La Luna

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• BRIGHTMAN SARAH LA LUNA

Music reviews of La Luna

Music Review: My Favorite Brightman Album To Date
Rating: 5 Stars

What I enjoyed most about this album was how well everything came together to create a mood and atmosphere. The music held the theme so tightly together that it might as well have been glued to the the concept she had in mind. What you get with La Luna is a bit of fantasy that's ethereal and haunting, cold yet passionate, and every bit as fantastic as its predecessor, Eden.

Most people have heard Scarborough Fair and Dvorak's Song to the Moon, both of which are included on this album, so I'll use them as examples. Both these songs are very passionate songs, but they're both dignified, quiet, and a little mysterious (and mystery, after all, is distance). Most the songs on La Luna are of this vein and style. There's an element of fantasy and mystery in this production. Some songs draw upon folktales to lend a dark, mysterious quality to the album.

There really is an element of elegant mystery to La Luna which is fascinating. Though some may complain that no runaway hits emerged from La Luna, I say that despite the lack of hit singles, the album as a whole was a success.

Here are some of the songs that stood out for me:

-Her rendition of Scarborough Fair is the best I've heard. Her voice is gorgeous, smooth, and perfect for the song.

-Figlio Perduto is, perhaps, the standout song on this album. For those who know their Beethoven, the music for this song is adapted from Beethoven's 7th symphony allegretto. The lyrics are based on the German poem Erlkönig (King of Elves), written by Johann Goethe. It's a very haunting piece, and the power of Brightman's voice builds to an impressive climactic ending. Basically. The song tells a story (in Italian) about a boy who is spirited away by the king of elves. It's definitely an homage to Skandinavian folklore, much of which were more like horror stories than the sugarcoated faery tales of modern day. This song definitely is a tip of the hat to 'old' faery tales and is regarded by many as a beautiful song.

-'This Love' is a song I greatly enjoy. It's laid back, but it definitely requires vocal agility and a lot of feeling. Sarah's mentioned on one of her DVDs that this song was particularly difficult to sing because it required a lot out of the singer, but it still needed to maintain its laid-back quality. Elizabeth Fraser (of Cocteau Twins) co-wrote and sang the original song. I LOVED the original version, and Sarah's version definitely does the original justice.

-Sarah delivers a gorgeous 'Gloomy Sunday' while showing off a different, jazzier side of her voice.

I'll stop before I start listing and going off about all the other songs. Indeed, I love almost every song off this album. I've enjoyed this album as a whole more than any of her other albums.

While I preferred the UK version's She Doesn't See Him to the re-worded US version's He Doesn't See Me (and I also preferred 'First of May' as a bonus track over the US version's 'Moon River'), I'm still very partial to this version.

She ventures occasionally into pop territory with 'Winter in July' and Dido's 'Here With Me,' but I think her voice is still best suited for the more classic songs (note: I didn't say 'classical'). Despite this, however, I still enjoyed 'A Whiter Shade of Pale.'

What you'll get with La Luna is a versatile collection sure to please any music enthusiast who enjoys great voices. If you like this album, do make sure to check her La Luna Concert DVD! =)

Description of La Luna

Sarah Brightman Photos

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Time to Say Goodbye	Diva: The Singles Collection	Eden
Diva: The Video Collection	Harem	La Luna (Live in Concert)

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