Album review: Bryn Terfel, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Homeward Bound (Deutsche Grammophon)

It's commonplace for bass-baritones to be saddled with the villain roles of operas, so perhaps it's understandable that Bryn Terfel should want to take time out with a more righteous, uplifting programme such as this collaboration with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But that ominous sleeve photo, with Terfel beaming in a pale-blue cardie, prompts due misgivings: compared to the relish with which he tackled the villainous cast on the splendid Bad Boys, here he simply recalls Howard Keel slapping his britches alongside a prop campfire whilst belting out heartwarming Western show-tunes like “Home on the Range”, “Shenandoah” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic”.

Download: Lascia Ch'io Pianga; Cwm Rhondda