Published on Oct 4, 1997
If you thought Top 40 Divas were exhasting, you gotta see the
Broadway scene. Divas are divided by their concert-selling status,
which composers they’ve worked with, and what kind of roles they
undertake. And of course, voice; chest voice, head voice, every
other kind of voice is compared, compared, compared.
Sarah Brightman recently made the transition from Broadway
belting to traditional opera and I was delighted when I saw the
album in stores while shopping for a Mariah Carey mug (honey tea
never tasted so sweet). I realized they were playing her over the
loudspeakers; my first impression was that it had changed towards a
warmer, perhaps darker sound. And
very dramatic.
Her longtime producer Frank Peterson knows opera and pop. What
they tried to do with Brightman, who already has immense crossover
potential, is to create an opera-based album with pop-sounding
studio-produced elements. This has been attempted many times but
this time, it’s done the way I’ve always imagined it
should be done. People may listen to songs like “Naturaleza
Muerta” and disagree about “they way it should be done” but whether
I’m prejudiced by previous listenings of Brightman’s eclectic work
or not, I’m convinced that she has digested enough elements to
bring out the best of both worlds.
This style is put into opera-Broadway-magic effect in my
personal favorite track, “Just Show Me How To Love You (Tu Cosi Fai
Stasera)”. The songwriters know what they’re doing; the sound is
distinctly modern with a touch of traditional added by the London
Symphony Orchestra, original Italian lyrics, and the gloriously
golden voice of José Cura (yes, he
does sound like Domingo). Brightman is one of those rare
sopranos who use both head and chest voice and there is ample room
for her to demonstrate that. The effect is nothing short of
stunning; too many arias and duets are killed by artists trying to
oversing, making vehicles for their voices instead of inspired
expression.
There are many crossover-style tracks such as “There For Me”,
“Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro)” sung with Andrea Bocelli,
“Naturaleza Muerta”, a remake of Queen’s “Who Wants To Live
Forever”, and “No One Like You”. That last one opens the album with
a Gershwin-type aria which sounds distinctly of American theater.
This is one of the many tracks that demonstrate her international
appeal; the album is done in I-don’t-know-how-many languages (is
that Hebrew I hear?). It’s true that most opera singers (including
chorus) learn several languages but this also showcases the
dedication Brightman has put into her art (estranged husband Andrew
Lloyd Webber confesses that he divorced her because “she was
addicted to her work.”), considering the fact that she started out
as a unilingual Broadway artist.
The traditional tracks are, if not fascinating in originality as
the crossovers, still a good listen. Some songs, like “Tu quieres
volver”, are given a modern bite by pulling the ranges down and
making the notes more accessible to mortals. But tracks such as “In
Pace” and “La Wally” are perfection in their traditional formats.
She really does sound like an opera singer, with that ear-filling
voice be it head or chest.
What perplexes me are the last two “Encore Tracks”, “O mio
babbino caro” and “Alleluja”. Supposed live tracks, they sound like
applause edited before and after studio productions. Sarah
Brightman sounds like a studio production even in concert.
Perfection is a good thing, but sometimes a flaw here or there is
preferred in a concert situation.
This album is one of the best works I’ve heard all year. I had
expected something like the ambience of
Fly or another Broadway work like
Surrender, but this album is much more; a feat of
self-accomplishment. She and the producers pushed hard for the
right kind of sound; immense growth is evident everywhere on the
package. She has surprised me before with
Dive and
Fly. This is the third time, and I’m loving every track of
it.