Harem (CD & DVD) [ENHANCED] [LIMITED EDITION]

Sarah Brightman (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Limited Edition
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B00009L1U7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,227 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #9 in	Music > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B > Brightman, Sarah
  #11 in	Music > World Music > Middle East

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If one's notion of "world music" promises a touch of the exotic and indigenous, often overlooked is the fact that the influence of western pop music has seeped into every corner of the globe, creating a hybrid that's often more than merely the sum of its influences. Theater vet Brightman steps into that pan-cultural hall of mirrors here, wedding her fascination with the music and rhythms of the "forbidden places" (the title's Arabic meaning) of the Middle East to her own oft ethereal vocal charms and rock-solid sense of drama. And if the diva's equally sound crossover sensibilities (and that of longtime producer Frank Peterson) sometimes mire it in familiar world-beat pastiche, Brightman's charmed muse manages some transcendent moments nonetheless. Her musical borrowings (Borodin for the title track; Puccini's *Madame Butterfly* for "It's a Beautiful Day") are as compelling as her choice of collaborators: classical violin star Nigel Kennedy and Iraqi vocalist Kadim Al Sahir add compelling touches to the weary timeliness of "The War is Over." The musical influences range from Europe across the Mediterranean and as far East as the Indian roots of "Bollywood" composer A.R. Rahman's "The Journey Home" and Brightman's own "You Take My Breath Away" to evocative recastings of the emblematic standards "Stranger in Paradise" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," while ex-Killing Joke keyboardist Jaz Coleman provides the savory East-meets-West orchestrations that ensure Brightman's star turns the seamless foundations they deserve. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Sarah Brightman Photos

More from Sarah Brightman

Time to Say Goodbye	Diva: The Singles Collection	Eden
Diva: The Video Collection	Live from Las Vegas	La Luna (Live in Concert)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I am dreaming a dream or this is Paradise and..., July 13, 2003

By	Clarissa "MoonGoddess" (Ontario, California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

the Abode of Peace!" ~ Arabian Nights

I've been a fan of Sarah Brightman since the release of 'Eden' back in 99 and have since then acquired many of her albums and concert DVDs and, imho, this is by far her best work to date (although many will disagree because it's so experimental). She's a true angel of music and 'Harem' (forbidden places) explores the exotic with beautiful, crystalline singing and ethereal, wordly-pop meets middle eastern beats that will keep you entranced until the very end (and then you'll probably start it again because world music can be very addicting if it's done the right way and if you've got the ear/taste for it). This album is hypnotic and enchanting and very different from her successful predecessor 'La Luna' but it definitely rises above anything she's ever done before and it showcases her love of varied styles. Operatic singing is pretty much nonexistent here but she still incorporates her old roots with a well-trained classical voice on "A Stranger In Paradise" and a great adaption of Puccini's "Un Bel Di" (It's a Beautiful Day). Frank Peterson continues to guide Sarah's career in the right direction by producing the sweeping, dance-infused "Harem" (the title being a song in which she wrote herself) while bringing in some new faces to spice the mix up, like keyboardist Jaz Coleman (ex-Killing Joke who also worked on the highly praised New Zealand project, Oceania) to breathe life into the soaring string orchestrations.

'Harem' also features a lot of guest artists, such as the passionate Iraqi vocalist Kadim Al Sahir on "The War Is Over" and classical violinist Nigel Kennedy who recently worked with crossover star Josh Groban. The late Ofra Haza appears on "Mysterious Days" while Natacha Atlas lends additional background vocals on "Arabian Nights" (the theme for this record) which, lyrically, is separated into five different parts that fuse together seamlessly.

Since the entire album is absolutely stunning, it's nearly impossible to choose favorites here but "What You Never Know", "The Journey Home", "Free", "The War Is Over", and her breathtaking remake of Mandalay's "Beautiful" seem to standout the best with me. The Asian-influenced, U.S. bonus track "You Take My Breath Away" is another notable mention but it's hardly new to me. It was originally released on her import album "Fly", which would probably be the best of her previous albums to compare this to as it was her first real venture into the pop-rock genre.

Sarah may be singing simpler tunes on 'Harem' but she's never sounded better.

As for the limited edition DVD, that is a very nice inclusion for fans like me who can't get enough of this goddess in motion. She's such a fun person to watch and you can really see that she loves what she's doing. On the making of Harem you get to experience several behind the scene features, such as the recording of the orchestra, the backing vocals, many instrumental sessions and, of course, Sarah at Nemo Studios with boyfriend/producer Frank Peterson. The DVD also consists of a Marrakech photo shoot, a trip around Morocco with Sarah, the original and alternate music video for "Harem", a slow moving photo gallery, a discography of her recent albums (excluding the less popular "Dive" and "Fly", for some reason), and a very interesting biography.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible CD by an Incredible Artist!!!, May 29, 2003

By	Anthony Morelli "Woofbear" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Harem (Bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

I bought Harem Yesterday, when it came out. It's such a beautiful CD. The DVD is unlike any of Sarah's other DVDs. We go so deep into the making of Harem, that I feel at home.

I'm going to start, by talking about the CD/DVD packaging. Well, the digipack carton is really nice, but will not take a lot of wear. The ink on the digipack will end up dying your fingers, if it gets wet. Be careful!
There are beautiful pictures inside, and we're treated to so many more pics in Harem compared to any of her other CDs. I'm really happy! Thank you Sarah!
The surface of the CD and DVDs are painted with palm trees and a silver "Harem" at the bottom of each. You can't really tell which is the DVD and which is the CD, but that doesn't matter to me.

Alrighty now...Here is my review of Harem, song by song:

Harem:.......A gorgeous marriage of Instrumental suspense, mixed with moving electronic techno-dance beats makes this an excellent opening track. I love the suspenseful, dramatic crescendo from the slow, rythmic percussion, to the gradually rising melody, and then turning into a bouncing, looped keyboard riff, which then shifts into high gear with a sensuous, electronic dance beat. I love it!

What a wonderful world:.....Sarah has revisited a Classic song (originally by the great Sachimo "Louis Armstrong"). Sarah has re-invented this classic, giving it a pixie-esque finish. The song is unique, and has a lovely melody which only Sarah and Frank can come up with. Lovely!

It's a beautiful day:........Pure Euphoria! I love it as much as I love the original "Madame Butterfly or (Un Bel Di vedremo). What a gorgeous soaring mix of Classical with a slower electronic beat. This song can easily fit into the Fly CD material, because it's got that heavenly, off the ground vocal effect on me. This is the only song in which Sarah puts any operatic voice into. Kind of says "thank you", for all the fans who loved her classical music of the recent past.

What you never know:.......Lovely! Beautiful accoustic guitar solo, which makes me feel sentimental. And Sarah's ageless "Kate Bush-esque" soprano voice gives it a touch like no other song. This is probably one of Sarah's best love songs yet!

The Journey Home:.....Another dramatic melody builder! It starts out really slow, and percussion sets in. The background vocals are to die for, and the violins and orchestrations just glide smoothly.
Then what I love, is Sarah's smooth, crystalline Soprano voice arrives with the first lines of the song. It builds up to another fine electronic dance beat, which soars through the sky like an eagle. I get goose bumps every time this song plays. Ofra Haza's voice is so lovely on it!

Free: Sad but beautiful......Sarah sings about wanting to be free, and to move on. This one is another sweet melody, where Sarah's voice opens up into one emotional bliss. How pretty!

Mysterious Days:.......Is mysterious, melodical and really pretty. I think it's one of the most "rock-sounding" of all the songs on the CD. This one could really work as a single. I absolutely love the chorus line.

The war is over now:.......Very pretty, simple and catchy. Duets aren't my thing, but this one is an exception. Sarah's light, airy voice, and Kadim Al Sahir's voice is brilliant. They go really great together, and I think this proves that they should duet a lot more together in the future. I can't get over the chorus line in this song too, because it's so easy to sing to, and even though it's a bit repetitious, the song has a pleasing melody.

Miserere Mei:.......Lovely! Simply Put!

Beautiful:.......Simple and melodic. Fits in so well with the theme. Makes me think I'm travelling into the desert, and learning a lot about life and beauty of things.

Arabian Nights:.......What a lovely little medley of Arabic songs. It's so pretty that Sarah sings in Hindi. I Love it! Sarah's voice is such an instrument. She can pull her voice in, or bring it out like a slap in the face. I like the versatility of this piece.

Stranger in Paradise:........It's just plain OK. Nothing too new, nothing too startling. I've already heard a lot of versions of this piece, and I prefer Sarah's. The original comes from composer Alexander Borodin.

Until the end of time:........what else can I say, but this is my 4th favourite on Harem. I love everything about this tear-jerking song. It's something that should be found on any passionately-written CD. Sarah has found my heart when i listen to this track.

Tout ce que je sais (french version of "what you never know):
Same feelings about it as I have for the english version.

Gueri de toi (french version of Free): Same feelings I have about the english version.

Now, the DVD!!!

I played the DVD, and I simply love everything about it. The video to Harem is amazing. There are 2 versions of it, and one you get to see the orchestra playing. Sarah looks so beautiful in her video, and she looks so happy. I'm glad she looks so happy, because that's how she makes a lot of her fans feel.

The Photo Gallery is amazing too, for the pictures are so rich in color, and they float across the screen horizontally, one by one.

I like the way they go deep into the making of the video for Harem. It's fun the way Sarah makes a funny fool out of herself, fooling around in the studio, on playback. It makes me laugh!

I went to see Sarah live today (May 28th, 2003), at the signing for Harem. She is such a wonderful person to meet in person. You'll never meet a sweeter lady than her.
After the signing, I went to see her in a live taping of an interview for Harem. She was such an angel, and that made me feel so much closer to her music and to her, period.

Well, that's it for my review!

Hope it helps you!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come into my harem, June 15, 2003

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sarah Brightman has reinvented her musical styles over and over, constantly exploring new territory in albums like "Dive" (the sea, "La Luna" (the moon), and "Fly" (everything else). In "Harem," she takes a step into the Middle-East, reflected both in the music and the writing.

We start off with the Mid-Eastern technopop "Harem" ("Sing for me a song of life's visage/Sing for me a tune of love's mirage") with its shimmering music, heading off to the softer and more uplifting "What a Wonderful World," the beautifully sung but rather simplistic "What You Never Know," the melancholy ballad-turned-pop "Journey Home," the sparkling "Mysterious Days", the deeply poignant "War is Over," the haunting "Arabian Nights," the somewhat lackluster "Stranger in paradise," and the stately "Until The End of Time." (The India-influenced "You Take My Breath Away" from a prior album is also on the end)

Only Brightman could evoke so much with one CD -- desert sand and winds, and cities, medieval churches with the all-too-brief "Misere Mei," oppressive love, mosques and camels and "wounded lights falling." The DVD accompanying many of the CDs is a good insight into the album (although it's impossible to tell them apart just by looking). Music videos, photo galleries, and a behind-the-scenes look at Sarah recording the album tracks and changing the lyrics as she goes along.

The writing is usually a bit secondary to the amazing voice, but the songwriting is brilliant as well. The Middle-Eastern ones are usually the best (" Splendor of a thousand suns shone glory in my path/ No love more pure and rage more fierce"; "If I were God and ruled the world/I'd spin a wheel of dreams"). Some of the less prominent songs are a bit repetitive ("Beautiful"'s chorus, for example).

As in "Dive" and "Fly," most of the songs are in English and have a certain note of dreaminess. But "Harem" is of higher quality than either, and Sarah sounds surer of herself; her voice, as always, can dip into a sort of little-girl voice or soar in operatic solos.

Fans of Sarah Brightman will not be disappointed by "Harem," different but definitely worth buying. Fantastic, absolutely fantastic.