Sarah Brightman’s holiday release, A Winter Symphony, is better than the rest
Written: Dec 24 '08 (Updated Dec 24 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Silent Night, Amazing Grace, Ave Maria (second), Ms Brightman's Voice, Mario Frangoulis
Cons: Overpowering orchestration on some tracks, Colder Than Winter (didn't fit)
The Bottom Line:
Ms. Brightman's voice reaches its full talent on several tracks, but not all, on A Winter Symphony, however her talent surpasses any other releases from this holiday season.
pestyside's Full Review: A Winter Symphony [Digipak] by Sarah Brightman
The CD tray has been churning through an eclectic mix of holiday music this past week, music I will not listen to unless desperate with a low mood that needs elevating. By the time December 26 rolls around these will roll back onto the shelf until Thanksgiving. However, and there is always a however, one rose above the collection that might need to remain out a while longer.
Filling my tray today is Leon Redbone’s Christmas Island, Bruce Cockburn’s Christmas, Asleep at the Wheel’s Merry Texas Christmas Y’all, The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Boogie Woogie Christmas, Wind Machine’s Portraits of Christmas and finally, Sarah Brightman’s A Winter Symphony. Each has its own mood and personality, each has its own merits and appeal for my eccentric tastes and, yes, sometimes the transitions clash. Sarah Brightman’s 2008 entry into holiday music will reside in the CD tray a while longer while the others enjoy an 11-month rest.
Ms Brightman is an exceptional soprano capable of releasing a flood of goosebumps as she reaches with grace and power to the full spectrum of her talent. I’ll be forever grateful to Mr. Pestyside for introducing me to her with Eden (1998) and to her cross-over operatic style. Since that initial gift my collection has grown to include five albums. Yes, I fall into the category of one not especially familiar with opera, what I heard when much younger made my skin crawl, but she along with a few other performers of “pop opera” have aided me in appreciating their beautiful voices. Hers is magnificent although not easily described. A Winter Symphony showcases Sarah Brightman with a traditional and contemporary holiday music selection and while an excellent collection, it’s not necessarily her best. Her "not-quite-her-best" is still unarguably better than anything else released in time for the 2008 holiday season except perhaps Enya’s And Winter Came.
She opens with a light, jubilant song and at first I worried her voice was going to disappoint but she quickly moved into the joyous, energetic lyrics of Arrival. “Sing, sing, sing the song they sang with us when they sailed away. Bring, bring, bring them back again to these lonely shores one day.” Bring them home and sing “Auld Lang Syne” and with this she slips into Colder Than Winter, a somber song from Vince Gill. While this is beautiful I wonder why it was included on the album. This melancholic song touches on the loneliness so often felt during this season of family celebrations.
The moods vary from the lonely and despondent to jubilant and uplifting. The full orchestral accompaniment rarely overpowers her voice. When appropriate, a simple guitar backs her or she is joined by an equally fascinating voice. Ave Maria is a duet with Fernando Lima. This exquisite song can reach all of those high notes and quickly release my goosebumps and while their version had moments of near excellence, it was slightly disappointing. The orchestra got in the way and cluttered it in a manner that detracted from their voices. That seemed like a waste of talent. A much better, although shorter, version appears later.
Frank Peterson, producer of A Winter Symphony, makes up for it with the beautiful, simple rendition of Silent Night. I wanted to sing along but my effort was pathetic so I just enjoyed her version as it swelled toward the final “sleep in heavenly peace.” My efforts to reach those notes would only destroy my throat and the ears of my dogs.
I had favorites on this album, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, I Believe in Father Christmas, Amazing Grace, and John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s Happy Christmas (War is Over). She has a way of making music memorable. Roy Wood released I Wish It could Be Christmas Everyday in the early 1970s and its reception has been poor with that release and the several that followed. I found myself singing this (quietly) to myself over and over. Clearly, this is a much more interesting arrangement and it's the song that is in my head when I wake up. Peterson draws on Bach as well as Neil Diamond and contemporary and traditional music to complete this holiday album.
Frank Peterson not only produced and engineered this collection, but he also performed as part of the Nemo Choir and he adapted or arranged many of the works in A Winter Symphony, including Amazing Grace, a thoroughly cleansing song (her voice emptied out any residual sorrow). While not exactly Christmas music, but a song of hope, I was pleased to see it included. This allowed Sarah Brightman the opportunity to display once again the full range of her vocal gifts. The second version of Ave Maria followed with a much simpler and much more enjoyable version than the previous.
I know some have expressed concerns for Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis’ stunningly powerful performance on Carpe Diem, but I found the two impressive complements to each other. I’ll be looking for more from this Greek tenor and that is one of the benefits of listening to a Sarah Brightman collection. She introduces novice, cross-over opera listeners like myself to other operatic talent and through this process she helps us mature as listeners. (I not only want to listen to Mario Frangoulis, but would not mind seeing him live sometime.)
The accompanying DVD includes the making of A Winter Symphony, Fashion On Ice and a Photo Gallery. Performances in this DVD are supplemental. She performs Fleurs Du Mal, Symphony, Let It Rain, and Running in the Fashion on Ice segment. Running is a fantastic, very energetic piece, and glimpse of yet another perspective of Sarah Brightman. In this DVD she talks about selecting pieces for and producing this CD while simultaneously preparing for the Beijing Olympics.
Serious fans of Sarah Brightman might be disappointed because it seems as though there is repetition from other collections, she doesn’t fully release her full voice, and the orchestration is overpowering and distracting. I wasn’t disappointed and will be listening to this throughout the year. In her words,
“I wish you a hopeful Christmas I wish you a brave New Year All anguish, pain and sadness Leave your heart and Let your road be clear.”
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