She was not like other children. She didn't want any spare time,
no afternoons off. When Sarah Brightman came home from
school she went to ballet lessons, every day, till eight in the
evening. After that she went to bed. She got up really early in the
morning to do her homework before school and at the
weekends she took part in competitions. Sarah Brightman was
a child that always knew what she wanted: She wanted to
become a famous artist.
Sarah Brightman is not an artist like many others. Her voice
has inspired millions of people. Her music is global, mighty,
boundless. Her explanation for this success is, not surprisingly,
brief: "I work hard".
The child's steadfastness marked the adolescent's way. At
the age of twelve she gave her first stage performance in a John
Schlesinger theatre production, at fourteen she began singing
and aged eighteen she scored her first big hit with the dance
pop formation "Hot Gossip". Two years later she had had
enough of quick success and started looking for new
challenges.
She went to an audition for London's premier staging of
"Cats". She got the part. And its originator. She married Andrew
Lloyd Webber and embarked on a classical career under his
direction, sang with Placido Domingo in Webber's "Requiem"
and became the much-celebrated star in the Webber musical
"Phantom Of The Opera". Envious people, critics and the media
distrusted her success. After all, she was Andrew Lloyd
Webber's wife. That makes it pretty easy to claim that she was
merely a mirror-image of his fame. "I had a hard time in this
marriage; no matter how well I performed, they never judged me
by my achievement".
When the marriage split up, it was time to start a new life.
She turned her back on her birthplace and moved to the United
States with the clear aim of making and producing her own
records. Here she met Frank Peterson, an ingenious producer
and highly creative partner, with whom she has been working
ever since. The co-operation resulted in the release of her first
solo album, "Dive", followed by "Timeless" in 1997, a worldwide
success with over 2.5 million copies sold. She continued
working on her classical career and was soon moving in both
worlds. Sarah Brightman interprets big opera arias on her
album with just as much grace and self-confidence as she does
in timeless pop hymns. Magificant live performances
accompany her on her distinctive way. She sang "Friends For
Life" with Josˇ Carreras, the theme song at the Olymic Games
in Barcelona, she thrilled German TV audiences with her hits for
the boxer Henry Maske, "Question Of Honor" and especially the
duet with Andrea Bocelli "Time To Say Goodbye", both of which
have become worldwide hits and milestones in the history of
music. The single "Time To Say Goodbye" sold more than 10
million copies worldwide (a massive 2.75 million in Germany
alone) and made Sarah Brightman's work and creative
personality famous around the world. In her opinion, the
diversity of her abilities is a nature-given fact that goes without
saying. She grew up with manifold different influences. Being
bombarded with her parents' 60's rock music was perfectly
normal for her and her brothers and sisters and in her dancing
lessons she did pirouettes to Tchaikovsky and Puccini. She still
listens to all kinds of music and speaks of Massive Attack with
as much respect as for Italian classics. "Good music is simply
good music, regardless of wich category it comes from".
Music is a heartfelt matter for her, so too with her own music.
"I sing music that I love. If I become dishonest, it doesn't work
anymore. You have to express your innermost feelings. The
audience knows when it's being cheated".
The title of Sarah Brightman's new album is "EDEN". At the
start of a new record there's always a feeling, an emotion, she
says, that turns out to be the leitmotiv and makes every record
into a story, with a beginning, a middle part and an end.
"EDEN" is her story. "I've gone back to my roots which are
probably of Celtic origin, brancing out to England, France, Spain
and so many different places. The album is very mystical and
spiritual, that was the underlying feeling right from the start. I
want it to take people on a trip to another world."
"EDEN" is an universe of sound, typical of Sarah Brightman.
A story full of pictures and emotions interlaced with passion and
musical highlights, such as her interpretation of Puccini's hit
"Nessum Dorma", the Kansas classic "Dust In The Wind" or her
vocal version of an instrumental from the soundtrack of "The
English Patient". A musical journey into different countries and
languages, because she wants her versions of famous and yet
to be discovered melodies to always retain the original
character of the piece. Nothing is as important for Sarah
Brightman as the truth of art.
And certainly not herself. "My voice is a gift for which I am
very thankful. But I'm just an ordinary human being, I have both
feet firmly on the ground. I have certain talents and it's my duty to
make the best of them. That's all. When I go on stage I always
feel really small. I hate this fuss about stardom."
When she wants to get away from her frame, she visits her
family in Spain. Her mother moved there to escape from the
cold English weather and this is where Sarah Brightman finds
some peace of mind in between constant travelling. Here she
can caress her nephews and nieces and enjoy family life without
even a trace of melancholy.
Her job is her vocation and her creativity her joy of life. The
top is just the beginning of Sarah Brightman's career. There are
still so many other things she wants to do. "I want to write a
novel, I want to compose music - modern and classical music.
But first I have to get to the bottom of things and there's still so
much I want to learn. I can't imagine not being busy".
going...
