Others say...

"A Symphonic Treat"
This latest offering from Sarah Brightman is a symphonic treat - very aptly entitled "Symphony." Released in 2007, you can't go wrong with this album produced by Blue Note Records, a very reputable company known for its quality and reliable recordings. This is one of the most impressive albums from her discography. The material is very noteworthy and not to mention the CD packaging and booklet filled with glossy and arty pages with photos of Ms. Brightman digitally enhanced by Photoshop in keeping up with the album's theme, which is Gothic.

"Symphony" is an album with a contemporary flair and classical crossover consisting of thirteen songs ingeniously interpreted in a variety of settings. All the tracks were recorded between 2004 and 2007 in London and Los Angeles, and four of which are in duet settings: "Canto Della Terra" with Andrea Bocelli, "I Will Be With You" with Paul Stanley, "Sarai Qui" with Alessandro Safina and "Pasión" with Fernando Lima.

My top choices from this set include an all-time favorite song of mine, Pietro Mascagni's "Attesa" with lyrics penned by Chiarra Ferrau. It is an adaptation from the Italian composer's opera "Cavalleria Rusticana." Every time I hear this tune, I am always deeply moved and carried away by its beauty regardless of who is interpreting it. I also love the wonderful duets with Andrea Bocelli (Canto Della Terra) and Fernando Lima (Pasión), and of course the title track, "Symphony."

Sarah Brightman is one of the most talented singers we have now in the music world. I am so impressed with her performance on Highlights From The Phantom Of The Opera: The Original London Cast Recording (1986 London Cast) and my favorite album of hers apart from this one is Time to Say Goodbye. She is a Leo-born (August 14) and undoubtedly has the qualities of a typical Leo when it comes to being artistically creative and possesses an innate talent in performing arts.

With my heartfelt recommendation.


"Sheer Joy"
What do one say about an artiste who is above and beyond.
Absolutely joyous,heavenly and a host of descriptive adjectives to such a gifted singer.
I love her renditions and my collection is growing to meet my other favourite singer's collection (Nana Mouskouri)

"A wonderful album by Sarah."
I bought this album on October 19th, and I have not been disappointed. Actually, the album was my alarm clock this morning. Sarah Brightman's Symphony is a great album on its own. A feed for Sarah's older fans and a hook, line, and sinker for new fans. Through it's first listen through, you ask yourself if one woman and a few guest performers can do this and create such a beautiful piece of art. The sound is loud, quiet, lovingly, and sweet. Sarah will be around for quite a while. The sound is not forgettable and it is truly addictive. You will hear it and want it again with every song. Don't be surprised when listening to the song Running, and a hidden track starts. Symphony has one hidden track at the end of Running, called Fleurs de Mal (Reprise). Running itself feels like three or four different songs. A great buy for a low amount of cash.

"Uncompromising vocal range......still!.....Wow!!"
I had previously purchased Sarah's "Diva" DVD video collection to obtain the "Time to Say Goodbye" video, and found most of the DVD rather interesting, enough so that I couldn't wait to pick up her new "Symphony" CD. What impresses me most about Sarah Brightman is that her voice is just as pure and strong as it was two decades ago, and she really shows off her vocal range and linguistic abilities on "Symphony". "Gothica" (or is it "Gothica/Fleurs Du Mal"? Hard to tell!) is an instant classic, one of those productions that will surely stand the test of time, and this first track on the CD absolutely sucks you in for an extended music appreciation spell.

It's funny, but when the rock ballad track "I Will Be With You (Where the Lost Ones Go)" came on I hadn't really read through the credits to review who was dueting with Sarah. As I listened the first thought that came to my head was "...that guy singing with her kinda sounds like someone from one of those 1970's head banging bands, now all grown up.....hmmmmm." I looked at the credits on the CD sleeve and saw that it was Paul Stanley. Hmmmm....Paul Stanley....that name rings a bell.....hmmmmm....has to be a British band since Sarah's over there....that's not the guy from the Clash......hmmmmm......OH WAIT! OMG! THAT'S THE GUY FROM KISS! PAUL STANLEY! OF COURSE!

Who'da thunk it?!

If you're like me and not predicated toward enthusiasm about foreign language opera-esque music, it might take you awhile to really appreciate the beauty and clarity of those tracks. When I first listened to the whole CD I wasn't all that patient to listen through each song, so I would jump ahead to the songs that instantly hooked me in: Gothica, I Will Be With You (Where the Lost Ones Go), Let It Rain, and Running. Then after a few more listens I began to appreciate the beauty of "Storia D'Amore" and the bonus track "SarahBande". Now when I play the CD I just let it play on through and sit back to enjoy the whole thing!

Spoiler Alert! After "SarahBande", if you let the CD run for a few more minutes of silence, you also get a short instumental version of Gothica.



"A few good songs..."
The artwork is wonderful, and so it is natural to expect that the album would have the same substance. At first, I got hooked on the first, second and final tracks of the CD. When I bought the album it was because I was hoping for a gothic style, but this was the problem. Tracks 1 and 2, Gothica and (Les)fleurs du mal don't work unless you treat them as one long track. I liked those.

Tracks 3 to 12 are not at all symphonic. They're songs for a chamber performance, or a string quartet. They were all good, but I've only listened to them half the way through. The only ones I've listened to from start to finish and enjoyed, are tracks 6 (I will be with you) and 9. The contrast between these two songs works because they had the same feeling of love and longing. Track 13 is entertaining because it starts out with the expected dreariness of the previous songs and rallies with that upbeat hippy celebration of life. Even then, it is still about longing and dreaming about something wonderful.

I bought Symphony last year (pre-release) and I expected that after a year the other songs would grow on me. I was disappointed because there is no unifying theme between the R&B "I will be with you" (which I enjoyed very much) and the melancholic "Storia de amore". Even now, it is impossible for me to listen to the entire album from start to finish. The only way I could tolerate this hodgepodge of songs was to download the songs in my iPod and rearrange them according to my own themes in different playlists.

The Andrea Boccelli duet is overdone, I mean how many artists have to sing that same song with him? Sarah doesn't need to scream anymore to prove that she's a talented singer. She does that too often in this album I think, and it rings of desperation. Perhaps a desperation to make a good album (how difficult can it be?).

Sarah Brightman has a talented production team and there is much good material out there, so I think it's reasonable for me to expect an album that goes smoothly from track to track. Overall, Symphony was much less horrible than her previous album, Harem, which by the way, was wonderful only up to track 3, and repugnant after that.