Others say...

"Winter Symphony"
I had heard great things about this cd, and I was disappointed that it did not live up to the raves it was given by some people.

"A Winter Symphony (3.5 stars)"
This year Sarah Brightman releases her first Christmas album. Frankly, I'm surprised its taken her this long to do one, but after listening to this several times over I feel like maybe she should have waited even longer. A WINTER SYMPHONY has its moments but feels kind of rushed to me; like she didn't put enough thought into her material. The songs I do love are "Arrival", "Ave Maria" with Fernando Lima, "Silent Night", "In The Bleak Midwinter", "I've Been This Way Before", and "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring". The best track on this album, though, would have to be "I Believe In Father Christmas". That song perfectly embodies the spirit of Christmas while the other songs mentioned evoke the beauty and magic of the holiday/Winter season. Her angelical voice is as lovely as ever but I felt that her first Christmas album could have been a lot better. I, however, still recommend this album for the gorgeous photos within the glossy booklet and still think it's a great addition to anyone's holiday collection.

After seeing Sarah Brightman live in concert last week, it pretty much rekindled my love for her music despite the fact that her last two albums were slight disappointments to me. But then again, we got two new Sarah Brightman releases this year so I can't really complain, now can I?

* Just as a side note, to hear an amazing rendition of "Amazing Grace", please check out Paul Schwartz' version with vocalist Lisbeth Scott on State of Grace II: Turning to Peace

"What an amazing treasure!"
Sarah has produced a treasure chest of old favorites and fresh melodies with contemporary, beautiful sounds and rhythms. I have listened to it more times than I like to admit and I never tire of the richness of her voice and the exquisite accompaniments she incorporates. I have purchased several as gifts for friends for next Christmas.

"Another holiday classic"
Excellant holiday CD that includes a number of original songs that makes it all the better. Ms Brightman's voice range just adds to the power of this CD.

"Not Sarah's best effort"
The über-exotic Sarah Brightman has probably had the most prolific year of her artistic life. Earlier on in 2008, she released "Symphony", a Gothic album shrouded in mystery and sumptuous music. In time for the Christmas season, Sarah gives us "A Winter Symphony", i.e., the version of "Symphony" for the holidays. As much as the earlier album took my breath away, "A Winter Symphony" appears sometimes to leave Sarah's unique vocal qualities a bit too subdued, and I have to agree with the reviewer who suggested giving the reverberating tones of the vocals up in favor of clearer lyrics. That, and also the fact that Sarah's voice feels tired and unable to deliver in more ways than one.

Once again, the album is produced by Frank Peterson, who adapted most of the traditional Christmas songs into English, although why this was done escapes me, as Sarah can sing in several languages, including Latin and German, languages in which most traditional Christmas music is written. The one song that allows for Sarah's voice to be heard in all its intensity is the traditional "Ave Maria" by Gounod (this one kept in Latin, thank God). The production, however, is much better when it comes to the songs that were especially composed for the album, such as Neil Diamond's melancholic "I've been this way before", and "I wish it could be Christmas every day", performed à la Céline Dion and with wonderful choral backing by the Capital Children's Choir. "I believe in Father Christmas" is a realistic song about the meaning of Christmas and closes the album with grandeur.

The photography by Simon Fowler, as usual, deserves special mention. The lavish, glossy photos of Sarah in a purple satin dress in the middle of a winter wonderland are idyllic, and transport us to the spirit of the season, sadly, sometimes even more than the music does.