Celtic Treasure

Hayley Westenra (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Hayley Westenra
• Audio CD (March 13, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B000MTDRJA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,371 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #5 in	Music > World Music > Australia & New Zealand

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Having sung before royalty and performed with the Irish super-group Celtic Woman, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel, the very young and remarkably beautiful singer is back with a tribute to her Celtic ancestry. As with her previous Platinum-selling releases (she is already a huge star in her native New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and the UK), the orchestrations are lush, with sighing phalanxes of strings and woodwinds. But in keeping with the avowed theme, there are also soft touches of soulful, wavering tin whistles and vaguely fiddle-like violin vamps. The program is more varied than the album's title might lead one to expect, encompassing everything from "The Last Rose Of Summer" and "Danny Boy" to "Shenandoah," "Scarborough Fair," "Abide With Me," and even a couple of more pop-oriented songs penned by Westenra herself. However, brief sideways winks toward Nashville or the Great White Way do not adulterate the album's overall mood of ethereal, remote bliss. The one misstep is an English-language cover of "Un Bel Di" ("One Fine Day") from Puccini's Madama Butterfly: an aria unsuited to the artist's fragile, bell-like soprano and placid temperament. This aside, established classical crossover/theatrical divas like Sarah Brightman would be wise to begin looking to their laurels. --Christina Roden

Product Description

Hayley's third solo album is a very personal collection of classical arias, Irish and Maori folk songs - representing treasured people and places on her remarkable musical journey. Recorded in Dublin, Ireland, Hayley's third solo album is a very personal collection of classical arias, Irish and Maori folk songs - representing treasured people and places in her remarkable musical journey. For the first time the album also includes several original tracks written by Hayley herself. Celtic Treasure is a celebration of Hayley's family roots, and her grandparent's journey across the World on the first boat that left Ireland for New Zealand in the 1880s - taking with them a rich musical heritage. Her grandmother - a singer, and her grandfather, who played the accordion, were to be important influences on Hayley's musical development. Hayley grew up hearing her grandmother singing Italian opera arias in English. Hayley has continued this tradition by recording the well-known aria One Fine Day... ('Un bel di) from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Hayley's grandmother also sang Irish folk tunes, and Hayley includes one of them - Danny Boy on the album as a tribute to her. Another Irish folk tune Sonny, is the first recording in which Hayley accompanies herself on the piano. In the same vein as Hayley's signature song Pokarekare Ana from her debut album Pure, Hayley's deep sense of pride as a New Zealander, and the simple beauty of her voice come together in E Para Ra - a Maori lovesong reflecting her own love of her homeland. Hayley's first recordings of her own songs bring together all these musical influences. They include her compositions Let Me Lie and Summer Rain and her lyrics to a haunting lute song by the Elizabethan English composer John Dowland, called simply Melancholy Interlude.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, March 14, 2007

By	ekovalsky (Scottsdale, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

Hayley has an extraordinary voice, a rare talent that may manifest once in a generation. I think she has at least equalled Sarah Brightman which is no small accomplishment, particularly since she has yet to celebrate her 20th birthday. Her choice of program material continues to be excellent and there are no fillers on Treasure (I have the UK version, ordered directly from Amazon UK). My standout tracks are Let Me Lie, Notte del Silenzio, Shenandoah, Summer Rain, One Fine Day, Sonny, and Abide by Me. If you buy the US version, I suggest the Walmart version as you will get an exclusive bonus track, Mummer's Dance by Lorenna McKennitt. Although some of the material does fall into the Celtic music category, I prefer the UK naming. The different versions of all Hayley's releases are a source of confusion and frustration, but blame this on the label and the different chart targets among the worldwide markets.

Some of Hayley's own material is featured on Treasure, including Let Me Lie and Summer Rain. The latter is reminscent of Enya's best work. I am certainly impressed with her songwriting ability and hope to see more original work on future projects. Hayley also plays the piano beautifully on Sonny, a piece I find no less moving than Angel by Sarach McLachlan. That is high praise indeed. As much as I love Hayley's classical material, the more contemporary pieces are my favorite... ditto for Sarah Brightman.

Hayley is absolutely beautiful and a great performer. If you don't already have it, order her DVD (Live in New Zealand) with Treasure. My favorite tracks on the DVD are Pokarekare Ana, River of Dreams, Across the Universe of Time (great backup vocals by her sister Sophie -- another future star ?), Who Painted the Moon Black, Hine e Hine, and Wuthering Heights. I have without exception preferred Hayley's covers to all others' renditions and even the original. This includes Wuthering Heights, a song that I never thought anyone but Kate Bush could pull off. Hayley has an unparalleled vocal range and has full control and clarity across it all.

I am a serious audiophile and the recording quality is high. Thankfully Hayley's gorgeous voice is crystal clear and the engineers did not over-compress the music. [Josh Groban's CDs suffer badly from poor recording technique which is most unfortunate]. I think a duet with Hayley Westenra and Josh Groban would be amazing, by the way.

Already very popular in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Europe, I think Hayley will soon break out and become a household name in the USA. She is participating in the 2007 Celtic Woman tour. While I am a fan of Celtic Woman (particularly Lisa Kelly), I think Hayley can only be properly showcased as a soloist. Given the success I expect her latest CD to have, and the exposure from the Celtic Woman tour and New Journey concert DVD, I am hopeful that Hayley will embark on her own USA tour in the not too distant future.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A jewel of an album..., March 16, 2007

By	Ruth Anderson "Book Reviewer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hayley Westenra's third CD, Celtic Treasure, is a somewhat misnamed as it isn't strictly "Celtic" -- it's an eclectic collection of songs that perfectly showcases her crystalline soprano. The disc features several favorites that are staples on Celtic music releases, such as "Scarborough Fair," "Danny Boy," and "The Water is Wide." Also included is "Last Rose of Summer," a gorgeous duet with Meav from the group Celtic Woman, a nod to Hayley's current involvement with that ensemble (as featured on the recently released A New Journey CD & DVD). Their voices blend beautifully. In addition to these well-known "classics," Hayley expands her artistic horizons with this album which features her in the roles of song writer, arranger, and pianist on a handful of selections. Two of her song writing efforts are particularly striking - "Let Me Lie" is a lovely, lyrical song with an arrangement that possesses a lush, almost cinematic quality, while "Summer Rain" features a driving rhythm reminiscent of Enya's classic "Orinoco Flow." There is a nod to the pop sensiblity that was exhibitied on Hayley's second disc, Odyssey, in songs like "Summer Fly" which recalls the jazz stylings of "I Say Grace" from that disc, allowing Hayley to "cut loose," this time on a toe-tapping, folk-flavored tune. Hayley's extraordinary talent has become more and more evident with each successive album, exhibiting a continued trend of artistic growth and vocal maturity. Her voice has lost none of the purity found in her 2003 debut (aptly titled Pure) or the ability to hit unbelievably high notes with apparent ease; rather, her voice possesses an added depth and richness indicative of her maturation as a vocalist. It's worth getting this album from Walmart, as there it includes a bonus track -- Hayley's version of Loreena McKennitt's "The Mummer's Prayer," which is wonderful. For fans of classical crossover artists like Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, and Amici Forever, Hayley Westenra is a vocalist to watch. She consistently raises the bar with every release, cultivating her voice and skill, delivering each song as a perfectly polished gem.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven Indeed!, April 18, 2007

By	Jennifer Ortiz "jenortiz" (Morristown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I completely agree with another reviewer that this is Heaven. Miss Westenra's voice is pure poetry. She has really grown since I first heard her sing. I have been a fan since her CD Pure. I had only wished that I had heard of her before that. She is incredibly talented. The beauty of her singing touches you to the core. It is hard to describe it.

I frequently purchase the import versions of her CD's because they have additional songs. Treasure certainly lives up to its name. Miss Westenra's family has a rich musical background which leads back to Ireland. These are songs she grew up listening to and has made her own.

I especially love "Let Me Lie," "Shenandoah," and "Abide With Me."

I can't say enough about this artist. I wish her all the success in the world! I recommend that anyone who hasn't heard of Miss Westenra yet, take a listen. You don't know what your missing.

Enjoy!
Jennifer