Jonathan Ansell - Tenor at the Movies

[melody]

From Jonathan's Official site list of appearances:

3rd April: Jonathan and Hayley Westenra perform on This Morning ITV1.

I'm so pleased!

For anyone who maybe would like to hear a little of what Jonathan sounds like - this is a very short interview and appearance on the Alan Titmarsh show 12th Feb:

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lOT6u4T0oSw

Love Melody xx

[Dave]

Hi Melody,

Thanks for that, yet more great news! I wonder if Hayley knows about it yet?

Cheers, Dave

Edit: I've just watched the video - wow! is all I can say after that performance. Excellent!

[melody]

Thanks Dave. So pleased you liked his performance - I think it's my favourite ever Jonathan tv performance and the ladies who actually went to the studio said it was even more wonderful actually hearing it there live.

I'm so delighted about Hayley and Jonathan on This Morning - I cant believe my luck to hear them together live (on two occasions with the Classical Brits!) - my daughter is booking a day off work for This Morning!

Does anyone know when the Classical Brits are on?

All I need now is to have news of a live performance of Jonathan and All Angels. Then my cup would surely runneth over!



Love Melody xx

[grant]

melody said:

Does anyone know when the Classical Brits are on?

Hi Melody

The Classical Brits are on May 8th. There is a thread HERE

Best wishes
Grant

[melody]

Many thanks Grant. Have found and read the thread now.

Love Melody xx

[Richard]

Hello folks!

Here's a review from Digital Spy. It mentions All Angels but not Hayley.

Jonathan Ansell: 'Tenor At The Movies'
Released on Monday, February 18 2008
By Nick Levine, Music Editor



It came as a surprise last April when G4, the "popera" quartet discovered on The X Factor in 2004, announced that they were disbanding. After selling 1.5 million albums, completing four sell-out UK tours and even recording a duet with Cliff Richard, "boiling frustrations" caused the Guildhall graduates to slaughter their lucrative classical crossover cash cow. "It's inevitable that you'll get on each other's nerves when you can't make a decision without consulting three other people," said Jonathan Ansell, the group's most recognisable member, at the time. A fair point, but imagine if Mick and Keith had felt the same way?

Blessed with Brideshead Revisited good looks and an impressive, supple tenor, it was inevitable that Ansell would follow G4 with a bid for solo stardom. With Josh Groban, Russell Watson and Patrizio Buanne currently riding the "popera" pinup train towards six-digit sales figures, and the Welsh warbler himself, Rhydian Roberts, snapping at Ansell's brogue-clad heels, the road ahead of him is crowded. Ansell's ploy to distinguish himself from the classi-pop masses? An album of classic movie themes, all sung in his operatic, slightly sombre style. It's a good idea, but a borrowed one: Lesley Garrett was doing this kind of thing twelve years ago with her Soprano In Hollywood album.

Lack of originality notwithstanding, Tenor At The Movies does what it sets out to do very well. The music here – from films as diverse as Gone With The Wind and Gladiator, Moonstruck and Manon Des Sources - is tastefully-arranged and beautifully-orchestrated, with Ansell bringing all the gravitas you'd expect from a classically-trained tenor. If anything, the tone can be a little too refined: a touch more bombast along the lines of 'Here's To The Heroes', the Dances With Wolves theme that serves as the album's opening track, would be a welcome addition.

The general air of taste and dignity is interrupted on just two occasions. Ansell's interpretation of the theme from Chariots of Fire, on which he bellows rather preposterous lyrics about "the freedom of running, the freedom to fly", is comical rather than classy, while his version of 'Down In The River To Pray', a traditional bluegrass number made famous by O Brother, Where Art Thou?, is desperately ill-judged. His vocal technique is just too mannered to sing Southern fried lyrics about "sinners" and "studying in that good ol' way".

Perhaps the album's most telling moment comes half-way through, when Ansell tackles 'Vois Sur Ton Chemin', a song from little-known French film Les Choristes, with help from classical girl-group All Angels. Soothing, reassuring and ever so slightly spiritual, the result is just begging to soundtrack an advert for a transatlantic airline's new, improved business class service. For this minor triumph alone, Tenor At The Movies should be considered a job well done.

3/5 stars

Richard

[Stephany]

Thank you for posting this nice review, Richard

richnorri said:

...when Ansell tackles 'Vois Sur Ton Chemin', a song from little-known French film Les Choristes, with help from classical girl-group All Angels.

Grrr. This is one of France's most successful and well-known movies. OK fine, maybe just in France then

Stephany

[Dave]

Thanks for the article Richard... and It's OK Stephany, even I have heard of Les Choristes and I watch very few films.

It's clear that the writer of that article, one Nick Levine, Music Editor of Digital Spy (a name to remember!), is neither well read nor does he know his arts. How else could he, in the same article, both ignore Hayley and claim that Les Choristes is little known? Especially when the Hayley duet is from an even better known film and it is already clear that it will be one of the album's lead tracks. I shall just ignore him hereinafter.

Incidentally, www.7digital.com who have this album available to preorder usually allow you to download tracks about 10 minutes after midnight on the morning of release. I intend to download Hayley's duet then and purchase the album later on Monday, from my nearest record store. Well Supermarket, as there are no record stores in my part of the World!

54 hours to go!

Cheers, Dave

[postscript]

None the less, Richard, your post 50 was great to read. Thank you. I don't have to ask that there is a duplicate post on the AAI site, do I?

[Richard]

Hello Peter!

Actually I posted the review on the AAI Forum first HERE, so the duplicate post is the one at HWI! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Richard

[roger]

In the past 24 hours or so, I have seen and heard a lot of promo for this album on television (ITV1) and radio (Classic FM). Hayley and All Angels weren't mentioned but album sales will benefit from this well-timed promo and buyers will be in for two pleasant surprises!

Roger

[Richard]

From the Universal Classics and Jazz February Newsletter...

Jonathan Ansell

Superstar tenor Jonathan Ansell launches his solo career with a phenomenal disc of classic movie theme tunes. A passionate movie fan himself, he wanted to explore the music and stories that these films represented. So he has uncovered original lyrics on several tunes, and worked closely with top current lyricists on others to bring these legendary movies to life. The result is a classic tenor album that resonates with the glamour and romance of cinema.

The album opens with the dramatic and breathtaking theme from Gladiator, 'Now We Are Free', elsewhere, on Here's to the Heroes (from Dances with Wolves), Jonathan sounds like nothing less than a modern day Pavarotti, and in the theme from the Godfather, his voice soars and transforms the familiar, lilting accompaniment.

This album has some of the most beautiful and enduring music ever written, sung by one of the great voices of our generation.

Released 18th February

Richard

[Dave]

Hello everyone,

I have it! Well the Hayley duet, anyway

Downloaded from www.7digital.com an hour ago and very nice it is too!

Jonathan starts, as you would expect, with a solo of the entire theme which, is to my ears, in two parts. I love the way Hayley is introduced after 80 seconds, she starts with a gorgeous little vocalise, behind Jonathan's reprise of the shorter 'part 2' then a fragment of 'sung' duet, a nice touch. After a short orchestral bridge, it leads on to her own strong but all too short solo section - which can be heard on the 7digital sample.

This leads into a strong duet of the theme's "part 2" (there must be a musical name for this!) then an orchestral bridge, followed by a powerful reprise of the main theme (part 1) which fades eventually into a peaceful ending. 4m 7s in length.

This duet does not sound like a song by two trained opera singers, just by two very good singers - and I think it sounds all the better for it; their voices compliment each other very well.

Well I enjoyed that and if this does (as Melody suggested) go to the Classical Brits, I think it could bring the house down. We all know what Hayley can do to us when she's live at a big event like that and this duet with Jon and no doubt a "special" arrangement has the potential to sound even better 'live' than on a recording. Fingers crossed!

Cheers, Dave

[melody]

Pleased you like it Dave. When I heard it on the radio - the bit that I really loved was when Jonathan is still singing and you can hear Hayley coming in behind him sort of thing with that beautiful sound - it gave me goosebumps - I love that part.

I agree about a live version. Jonathan is great on a recording but live he is stupendous - and with Hayley being so stupendous live too - then they cant help but thrill us all.

And dont forget they will be doing it on This Morning first! And we know that one is a definite as it's been confirmed on the official site.

I'm on pins for official confirmation of the classical brits. And to get my album!

Love Melody xx

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

I bought my copy of the CD in HMV this morning for £9.99. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

I didn't buy it at Zavvi because they charge £10!

I've updated my Hayley Collection HERE.

Richard