Etterna [Enhanced, Import]

Emma Shapplin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Import
• Label: Universal Can/Zoom
• ASIN: B000068PW9
• In-Print Editions: DVD Audio
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,765 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Un Sospir Di Voi

2. Aedeus

3. Da Me Non Venni

4. La Notte Etterna

5. Leonora

6. Celtica

7. La Silente Riva

8. Spesso Sprofondo

9. Mai Piu Serena

10. Nell Aria Bruna

11. Finale

12. La Notte Etterna (Remix)

Editorial Reviews

Emma Shapplin is an artist who is French yet sings in 14th century Italian. Her personality is romantic, mysterious & passionate & she brings all of these elements together in Eterna, the follow-up to her hit 1998 album, Carmine Meo. Highlights include, 'La Notte Eterna' (Remix) & an enhanced portion (interview video in French & English) for use on Mac & PC. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, August 30, 2002

By 

Bruce Allen (Clayton, DE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Etterna (Audio CD)

Beautiful and haunting follow-up to her first album.
Emma Shapplin has truely grown as an artist because
on Etterna she has co-written all of the compositions.
Etterna is beyond catergorization and effectively
mixes operatic vocals with orchestrated arrangements
and electronic elements. Buy this CD.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A haunting followup to Carmine Meo., July 17, 2002

By 

Sarah - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Etterna (Audio CD)

I was browsing through an Archambault when I saw Emma Shapplin's "Etterna." I quickly snatched up a copy since I loved her début album "Carmine Meo" and her contributions to the "Red Planet" soundtrack, and "Etterna" followed Emma's tradition of Baroque Italian lyrics, gorgeous melodies, her sensual soprano, and otherworldly sound effects (chanting, water, space sounds). Like "Carmine Meo," "Etterna" is an opera of sorts featuring an exotic cast of characters.

The liner notes are simply gorgeous, featuring Emma as the range of characters: an elf, a witch, an old lady, a little boy, the soul, a crazy girl, all printed in metallic gold interspersed with vibrant colour photos. Whereas the environment of "Carmine Meo" was geared more towards Fire and Earth, "Etterna" is ruled by Water: the sounds of waves gently lapping, the melody wavelike and tranquil. The lyrics are drenched in melancholy, much like "Carmine Meo," although "the hope is in the melody," as Emma explains during the CD-ROM interview (one version is in English, the other in French with English subtitles).

"Etterna" is on label Ark21 after a breach of contract with Pendragon Records (which explains why Emma was not present on "Atylantos," the sequel to "Carmine Meo." A classical crossover success story, Emma Shapplin was born in Paris in 1974. She took singing lessons as a teenager, later joined a heavy metal band in which she mostly screamed and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day in an attempt to "roughen" her voice. Later she returned to her classical roots after seeing an opera performance that touched her deeply. She met up with French composer and rock star Jean-Patrick Capdeville at a party and asked him to write a gothic opera for her, "Carmine Meo," which went on to sell over a million and a half copies. On "Etterna" Emma does almost all of her own scoring and lyrics (with help from Graeme Revell).

To my ears many of the songs drift together, lacking the individuality of "Carmine Meo." Also, there seems to be an overabundance of sound effects during the introductions (many of the songs don't "begin" until 1:30 or later into the track). But seeing as Emma oversaw all aspects of her sophomore release (art direction, scoring, lyrics, performing), "Etterna" is a truly impressive effort and a treat for the senses.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emma Shapplin is undisputedly the Queen of the Night!, January 12, 2003

By 

Clarissa "MoonGoddess" (Ontario, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Etterna (Audio CD)

As I write this I'm listening to one of my favorite songs on 'Etterna', "Da Me Non Venni" and am getting chills like you wouldn't believe! In a past interview I read on the internet about 'Carmine Meo', Emma explained how she wanted to use a language that was very poetic (aka 14th-century Italian, which very few people know) for she wanted to convey emotions that you could feel rather than understand. And while that worked on her last studio album, it works even better with 'Etterna' for the music shifts its focuse on her singing without the gorgeous melodies overpowering to steal the spotlight. My introduction to Emma Shapplin was through the Yomanda remix to "Spent le Stelle" though, which spills forth a very addicting techno beat with soaring vocals that are free and unrestrained, so don't misconstrue what I'm saying because her vocals are indeed very strong and can carry through just about anything she puts her mind to! Before you buy this though you should know that this is not proper opera and that Emma has never claimed to be a traditional "opera singer". She sings from the heart...from the SOUL, and because of that her haunting arias with sweeping synthesizers and dramatic string melodies come out beautiful and TRUE. And even though Jean-Patrick Capdevielle did a marvelous job on 'Carmine Meo', producer Graeme Revell, who also worked with Emma on the Red Planet soundtrack, succeeds in making 'Etterna' sound mystical and ethereal with Shapplin composing all of the lyrics, which are dark, seductive and mysterious... "'A sigh from you and I am born again of the Demon's Forge'"... "'Ah! The evil, wicked desire which disarms me! And it leaves...leaves... My life leaves me...'"

Captured within the booklet are also some strange pictures, like Emma playing hop-scotch on a desolate under-shore playground. My favorite, however, is with Emma playing chess beneath the depth of the ocean with a blind-folded cloan of herself! ...

'Etterna' is truly magnificent and I consider it to be the BEST ALBUM of 2002!