MUSIC REVIEW: Bryn Terfel, Vasily Petrenko/RLPO, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

May 19 2008 by Lew Baxter, Liverpool Daily Post

Vasily Petrenko and Bryn Terfel _320

AT FIRST glance, it seemed a rather intense collection of excerpts from some of the great operas that the Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel had chosen for his first collaboration with the Liverpool Phil’s bright new conductor Vasily Petrenko.

The first half was devoted to Wagner, including the Prelude to Die Meistersinger and through the Prelude to Lohengrin, Act III to Hymn of the Evening Star from Tannahauser, among others.

Terfel is, of course, familiar with Wagner, as the Leipzig-born composer’s parts for bass-baritones are renowned and the singer has built his world-class status on a large part of that repertoire.

Yet, for those who favour a lightness of being, this in fact turned out to be a mesmerising performance by Terfel, enhanced by the sprinkle of magic that the young Russian conductor seems to infuse into everything he touches.

Petrenko has an assured grasp of what will enthuse and enthral, and his masterly symbiotic relationship with the orchestra led to sublime moments, while others, such as the ferociously paced Ride of the Valkyries and Wotan’s Farewell and Magic Fire Music, both from Die Walkure, set the blood racing.

There was a spark of electricity between the two men and this came to the fore in the second half when Terfel’s playful banter with Petrenko during Puccini’s Te Deum from Tosca, and other occasional humorous interactions, delighted the audience.

Both were clearly enjoying the experience, as was the orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, which came powerfully into its own in support of Terfel, in particular during the populist selection of Celtic songs that included Molly Malone and a rousing rendition of Cwm Rhondda, the unofficial Welsh anthem. In what is becoming a regular feature under Petrenko’s baton, the audience was hollering for more and Terfel and Co duly obliged with three encores: the crowd-pleasing John Rutter piece The Lord Bless You, followed by the gospel style It Ain’t Necessarily So.

But it was the largely unexpected rousing version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, where Terfel, the choir and the whole audience literally sang to the rafters, which brought the whole auditorium to its feet.