There’s nothing intrinsically evil about the bass voice. It’s capable of heroism, nobility and good humour. Yet the unwritten rule of opera is that its owner — however svelte he may be — has to be a villain, while tenors — however paunchy — are invariably the good guys.

Bryn Terfel, Britain’s leading bass-baritone, promoting his new disc Bad Boys, played the dastardly villain to the hilt in last night’s Festival Hall appearance.

Such is Terfel’s charisma and sense of theatre that these ne’er-do-wells sprang to life on stage. The same facial musculature that facilitates his matchless diction is also deployed to portray character: the merciless set of the jaw, the curl of the lip, the rictus sneer. His brutally lecherous Scarpia from Tosca is formidable; so, too, is his Iago, all the more so for its calculated, cerebral quality.

The parade of villains also included Boito’s Mefistofele, Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, Weill’s Mack the Knife and Gershwin’s Sportin’ Life, all graphically depicted with facial expressions, gestures and props but above all superb vocal artistry.

The youthful players of Sinfonia Cymru with accompanying voices under Gareth Jones acquitted themselves admirably. The selection ended somewhat dubiously with a heart-swelling, crowd-pleasing number from Les Mis — putting the world to rights presumably.
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