Beyond Imagination

Opera Babes (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 14, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00007MB2F
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,600 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. One Fine Day (Un Bel Di From Madame Butterfly)

2. Sempre Ricordo (Piano Concerto in A minor)

3. There's A Place (From The New World Symphony)

4. Beyond Imagination (From A Midsummer Nights Dream)

5. O Fortuna (From Carmina Burana)

6. Lakmé H2O (Flower Duet)

7. Ebben?..Ne Andro Lontano (from La Wally)

8. You Live On In My Heart (Cinema Paradiso)

9. Chanson Bohème (From Carmen)

10. Remember Me

11. Stranger In Paradise (From Kismet)

12. Ode II Joy (From Symphony No. 9)

13. 1001 Nights (From The Nutcracker Suite)

14. Barcarolle (From The Tales Of Hoffman)

15. Lakmé (VibeTribe Mix)

16. Ave Maria

17. Vittoria! (Aida 2002)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Plucked from a wet afternoon of busking Bizet and Puccini to passersby on the Piazza in Covent Garden in the spring of 2001, soprano Rebecca Knight and mezzo Karen England soon found themselves singing in slightly larger venues: the FA Cup and Champions League soccer finals. That the management company doing the plucking had recently performed a similar Cinderella crossover act for Russell Watson offered portent, and indeed the Babes--the moniker began as a joke--were soon on their way to this recording debut. The marketing shtick and its soccer connections may offend purists, but it's the football hooligans that the Babes are trying to win over here; can Borodin soothe the savage Manchester United fan? Their classically trained voices mesh gloriously, with England's warm mezzo showing particular character in her solo turns.

The repertoire choices here cover material that may already be familiar to fans of Charlotte Church (i.e., Delibes "Flower Duet") and other crossover acts, but they do include some pleasant surprises, like Offenbach's Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann and "You Live On in My Heart," a reworking of Ennio Morricone's enchanting Cinema Paradiso theme with lyrics by Knight. But in a rush toward the musical middle of the road, it's the productions themselves that sometimes overwhelm the Babes with bathos ("Ave Maria"), hollow thunder ("Aida 2002"), and electro club kitsch (the 'Vibe Tribe' mix of "Flower Duet"). Former Art of Noise mainstay Anne Dudley's tastefully restrained coloring of Tchaikovsky's "1001 Nights" is one of the notable exceptions. They're babes, they sing opera--with fair promise--for the masses, and if they turn one in a hundred from football hooliganism to a well-mannered appreciation of Grieg and Dvorák, won't it all have been worth it? --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, Solid & Intelligent, August 7, 2003

By	David R. Bannon, Ph.D. (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

Mezzo Karen England and Soprano Rebecca Knight's debut, supported by perceptive and idiomatic accompaniment, is a solid and impressive recording. The instrumentalists play with great boldness and precision and present the classic works as vibrant music to be taken seriously, not just period pieces.

These compositions pose a range of challenges to the singers. England and Knight respond to the arrangements' disarming freshness and originality with a ready and penetrating intelligence. While they muster ample virtuosic agility of lyric warmth as required, it is their dramatic sense that is most compelling. Knight flings herself passionately into the emotional torrents of "Chanson Boheme," while she delivers her own lyrics in the charming "Ode II Joy" from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with a confident fervor. England sings with pure, attractive tone; her voice has maturity, depth and flexibility, and her diction is impeccable.

All of these songs are of interest in giving us another aspect of each composer's work. Many are achingly lovely -- Catalani's "Ebben?..." and the stirring Cohen/Lew arrangement of "Un bel di," are worth the price of this CD alone. This recital provides abundant evidence that opera (and its babes) has much to offer modern audiences. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Imagination is Beyond Words, January 18, 2003

By	Ogopogo "cpbrewer" (Grants Pass OR) - See all my reviews

WOW!!! These Babes have produced one absolutely gorgeous album. There won't be superlatives enough to justify an adequate description. If you love opera and pop music you won't be disappointed!
The Opera Babes are Karen England (mezzo soprano) and Rebecca Knight (soprano). Together their voices produce one exquisite sound. They have taken several great classics and combined them with pop music for a sound you won't soon forget. Ms. Knight also provided the beautiful lyrics for 'There's a Place', based on Dvorak's 9th symphony, and 'Ode II Joy', based on you know who. I'm confident that both Dvorak and Beethoven would approve. I also must note that the arrangements are equally as gorgeous. THIS IS ONE AMAZING RECORDING!! And at the new artist debut price, this disc is a steal!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquently Enchanting, January 21, 2003

By	Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

How can something this eloquently beautiful still be brimming over with pure fun? Please know that I am NOT a musician or schooled in music, but I do know what I like - and am absolutely ENCHANTED. 17 tracks - all LOVELY - include Vittoria from Aida, Stranger in Paradise, Ave Maria and Ode II Joy and the Flower Duet. Cheers to the Opera Babes and their angelic voices and their non-traditional take on this breaktaking music.