Hayley Westenra, what a fantastic voice. But she sould be singing classical tracks, instead of corny old numbers like Danny Boy.
Not a good cd at all, very sad.
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The original `Pure' album was released in 2003, and despite there now being a confusing number of variations of it (special edition, import, bonus tracks & bonus discs) there are basically two editions - the original single disc and this 2CD Special Edition which adds a bonus disc to the original one.
The songs are a mixture of classical, popular and traditional, with some highly original and unexpected choices such as `River of Dreams' which is a transcription of Vivaldi's lovely violin solo 'largo' from `The Four Seasons', and a powerful recording of `Benedictus' from the Karl Jenkins' album `The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace'.
The New Zealand traditionals, predictably chosen because of Hayley's origin from ... Read More:
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The version of Odyssey I'm revieweing is the original one with the photo of Hayley on the seashore, but it's basically the same album as this one. There are a couple of track changes, but all the ones I've referred to are present on this version. The record company has an annoying habit of releasing different versions of the same album to make a new album sale for the sake of a couple of extra songs.
This is Hayley Westenra's most accomplished album so far. Her previous international album, Pure, showed a singer with real talent but recorded too early in her career, with expressiveness and diction insufficiently developed. Both faults are magnificently corrected on Odyssey, with Hayley singing with subtlety and richness and a warm ... Read More:
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The original `Pure' album was released in 2003, and despite there now being a confusing number of variations of it (special edition, import, bonus tracks & bonus discs) there are basically two editions - this original single disc album, and a 2CD Special Edition which is the original album plus a bonus disc.
The songs are a mixture of classical, popular and traditional, with some highly original and unexpected choices such as `River of Dreams' which is a transcription of Vivaldi's lovely violin solo `largo' from `The Four Seasons', and a powerful recording of `Benedictus' from the Karl Jenkins' album `The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace'.
The New Zealand traditionals, predictably chosen because of Hayley's origin from ... Read More:
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I bought "Odyssey" and "Pure", the former being my favourite CD, because of reading Amazon's reviewers' comments. They were right. I then saw Hayley's DVD and thought I would definitely buy it after reading the reviews again. I am not disappointed and so glad I did purchase this DVD. What can I say about this brilliant singer that hasn't already been mentioned by the other reviewers? I absolutely agree with everyone - a sensational classical singer who can sing all types of songs. The video on "May It Be" is so good too. I am watching the DVD now and it's great - see other reviewers' comments - they are absolutely right! I know I will play this DVD as well as the two CDs many times. A very good buy!
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I do like the original, but musically speaking, this recording is far superior. To start with, the two young leads have amazing voices. The first Tony and Maria were adequate, but not excellent. Kiri Te Kawana and Jose Carreras have excellent voices, but they sound too mature for the role of the teenage lovers. Hayley Westenra and Vittorio Grigolo are both young AND accomplished, and they bring such beauty and passion to the roles Tony and Maria.
The rest of the cast is great too. In fact, I wasn't expecting to like "The Jet Song" or "Cool," but Will Martin's compelling tough but strong trained voice brings real life to the Riff character, and I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job of it. Another standout is Connie Fisher's incredible performance of ... Read More:
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This is Hayley's finest album to date. The songs are beautiful and suit her voice perfectly. A great album to listen to at the end of a hectic day or week that has left you feeling tired. This will emotionally lift you and give you the get up and go feeling once more.
Hayley's amazing voice is like no other and this CD includes some superb songs to showcase it. Her "Pokarekare Ana" may well be the most stunning a cappella singing ever done! It stops people in their tracks when they hear it for the first time. "Mary Did You Know" is impossibly beautiful as well. Get this CD if you want to hear a brilliant singer early in her career.
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