Faryl Smith

[nicola]

My preferred version is the same as Jeff's.

[theoldie]

Dec 3, 2009 10:40:40 GMT nicola said:

I don't know if I am the only person to mention this, but, why have they included 'How Can I Keep From Singing' on Wonderland when it was on her first album?

Confused. It doesn't sound any different at all.

It isn't any different, and it wasn't on any tracklisting that I have seen. As it stands the album runs for about 54 minutes. Without it the playing time would be under 50 minutes. Maybe it was added as an afterthought to extend the playing time. It would have been expensive to re-hire a studio and musicians just to make one extra new track.

[Elliot Kane]

I consider the repeat track to be the one negative thing about the album, honestly. I loved her first album so my expectations for the second were high, but not THIS high. She's truly outdone herself and I will be utterly fascinated to hear what she does to try to top this.

I agree with Jeff that Faryl could not sing Opera yet, but I think her voice would be perfect for Operetta, which is of far greater interest to me.

[Jeff]

I promised Comet a year ago if Hayley recorded my favourite carol "In Dulci Jubilo" I'd translate it. Well she hasn't but we have the second best option. The carol is so old I'm not sure anyone really knows who wrote the tune. It was around Europe in the 14th century. German Heinrich Suso wrote the words which translated as "Good Christian men rejoice" and another German Samuel Scheidt arranged it as a fanfare for brass ensemble in the 16th century. But it was another 2 centuries before Robert Pearsall came up with the version we know today in 1837. This is the version sung by the choir of King's College Cambridge in their Festival of 9 lessons and carols every Xmas eve (Radio 4, 3pm). Even so, it remains a macaronic carol, i.e. a mixture of languages so for those of you who don't have 14th century Latin (what do they teach people in school these days?!) here goes:

In dulci jubilo ( With sweet rejoicing)
Our heart's joy reclineth
In praesepio (Lying in a manger)
And like a bright star shineth
Matris in gremio (On his mother's lap)
Alpha es et O (You are the be all and end all)
Alpha es et O

O Jesu parvule (O tiny baby Jesus)
I yearn for thee alway
Hear me I beseech thee
O puer optime (O peerless boy)
My prayer let it reach thee
O princeps gloriae (O prince of glory)
Trahe me post te
Trahe me post te (Draw me to you)

O patris caritas (O love of the father)
O nati lenitas (O leniency of the son)
Deeply were we stained
Per nostra crimina (Through our sins)
But thou hast for us gained
Coelorum gaudia (The joys of heaven)
O that we were there
O that we were there.

Ubi sunt gaudia (Joys are there)
In any place but there
There are angels singing
Nova cantica (A new song)
And there the bells are ringing
In regis curia (In the court of the king)
O that we were there
O that we were there.

[Elliot Kane]

Thanks for that, Jeff. Interesting

Odd as it may seem, I am not completely fluent in Latin, so I had no real idea what it was all about!

Faryl sings it wonderfully, though

[Sing]

Thank you for that Jeff it is very interesting, although I've never learned any Latin, it has always facinated me, one of my best friends is studying Latin as part of her A-Levels this year but has been telling me how hard she's finding it, I've shown her this, and she's listened to the song and seems to love it.
I think this is a great song, and the album is fantastic, Faryl has an amazing voice, it's incredible, particulary for her age, it excites me to think just how much better it could get over the next few years, and be truly amazing (not that it isn't now of course) I think it would be great for Hayley and Faryl to release a duet, as although their voices are very different, they sound great together.

best wishes
Sing X

[Jeff]

Thanks for the compliments, guys. Faryl will be on "Loose Women" Mon 14 Dec 12.30pm on ITV1 and the Royal Variety Show Wed 16 Dec 7.30pm ITV1 along with Katherine Jenkins. But the Radio Times says "topping the bill is singer Bette Midler." Oh please ! You have to laugh, don't you ?!

[Dave]

Faryl has entered the UK album chart at no. 56 and is no. 6 in the classical artist chart. Weekly sales are about 10,000 copies.

Dave

[jimg]

Just watched Faryl singing "O Holy Night" on Loose Women. I loved it BUT it wasn't Hayley.

[theoldie]

Well no. It was Faryl.

[Martin]

At approx. 8.35am this morning, Faryl was interviewed for over 5mins on BBC Breakfast News including snippets from her promotional video of "Wonderland" and her singing the National Anthem at Twickenham recently. A real coup for Faryl and her management.

For someone so young she is a very confident interviewee.

Martin

[theoldie]

For those who missed it, here is the link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXhOwn97nQ

[nicola]

I know it should have been done ages ago, but here's the review for her album on my site:

bit.ly/6L1nf1

[mihizawi]

Great review, Nicola! I admit that after Hayley and, maybe Andrea or Sarah, Faryl is the Classical Crossover singer that has catched my eye most. She has got a lot to learn, but if at this age she sings like that, what she will be able to do in few years.

With her voice and skills, she could jump to a more serious classical style very soon and probably become someday one of the very best mezzosopranos in quite a while. But oh, well, it's a harder and much less attractive path to follow, much less recognized and that gives much less fame. So, I guess she will stay into Crossover, and if ahe has some luck, she'll be a great name in it (she already is, but she can even be much greater, bigger than for example her mentor, Katherine Jenkins... a friend of mine who's studying singing, after viewing the Amazing Grace duet video said that Faryl sung better than Jenkins)..

By the way, it's quite surprising for me that she has sung with Carreras and the performance is not on Youtube. Apparently, it was an outdoor performance, so it should have made easier for someone to record it without being bothered.

Michal

[martindn]

Hey Nicola,

Excellent review. And yes Michal, I have thought for a while that she has the potential to one day be better than Katherine. She is one to keep an eye (or ear) on for sure!

Martin D