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Sarah Brightman - A Winter Symphony
- A Winter Symphony is Sarah Brightman’s contribution to the holiday CD collection. The combination of the selected Christmas music and Brightman’s operatic voice is a wonderful mix and can really get anyone in the holiday spirit. There is still a slight gothic undertone that Brightman had while doing her previous album, Symphony, but it has become almost a trademark sound for Brightman.
There is a little bit of a British theme to the album. The song, “I Believe in Father Christmas,” is a classic from the '70s more popularly heard in Europe than in the U.S. Brightman’s version is a little slower than the original, but the tempo works better with Brightman’s voice. “Arrival” was co-written by the men from ABBA and has a very euro-pop sound to it. I never thought of “Amazing Grace” as a Christmas song, but it fits well in the album. Out of all the tracks, I liked it the most because the background doesn’t overpower her.
As much as I love Brightman’s version of “Ave Maria,” I am a little confused as of why Brightman put two versions on this CD. She has made another version on her Classics album. She sounds lighter in her solo version in comparison to her Classics version; both are different, but I prefer the Classics version. The duet version is pretty and has a nice Spanish touch, but I feel as though both singers are drowned out by the music.
There are several versions of this album, one with the standard 12 tracks and one with 3 bonus tracks. I suggest looking for the album with the bonus track “Happy Christmas (War Is Over).” I’m very surprised that it was a bonus track because it fits perfectly as the last song on the album. The track is not her strongest vocally, but the accompanying orchestra and choir fit really well.
I’m a little disappointed in the pop sound of this album, but one can’t really get away with singing Christmas music that doesn’t fall under the “Pop” section. In comparison, Josh Groban’s holiday album, Noel fits perfectly in his vocal genre, but doesn’t sacrifice any of his vocal talent. Sarah Brightman doesn’t seem to use the vocal power that she has, but instead depends on the beautiful arrangement. This may be because she wanted higher keys that harkens to a service from the Church of England, but that doesn’t forgive the fact that she is overpowered by her background music.
A Winter Symphony is a nod towards Brightman’s album, Symphony, and is basically a seasonal sequel. It has the same gothic undertone, but lacks the power and energy, and loses something from adding the Christmas aspect. After listening to the album, I feel like I emerged from a church with a brighter and more hopeful outlook. Fans of Brightman will no doubt buy this album no matter what the ratio of operatic to pop is on the album. Overall, the album is good and is a great choice for playing while sitting around by the fire on a cold winter morning.
Reviewer: Michael Pascua
new
Reviewer's Rating: 8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 21-Nov-2008
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