AMC doesn't usually review new CDs, but an intriguing piece from Sarah Brightman's new album "Dreamchaser" is worthy of mention. Brightman's piece is titled "Lento e Largo" and when first AMC heard it, it nagged a bit. Where was it from? Then the light magically blazed through the dim corridors of memory. It is an arrangement from the second Movement of Henryk Gorecki's Third Sympthony- "The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs." For those unfamiliar with this work, here is a brief summary from Wikipedia:
"A solo soprano sings a different Polish text in each of the three movements. The first is a 15th-century Polish lament of Mary, mother of Jesus, the second a message written on the wall of a Gestapocell during World War II, and the third a Silesian folk song of a mother searching for her son killed by the Germans in the Silesian uprisings. The first and third movements are written from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child, and the second movement from that of a child separated from a parent. The dominant themes of the symphony are motherhood and separation through war."
AMC finds this music to be very difficult to listen to because it is so full of pain. Sorrow, loss, grief, and hopelessness have never been crystallized or synthesized better. For AMC it is one of those works that must be listened to sparingly because of its searing intensity and sadness. Music can speak volumes to one's soul and this music surely does.
Ms. Brightman's version is respectful of the source as it should be. It is a bold risk, and AMC thinks it paid off.
Take your pick. .
Here is the original work:
"A solo soprano sings a different Polish text in each of the three movements. The first is a 15th-century Polish lament of Mary, mother of Jesus, the second a message written on the wall of a Gestapocell during World War II, and the third a Silesian folk song of a mother searching for her son killed by the Germans in the Silesian uprisings. The first and third movements are written from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child, and the second movement from that of a child separated from a parent. The dominant themes of the symphony are motherhood and separation through war."
AMC finds this music to be very difficult to listen to because it is so full of pain. Sorrow, loss, grief, and hopelessness have never been crystallized or synthesized better. For AMC it is one of those works that must be listened to sparingly because of its searing intensity and sadness. Music can speak volumes to one's soul and this music surely does.
Ms. Brightman's version is respectful of the source as it should be. It is a bold risk, and AMC thinks it paid off.
Take your pick. .
Here is the original work:
Here is the Brightman version:
I love how Sarah always takes risks with classical music and blends it in with other genres. It really puts a fresh spin on everything she does, and it's probably why she has so many fans (me included!). I was surprised to find a remix of her song "Glosoli" by a pop producer recently. Really makes her voice sound haunting! http://goo.gl/x74Eje
ReplyDelete"Glosoli" is a tune composed and performed by Sigur Ros from 2005, so Ms. Brightman composed some lyrics for it, since the original piece has lyrics in a made-up language. By the way "Eperdu" is a cover of a song by the Cocteau Twins. All great songs for Ms. Brightman to perform.
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