Notes and Editorial Reviews
Selections recorded at Shine Studios, Metropolis London, and Budapest Radio Studios.
Amici (friends) Forever is a predominantly British vocal group made up of five classically trained singers who, in addition to possessing voluminous vocal chops, also have pop-star-photogenic looks. In the age of classical/pop crossovers like Bond and Charlotte Church, how could their highly touted debut album, THE OPERA BAND, not be a recipe for stardom?
Though the temptation to belt out an album's worth of operatic versions of pop hits was surely there, Amici Forever didn't choose that route. While there is a bit of pop-oriented material (an Italian-language version of "Unchained Melody," "Requiem for a Soldier [Theme from a Band of Brothers]"),
Read more
the bulk of the album is classically minded, drawing on such composers as Mozart, Fauré, Dvorak, and, of course, Puccini ("Nessun dorma!" which seems to have become the "Freebird" of the opera world). The music over which the five vocalists strut their collective stuff is a mix of traditional orchestration and more modern, electronics-assisted touches; imagine Andrew Lloyd Webber getting down with David Foster at the Met. THE OPERA BAND finds Amici Forever to be fully prepared for their inevitable world domination. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Unchained Melody by Alex North
Performer:
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
David Habbin (Tenor),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Amici Forever
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1955; USA
Length: 3 Minutes 47 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: Arranged: Steve Higgins, Nick Garrett, and Matt Howe
This arrangement is titled "Senza catene."
The Italian lyrics are by Panzeri-Nomen.
2.
Così fan tutte, K 588: Soave sia il vento by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Classical
Written: 1790; Vienna, Austria
Length: 3 Minutes 6 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
3.
Coronation Anthems (4): no 1, HWV 258 "Zadok the priest" by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
David Habbin (Tenor),
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Baroque
Written: 1727; London, England
Length: 3 Minutes 44 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
4.
Turandot: Nessun dorma! by Giacomo Puccini
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
David Habbin (Tenor)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Romantic
Written: 1926; Italy
Length: 3 Minutes 11 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
5.
Rusalka, Op. 114/B 203: O moon high up "Song to the moon" by Antonín Dvorák
Performer:
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Jo Appleby (Soprano)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Romantic
Written: 1900; Bohemia
Length: 5 Minutes 26 Secs.
Language: Czech
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
6.
Band of Brothers: Requiem for a Soldier by Michael Kamen
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
David Habbin (Tenor)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: 20th Century
Length: 5 Minutes 31 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Nick Ingman
The lyrics for this arrangement were written by Frank Musker
7.
Canto Alla Vita by Antonio Galbiati
Performer:
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
John Paracelli (Guitar),
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
David Habbin (Tenor),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Amici Forever
Period: 20th Century
Length: 4 Minutes 26 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: This work was written in collaboration with Giuseppe Dettori.
Arranged: Nick Ingman
8.
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
David Habbin (Tenor),
Richard Harvey (Flute),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Amici Forever
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887; France
Length: 3 Minutes 46 Secs.
Language: English
Notes: Arranged: Amy Sky, Steve Higgins, Nick Garrett, and Matt Howe
This arrangement is titled "Whisper of Angels."
9.
Sarabande by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
David Habbin (Tenor),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor)
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Amici Forever
Period: Baroque
Length: 3 Minutes 16 Secs.
Language: Italian
Notes: Arranged: James Shearman and Sam Babenia
This arrangement is titled "Prayer in the Night."
10.
Vita Mia by Adelmo Fornaciari
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
David Habbin (Tenor)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: 20th Century
Written: Italy
Length: 4 Minutes 17 Secs.
Notes: This selection is sung in English and Italian.
This work was written in collaboration with Peter Wolf and Michelle Wolf.
Arranged: Nick Ingman
11.
Les pêcheurs de perles: Au fond du temple saint by Georges Bizet
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Romantic
Written: 1863; France
Length: 4 Minutes 40 Secs.
Language: French
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
12.
Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma": Variation 9, Nimrod by Sir Edward Elgar
Performer:
Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone),
Tsakane Valentine (Mezzo Soprano),
Geoff Sewell (Tenor),
Jo Appleby (Soprano),
David Habbin (Tenor)
Conductor:
Nick Ingman
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Budapest Film Orchestra,
Amici Forever
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898-1899; England
Length: 4 Minutes 19 Secs.
Language: Latin
Notes: Arranged: Nick Patrick and Nick Ingman
This arrangement is titled "Nimrod: Lux aeterna".
Customer Reviews
Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
