New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Broadway's Rita
Harvey and BroadwayWorld.com's
Peter Danish team up for a new CD of "Simple Prayers: For Challenging Times" for this holiday season.
Rita
Harvey (star of Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on The Roof, Next to Normal, etc.) has teamed up this holiday season with author and composer (and BWW.com Classical
Music Editor)
Peter Danish for an incredibly special new CD.
"Simple Prayers for Challenging Times" a collection of short prayers from numerous different faiths set to original music by Danish and performed by Rita
Harvey - will be released December 1st.
"We were both seeking a creative outlet during this crazy stressful time and this idea was a godsend. It just seemed like something we could share with absolutely everyone, and hopefully bring a little much needed solace to everybody this holiday season." said Danish.
The CD contains original compositions and a few traditionals in fresh arrangements including sacred Catholic, Jewish, Baptist, Arabic, Orthodox Christian and other faiths' texts.
"I was honored and overjoyed to be asked to lend a voice to this project. Peter's music and ideas were so inspired and beautiful, it was like a healing balm to get to sing. I also love that we included prayers from many different traditions, to show that we are all unified in our search for peace," said Harvey.
The album features some special guest artists, including Yiannis Hadjiloizou, the musical director of the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra, and legendary Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano
Stephanie Blythe contributed the lyrics to one of the tracks. And noted engineer Frank D. Fagnano (The Hit Factory, Tony's
Bennett Studios) mixed and mastered the CD.
"These truly are challenging times. Many of us are sometimes at a loss as to what we can do to get through, to feel hope, to help in some way.
Random acts of kindness, a comforting word, and inspired art can lift us out of darkness. We hope this music, and simple, yet profound prayers, can pass along some comfort and light to you," added Harvey.
Rita has appeared with Alfred Molina, Michael Crawford, Bernadette Peters,
Harvey Fierstein and Rosie O'Donnell, among others. Danish has composed for and recorded with Metropolitan Opera legend Aprille Millo, and is the author of two novels: "The Tenor," and "Medjugorje," as well the award-wining play "The Final Days of Wolfe Tone" and the upcoming musicals: "The Flying Dutchman" and "La Paloma."
The CD will be released on December 1st available everywhere. The CD's first featured single, entitled: "An Invitation to Sing." The song is based on a poem "An Invitation" by
Stephanie Blythe. Said Danish: "When I read the poem the very first time, I actually heard the music. The song came into being, complete in one sitting. That kind of inspiration is very, very rare! And I was just ecstatic that
Stephanie loved the song!"
SIMPLE PRAYERS FOR CHALLENGING TIMES will be available in over 200 online outlets around the world and CDs will be available from Amazon.com or at www.ritaharvey.com or www.peterdanish.com.
