Time to Say Goodbye / Timeless

by

Sarah Brightman

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I am sick to death of the opera purists deriding Sarah Brightman and belittling her accomplishments for absolutely no justifiable reason. What's this about a small voice? The orchestra drowning her out can be attributed to poor mixing. Go see her in concert and your opinions will change.

That aside, this album stays in my CD player, I can never quite bring myself to take it out. It's got a place in my heart, and it's easy to see why. She pays tribute to Queen with her stunning rendition of "Who Wants to Live Forever." Doyle's "In Pace" is one of the most fantastic songs I've ever heard. I enjoyed "Naturaleza Muerta," "La Wally," and her rendition of the Gipsy Kings "Tu quieres volver" absolutely took my breath away.

Of course all of these songs pale in comparison to the title track, the absolutely classic duet with Andrea Bocelli. The orchestra supports their voices beautifully, each singing their own part, and at the coda, where the two voices join as one, I feel as though I've touched the stars. Very few songs have ever elicited that kind of response (always bringing on chills and tears) from me, and even fewer continue to do it after all this time.

So please folks, don't let the purists turn you away from this album. Listen to it and judge it on it's own merits.

Sarah Brightman has a beautiful, clear soprano voice. For the most part, she sings with graceful ease and a sweet purity of tone. Her legato line is marred at times, unfortunately, by an unmannerly habit of scooping into high notes.

Some of the selections are just too heavy for her light lyric voice. Catalani's aria from "La Wally" is a good example. This pieces calls for a much bigger voice and loses its pathos when sung by a voice like Ms. Brightman's.

Brightman shows a nice penchant for coloratura singing in the Mozart "Alleluia." She is dreamy and heartrending in less operatic selections like "Who Wants to Live Forever?"

I think that the unfortunate problem with Brightman is that people don't realize that she is not the only light soprano out there with an angelic voice. Give the following a try:

Natalie Dessay: "Vocalises"

Ruth Ann Swenson: "i carry your heart"

Dawn Upshaw: "I Wish it So"

Heidi Grant Murphy: "Twilight and Innocence"

Kathleen Battle: "So Many Stars"

These sopranos possess voices that are in a similar category to Ms. Brightman's. Please give them a try. You will not be disappointed.