Over the past few weeks a CD by Laura Wright has been heavily featured on Classic Fm. It is a selection of traditional Folk Songs from around the British Isles. What caught my attention was one of the songs featured on the CD was "Down by the Salley Gardens" which the gentlemen of Eldwick & District Male Voice Choir perform. The arrangement we sing is by John Rutter. I also heard that he had done some new arrangements of some of the folk songs featured on this album.
As John Rutter is one of my favourite composers (& arrangers), Laura has an unspoilt crystal clear voice, and the selection of songs was superb, I decided to purchase the CD. I had recently had an Amazon voucher given by the pupils at the school where I play the piano, which I used to go towards the purchase!
Just in case you are not familiar with Laura Wright I have appended a short "biography" of her.
Laura Wright's story began in 2005 when she won BBC Radio 2's Chorister of the Year and found herself a member of classical girl group All Angels shortly after. She achieved great success with the vocal quartet; gaining Classical Brit Award nominations, record breaking sales, platinum status and performing in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the London's O2. After three albums, Laura left the group in 2010 and has since been signed as a solo artist under Decca. Her debut album, The Last Rose, emphasises the fusion of classical and folk music. Vocally (and to put it simply) Laura has an incredible sound. Trained as a choirgirl, Laura is not operatic but is not restrained by the traditional choral inflexibility; her tone is appealing and pure, her interpretation expressive and she possesses a wide range which allows for diverse material.
No comments:
Post a Comment