Log in to your account
Stats
Biography
Born on 14 August 1960, Brightman became involved in performing at a very young age, starting lessons in dance, and piano at the age of three. By the time she was 11 she successfully auditioned for her long career as a performing art student. In 1973 at the age of 13 Brightman started her stage career, landing her first role as a daughter for production of “I and Albert” at the Picadilly Theater in London.
In 1981 Brightman landed the role of Jemima in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of “Cats,” followed by the part of Kate in “The Pirate of Penzance.” Webber, who had attended one of her shows, and Brightman eventually married, and she went on to play the lead female roles for Webber’s production of The Phantom Of the Opera, Song and Dance, and Requiem (all the parts were written specifically for her).
In 1992 Brightman performed with Jose Carreras for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, reaching an audience of about 3 billion people. Following this, Brightman decided to pursue a solo career and released a pop album “Dive” in 1993. With the release of her third album, “Timeless/Time To Say Goodbye” Brightman found worldwide success; specifically, the album reached gold, platinum and mulit-platinum in over 21 countries. In 1998 she partook in a television special on Public Broadcast Service (PBS) for her concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
“La Luna” was released in 2000 and reached Number 1 on the Billboard Top Internet Album chart, selling over 900,000 copies in the United States alone. The album, which drew on inspirations ranging from Beethoven and Billie Holiday, became her highest selling album. Following the success, she released “Classics” in 2001, which included all of her best and most iconic tracks, and five years later released a DVD of her best performances.
With the continuing success with live performances and album releases all around the world, Brightman was awarded the UNESCO Artist for Peace award in 2012, followed by live broadcast performance on the National Geographic channel. Most recently, she released a compilation album called “Voce- Sarah Brightman Beautiful Songs” for a Japanese audience in 2014.
Live reviews
The original Christine Daaé from Phantom of the Opera, Sarah Brightman still possesses the angelic, operatic voice and elfin beauty that first made her famous. There are no cheap seats at a Sarah Brightman concert, but there are no bad views either, since she is currently using a huge screen on stage, sometimes showing videos of nature or the cosmos to illustrate the theme of the concert. Adding to the visual treats are brilliant lighting effects and at least ten costume changes, most of them formal gowns with spectacular beading.
She has historically performed either with a full orchestra, or their recorded tracks, but on her Dreamchaser tour she is using a small back-up band instead, the better to hear her as she performs hits like Time To Say Goodbye, Closer, Nessun Dorma, Angel, and Phantom of the Opera.
Her voice, a pure, breathy soprano, can sometimes be all but overpowered by her musical accompaniment, something that happens so frequently it almost has to be by design rather than accident. She seems to prefer having her voice be experienced as just another instrument in the orchestra, rather than the centerpiece of each song, an aim not always appreciated by everyone in the audience. Fortunately, this does not happen throughout the whole evening, at least not on her current tour.
After watching her concerts on PBS 18 years, I finally got to see Sarah Brightman live. She was absolutely amazing, and I’m so impressed that she sang live the entire show, instead of it being pre-recorded. The second she walked on stage and started singing, tears started streaming down my face and wouldn’t stop for like 3 pieces. I don’t know if she’ll do another tour again, but if she does, I’m definitely getting a meet and greet pass. The only disappointment was the venue. My mom and I expected it to be a lot nicer, but it felt a little too rundown and small for Sarah. We both agree it would have been more fitting for her to perform at the Boston Opera House or the Wang Theatre instead of the Orpheum. There were a few technical issues as well, but they handled it fairly well. Even so, Ms. Brightman put on a spectacular show, and I’ll always cherish this experience.
strangemurdocnoises
On Feb, 5th at DAR Constitution Hall Sarah Brightman delighted the crowd as usual even though the venue was only about 60% full. Her voice, grace and poise were all still as spectacular as ever. My only question was about the 24 members in the chorus. They were in complete shadows for almost the entire show. When I did see some barely visible faces through my binoculars, their actions and mouths did not seem to match the the powerful chorus I was hearing. I am still wondering if the backup voices were really live or pre-recorded.
AB Dockery
RedSectorZ
It was amazing! I really enjoyed the songs that she sang. Some from her new album HYMN and some older songs. I also loved the phantom of the opera, the high note that she sang at the end was very powerful and amazing. But before that she sang time to say goodbye while playing the piano. Overall I thought it was great and deserves a 5 star review.
accornross
Videos (1)
