Sydney, AU. (Top40 Charts/ EMI MUSIC Australia) - In a genre-defying music career that could be described as nothing less than spectacular,
Sarah Brightman has established herself as the world's best selling soprano of all time. On Saturday Ms Brightman released a brand new album, Symphony - her first studio album in five years.
Released in the USA in January, Symphony has already given the soprano her highest U.S. chart debut to date, going straight in at 13 on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart. The album also hit Number One on three other Billboard charts - Classical Overall Albums, Classical Crossover Albums and 17 on the Top Digital Albums chart.
Recorded in Germany, the USA and the UK, Symphony features all new songs, and was created by Sarah with long-time producer Frank Peterson. In addition to reuniting her with Andrea Bocelli on the sweeping, romantic 'Canto Della Terra,' the characteristically eclectic album features collaborations with Spanish counter tenor sensation Fernando Lima ('Pasion'), Italian tenor Alessandro Safina ('Sarai Qui'), and rock superstar Paul Stanley (KISS) on 'I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go).' Another highlight is 'Running,' the International Association of Athletics Federation Green Project Charity song, which Sarah performed at their Championships opening ceremonies in Osaka, Japan.
Exploring a bold range of styles, Sarah has created a thrilling collection of material that cannot be easily categorised, but remains entirely accessible to lovers of a vast array of musical genres. From the Gothic tempestuousness of 'Fleurs du Mal,' to the pleading 'Let It Rain,' Symphony is teeming with both audacious defiance and vulnerable sensuality.
Her extraordinary abilities as a consummate recording artist and live performer have allowed her to achieve sales of more than 26 million albums and two million DVDs to date and earned her more than 150 gold and platinum sales certifications in 34 countries on all continents. She remains the only artist ever to hold the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Classical and Dance charts simultaneously. Ms. Brightman's unprecedented crossover success has also helped pave the way for such performers as Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, and Josh Groban, and earned her nearly every major music award on the planet, including a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for the success of 'Time to Say Goodbye,' the best-selling single in German recording history.
In addition to her impressive record-sales figures, in 1992 Sarah closed the Barcelona Olympic Games with a performance seen by an astounding two billion viewers. In 2004, she grossed $60 million on the record-breaking Harem World Tour, playing to an audience of 700,000 worldwide. And in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sarah performed to a crowd of 120,000 in a single night.
'Whereas most singers gravitate towards vocal works, I have always been far more drawn to symphonic work,' says Ms. Brightman, 'where the composer paints a story that the listener can see without opening their eyes. Over the past four years of recording this album, I found myself approaching my music even more visually than I ever have before. I found that the canvas was endless for this album.'
Ms. Brightman adds that the album earned its title because it is truly 'a coming together of many different elements to create consonance with harmonious textures that still hold true to a common thread that runs down the centre of the album. Throughout my career I have worked in so many different styles of music,' says Sarah. 'This is the first album where all of these styles come together to create a very diverse musical landscape.'
Coupled with the excitement generated by the long-awaited release of Symphony, 2008 will also give Sarah's fans the chance to see her on the silver screen in Repo! The Genetic Opera!, a musical thriller directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (who directed three of the hugely successful films in the Saw series). The film also stars Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Anthony Head and Paris Hilton. In addition, 2008 could also offer audiences another opportunity to witness the tremendous impact Sarah has made as a live entertainer as a tour is in the works.
From sources as divergent as Puccini and Queen, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rachmaninoff - throughout her stellar career, Sarah Brightman has masterfully woven the threads of pop, rock, classical and Broadway into a brilliantly-coloured musical tapestry. Once again she has accomplished just that, with an enchanting, exhilarating Symphony for the senses.
