Fitting festival finale

The final weekend of Harrogate International Festival’s month-long celebration of music is approaching and it promises to be one to remember with performances from Sir Bryn Terfel and the Alex Mendham Orchestra.

Sir Bryn, who will also be doing a short meet and greet after the performance, is the bass baritone, born in Gwynedd, Wales, who has graced the world’s most renowned stages.

From the Vienna State Opera to the Metropolitan Opera, Sir Bryn has garnered awards and acclaim as one of the most regarded singers of his generation. In the 90s, he sang alongside Shirley Bassey in the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final, and is always a highlight of the BBC Proms.

“My programme at Harrogate will be a a trip down memory lane,” he said. “ Some songs are the first I ever learnt as a classical singer. One my grandmother chose, some from my first singing teacher, some from my second singing teacher. Some are the first cycle of songs I ever learnt.

“This gives a palate of colours and repertoire that is indeed endless. From Welsh to French to English to Italian, the scope of one’s repertoire is sometimes truly life changing. Some are tunes that I adore, some are poems that strike a chord. Some are there because I adore singing them.”

Sir Bryn is fiercely proud of his roots and says his Welsh heritage is at least in part responsible for his success on the world stage of opera.

“From a personal perspective I think also the Welsh language has an immense bearing on the development of a voice,” he added. “I have always felt comfortable in many languages due to my strong beginnings in the folk doing tradition and the eventual crossing into the old Victorian repertoire that your grandparents adored. A circle of training had already been completed before I even stepped into the guiding hand of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.”

Alex Mendham will also be winding back the clock next weekend as his brings his eponymous orchestra to Harrogate, which includes The Dunlop sisters.

“We play a very special kind of music from a golden era of song writing. Much of what we perform comes from the lavish scores written for the musicals for the silver screen and stage from the 1920s and 30s.

“Aside from the lavish scores there is also a very upbeat element to the music and I think our shows really challenge preconceived ideas of music of that era.

“I am very much tuned in to the romantic element of the music and love the passionate ballads and rich scores written in the 1930s. It offered escapism and was uplifting, people wanted to see opulence and things on a grand scale-the musicals and radio gave it to them. Because I wasn’t around the first time this music was played there is no sense of nostalgia. All I hope is that the audience will leave feeling how relevant this music is today.”

Sir Bryn Terfel, July 29; The Alex Mendham Orchestra, July 28, both at the Royal Hall in Harrogate. 01423 562303, harrogateinternationalfestivals.com