice that enthrals audiences wherever he performs. Im invited backstage ahead of bryns performance in the barber of seville, a comic masterpiece by the 19th century italian composer, rossini. Before getting into costume, bryn warms up his voice. He sings in italian. Hello, it is your make up call. Here now . Yes as if im not already fat enough, ey he plays don basilio, a music teacher whose sole interest is in lining his own pockets. Hello, sir bryn terfel are you here for a singing lesson . I wish you know, i admire people like you who can sing but ijust cant sing myself. I can sing but i cant teach singing so im glad you said no. Oh well, excellent, excellent. So here you are in the barber of seville, and this is very much a comic role for you. Yeah. First of all, do you like all the getting into costume and being made up and all the rest of it . Its a crescendo in rehearsal process. You have the rehearsals in the rooms, then you go onto the stage, then you have your costume fittings and then all of a sudden youre in your costume and youre in your make up and youre portraying a character so thats when the fun really does begin. Do you ever get nervous . I think we have well, i certainly think i have a nervousness that takes me to a certain limit that will hamper anything that i have to do on the stage so the adrenaline is a good adrenaline and its a good nervousness. You know, were all warming up in our Dressing Rooms and excited to go on the stage, really. And is there anything that can beat performing in a live opera in costume, for you . Well, funnily enough, you can see my palate for the next week. Ive got Gianni Schicchi which im singing in liverpool in a couple of days. By piccini. And this is tonight, of course, an then ive got an album of sea shanties coming along. Andll be recording in wales. In wales . Just outside cardiff, really looking forward to it. Can i come along and listen to you do that . Of course you could, yeah oh, thank you he speaks welsh. What does that mean . See you in wales. 0k, great, see you in wales. He sings. Bryns musical education at the Guildhall School of music brought him to london for the first time. He won a coveted place there in 1984 and in his last year he was awarded the schools top music prize, the gold medal. Hello, bryn, i made it to wales croeso i gymru come on, say it, we are in the middle of recording croeso i gymru hello, chaps, thank you so much terrific to be here. Were in the middle of recording an album full of sea shanties. So were going to rehearse and record today one of wales� s most famous tunes, fflat huw puw. Most probably well do a little bit of drunken sailor as well. Oh, that will be a bit of fun. What shall we do with a drunken sailor, what shall we do with a drunken sailor what shall we do with a drunken sailor early in the morning way hay and up she rises, way hey and up she rises, early in the morning and whats the welsh song about . Fflat huw puw, well, its all about this wonderful ship that hes been cleaning and hes making it look like his best parlour and hes off to travel the world, but of course he wants to come back home as well. Ah, but of course, to beautiful wales. Sings in welsh. Like the character hes singing about, bryn travels around the world. Hes used to the dazzle and glamour of top opera houses and the Bright Lights of the stage, but he prefers to live in the quiet of the welsh countryside. Bryn grew up in rural north wales where his father was a farmer and his mother a Special Needs Teacher who used Music Therapy in her work. So it was a musical household. My grandfather, my great grandfather, they all had the love of singing. And yes, my parents have great voices that are most probably guided towards being a part of a choir. My mums in a female choir, my dads in a male voice choir so there was constant learning going on in the kitchen you know, words on the cabinets. A little bit of rivalry as well which is quite healthy. She plays the harp. I am dreaming. And theres still plenty of music for bryn at home, his wife is hannah stone, the renowned welsh harpist. When i met her she was the Royal Harpist for Prince Charles which was of course something that the Queen Victoria had and this position was held for four years. So i had seen hannah play and i invited her on my Christmas Programme and thats when we met. And i guess it was love at first accompaniment. Is a very special performing with her . I dont have to tell you, ive sung with a harp since i was a young lad so its magnificent to have two musicians in the house and im always intrigued by how these harpists can play that instrument of 47 strings and seven pedals. Its dedication, hard work and the hard work that she sees, does translate into me wanting to work harder as well. It was his beloved wales that set bryn onto the path of global success. In 1989 he won the song prize in the bbc Cardiff Singer Of The World contest. But i was really nervous in that competition and within the days of competing as well i was doing an opera as a student in the Guildhall School of music and drama, so it was maybe an insight into how ones career will develop in the future, but undoubtedly Cardiff Singer Of The World gave you those steps up the ladder much quicker than expected. And it was with the Welsh National opera that bryn made his professional operatic debut in Cosi Fan Tutte by mozart. This is a Knockabout Opera that owes as much to the Pantomime Tradition as it does to opera. Aidan lang, currently the Welsh National operas director, oversaw that performance more than 30 years ago. To entrust someone who was barely out of college with the title role at wno was not a risk but it was an adventure for the company to take. We saw him at Cardiff Singer Of The World and thats on an International Platform and being the Welsh National opera it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. I worked with the highly eminent conductor sir Charles Mackerras whos world famous for his work in mozart and after a minute of his singing, charles lent over to me and said i dont think were going to have any problems with this, he said, and we knew, the rest is history, really. Though, before bryn made it onto the stage for the wno, he was thrown out. Just before he did his first professional engagement with us, singing in Cosi Fan Tutte, he came in with a pal to watch some of his pal� s rehearsal. I didnt know who he was, and all of our rehearsals are closed, and nobody who isnt within the company at the time is allowed so i politely asked him to leave. Its caused a few giggles subsequently however. Bryn has got such wonderful humanity and humility, i go back to that all the time. Theyre his calling cards, if you like, in his persona. It was the Welsh National opera that launched bryns career and catapulted him onto the world stage. It was here in cardiff that he first performed one of his most iconic roles, that of falstaff, the opera by verde, based on the shakespearean comic character. You can see that he wore a fat suit underneath. Oh, gosh, can i touch it . Yeah, it is padded by wadding and its got netting to create all the sort of leg and varying areas to build him up as a bigger man than he already is. But, i mean, that looks terrifically hot and youre under all those lights and singing. You had to pat his brow down and make sure all was well while we did the change. Five minutes worth of four people helping him as we go. Like a pit stop, everybody did their task and then got him all dressed up to get back on stage. I mean, it really is very convincing, isnt it . Gosh, i should close this up and protect his modesty laughter. Bryn is keen to encourage a new generation of singers. She sings in welsh. What is it about the welsh and singing . You produce a nation of singers, it seems. What is it . Mountains, the fresh sea air. The language, zeinab, is very important we have seven vowels in welsh a, e, i, o, u, w, y. The hymns of wales. People love to sing, its that air that we breathe. The welsh tradition of Eisteddfods Singing in Recital Competitions that take place across the country, encourage a love of singing from an early age. Among sir bryns many charitable initiatives is a scholarship to develop the most promising young performers who come up through these competitions, is something that was an important part of bryns own success. Any Given Village in wales can have an eisteddfod every weekend. So my poor parents paid a lot of petrol to drive me north, south, east and west, to compete. But they knew they saw something in their son, in their child. They saw the passion that he had. He loved singing, so i think that drove them to encourage the singing that i had within me. So the eisteddfod is that wonderful shop window. Half i have come to llangadog, a village just outside swansea where the local eisteddfod attracts young singers from around the area as well as from all across wales. I like performing in eisteddfods, because i really like music, and my ambition is to go to the Sydney Opera House when im older. This is where it all starts for us, welsh singers we start in the local eisteddfods. This is where we learn, sort of, the craft. And then when we go to london to study, or to the conservatoires, we can see the difference with the welsh singers, weve got a sort of, i guess, confidence. Watching you judging these voices, what do you look for in a voice . Well, i i think, for me, it is the overall quality and how the vowel sounds are created. One of the most key things for me is how the voice resonates, and also how the voice works with text. I think that is really important. And of course that is what bryn terfel is fantastic at doing as well. Now, you know sir bryn terfel. Describe his voice for us, with your musical knowledge what makes it so great . I think the resonance of that voice and because hes such a large frame, i think that that its like a beautiful double bass, isnt it . And then the sound that he generates is incredible. And also the control he has in his voice. He can sing the most delicate piece as well. So its quite a unique voice, and is very special. Some of these young people are hoping they can achieve the fame and acclaim that sir bryn enjoys. However, he says that success can also come at the cost. Ive had injuries on the stage. My back has been a constant problem, especially with raked stages. So ive had to cancel some operas, and ive had difficult questions about people asking if you have done this or not, not knowing the full story of certain things that happened to you. It is water off a duck� s back, but maybe its that given swan one lake, peddling like mad. You cope well with pressure, because it is a pressured world, performing at your level. One in america called Me A Mack Truck once. You know, one of these big trucks that can carry anything, that will plough through everything, any challenge put on your plate. I thought she was pretty correct in her description. During bryns illustrious career, he has tackled roles from across the operatic spectrum including wotan, king of the gods, in wagners epic ring cycle. But as much as sir bryn loves performing in the big opera houses, hes also passionate about reaching new audiences in concert halls. Hes sung all the great opera roles, and also music theatre, but to come and sing in a concert hall like the royal festival hall, well that really is a special occasion because you are somehow up close with this enormous musical presence. Bryns status as a National Icon meant he was personally chosen by king charles to perform at his coronation. Bryn terfel� s towering presence and booming voice is also effective off stage. He is a big champion of the arts, and relishes bringing music the public. I think were in a time when lots of cultural institutions, and Classical Music itself, perhaps, is being called into question whats the value of it . Is it too elitist . And a figure like bryn is what we need somebody who symbolises the power of communication and music, showing how important music is in all of our lives. He embodies that and that is the most powerful advocacy he could perform for music. Everything he does conveys that love of singing, and its completely infectious. And the fact that he is passing that on two young singers makes total sense to me, because its an absolutely compelling vision of how to live a musical life. You think were getting younger audiences into opera houses . Definitely, definitely. Undoubtedly. And these are people that you see after giving performances in the stage door. We saw in the run of the barber of seville, that we had at the Royal Opera House at covent garden. You could see it. My first opera. I loved it. I thought it was really captivating. I think more young people should see operas. I think its a great experience. As well as being unbelievably gifted in the musical and acting categories, he really exemplifies i how fun it would be to sing at his level. J yes, theres an interest there. Theyre hungry for entertainment. And its wonderful to be a part of that as well. Bryn terfel is a welsh icon and a rare talent, who cares not only about his success, but about the future of opera, an art form that has brought him national and global recognition, and im really glad hes so optimistic about its enduring appeal. Hello there. Lets take a look at the weather for the week ahead. With low pressure nearby it has been an unsubtle picture again, blustery on saturday with the sunshine recorded by a Weather Watcher but also good scattering of showers such as here in cambridgeshire and as we head through sunday it is a quieter looking day, still windy for the time of year, but not as blustery and still still a sunny spells but fewer showers around and this is the Satellite Picture from earlier earlier on on saturday. You can see there earlier on on saturday. You can see there is earlier on on saturday. You can see there is another earlier on on saturday. You can see there is another deep earlier on on saturday. You can see there is another deep area | see there is another deep area of low see there is another deep area of low pressure approaching from of low pressure approaching from the south west as we head through from the south west as we head through sunday with my Heavy Rain Moving Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rain moving scotland and Northern Ireland. This is how we start the Northern Ireland. This is how we start the day Northern Ireland. This is how we start the day on Northern Ireland. This is how we start the day on sunday. | Northern Ireland. This is how| we start the day on sunday. It is mild with temperatures between ia and i6. Is mild with temperatures between ia and 16. Still a south westerly benefit not as blustery as it was on a saturday and there will be good scattering of showers and a rumble or two off under and further spells of rain moving into Northern Ireland and parts of Western Scotland by the end of Western Scotland by the end of the day. Top temperatures in east anglia where it will be driest and brightest, 23 celsius, but this is the position of The Rain On Sunday Night and into Monday Morning and that will move eastwards across much of wales, south west england, central, Southern England and into northern england. It could be that scotland sees a dry day and thundery and possibly mostly dry Northern Ireland and for the southeast of the risk of some showers here. As we headed through tuesday, the deep area of low pressure is moving toward scandinavia and High Pressure moves in but still various fronts in the atlantic. They will be stalled. On tuesday then it is a mostly dry start but a murky start with lots of low cloud around, areas of sea mist and fog and possibly sharp showers moving across central and Western Areas of scotland but plenty of dry weather to as that cloud tends to break up there will be sunshine emerging. 22 or 23 celsius across east anglia and Southeast England. On wednesday High Pressure will move to the north of the uk and that will move eastwards and low pressure out in the atlantic again but it is being stalled by that High Pressure. It is another murky start of the day. There will be mist and fog around and low clouds and the sunshine will begin to break through and temperatures could get as high as 25 or 26 on wednesday and it is looking similar again on thursday. Again, there could be a few showers around. There will be low cloud to start the day. Perhaps a bit of sea mist around and just behind teens here. We will see rain approach Northern Ireland by the end of the day. This is the position of the jetstream as we head through next week. Some debate about how far north it will be but it is drawing in this area from Southern Europe so it will start to feel a little warm across Southeast England and possibly wales as well, staying unsettled and cooler further north towards the north of the jetstream but across cardiff with could see temperatures into the mid 20s at maybe the high 20s across london and the southeast and calling down somewhat over the weekend. Bye for now. Live from washington, this is bbc news. Hawaiis governor visits evacuees on maui, as questions mount over why more wasnt done to warn residents as wildfires ripped through the island. And former President Donald Trump stokes support at the iowa state fair, meeting fans in the crucial primary voting state. Concerns swirl over the treatment of nigers detained president , mohamed bazoum. More resources are being sent to the Hawaiian Island of maui as the search for victims intensifies in the wake of devastating wildfires. The Historic Town of lahaina, the worst hit part of the island, has been burned almost entirely to the ground. For now the death toll stands at 80, making it the deadliest Natural Disaster in hawaiis history. The Us Government estimates that the fire has caused more than 5. 5 billion of damage. Meanwhile, fires continue to burn. Helicopters are being sent to douse the flames, one bucket at a time. Many people forced to flee at a moments notice had to leave everything behind to the mercy of the flames
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