BocelliOnline

Angela · Joined: 05 Apr 2003 Posts: 72 Location: Devon, England

I too bought this CD a while ago, and it is beautiful - different but very refreshing. The song "Whisper of Angels" is hauntingly beautiful and the words are very moving. Here's a taster:-

"I was yours before the first morn broke,
Before the sun that woke the earth,
And I was yours before rain kissed the ground,
Before the first dawn's sound was heard..."

See what I mean?

Definitely recommended!

MichaelS · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 30 Location: Scotland

For Amici Forever fans in the UK -

They are scheduled to appear on the Des & Mel show on 4 February singing Prayer in the Night.
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All people smile in the same language

Tina · Moderator Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 275 Location: England

Thanks MichaelS! Just in time to watch tomorrow! 8)
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La tua voce e come un dolce dolores nel mio cuore! Non c'e nessuno migliore di te!!

MichaelS · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 30 Location: Scotland

Amici Forever fans in the UK.

Geoff Sewell and Tsakane Valentine appear on "My favourite Hymns" on Sunday 7 March on ITV1 at 10.30am.

Enjoy. :wink:
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All people smile in the same language

Melodie · Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2004 9:42 am Post subject:

FROM "THE OREGONIAN":

AMICI FOREVER IS CLASSIC CROSSOVER

DAVID STABLER, 03/05/04

Trash. Treasure. Cheap. Charming.

Amici Forever, whose CD has jumped to No. 2 on Billboard's classical crossover chart, has people lobbing insults across the pop-classical divide. Folks on one side call the "opera band" from London "very cool" and claim they listen to the songs over and over. But purists are gagging at the "dreadful" and "overproduced" arrangements, asserting that the five classically trained singers don't have the vocal depth for the music.

There they go again.

Actually, we can clear this up very quickly. Amici isn't classical any more than Josh Groban is opera.

Granted, Amici is treading familiar territory, adapting the crossover formula that has enriched the Three Tenors, Andrea Bocelli and Groban, not to mention the Opera Babes, Bond and Charlotte Church. From a commercial standpoint, the formula is working: Amici has sold 70,000 albums in the United States in six weeks, which tells you right there the album can't be classical. What's more, the group sang on live television to an audience of 500 million at last year's European soccer championship and has appeared with some of Britain's top pop acts.

So, don't be confused. Despite their classical training, these guys sing pop arrangements in a pop style. The songs are all gentle, all nice, aimed at listeners who are inclined toward classical music but prefer extra-foamy over straight-up. The quality of singing ranges from rich bass-baritone to pressed-tone tenor to wobbly soprano. They are: Jo Appleby, a soprano, from England; Tsakane Valentine, a soprano, from South Africa; tenor Geoff Sewell of New Zealand; David Habbin, a tenor from England; and Nick Garrett, a bass-baritone, also from England.

Handel's famous "Sarabande," a terse tune for harpsichord, pulses with an electro-beat called "Prayer in the Night." Alex North's "Unchained Melody," the Righteous Brothers' hit, opens with an oboe solo and adds vocal lines that gracefully entwine. Gabriel Faure's familiar "Pavane" becomes "Whisper of Angels," a smooth-flowing ballad with its pizzicato accompaniment, which kept the original light and airy, replaced by sustained strings. The result sweetens a somber, stately tune.

But where they get into trouble is in opera territory. The great "Pearl Fishers" duet for baritone and tenor, "Au fond du temple Saint," needs more vocal character, more color and shape, than it gets here. For the real thing, listen to Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill, who recorded it in 1950 and have never been equaled. Similarly with "Nessun dorma," this is a big-boy aria that proves too much for the tenor, even when his friends pitch in.

And skip Rusalka's "Song to the Moon" altogether. The sopranos, who take turns with the Dvorak aria, are too expressively blank for the shimmering music. They also suffer from ruinous vibratos. If you want a real singer, get Renee Fleming.

More successful are Mozart's "Soave sia il vento" from "Cosi fan tutte," an exquisite vocal quartet that is light enough for these voices. And Handel's "Zadok the Priest," a staple of English coronations for nigh on three centuries, chugs along nicely, building to an impressive finale.

So, take Amici for what it is: a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/107840575029240.xml

COMMENTS? :?

jo · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 247 Location: Ohio

Willma · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 804 Location: Boston

Kenzu · Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 393 Location: Finland

... :lol: I find these talks of crossover, classical, pop, opera etc. amusing :lol: :lol: :lol: it seems that the journalists don´t have anything more important issues than wondering who´s doing what on what bases having this or that education in singing. I find this writing quite introspective as if the only meaning is to raise bad blood within the music industry :shock: :?:
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"Ex nihilo nihil fit"

Janice · Joined: 02 Mar 2003 Posts: 414 Location: Chicago

I agree 100% with what you said about the journalists. What IS the point of mentioning who studied with whom and for how long or classifying recording artists into certain groups--he is "crossover", she is not? Why not just listen and review? It almost seems like they have an assignment to make their piece a certain length so they choose to fill it with unnecessary drivel.

granny · Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2

I have been gone so long I starving for all things Bocelli. Please feed me.
Seems everywhere ive turned today it is everything but BOCELLI. I have lost touch with all the former amicis and this new computer hasnt learned that its the man himself not all other titles or groups that my heart yearns for. Who can help this need?

Thanks, for anything you do
Granny