DiscountDelight - Sacred Songs
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List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $5.14
Your Save: $ 12.84 ( 71% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Decca
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0028947571773
Label: Decca
Manufacturer: Decca
Publisher: Decca
Release Date: 2005-09-27
Studio: Decca
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Truly inspiring
Comment: It is hard not to be impressed by Renee Fleming's voice. It is such a rich, versatile instrument and, by now, almost unmistakable.
It is also wonderfully suited for the singing of sacred songs by such classical masters as Handel, Franck, Berlioz, and Mozart. And her rendition of "Amazing Grace", when one thought NO ONE could make that song sound fresh again, is genuinely moving.
The inclusion of a duet with Susan Graham, my other favorite contemporary singer, is an added treat.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic crossover collection!
Comment: My first reaction to this album was "whoa, Sarah Brightman sounds AMAZING! I didn't know she could sing so great... in such lovely unaffected manner... she really toned it DOWN! how classy!"
Unfortunately what would work for Brightman, does not work for Fleming, who is a real opera star and should know better. I think uptight opera snobs and people who can tell their Sills from their Sissel would agree that Fleming's tone here is just bizarre. What happened to her voice? There is annoying self-conscious smugness to it, her tone is so round, very "mushy", breathy. Maybe her label is trying to make her sound more like Sarah Brightman, certainly they share the repertoire already.
What a tacky collection of the greatest crossover hits, not to mention, several choral numbers, like the Shepherd's Farewell from Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ, that are reworked as solos, I don't know why and what for. Andreas Delfs' very reverential conducting reminds me of Mantovani, and the overall saccharine feel to every track is opressing. It's quite obvious that this record has nothing to do with God or anything sacred, rather it's an attempt to ride the bestseller lists.
Of course, this album can work for some people, and there are many similar Andrew Lloyd Webber and Il Divo collections to enjoy. I am sure Renee will be back with Christmas album, and many more enchanting collections of soothing, lovely music. She still needs to cover Nella Fantasia. Actually, on this album she sings Faure's Pie Jesu, that's quite a blunder- the correct choice of funeral piece for your first crossover album is Webber's Pie Jesu, duh! Renee is new in this business, and she has lots to learn.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pretty but bland
Comment: I'm a big Renee Fleming fan but I can live very well without this one. I did not like her Haunted Heart CD either, I think she should stick with what she does best and hope that her Daphne is the step in the right direction. Renee, you need no crossover to be heard, sing more Strauss and other rarities & leave the syrup and gloss to crossover birdies.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Beautiful Songs
Comment: Why are people are saying so much bad stuff about Renee, they are just jealous of her talent. These are the same snobs who are saying that Sarah Brightman is not a real opera singer.
On these Sacred Songs, Renee sings so prettily. My favorite songs are Dank sei dir, Herr which is even better than Sarah's version, and the two Ave Marias, I think Renee should do one album of nothing but Ave Marias, like this singer Slava did. And the songs from Messiah, I like that Renee sings them in English, it sounds better than German. Panis Angelicus, which means "bread of angels" is another beautiful song. Renee's singing is so divine, you will feel like you're in heaven and eating angels, crunch crunch. Simple Song is simply fabulous, Renee sings so fast! Ladida ladida! And wait till you hear Pie Jesu, it's even better than Charlotte Church version. This would be a great song to play at the weddings, it's from a mass called Requiem.
I like the Amazing Grace too, it's very original. Renee can have fun, who says you should sing this song so seriously, like it's virismo opera.
I think the cover of this album is so beautiful too, such ecstasy, but when I was looking at this lovely picture of Renee, I thought she could give this album a better title, for example Charlotte Church called her album "Enchantment." Maybe Renee could call this album "The Holy Mysteries Deep Within My Bosom" or something mystical like that. I also wish she would do Nella Fantasia or other great songs like that, I hope she will another Christmas album soon. It will be like Christmas shopping in paradise, where everything is on sale 50% off.
This is a beautiful collection of Scared Songs, it's almost as good as Il Divo Christmas album. Get this album and Renee's album of Broadway songs to appreciate her talent! We love you Reneeee! You are the moist Beautiful Voice in the Universe! This album can be little boring after you listen to it, some people use it to fall asleep but I give this album three shiny stars, just like Renee's eyes are shining even though they are closed on this ecstatic cover.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bland
Comment: This is such a bizarre collection, many popular pieces cobbled together for no reason. The Amazing Grace stands out like a sore thumb, and Faure and Messiah pieces are completely out of sync.
Only the duet with Graham is OK, maybe good for Christmas. My guess is that the label wanted a crossover type collection to cash in on the popularity of best selling acts like Bocelli and Il Divo. Fleming does not have the looks of Sarah Brightman but she tries to imitate her style anyway, with soft singing and mushy diction, in many languages. Her French is particularly bad. Even the English pieces are not very clear, which is just as well, because the lyrics of the Simple Song are so silly anyway. Many songs are sung in strange tempi, very slow or very fast, and embellished too much, but the main feeling is indeed sugary blandness.
This album will be waste of money for anybody interested in opera, but some crossover fans may like it, if they can tolerate Fleming's heavy vibrato and very round tone.
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Editorial Reviews:
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This lovely CD features Renée Fleming singing religious music in an unaffected, lovely manner. Many favorites are here: both the Bach/Gounod and Schubert versions of "Ave Maria," each offered with long breaths and soft tone; "Rejoice Greatly" from Messiah, delivered with virtuosity and gleaming sound, and "He Shall Feed His Flock," also from Messiah, sung in a smooth, laid-back manner. Bits of the Fauré Requiem and Poulenc Gloria are welcome, as is the gorgeous "L'Adieu des Bergers" from L'Enfance du Christ. In the prayer from Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel, Fleming is joined by the splendid Susan Graham, and a version of "Amazing Grace" features Mark O'Connor on violin. Two excerpts from Mozart's Mass in C Minor, pieces by Reger and Franck, and a few surprises round out this devotional CD. --Robert Levine
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