A Winter Symphony
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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A Winter Symphony
- Artist: Sarah Brightman
- Rating:
- Release Date: October 28, 2008
- Total Time: 0:00
- Type: Christmas, Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Vocal Music
Review
Ten months after the release of her blockbuster Symphony album, vocalist Sarah Brightman and producer/musical guru collaborator Frank Peterson release the inevitable, Winter Symphony. If only it were really an extension of the overblown, wildly overproduced former album it would work on sheer camp level alone. But alas, while it's excessive it's not so overdone that it's dramatic or exciting, despite the presence of symphony orchestras, gaggles of session players, three choirs, etc. There are a number of traditional selections from the season of Christmas: "Silent Night," "In the Bleak Midwinter," and "Child in a Manger," among them, as well as two versions of "Ave Maria" (one in duet with Fernando Lima). There are also a slew of contemporary pop tunes in the mix, such as Vince Gill's "Colder Than Winter," an overcooked reading of Neil Diamond's "I've Been This Way Before," and inexplicably, one of the only hits ex-Move/Electric Light Orchestra co-founderRoy Wood ever scored on his own: the faux bubblegum nostalgic sock hop classic "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday." Despite the original version's nostalgic rock & roll structure and look at teen innocence, it is performed here as if it's a show tune. Weirdly enough, it's followed by "Amazing Grace"! The set closes with a far less dramatic reading of "I Believe in Father Christmas" than the wonderful version done by Emerson, Lake & Palmer back in the day. The tune comes from Sergei Prokofiev, but lyrics were added by Greg Lake and provided a rather solemnly majestic spiritual arrangement by Pete Sinfield. This take by Brightman feels like something that would be sung by the entire cast in a final scene from a newly staged musical version of A Christmas Carol. The sound here is a reversion of the old Brightman, where the instrumental and choir arrangements almost overwhelm the vocalist. This set is not contemplative, it's not necessarily joyous or expressive either, let alone inspiring. That said, it will no doubt appeal to hardcore Brightman fans without a hitch. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi| A Winter Solstice with Helicon (2004 Album by Chris Norman) | |
| A Winter Tale (2011 Album by Bobby Long) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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A Winter Symphony
| A Winter Symphony | ||||
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| Studio album by Sarah Brightman | ||||
| Released | USA, Canada November 4, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Vocal, Christmas | |||
| Length | 47:24 | |||
| Label | Manhattan Records | |||
| Producer | Frank Peterson | |||
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| Singles from A Winter Symphony | ||||
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A Winter Symphony is a Christmas album from the English soprano singer Sarah Brightman, released in November 2008.[1]
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Contents
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Album information
The album borrows its name from Brightman's earlier 2008 album, Symphony. It is accompanied by a DVD, a special edition of the album only sold at the Barnes & Noble stores across the United States.
In the week of December 15–22, Brightman's "Silent Night" was the iTunes Free Single of the Week. The "I Believe in Father Christmas" single was accompanied by a video.[2] Brightman also performed at the "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade" performing "Silent Night" on December 23, 2008, broadcasted by ABC until December 25, 2008.[3]
Track listing
- "Arrival" – 3:15
- "Colder than Winter" – 4:02
- "Ave Maria" (Duet with Fernando Lima) – 4:08
- "Silent Night" – 3:08
- "In the Bleak Midwinter" – 3:43
- "I've Been This Way Before" – 3:50
- "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" – 3:58
- "Child in a Manger" – 3:08
- "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" – 4:42
- "Amazing Grace" – 3:04
- "Ave Maria" (Bach/Gounod) – 2:52
- "I Believe in Father Christmas" – 3:44[4]
Bonus tracks
- "When a Child is Born" ("Deluxe" CD+DVD Edition only)
- "Carpe Diem" (Duet with Mario Frangoulis) ("Deluxe" CD+DVD Edition only)
- "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" ("Deluxe" CD+DVD Edition only)
- "First of May" (Japan only)
- "He Moved through the Fair" (Japan & Borders, Books, and Music only)
Singles
- "Silent Night (iTunes only)" (2008)
- "I Believe In Father Christmas/ I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (promo-only)" (2008)
Chart performance
Selling about 14,000 copies on the first week in the United States, the album debuted at number thirty-eight on the Billboard Top 200. It also made another debuts such as the Top Classical Crossover Albums at number-three;[5] It scored a number six in the Top Holiday Albums, being the first entry for Brightman on this chart[6] and debuted at number-four on the Top Internet Albums.
Charts
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Certifications
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References
- ^ Gans, Andrew (2008-08-27). "Sarah Brightman to Release Holiday Recording". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/120779.html. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ amazon.com
- ^ http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2008/12/miley-cyrus-jon.html[dead link]
- ^ "Tracklist for A Winter Symphony". Sarah-Brightman.com. 2008-09-17. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. http://sarah-brightman.com/htm_news/2.php?ID=3142. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ^ a b c Jones, Alan. "US albums sales in meltdown". Music Week. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1036167&c=1. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
- ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top+Holiday+Albums[dead link]
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top+Internet+Albums[dead link]
- ^ A Winter Symphony at Allmusic
- ^ "アルバム 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
- ^ A Winter Symphony in Mexico
- ^ "Ελληνικό Chart". Ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. http://www.ifpi.gr/chart01.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
- ^ Finland Albums Chart
- ^ Sweden Albums Chart
- ^ World Albums Chart
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sarah Brightman – A Winter Symphony". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=A+Winter+Symphony&sa=Sarah+Brightman&smt=0.
- ^ "莎拉·布莱曼"交响美声"广州演唱会". http://ent.163.com/09/0304/15/53IQJBU900032PPQ.html.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Sarah Brightman – A Winter Symphony" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200812.html.
- ^ . 12 November 2011. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8pfc2poUdT8J:pulsemusic.proboards.com/index.cgi%3Fboard%3Dgmn%26action%3Ddisplay%26thread%3D110577%26page%3D6+8+155+120+41+BRIGHTMAN*SARAH+WINTER+SYMPHONY+1270+50+2536+205395&cd=1&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=es.
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