Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: November 16, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00002EPP9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (193 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,003 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

To judge by the impassioned responses to her debut album Voice of an Angel, Charlotte Church has already set extraordinary expectations for any follow-up. After all, the vocal phenomenon from Cardiff, Wales, took up a place in The Guinness Book of Records as the youngest artist ever--at the tender age of 12--to have an album attaining No. 1 status on the classical charts. This self-titled second release will continue to delight the highly gifted singer's legions of fans, and also contains some surprises for them. Church here tries out classical repertory with Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" and the "Jewel Song"--her pure and high-flying voice showing an amazing agility. There is great warmth in a couple of sacred songs, as well as the traditional Irish "She Moved Through the Fair." Church's vocal color--almost like a boy soprano at times--brings something unique to Gershwin's "Summertime," while the first track--Danny Beckerman's Hallmark-ish "Just Wave Hello"--seems destined to become part of the music you can't avoid associating with the turn of the millennium. --Sarah Chin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Development in 2nd CD, December 14, 1999

By 

Ben Ohlander - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charlotte Church (Audio CD)

I had purchased the 1st CD after seeing the PBS special, and was impressed with the sheer talent, in spite of the mediocre quality of the recording. Her voice in this CD shows tremendous growth, essaying a broader range with greater depth, color, and staying power. Gershwin's "Summertime" was my favorite of the disk. It's sung without dialect, and has a wistful, haunting quality I found quite charming. The lead track, "Just Wave Hello", was written for her, and showcases her talents and increasing range. She may also create a market for operatic-pop crossovers on the strength of this cut alone. She seems most at home in the final six tracks, moving from the charming "She Moved Through the Fair", into the ethereal "Last Rose of Summer", and a powerful "Men of Harlech". I would have bought the CD for these selections alone.

The opera selections were a mixed bag. Anna Rossi's review here at Amazon provides a better technical review than I can offer. I would suggest checking it out. If Voice of an Angel was an introduction, this CD is a quality resume. The only real problem I think this created for her was it brought her squarely into the gun sights of opera purists, and opened her up for the inevitable comparisons with veteran sopranos who've been singing these roles for years. It was probably necessary for Sony to cement her place in the firmament, but it also exposes her to some unfair panning.

Cuts from two of my favorite operas, Faust and Marriage of Figaro, were included. I was prepared to dislike the Jewel Song, but thought it was nicely done. She handles the upper ranges well, and each note in the middle runs is delivered cleanly... well enough to show she's got the chops to play with the big girls. I just wished it hadn't been cut to two minutes.

The Marriage of Figaro track, "Tell Me What Love Is" was less satisfactory. The decision to do the English translation undercut the nuances of the original song, and I think she is a bit tender to convey the emotional content. It came across a little flat to me.

The only cut I outright didn't care for was the "duet", Barcarolle, The second role would have been better sung by a mezzo-soprano, (which I think it calls for). That would have helped draw attention to Charlotte's vaulting high notes in that aria.

The best operatic cuts were the Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" and Handel's "Lascia ch'io pianga". The Handel, in particular, is sweet and nicely done. The Rossini "La Pastorella" does a good job of showing her vocal development, and of providing a snapshot of her technical mastery at this time. I would like to hear this track recorded again in a few years in order to provide a measure of how far she's come.

I would recommend this CD to both serious opera fans and casual listeners. She offers us all something that doesn't happen very often... she's getting music that normally heard only in dusty opera halls and art-house soundtracks out in the real world. Perhaps some of the popular enthusiasm for this young lady will carry over into the opera world at large and get some new faces into regional houses.

I think Charlotte is well on her way to a stellar career, and I am looking forward to the day when she takes her place on stage...provided that is what she chooses to do.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One man's opinion, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Charlotte Church (Audio CD)

This CD is much better technically than the first which sounded like it was done in a garage using an old tape recorder. Ms. Church is also better technically. I enjoyed most of the cuts on the CD because I find listening to her to be relaxing. I do not expect perfection in her 13 year old voice; what I find is a lovely voice worth listening to coupled with a certain charm and innocence. If you want the voice of a 40 year old soprano DO NOT BUY THIS CD you will be disappointed. If you want sweetness in an uncloying way this might be your choice.

114 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A voice with potential, December 3, 1999

By 

Anna Rossi (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charlotte Church (Audio CD)

I'm a 25 year old light lyric soprano and I heard this CD at my voice teacher's house a couple of days ago. We both agreed that Charlotte Church has a very pretty voice but that some of the material she is singing is unsuitable for her at this stage of vocal development. We also observed that she just doesn't have the maturity yet to covey roles like Marguerite (Jewel Song) and Lauretta (O mio babbino caro) with all of the nuance and feeling that they require.

But she's only 13 years old so I'm sure that her interpretive skills will grow in time. I do agree with an earlier poster that it would have been better for her to wait and record some of this repertoire when she is older. Of course, it will make an interesting comparison when she sings these roles later.

I loved the way that she sings "The Last Rose of Summer." She seemed very connected to the song and her high notes have a floaty quality about them. All in all, it's an enjoyable disc. Church doesn't do anything that is vocally offensive.

When you've heard singers like Ileana Cotrubas sing "O mio babbino" and Mirella Freni singing "The Jewel Song," it's very hard NOT to compare them with Church. I don't think that it was the best idea of her agents and producers to set her up for this kind of critiquing by having her perform these arias.

And shame on Sony for not including translations of the pieces in foreign languages. For people who are interested, "O mio babbino caro" is sung by Lauretta, a young girl begging her father to find a way to help her marry the man she loves. Lauretta's plea is irresistable and her father does help her. The Jewel Song is sung when Marguerite, a young country maiden, discovers a casket of jewels left for her. "I laugh to see how beautiful I look in the mirror! Is it you, Marguerite?" She imagines how beautiful Faust would find her in her jewels, "Ah, if only he were here. He would find me a beautiful lady."

I hope that people continue to enjoy Charlotte Church. And maybe consider giving some other sopranos a try: Natalie Dessay, Renee Fleming, Ruth Ann Swenson, Angela Gheorghiu, Renata Tebladi, Beverly Sills, Lucia Popp......there are so many other beautiful singers out there. Perhaps Ms. Church is on her way to becoming like one of these enduring artists.