Updates/News
Site Update: Listen to Sarah's Music Online!
> April 12, 2008
After
searching around for ways to add streaming mp3s to the site, I finally
decided on Flash as the best way to do it since it'll give everyone
control over what they hear and how they hear it. Though I realize that
adding music to the site might be frowned upon by the powers that be, I
want the opportunity for people who have never heard any of Sarah's
music to get a taste of it as well as the opportunity for those who have
heard a bit of it already but want to hear more, more, more! to be able
to do so.
Two songs from each of Sarah's main albums are available for online listening via the new Media Player (also accessible under Audio in the menu bar on the left). Note that you will need Adobe Flash Player installed to be able to use it; many of you will already have it installed since Flash movies are commonly used on websites anyways and you would have installed it at some point to view something-or-other (probably mostly ads, to be honest). All the songs are CD-quality and full-length except where the CD might have truncated a track.
And of course, if you like what you hear, remember that there's plenty more where that came from! Visit your nearest music store or order online to support Sarah. All your CDs will come with pretty pictures and that fine new-CD smell... something a download never will. This doesn't mean I am against sharing great music, but Sarah is worth the price of a real CD.
Site Update: Future Plans for the Website
> March 14, 2008
I hope to be able to add some streaming mp3s to the site soon; currently I am looking around for some code to make it work.
I suspect there might be something wrong with the Guestbook, at the very least the site navigation doesn't display properly with it. I think visitors might have been trying to sign it and failing, an unfortunate thing since I would love to hear feedback from anyone who wants to give some.
Also I might be bringing a forum but this is dependent on how popular this site becomes and whether or not there is a fan base for it (of course, Sarah has an extensive fan base but I am naturally referring to how many of them find their way here). On that note, page views seem to have essentially doubled lately, undoubtedly in large part due to the recent release of Symphony and the resulting public interest. And rightly so.
Comments and suggestions are welcome; if my guestbook doesn't work, feel free to drop me an e-mail as per my
Contact page.
My First Impressions of Symphony
> February 7, 2008
On January 29 I braved the -42° Celsius Canadian winter to purchase Symphony (well, it was also on my way). Imagine my chagrin when HMV didn't have it, especially considering that I was fairly certain I was in the right country to be seeing the album out in stores on the 29th. But anyways, I had it in my hands a week later and am listening to it for the second time as we speak.
I am somewhat disappointed that the lyrics were not included in the CD insert but on the other hand there are several beautiful pictures of Sarah in it which you can all see in my Gallery here. (Fortunately the lyrics are available from the official website which I have copied over here).
What do I think of the album? Musically it is somewhat like a mixture of Fly, Time to Say Goodbye/Timeless and Eden (Sarah's 1995, 1997 and 1998 releases, respectively). I don't think it has the magic of Harem, Sarah's previous 2001 release, but then in my opinion it's nearly impossible to live up to Harem's appeal and success on all fronts.
The best tracks on Symphony would have to be the first two, Gothica and Fleurs Du Mal, which form essentially one track since the first is an instrumental lead-in to the second. I also suspected that there might be a hidden track and it turns out there is a short instrumental piece on the Gothica/Fleurs Du Mal theme after the last track. The classical genre plays a heavy part in this album and the influence of rock is minimal; Sarah sings four duets including a ballad with Paul Stanley of KISS which is surprising to say the least.
Of all the songs on Symphony, Attesa provides what I think is the best example of Sarah's wonderful vocal abilities. But it goes without saying that her vocals are phenomenal as usual for the whole duration of it.
Site Redone, New Pictures, and Symphony Lyrics> January 28, 2008
The site has been redone (yet again) to make it easier on the eyes. A bunch of pictures have been added to the Gallery, some of which are from Sarah's new album Symphony, and the lyrics to the songs from this album are also up.
Sarah's New 2008 Album "Symphony"
> January 9, 2008
Sarah's
much-anticipated new album, Symphony, will be released
early in 2008. Recorded in Germany, the US and the UK, Symphony features
all-new songs, and was created by Sarah with long-time producer, Frank
Peterson. The album features 13 tracks that explore a bold range of
styles. From the Gothic tempestuousness of “Fleurs du Mal,” to the
pleading “Let It Rain,” Symphony is a thrilling collection of material
that cannot be easily categorized, yet remains accessible to lovers of a
vast array of musical genres.According to Sarah, the album earned its title because it is “a coming together of many different elements, to create consonance with harmonious textures that still hold true to a common thread running down the centre of the album." She goes on to say, “Throughout my career, I have worked in so many different styles of music. This is the first album where all of these styles come together to create a very diverse musical landscape.”
In addition to reuniting her with Andrea Bocelli on the romantic “Canto Della Terra,” this characteristically eclectic album features collaborations with Spanish countertenor Fernando Lima (“Pasión”), Italian tenor Alessandro Safina (“Sarai Qui”), and rock superstar Paul Stanley (KISS) on “I Will Be with You.”
Another album highlight is “Running,” the IAAF's Green Project Charity song, which Sarah performed earlier this year at their Championships opening ceremonies in Osaka, Japan.
Release dates are as follows:
January 28 – Mexico
January 29 – USA, Canada
January 29 – Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan
February 4 – Korea
February 25 – Rest of South East Asia
February 27 - Japan
March 17 – Europe, Australia, New Zealand and rest of world (with bonus audio track)
TBA - UK/Ireland
Encore Lyrics Added
> October 5, 2007
Lyrics for the songs from the album Encore (2002) have been added.
Pictures and Wallpapers Added
> August 31, 2007
A few pictures have been added to the
Gallery and
three new wallpapers (wall_blue1, wall_couch1 and wall_couch2) are in
the Downloads
section. The site has been tweaked a little to get rid of some links not
working and to improve navigation.
Sarah's Birthday
> August 14, 2007
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
Celebrity Site of the Day
> June 28, 2007
This site has been chosen as Celebrity Site of the Day for July 5, 2007
at csotd.com.
Sarah's Songs to be on Movie Soundtracks
> June 25, 2007
Sarah's duet with Chris Thompson, "I Will Be With You (Where The Lost
Ones Go)" has been chosen to be the theme song for "Pokemon:
Movie 10".
The theatrical release of "Pokemon: Movie 10" in Japan is scheduled for
July 14. The ballad and the movie will celebrate the 10th anniversary of
the Pocket Monsters movie franchise.
"Pokemon: The First Movie" still holds the record for the highest overseas box office of any Japanese movie. The last 9 movies are reputed to have been seen by over 38 million attendees in Japan.
Another Sarah song, "Time to Say Goodbye" with Andrea Bocelli, is also being currently featured in the movie, "Blades of Glory", starring Will Ferrell.
Sarah's Summer 2007 Performances
> May 31, 2007
Sarah will be performing at the Princess Diana Memorial Concert
at Wembley Stadium on July 1. This charity concert was organized by
Prince William and Prince Harry to mark Princess Diana's 46th birthday,
and the 10 years since her death. Other artists scheduled to perform
include Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, Kanye West and P. Diddy, amongst
others. The internationally-acclaimed artists at this concert will
comprise the favorite artists of Princess Diana, Prince William and
Prince Harry. The event is expected to be broadcast live on BBC.
Update:
*
Watch Sarah's duet with Josh Groban of "All I Ask of You" at the
Princess Diana Memorial Concert*
This summer, Sarah will be participating in two high profile events
promoting environmental awareness. On July 7, Sarah will be headlining
at Live Earth Shanghai. Live Earth is a series of
concerts to be held across every continent on 07/07/07, over a 24-hour
period. This unprecedented event will be held in London, New York,
Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Hamburg and
Istanbul. It will feature some of the planet's most accomplished
artists, who have signed on not only to raise funds, but to also raise
the profile for environmental causes. Over 2 billion people are expected
to watch this event -- either "live", on TV, radio or on the internet.
For further broadcast and ticketing information, please visit the Live
Aid website.
Update:
*
Watch Sarah's performance of "Time to Say Goodbye" at Live Earth
Shanghai*
In addition to Live Aid, Sarah will also be participating in another environmental cause. Having been appointed as IAAF's first Green Project Ambassador, she will be helping IAAF to raise awareness for the global environment. On Aug 25, she will be performing at the Opening Ceremony of the IAAF Athletics Championship Games in Osaka.
Guestbook Added and Links Updated
> May 12, 2007
I've added a guestbook for visitors to leave me comments. Please do take
a moment to sign it; I will read all entries except the ones advertising
viagra. The Links page has also been updated with links to the official
sites of some other artists I like, as well as to web-building sites
that have helped me with the technical details for some of this site's
features.
Two New Fanlistings
> May 9, 2007
A couple of fanlistings have been added, one for the song Arabian Nights
and one for the song Harem. These are essentially my favorite songs from
the album Harem, though it's rather hard to just choose even two.
New Wallpaper and Gallery Additions
> April 17, 2007
Some new images have been added to the Gallery, as well as
better-resolved versions of some of the older ones. New wallpaper
wall_red3 has been added to Downloads.
New Colour Scheme
> April 9, 2007
The old blue colour scheme has been done away with and replaced with a
black-and-white look.
Sarah to Perform in May, 2007
> April 9, 2007
Sarah is to perform at the Classical Brit Awards (May
3, 2007) and the opening ceremony of the FA Cup Finals
(May 19, 2007).
She will be presenting at the Classical Brit Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on May 3. This event will be televised in the UK on ITV 1, on Sunday May 6, and will be repeated on May 13.
On May 19, Sarah is expected to perform to a crowd of approximately 90,000 at the FA Cup Finals.
Sarah will also be singing at the 4th of July garden party of US Ambassador to the UK, Robert Tuttle, and his wife, Mrs. Maria Tuttle.
New Pictures Added
> March 31, 2007
Six new images have been added to the Gallery.
Host Your Sarah Fansite Here for Free
> February 17, 2007
I am now offering free hosting for Sarah fansites. Click on the
'Hosting' link in the nagivation bar above for details.
New Video Stills Added
> January 31, 2007
Video stills have been added for Time to Say Goodbye (Harem Version),
The War is Over Now, What a Wonderful World and What You Never Know.
Access them under Downloads.
Sarah on Martha Stewart's Show
> January 31, 2007
Sarah is scheduled to appear on Martha Stewart's TV show 'Martha'. The
show airs Feb. 5, 2007 on NBS.
New Video Stills Added
> January 17, 2007
Video stills have been added for Eden, Free, Harem, It's a Beautiful
Day, Mysterious Days, Nessun Dorma, Stranger in Paradise and The Journey
Home. More will be coming later. Access them under Downloads.
Video Stills
> January 12, 2007
Each set of video stills includes about 20 to 30 shots, all of which I
took myself with the PowerDVD software. Because some of the older videos
have fairly poor resolution, particularly the one for A Question of
Honour, some of the stills are also rather blurry unfortunately. Stills
from additional videos will be continuously added as I get the files
together. So far, there are stills from Anytime Anywhere, A Question of
Honour, Beautiful and Captain Nemo. Access them under Downloads.
New Domain
> December 24, 2006
Sarah Brightman Online has moved from
http://www.toxicfire.com/sarahbrightman/ to
http://www.sarah-brightman-online.com/ since I prefer a more vivid URL
for this site. Please update your links and bookmarks, thank you. Many
new features and materials will be added over time. As a result of the
domain change, the site has gone offline for about three months between
September and December. The fanlistings, guestbook and screensavers have
been removed for the time being until I get things set up again.
Sarah on British and German TV
> December 24, 2006
Sarah will be appearing in a number of TV shows, including a reality
television series in the UK.
On Christmas Day, Sarah will be appearing on “Weihnachts-Show” in
Germany on at 8:15 PM on ARD.
And as previously announced, US fans will have the opportunity to watch
Sarah on CBS, when it broadcasts the Kennedy Honors special on Dec 26 at
9pm Eastern time.
Fans are in for a treat as Sarah has signed on as one of several professional singers paired with celebrity contestants in the hit reality competition, “Just The Two Of Us”, starting on Jan 2 on BBC One.
Sarah on German TV
> December 12, 2006
Sarah will be appearing in the live broadcast of Verstehen Sie Spass ARD
- Sporthalle Boblingen - on December 16, 2006.
[Details]
Sarah's MySpace Page
> December 6, 2006
The Official MySpace page is authorized by Sarah, and will be
administered by the same team that manages her Official Website at
sarah-brightman.com.
While you are on Sarah's Myspace page, click on "Add to
Friends" and "Add to Favourites" to join the Sarah Brightman MySpace
community!
[Go
There]
Details for Three New Releases Announced
> September 10, 2006
Three new releases are scheduled for the end of September or early
October of 2006. All three releases will give fans exclusive access to
bonus material via the Official Site.
DIVA: THE SINGLES COLLECTION is the most
comprehensive release of Sarah’s three-decade career. This anthology
charts Sarah's musical accomplishments through fourteen stellar tracks,
including 'Phantom of the Opera' (1986) and her worldwide smash hit duet
with Andrea Bocelli, 'Time to Say Goodbye'.
This album also features two selections from her critically-acclaimed
2003 recording, Harem, which gave rise to a world tour that was attended
by 700,000 fans worldwide. This album picks up where Sarah's 2001
release, Classics (which sold over a million copies), left off. It is
the ideal introduction to Sarah's justly celebrated Broadway, classical,
crossover and pop performances.
DIVA: THE VIDEO COLLECTION features music videos spanning Sarah's early performance career (with Hot Gossip and Andrew Lloyd Webber) to her recent innovative classical-crossover recordings. This video anthology is woven together with Sarah's personal narratives as she recalls each video.
DIVA: THE SINGLES COLLECTION and DIVA: THE VIDEO COLLECTION are due
to be released simultaneously worldwide (except Europe) on the following
dates:
Sept through Dec, 2006: Asia
Sept 30, 2006: Australia
Oct 2, 2006: South America and Arabia
Oct 3, 2006: USA and Canada
Oct 9, 2006: South Africa
CLASSICS: THE BEST OF SARAH BRIGHTMAN is a compendium of songs handpicked by Sarah as her favorites. Some of the tracks on this album served as inspiration for Sarah’s early forays into opera, and her subsequently innovative fusion of world music influences with traditional pieces. Read all about the impetus behind these recordings in the liner notes, which feature Sarah's personal commentary.
CLASSICS comprises seventeen gorgeous arias and songs that have made Sarah a global star in the last few decades. Tracks range from 'La Wally' to 'Nella Fantasia', from ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ (with Andrea Bocelli) to ‘Anytime Anywhere’, and from ‘La Luna’ to ‘Pie Jesu’ (which famously sold 25,000 copies on its day of release in 1985, and which shot to No. 3 in the UK chart).
CLASSICS: THE BEST OF SARAH BRIGHTMAN will be released in Europe on
the following dates:
Sept 29, 2006: Austria and Germany
Oct 2, 2006: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Latvia,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, UK
Oct 4, 2006: Finland, Sweden
Two New CD Collections To Be Released
> September 8, 2006
Before the release of her new album, Sarah will be releasing two new CD
collections this fall. The first, titled 'Classics: The Best of Sarah
Brightman' will be released for the European audience and is intended to
be a revised version of the 'Classics' album which was released in the
rest of the world in 2001. The second, titled 'Diva: The Singles
Collection', will conversely be released outside of Europe and will
contain singles previously unavailable in the non-European market. Track
listings are not yet available.
Online Store Added
> August 27, 2006
An online store has been added and is accessible via the navigation menu
at the top of the page. Since this is a Canadian site, all prices are
listed in Canadian dollars and orders made will be processed through
amazon.ca.
Update: The online store has been disabled and might be added again in the future.
La Luna Fanlisting
> August 17, 2006
Fanlisting for Sarah's album La Luna added; accessible via the
navigation menu at the top of the page.
Birthday
> August 14, 2006
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
Live Chat with Sarah / Discount on Items in Official Sarah Store
> August 8, 2006
In conjunction with Sarah's birthday, the
Official Sarah
Brightman site is pleased to invite you to an exclusive live chat
event with Sarah next Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006 at 10:30 pm Berlin time.
(You can visit www.timeanddate.com to check your local time. For our
Asian and Australian/NZ fans, the live chat will take place early Sunday
morning on Aug. 13).
The live chat is open to all registered members of the Official Site's FAN AREA. If you are not already a member, now would be a good time to obtain your FREE membership.
To learn more about this event, just log in to the FAN AREA at the top of the official website. Full details on how you can participate will be posted in the SARAH IN THE NEWS forum by Thursday, in the thread entitled "LIVE CHAT WITH SARAH". In the meantime, mark your calendars, and start preparing those incisive questions!
In conjunction with this birthday celebration, the official site is also offering a 14% discount off ALL merchandise in the Official Store. This offer is valid through the end of August.
New Album Being Recorded
> August 2, 2006
Sarah has recently been busy in the recording studio for her next album.
At least one of the songs is in German and Sarah's hinted that she's
been practising with a harp. No release date for the new album has been
announced yet. Log on to the Fan Area at the
Official Sarah
Brightman site to see pictures from the recording sessions and to
read a message from Sarah herself about her latest activities.
New Wallpapers Added
> July 17, 2006
Twelve new wallpapers (wall_harem8, wall_harem9, wall_harem10,
wall_harem11, wall_harem12, wall_luna5, wall_luna6, wall_luna7,
wall_red1, wall_red2, wall_water1, wall_eden5) available for download.
New Images and Wallpapers
> June 6, 2006
A few images added to the gallery and three new wallpapers (wall_harem7,
wall_classics2 and wall_luna4) available for download.
Polls, New Images and Wallpaper Added
> June 1, 2006
Three polls added to the side bar, a couple of images added to the
gallery and one new wallpaper (wall_white1) available for download.
New Gallery, Wallpapers and Quotes
> May 29, 2006
Gallery re-vamped and new images added. Two new wallpapers (wall_eden4
and wall_purple1) are available for download. List of quotes from Sarah
added and accessible under the Biography link in the navigation menu.
Arabian Nights Fanlisting
> March 13, 2006
Fanlisting for Sarah's song Arabian Nights added; accessible via the
navigation menu at the top of the page.
Dive Fanlisting
> February 19, 2006
Fanlisting for Sarah's album Dive added; accessible via the navigation
menu at the top of the page.
Site Re-design Complete
> January 20, 2006
Site re-design is more or less finished. New wallpapers (wall_harem5 and
wall_harem6) added in the Downloads section. Several new images added to
the Gallery. New guestbook put in. The Very Best of 1990-2000 album
added to the Lyrics section.
The Phantom of the Opera Breaks Record
> January 9, 2006
Today marks the day that the Phantom of the Opera
surpasses Cats as the longest-running show in Broadway's history.
Sarah's fans are no doubt aware that she is still inextricably linked
to both landmark musicals, even though she has since gone on to become
one of the pioneers and leading forces of the "classical crossover"
movement.
Sarah played the role of Jemima in the original London cast of Cats. A
few years later, she of course starred as Christine in Phantom, which
was written expressly for her by her then-husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Sarah originated the role of Christine in the West End in 1986, and a
year later, on Broadway as well.
The rest, as they say, is history. Phantom is, by far, the most successful entertainment venture of all time. Its worldwide box office receipts of more than $3.2 billion eclipses the $1.2 billion for Titanic, the world’s highest-grossing film. Phantom has chalked up a worldwide audience of more than 80 million people, and has been performed over 65,000 times in 119 cities across 24 countries.
Site Re-design in Progress
> January 2, 2006
I am once again re-designing this site so things are going to look a bit
cluttered for a while. Hopefully, I'll have everything up and running
again smoothly.
New Year's Performance
> December 30, 2005
Sarah's last visit to China was in the spring of 2004 during her
widely-acclaimed Harem World Tour. Highlighted by two sellouts at the
15,000-capacity Capitol Stadium in Beijing, the Harem World Tour is
cited as one of the most successful and highest-grossing tours by a
Western artist in mainland China.
Sarah will soon be returning to China again! This time, she is scheduled
to perform with several other Chinese and Western artists on December
31, 2005 at the Great Hall of the People.
Mexican Shows Postponed
> October 25, 2005
Sarah is postponing both Mexican engagements due to a medical condition.
It is being referred to as an indefinite postponement, though it is
Sarah's intention to reschedule both Monterrey and Guadalajara as soon
as possible.
Monterrey ticketholders will be given the option of holding on to their tickets or obtaining a refund at the point of purchase.
Site Re-design
> August 30, 2005
Site re-designed. Got tired of using black all the time...
New Downloads
> August 25, 2005
Two animated icons added in the Downloads section.
Mexico Shows
> August 24, 2005
Mexican fans are in for a treat! Sarah will be returning to Mexico in
October 2005. She will perform two shows, each in Monterrey and
Guadalajara in a show billed as "An Evening With Sarah Brightman".
Sarah will play two shows in Monterrey (at the Monterrey Arena) on Oct
20 and 21. Tickets can be purchased by calling 011 52 018 1257 2222 or
01 800 265 3867. Online ticketing is available at the Superboletos
website.
Further details for the Guadalajara shows will be announced.
Birthday
> August 14, 2005
Happy Birthday, Sarah!
New Images and Downloads
> July 24, 2005
A few images added to the gallery. Two screensavers (scr_harem1 and
scr_luna1) added in the Downloads section.
New Downloads
> July 17, 2005
Two new wallpapers (wall_blue1 and wall_black1) added in the Downloads
section.
New Downloads
> July 11, 2005
Two new wallpapers (wall_harem5 and wall_classics1) added in the
Downloads section.
Japanese Tour
> April 1, 2005
Fans in Japan will have another chance to see Sarah "live" in concert
again this year! Sarah will be on a mini-tour of Japan in April 2005.
The 48-piece Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra will be accompanying.
Sarah will also be performing at the 2005 World Exposition on April 12,
in a set entitled "Love The Earth: Sarah Brightman & Asian Friends."
Tue Apr 12 Nagoya Japan Expo Aichi (by invitation only)
Fri Apr 15 (private function)
Sun Apr 17 Yokohama Japan Pacifico Hall
Tue Apr 19 Osaka Japan Osaka Festival Hall
Wed Apr 20 Nagoya Japan Geijutsu Theatre
Fri Apr 22 Tokyo Japan NHK Hall
Sat Apr 23 Tokyo Japan NHK Hall