Sarah Brightman - A Winter Symphony
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Free Music Notes for A Winter Symphony
Free Music Review: So Pretty
Hit: 5 Stars
Love her voice! It's so pretty. This is my first CD of hers, would like to have more.Free Music Review: Beautiful Winter Music
Hit: 5 Stars
My am a Sarah Brightman fan and this CD is beautiful music for winter or anytime.Free Music Review: it is beutifull
Hit: 5 Stars
this cd itis the # 1 ,very very nice i never seen something like thisFree Music Review: A WINTER Symphony indeed!
Hit: 4 Stars
Ok, so first of all I'd just like to make something clear: "A Winter Symphony" is NOT a Christmas album... at least not a usual one. I'd say it's more of a "winter themed album" (hence the title). So, no "Santa claus is coming to town" or "jingle bells" here. Not that there's anything wrong with those songs, BUT if that's what you're looking for, you'll have to look somewhere else. There are plenty of other xmas albums with merrier tunes that could please you if that's your cup of tea.
So, now that I've got that out of my mind, let's start with the review of the album:
1.Arrival: The opening of the album was originally an ABBA instrumental. I think it actually works quite well, really well indeed and it's one of my favourite songs in the album. The music is quite joyfull and there's a feeling of hope and longing and excitement through the whole song. [9/10]
2.Colder Than Winter: A really sad, touching ballad. The holidays is definitly the moment when you miss the ones you love(d) the most, and that's what this song is about. "It's colder than winter since you closed the door". I get goosebumps everytime I hear this song. Beware thos of you who have recently gone through a breakup! [10/10]
3.Ave Maria (with Fernando Lima): I must admit I'm not a fan of Lima's voice. I think it was OK in Pasión, but I just can't stand it in this song. This has to be my least favourite song in the album. Spanish lyrics, poppy tune, doesn't do much for me. Though for those of you who liked LIma's part in Pasión, you'll probably enjoy this one as well. [4/10]
4.Silent Night: I've read that a lot of people complain about Sarah's whispery voice. And you should know that she does the WHOLE album in that breathy voice. To me, it works quite well in most of the songs. I really enjoy this version of Silent Night, Sarah's voice is quite angelic and the orchestra is amazing (if there's something you're gonna love about the album will be the orchestral arrangements, I asure you!) [7/10]
5.In The Bleak Midwinter: Sarah had already recorded this song some years ago for an album called "Save The Children". Back then, Sarah's voice was quite different and still had the Christine Daee timbre. Sarah's voice has obviously changed since then, and so I was really curious about this new version, which I must say is a bit dissapointing. It's not bad, but I'm gonna stick to the old version, just because I think it was more... powerful. Maybe if she had used her soprano voice this could have been better. [5/10]
6.I've Been This Way Before: Another ballad. This song actually made its way to the Symphony Tour. It's definitly a highlight of the album, I'm sureyou'll like it: beautiful lyrics, amazing arrangement, angelic voice. What elsecan I say? [9/10]
7.Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: The popular cantata gets a facelift... or is completly destroyed, depending on your likes. I wonder why Sarah didn't use her soprano voice for this one, the breathy voice doesn't quite work here. Still, I love this song, and the orchestra and the chorus kinda make it up... perhaps it's too little too late to save the song. I'm not skipping it in my plyer anyway. [6/10]
8.Child In A Manger: Well, you all know the carol so there isn't much to say aboout it. Once again, the breathy voice... not the I'm critizising, I'm just pointing it out. It's not my faaaaaavourite, but I don't hate it either. [7/10]
9.I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday: This is one of my 2 absolute favs from the album. This is the ONLY merry merry song in the album. It's amazingly joyfull, Sarah sings with the excitement of a child standing in front of a christmas tree... and there's also a children choir that joins Sarah! (Her "come on children, sing!!!!" is really cute). Oh, and Sarah leaves aside her breathy voice and actually uses her chest voice... which I hadn't heard for quite a while, which is nice! [10/10]
10.Amazing Grace: The intro of the song is certainly impressive, and it's a lovely hymn anyway. Sarah's version has become my favourite version of this piece, not only because of the music, but because of how much emotion she puts into this one (and the voice is amazing, as usual). After so many crappy renditions of this song it's great to finally listen to one that actually inspires a feeling of hope and love and trust in God. [8/10]
11.Ave Maria (Gounod): Ok, so we arrive to the famous Gounod's Ave Maria. This has got to be THE love it/hate it Sarah piece of all time. Sarah sings this again with her breathy voice, much like she did with Schubert's Ave Maria, though I don't think it works as well in this one. The high note is... well, the woman definitly hits the note (and it sure is a high and difficult note) but I think it's just a tiny bit screamed out. Sarah's technique for hitting the high notes has changed in Symphony, I think I kinda get it: she has left all the body resonance behind to make her voice lighter to be able to reach the head resonance easier... it sound too metallic to my taste, but it's not wrong or bad. In any case, there are billions of sopranos singing this same piece, but no one does it like Sarah, that's for sure. [8/10]
12.I Believe In Father Christmas: This is my second absolute fav on the album. I love the song, which is a classic xmas song, and the arrangement is just amazing! The orcestra really gets to my heart, and the song fills me with joy and the spirit of the season. (Just so you know, this song is also sang by Sarah in the Symphony Tour). [10/10]
Now, these songs can only be found in the Barnes & Nobles edition of the album (in the USA) or in the cd+dvd edition (worldwide). I highly recommend getting the version with the bonus tracks!
13.When A Child Is Born: Sarah had already recorded this song with Gregorian before... though she only sang a few lines at the end of the song, so it's great to have her full version of it. The song is lovely, as always and Sarah surfs through it amazingly well. It's alomst as if this song was written specifically for her voice. [9/10]
14.Carpe Diem (with Mario Frangoulis): I'm not a big fan of Frangoulis, though I do enjoy some of his songs. I often find that when he sings his high notes he's a bit of a show-off, too much power, not enough control to make the notes sound... soft enough? So... this duet is enough, but I don't htink it's either Mario's nor Sarah's best performance. Actually, I don't think it fits the album at all, but it certainly is a nice song. I'd recommend to lower th evolume a bit in the end of the song or you may end up deaf. [7/10]
15.Happy Christmas-War is Over: Who doesn't love this christmas classic? Sarah also sang this in the Chritmas in Vienna concert with Placido Domingo, Helmut Lotti and Ricardo Cocciante. I like how clear Sarah's voice sounds in this song, and again theamount of emotion when she sings. In any case, this song is always a favourite of mine, and if Sarah's singing it, even better! [9/10]
So, all in all, I think this is a great album (notice I didn't say it's a "great cmas album"), but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. My advice? Listen to the samples here or go to youtube and listen to the songs before buying it, that way everyone is happy and no one ends up with an album that they hate. Way to go Sarah, another awesome album!
*I only rate this 4 stars because:
1. I hate her Ave Maria with Lima
2.The breathy voice is sometimes a bit too much
3.The deluxe edition SHOULD be the standard edition, it's not fair to release only 12 songs.
Free Music Review: Mostly ballads but still nice
Hit: 4 Stars
Even though I'm a huge Sarah Brightman fan, I have to be honest. A Winter Symphony is lovely, but a let down for me. Hopefully Sarah's website forum-members will understand and know what I mean. I was expecting a whole lot more, unfortunately. Don't slander me for saying what I've said and will say. For now, I'm not loving the CD, but it will eventually grow on me. I will upload it to my ipod and will listen to it on my stereo over the course of the holidays just the same. The main reason why I feel this way is because of the love-song style ballads. Tracks 2 and 3 are really ballads and didn't do anything for me.
It's nice music and all, and nice production, but lacks the joyful holiday spirit. Where are the traditional holiday songs? Ave Maria (duet with Fernando Lima) could've very easily been replaced by a fun duet like 'Santa Claus is Comin' To Town' or, perhaps 'O Holy Night' re-recorded for this album. 'Silent Night' is beautiful and ethereal though. Even track 1 (Arrival) is beautiful in it's "Abba-Esque" sort of way. I just don't feel in the Holiday Spirit yet, having played the first 5 songs. Too bad, because this album could've offered so much more. Track 6 (I've been this way before)....another ballad, just doesn't work for me. If they wanted to put many ballads on a new Sarah album, why didn't they make the "Symphony" album a 2-disc edition? Both my partner and I don't see Christmas yet, while track 6 is playing. Sorry but it's true. I'm just not as impressed as I would've liked to be.
I'll talk about the packaging, booklet and photos for a while. The standard CD (Navy Blue with silver lettering) comes in a stunning digipak with a 12-page booklet and features some really stunning photos of Sarah dressed all in white. There's a lot of lovely photo-retouching going on here too, which really makes the photos very sexy and holiday-inspired. I didn't expect the booklet to feature such lovely photography (by Simon Fowler). All lyrics are there for each song and lots of production info is included for those who are interested, at the end of the booklet. I'm wondering what the deluxe edition booklet (20 pages) is all about, if this booklet is so nice.
'Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring' is lovely but I didn't hear any church organ and there's supposed to be one in the accompaniment. 'Child in a Manger' is pretty too, but slow as well. At least this song is meant to be slow. And then, finally...we get a fast song with 'I Wish It Could Be...'. Now this is what a happy, holiday song should sound like, and it's the first time I've heard a Sarah Brightman song of this style. Really cool! 'Amazing Grace' is pretty and the way she changes key from verse to verse is a nice touch. All the songs so far have been sung in an angelic voice. We need some Bel-Canto though, because Sarah sings it so well.
'Ave Maria (Gounod)' has to be one of my favorite versions of this song, of all time. Sarah sings it very well and her vocal attack on the high note is right on, though it's a bit high for her angelic range. Makes me wish it were sung in another key. 'I Believe in Father Christmas' is fun and very fanfare. Too bad it's at the end of this ballad-filled album. Oh well, it's not all that bad, but just not Sarah's best. Thank You Sarah anyhow, for releasing a holiday album, because for a long, long time, that's what her fans have been asking for.