About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

This follow-up to Paul Schwartz's chart-topping ARIA stays true to its original format: fresh arrangements of popular operatic arias in which the voice floats over swelling orchestrations and ambient dance grooves. Composer Schwartz could have settled for sampled string sounds played from a keyboard and rhythm loops from a drum machine. But he didn't. He uses a full symphony orchestra, "sung-to-order" vocals by Broadway diva Rebecca Luker, and wrote primo parts for cello, guitar, string quartet, flute, and oboe d'amore (the oboe's alto relative). And yes, keyboards and drum programming. The Croatian lullaby, "Sviraj," is typical of Schwartz's creations. Opening with gentle drum rhythms, evocative keyboard colorings, and the lovely melody line, the music slowly builds in intensity until the orchestra bursts forth and spins into an emotional frenzy. Several instrumentals pepper the album including "Horizon," a lovely duet for piano and cello; a dramatic orchestral "Intermezzo"; and a very hot yet cool version of Fauré's "Pavane," featuring a string quartet and Marc Antoine's guitar solos. Caccini's "Ave Maria" offers snappy, steamy rhythms underneath the satiny, soaring descant by Luker, as well as the gutsy voices of The Joyful Company of Singers. Enough of the blow-by-blows. ARIA 2 gets the thumbs up from me. It's peaceful yet energizing, with many moments of ecstatic beauty. Carol Wright, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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