La Luna in Concert

Programme Biography on Sarah

Sarah Brightman has gone where no woman has gone before -to the top of the international pop, classical and crossover worlds. But even she remains as down-to-earth as anyone when it comes to the mysteries of the moon, the inspiration for her latest, stunning recording, LA LUNA. In five different languages, Brightman's crystalline soprano graces an incomparable mix of classical and pop music ranging from Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Handel and Dvorak to a live version of the concert favorite "First of May" by the Bee Gees, the traditional "Scarborough Fair," and the dark standard, "Gloomy Sunday," which gives listeners a rare glimpse of the jazzy side of her voice. Other highlights include the first English language recording of "She Does Not See Him", by top French artist Jean-Jacques Goldmann (whose songs are frequently recorded by Celine Dion); "La Califfa", by acclaimed film composer Ennio Morricone; the minimalist trip hop ballad "This Love"; the Latin pop of "Hijo De La Luna", and Brightman's soaring dance/pop interpretation of "Here With Me".

On the amazing diversity of her material, Sarah notes, "Being varied is something I do instinctively and naturally. I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Everything is in tune, the voice, the type of music, who I am and who people think I am. I've been trying to find my own niche, a style very much my own. At last I've found it."

Brightman first thought of recording a moon-themed album once while she was singing what has become the title track, Dvorak's "La Luna," or "Song to the Moon." She performs it in Italian, explaining that the Latin languages often allow more fluidity than the original if the composer is German or Czech. Although not all the pieces on LA LUNA are as closely related to the moon, Brightman chose those she felt had the right "feeling" for the theme.

"Themes come to me at different times and I don't always use them at that time", she explains. "Rusalka's SONG TO THE MOON by Dvorak was such a magical, mystical piece, it gave me an idea to do an album at some point that would include other songs associated with the moon. There are so many stories and poems and so much folklore about the moon and its' mysteries. They're very magical, they're very romantic, they're very mystical. It's a mix of ancients and the modern. It can be something very old and folklorish or it can be something from space travel. In your imagination you can create so much from that particular theme. I just thought it would give me a lot of scope. The barriers wouldn't be too tight for me when choosing material."

Also among the folklore-inspired tracks on LA LUNA are Beethoven's "Figlio Perduto" and "Hijo De La Luna", by contemporary songwriter J. M. Cano. LA LUNA marks the third Brightman album to feature one of his songs. The legend that inspired it is about a child who was born to a gypsy, but he was actually the son of the moon, born with an albino skin. Brightman drew upon two myths for the Beethoven: a German poem about a lost child who was taken away by evil as well as the folk tale of a poor, young girl who begged for help from the heavens and saw all the stars turn into coins and fall into her apron. Such tales infuse the track with its dark, mysterious mood.

Brightman's strongest personal connection on LA LUNA is to the Rachmaninov piece, "How Fair This Place", one of the first songs she sang when she was very young. "The work is one part of a larger song cycle. This particular piece always touched me. It's about being in a beautiful place. I interpret it as being in a beautiful, empty space with God."

LUNA has more in common with Brightman's previous albums, DIVE, TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE and EDEN than just being a themed work. All were produced by Frank Peterson, who co-produced Enigma's first multi-platinum hit. They all also represent what Brightman wanted to be doing when she left her successful career in musical theatre, where she starred in "Cats" and became virtually synonymous with the role of Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber's phenomeno classical dance vibe.

Brightman's instincts once again proved to be correct when it turned out to be the right move. Peterson was based in Germany where she was still virtually unknown. It was a time of working, experimenting, learning and training. She lived in Italy part of the time and worked with a vocal coach to improve her bel canto style. And it allowed her to return to her roots in classical music. But, as Brightman recalls, it was not without its risks:

"It took a lot of courage to seize control. I literally from one day to the next said no more musical theatre for the time being. I just thought I wasn't going to be happy unless I moved on. I knew I'd have to take the risk. There were great offers coming in from all over the world and I just sort of had to blank out really and start again. Germany didn't know me from Adam. They had no idea who I was, they didn't care and it was great because I had a fresh start. I had to really struggle in another area but it was an area I knew that I should be in and I should be doing because it's actually what I came from originally before I went into musical theatre. I only went into theatre at first because I was out of work. Sometimes life takes you down those paths", she adds with a laugh.

Since then, Brightman has recorded an unbroken string of crossover hits. In just the last two years alone, Brightman has sold five million albums worldwide. Her platinum breakthrough, 1997's, TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE topped the Billboard Classical Crossover chart in the U.S. for a staggering 35 weeks, sold three million copies worldwide and went gold or platinum in 21 countries. The title track, a duet with Andrea Bocelli, sold five million copies worldwide, and stands as the biggest selling single in history in Germany. She followed that up with her 1999 release, EDEN, which hit #1 on Billboard Magazine's Classical Crossover chart (spending a total of 51 weeks on the chart), is far past gold in the U.S. and has sold two million copies worldwide.

1999 saw her biggest tour yet. The remarkable "One Night In Eden" tour, which included a 60-date, sold-out North American leg, was seen by nearly 200,000 people and garnered rave reviews:

South America

20 August 2000 Brazil *) São Paulo Ibirapuera Park

21 August 2000 Brazil *) São Paulo Via Funchal

23 August 2000 Brazil *) Rio de Janeiro A.T.L. Hall

North America

15 September 2000 Canada Ottawa, ON Corel Centre

16 September 2000 Canada Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

18 September 2000 Canada Montreal, PQ Molson Centre

19 September 2000 USA Portland, ME *) Cumberland County Civic Center

19 September 2000 USA Rochester, NY *) Auditorium Centre

22 September 2000 USA New York, NY Theatre at Madison Square Garden

23 September 2000 USA Atlantic City, NJ Mark G. Etess Arena

24 September 2000 USA Wallingford, CT *) Oakdale Theater

26 September 2000 USA Providence, RI *) PAC

26 September 2000 USA Lowell, MA *) Memorial Auditorium

27 September 2000 USA Philadelphia, PA *) Mann Center

29 September 2000 USA Washington, DC Patriot Center

30 September 2000 USA Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center

01 October 2000 USA Norfolk, VA Scope Arena

04 October 2000 USA Ft. Lauderdale, FL Nat. Car Rental Arena

05 October 2000 USA Tampa, FL Ice Palace

06 October 2000 USA Atlanta, GA Civic Center Theater

08 October 2000 USA New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre

09 October 2000 USA Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center

10 October 2000 USA Houston, TX Aerial Theatre

13 October 2000 USA Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

14 October 2000 USA Aubrun Hills, MI Palace Of Aubrun Hills

15 October 2000 USA Cleveland, OH Gund Arena

17 October 2000 USA St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

20 October 2000 USA Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand

21 October 2000 USA Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl

22 October 2000 USA San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre

24 October 2000 USA Los Angeles, CA *) Universal Amphitheatre

25 October 2000 USA Los Angeles, CA *) Universal Amphitheatre

26 October 2000 USA Sacramento, CA Arco Arena

27 October 2000 USA San Jose, CA San Jose Arena

29 October 2000 USA Seattle, WA *) Key Arena

30 October 2000 USA Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena

01 November 2000 USA Spokane, WA Star Theatre at Spokane Arena

02 November 2000 Canada Vancouver, BC GM Place

04 November 2000 Canada Edmonton, AB Skyreach Center

06 November 2000 Canada Calgary, AB Saddledome

07 November 2000 USA Salt Lake City, UT *) Delta Center

08 November 2000 USA Denver, CO Magness Arena

11 November 2000 USA Chicago, IL Arie Crown Theatre

12 November 2000 USA St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre

13 November 2000 USA Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena

15 November 2000 USA Milwaukee, WI *) Riverside Theatre

16 November 2000 USA Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse

Europe -- autumn 2000

21 November 2000 Norway Oslo Oslo Spektrum

22 November 2000 Sweden Stockholm Globen

24 November 2000 Sweden Borlänge *) Kuppolen

25 November 2000 Sweden Göteborg Scandinavium

26 November 2000 Denmark Copenhagen Forum

27 November 2000 Denmark Ålborg Ålborghal

30 November 2000 Estonia Tallinn *) Linnhall

02 December 2000 Finland Tampere *) Ice Hall (Sporthall)

03 December 2000 Netherlands Rotterdam *) Ahoy'

06 December 2000 Switserland Zürich Hallenstadion

07 December 2000 Germany Mannheim Mozartsaal

08 December 2000 Germany Düsseldorf Philipshalle

10 December 2000 Germany München Olympiahalle

12 December 2000 Austria Wien Stadthalle

14 December 2000 Germany Berlin ICC, Saal 1

16 December 2000 Poland Warsaw Grand Theatre

19 December 2000 Russia St. Petersburg *) Octlabrsky

22 December 2000 Russia Moscow *) Kremi

Asia -- 2001 -- 1st part

03 February 2001 Taiwan Taipei TICC

04 February 2001 Taiwan Taipei TICC

07 February 2001 Japan Tokyo NHK Hall

08 February 2001 Japan Tokyo NHK Hall

10 February 2001 South Korea Pusan KBS Hall

11 February 2001 Pusan South Korea KBS Hall

13 February 2001 South Korea Seoul Sejong Cultural Centre

14 February 2001 South Korea Seoul Sejong Cultural Centre

18 February 2001 China Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium

19 February 2001 China Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium

20 February 2001 China Shanghai Shanghai Gymnasium

22 February 2001 China Beijing Peoples Great Hall

23 February 2001 China Beijing Peoples Great Hall

North America -- March/April 2001

03 March 2001 USA Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Theatre

04 March 2001 USA Fresno, CA Selland Arena

05 March 2001 USA San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Aud.

07 March 2001 USA Boise, ID Bank Of America Center

08 March 2001 USA Salt Lake City, UT Delta Center

10 March 2001 Canada Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Arena

12 March 2001 USA St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre

13 March 2001 USA Chicago, IL Arie Crown Theater

14 March 2001 USA Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center

16 March 2001 USA East Lansing, MI Breslin Events Center

17 March 2001 USA Detroit, MI Masonic Temple Theatre

18 March 2001 USA Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center

20 March 2001 Canada Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum

21 March 2001 USA Buffalo, NY Shea's Perf. Arts Ctr.

24 March 2001 USA New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall

26 March 2001 USA Albany, NY Pepsi Arena

27 March 2001 USA Boston, MA FleetCenter

29 March 2001 USA Trenton, NJ Sovereign Bank Arena

30 March 2001 USA Pittsburgh, PA *) Mellon Arena

31 March 2001 USA Cincinnati, OH Cintas Center

02 April 2001 USA Orlando, FL TD Waterhouse Centre

03 April 2001 USA Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Mem.

04 April 2001 USA Miami, FL American Airlines Arena

Asia -- 2001 -- 2nd part

24 April 2001 Japan Osaka ??

25 April 2001 Japan Tokyo ??

26 April 2001 Japan Tokyo ??

Europe -- May 2001

04 May 2001 Ireland Belfast Odyssey Arena

05 May 2001 Ireland Dublin Point Arena

10 May 2001 U.K. London *) Royal Albert Hall

Whiter Shade of Pale thanks to Pariyas	There for Me with Gosh Groban thanks to christopher
Question of Honour thanks to aszabojr	Winter In July thanks to divad71370
Scarborough Fair thanks to xj808	Hijo de la Luna thanks to xj808