A Winter Symphony - Dark Publications

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Album Description
Limited two disc (CD + DVD (NTSC/Region 0) pressing of this 2008 holiday release from one of the most famous voices in the world, including a bonus DVD that includes live performances from this British diva. Featuring many of the season's classics. including 'Silent Night', 'In the Bleak Midwinter' and a resplendent performance of 'Ave Maria'. On 'Arrival', Sarah adopts the originally instrumental track by pop genius's ABBA and adds vocals to create her own winter classic. EMI.

Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

A Very British, Very Enjoyable Christmas Album! November 16, 2008
44 out of 55 found this review helpful

Before you decide to buy this very wonderful and unique album of Christmas music be forewarned that this is NOT your typical album of American Christmas music, nor is it a "new age" Christmas album. If you are buying "A Winter Symphony" to satisfy those kinds of urges...be warned that this will work will probably not satisfy them!

BUT if you want a very different, very unique and yes...spiritual experience and are willing to embrace some European/British Christmas traditions then jump on in and buy "Winter Symphony."

Sarah Brightman did something which is by all standards quite a bold move...and that is to create a distinctly European and specifically British Christmas Album and release it overseas.

The songs on this album are songs most often heard in Europe/Britain...and NOT the USA. In fact, some of these Christmas songs I haven't heard since I moved back to America. Note: I mean BRITISH...songs British people listen at holiday time to: not songs Americans THINK the British listen to. Now let's deal with the album itself.

You can see just how European this album is with the very first song, which was co-written by the men from ABBA. Being a Japanese-Swedish-American I was struck by how Swedish the first song, "Arrival" is. In fact, "Arrival", reminds me a lot of a talented Swedish folk-singer, Merit Hemmingson, (who sadly is unknown outside of Sweden.) Given that this folk tradition is unknown outside of Sweden, "Arrival" is a pretty bold inclusion and shows you that this album is going to start out strong and it just gets better from there.

If you analyze the content of the album you can see that once again, Sarah Brightman and Frank Peterson imagined an album of music that would work like a themed "mini-musical." More specifically, and more exciting is the fact that they tied this "Winter Symphony" in with Sarah's most recent album "Symphony." The two albums deliberately compliment each other: even the art work on the two albums is inter-related with Sarah in "Winter Symphony" looking like the White image of herself that soars above the dead Red image who died in the labyrinth in the "Symphony" album.

I won't bore you with dissecting each song on the album, other than to say that both versions of "Ave Maria" on "A Winter Symphony" are distinctly different from each other and also from the more famous, controversial earlier version of "Ave Maria" that Sarah released previously. I particuarly like the first new version duet with Fernando Lima because of it's distinctly Hispanic flavor (I live in Southern California and can imagine someone singing this version in an old Mission at midnight on Christmas eve.)

Some reviewers criticized Sarah in this album for singing in a very high register...obviously these people never went to a C of E (Church of England) service. Sarah nails the classic C of E choir technique in what is most likely a nod to her childhood. (Again, that very British theme of the album.)

Sarah also includes some really lively songs. like "I Believe in Father Christmas" that remind me of songs you'd hear on the radio in London around Christmas time...the British version of our Fifties Christmas songs.

In closing, knowning just how polarized things have gotten over the years in America, let's address the issue of whether or not a non-Christian fan of Sarah Brightman's can enjoy this music. Being raised in an inter-Faith family of C of E'ers, Swedish Lutherans and Buddhists I can say...yes...both Christians and Non-Christians can enjoy this album.

A non-Christian fan of Sarah Brightman's should not be afraid of this album, even if there are some classic Christian religious songs in it. The religious songs in this album are very classical and very beautifully done...I especially like her version of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Her "Ave Maria" with Fernando Lima is...well...I'm a Buddhist and I think it's awesome.

Conversely, a Christian fan of Sarah Brightman's should not fear this is some kind of "new age" perversion either. A Christian fan can also enjoy this album not fearing the inclusion of secular songs because these songs are in the European Yule tradition from whence all our current Christmas traditions sprang. In fact, I'd even venture that it might make an American Christian appreciate the European traditions more and slow down and not make their Christmas a frenzied, frantic shopping spree coupled with equally frenzied "Joy of Christmas" religious pagents.

Sarah Brightman's done something quite extraordinary...and that is to create an album of Holiday music which EVERYBODY, regardless of their religion (or lack thereof) can enjoy. Sarah's life the past few years has been challenging to say the least, and she's overcome those challenges in a most amazing manner which has been reflected in the joint "Symphony"/"Winter Symphony" albums. Like all true artists, she's taken her personal life with it's triumphs and tragedies, integrated it into her works and once again given her fans a transcendent experience that allows us to rise with her into a more hopeful future.

Sarah Brightman once described herself as being "very, very British" and that's reflected in her very, very British, very, very enjoyable "A Winter Symphony." And yes...I'd say an American can enjoy a very British album of Christmas music. So if, you're curious, buy the album, jump on in and have a Merry Christmas.

4 out of 5 stars

A Winter Symphony November 4, 2008
28 out of 36 found this review helpful

Never let it be said that Sarah Brightman doesn't know her fans. This is exactly the kind of record that fans of the opera-crossover artist (and Christmas) should enjoy. Brightman is, of course, an incredibly talented singer, and that's no less true on this release than it has been on any album she's put out. Essentially, there's little to say about this record other than that if you like holiday music and Sarah Brightman, you will like A Winter Symphony. Her voice is powerful as always, and the arrangements are bright and spry, making it a solid winter-season record. If you're not a big fan of either Brightman or the holidays (you Grinch), then bloody stay away. It really is as simple as that.

7.7/10

4 out of 5 stars

A Merry Winter Solstice!!! November 8, 2008
28 out of 31 found this review helpful

This is a great album you can listen to during the winter months. Sarah has created it so that you are not stuck with it for the holidays only, you can well listen to this into January and February. I think this album is alot like Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong", in that it's got a few Christmas tunes, but it is not really a "deck the halls" sort of album.

The music is very beautiful and flows nicely. I miss winter, and this does help in that I can meditate and see the wintery landscape, in particularly with track 6 "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring". I do agree with some of the other reviews in that I wish Sarah would not sing in that new "Wispy" sound she's done with the "Classics", "Symphony", and now this album. But variety is what she is known for, and she'll make many more beautiful albums such as this one. Add this to your "Wintery Collection", you'll love it.

4 out of 5 stars

A Joy of Holiday's Desiring November 17, 2008
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

I've read a lot of mixed reviews on this CD, from Brightman fans and non-fans alike. But in my personal opinion, it's a superb album, and I'm thrilled she finally produced a holiday CD.

I'm giving it 4 of 5 stars because I do believe it could have been better, but that by no means implies that I hate the CD in anyway. I've just followed Sarah for the past 10 years since I was a little girl. This woman was my introduction to opera and classical cross over music! That being said, I know what the "best" and "most" could sound like from her; this isn't it.

I really wish three things would have been done with this CD: Sarah singing, "The First of May" (as she did on the Symphony tour, for pre-Christmas dates), and she also included a version of her singing "Carol of the Bells" or her opera-arranged version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" (another pre-Christmas Symphony tour song).

A few notes:

"Arrival" -- based off of the ABBA track by the same name, it opens the CD in a very unqiue and interesting fashion. I never thought the day would come when I would hear my favourite soprano covering the quartet from Sweden. The thing is, she doesn't do it in a corney fashion either. It's tasteful and I think she does ABBA justice. Her voice also lends the track an unearthly fantistical ring to the track, making you "see" the song as you "hear" it.

"Colder than Winter" -- if you ever had your heart broken by anyone for any reason, you will releate to this song. Enough said.

"Ave Maria" w/ Fernando Lima -- I seriously think this woman loves this song, because this is the THIRD (or more, who knows/remembers) arrangement she's has recorded of it. I have all of Sarah's releases and, while I welcome this addition to the CD, I seriously wish she would just CHILL on the hail Marys. I don't think Fernando Lima has a great voice, it's acceptable, but he's no Andrea Bocelli or Josh Groban, and he's completely not a Nick Garrett or Russell Watson by any stretch of the imagination. So what saves this track? The arrangement. It's beautiful and DIFFERENT. The last minute of the song, especially. Peterson is this verion's saving grace! Take the "Ave Maria" you think you know, to a new place. It's either really fantastic, or really brave. You be the judge.

"I Believe in Father Christmas" -- she also sings this on the "Symphony" tour before the holidays, if you are lucky enough to see her in person. It's fabulous! Oh I love love love this song. It's a unqiue addition to any Christmas CD that doesn't get played enough, and for Sarah, that's a blessing for her album!

1 out of 5 stars

What is Sarah doing? November 11, 2008
22 out of 32 found this review helpful

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Sarah fan. But what was she thinking when she recorded this CD? When the singing started I thought I was listening to a young untrained girl's voice beginning the song (a duet perhaps?). Then I realized it was her! She is trying to use her "not so operatic voice" which is a huge mistake. The thin, shallow weak sound on every single track had me wanting to crawl out of my skin. The high B (or Cb depending on the key in which it's written) in Gounod's Ave Maria is reasonably well pitched but is very thin and made me run for cover. It's no wonder that you can't hear the preview clips on this site. No one would buy it if they heard the preview. Sorry Sarah...but you can do much better.

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