Bryn Terfel(Br)Folk Songs of Wales

This album was nominated for the 2004 Grammy award for "Best Classical Crossover Album."
Bigger-than-life bass-baritone Bryn Terfel heads a seeming cast of thousands in this no-holds-barred celebration of Welsh song. There are gentle lullabies and nostalgic songs of a missed homeland as well as rip-roaring patriotic numbers. The instrumentation ranges from solo harp, as in the lovely 'Dafydd y Garreg Wen' ('David of the White Rock') to full orchestra and multiple choruses, as in 'Calon lan' ('A Pure Heart') and the hymn 'Cwn Rhondda.'
Terfel sings most of the selections in his native Welsh, including such world favorites as the carol 'Ar hyd y nos' ('All through the Night'), which has a lovely humming male choral introduction, and the lullaby 'Suo gan,' popularized by Charlotte Church. This is a welcome selection indeed, with songs of unabashedly warm emotions made all the more irresistable by Terfel's obvious sincerity and vocal charisma.