Sarah Brightman
BRIGHT SIDE OF THE MOON
Sarah Brightman Sheds Light on Her Expanding Musical Orbit
With her megahit albums Dive, Time to Say Goodbye, and Eden, Sarah Brightman has become the most successful female classical crossover artist of all time. La Luna, the beloved British diva's hauntingly beautiful new release, is sure to orbit around the top of the charts as well. The former- Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber has made a career of effortlessly wrapping her crystalline soprano around a vast, rigorous repertory that encompasses the best of Broadway -- including the plum role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, written expressly for her -- the exhilarating joys of pop, and the timeless masterworks of the great classical masters. Barnes & Noble.com's David Cohen came face-to-face with the sylph-like chanteuse in her New York hotel suite. Dressed in a long black skirt with her trademark curly raven tresses flowing, Brightman discussed matters both practical and metaphysical.
Barnes & Noble.com: Your new album is titled La Luna. Do you find the moon an inspiration?
Sarah Brightman: Yes. I started with the feeling that the moon is like a magnet for us. It's romantic, ethereal, and has mystique. It's so ancient, yet so modern and futuristic. I was influenced by the many composers, lyricists, and writers who have been enchanted by the moon and the fancy tales and folklore they have created around it. And I see life as a continuum, like the moon's phases.
B&N.com: How did you select the material for La Luna?
SB: It was quite easy to pull the repertoire together. There was a huge range of things to choose from -- music, text, poetry. The Dvorák ("La Luna") and the Beethoven ("Figlio perduto"), which is based on a famous German poem about a child who loses its soul, were both particularly right, as was "Hijo de la Luna," written by Jose Maria Cano. The Rachmaninov piece ("How Fare This Spot") is something I've sung since I was very young -- far too young, in a way, to be singing it. I learned it in Russian, and it's about being in a beautiful space by yourself, alone with your thoughts. It floats weightlessly despite the tremendous amount of support needed to sing it.
B&N.com: Did the recording go smoothly?
SB: I had a bit of difficulty at first. I had just come off tour and only gave myself two weeks before starting all the preparations for recording. It was hard, and I had to keep taking breaks. Recording can take months, and I like to try out different things in the studio, but you have to let go at some point, which really drives me mad. I personally would like far more time to record, but for now we just work 16 hours a day, rather than only eight.
B&N.com: You and your producer, Frank Peterson, are a great team. What does he add to your music?
SB: I've done four albums with Frank. He's an excellent engineer and a wonderful producer. He has more of a pop background, having worked with Enigma ("Sadeness"), but he's also used to choirs and orchestras. Although I've had a career in pop, I'm also strong in the theatrical and classical fields. Together we make a whole; we have merged.
B&N.com: Your career is unique in that it successfully straddles both the pop and classical worlds. Does that make you feel artistically schizophrenic?
SB: Never, except for when I'm in front of an audience, because then you really do jump back and forth between the two. In concert, I start with the classical pieces, then do the popular stuff, like Phantom of the Opera, in the second half. I try to spare myself the headache of going from "This Love" to "Nessun Dorma." I started out in pop, did musical theater, and I trained in the classical style with wonderful coaches all over the world. That's what I do, so it's never strange to me.
B&N.com: Do you have any further surprises for us?
SB: The American release of La Luna will be expanded from the European version. I'm including a totally fabulous piece called "Winter in July," that's sort of trip-hoppy. I also have a go at Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale." I love them because there's something journeying about their music; they're always talking about ghost ships or 16 vestal virgins.
B&N.com: Will we ever see you on the theatrical stage again?
SB: I think the only way I'd go back onstage is to do plays. I love texts. Remember, I was never hired as a musical theater actress. I was hired as a soprano for Phantom, Aspects of Love, and the others. To go into conventional musicals is not my bag.
B&N.com: You have recorded duets with some of the world's greatest singers. Is that fun for you?
SB: They've all been nice experiences and all have been completely different. José Carreras and Plácido Domingo are extremely charming people. Andrea Bocelli is a different kind of talent -- less trained, in a way, but more earthy with a totally distinct approach. At the end of the day it's all about our passion for the music. In that way, we're all connected.
August 8, 2000
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