Paradiso Media Reviews

[Martin]

The following (very) short album review was published today in the Independent by Andy Gill:

Album: Hayley Westerna, Ennio Morricone, Paradiso (Decca)

(Rated 3/ 5 )

Reviewed by Andy Gill

Friday, 26 August 2011

The soprano Hayley Westenra is the supreme "crossover classical" artist, her album Pure being the fastest-selling classical debut of all time.

But while her coree classical repertoire is usually leavened with popular show-tunes, her tremulous voice is widely acknowled-ged as having the Right Stuff – not least by Ennio Morricone, who arranged and produced this anthology of his own compositions for her. Included are several of his most memorable movie themes, Westenra adding the yearning wordless vocal line over the celesta and woodwind of "Once Upon a Time in the West", providing her own lyric for "Gabriel's Oboe" and on "Amor" she offers her most dramatic performance.

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/album-hayley-westerna-ennio-morricone-paradiso-decca-2343837.html

Martin

[martindn]

This one is from allmusic.com at allmusic.com/album/paradiso-r2207214/review

A decade on from her New Zealand-only self-titled debut album, and Christchurch's finest, 23-year-old Hayley Westenra, can no longer rely on the angelic-looking choirgirl persona which helped her replace Charlotte Church as the world's most successful young soprano. But having achieved quite the coup by recruiting legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone for her fifth album (and first non-seasonal studio release since 2007's Treasure), Paradiso, it's unlikely that she would have had to, anyway. Recorded with the 120-piece Roma Sinfonietta in their hometown, its 13 tracks are a world away from her usual fare of traditional hymns, operatic standards and classical pop numbers, revealing a maturity and creative streak lacking from most of her contemporaries. Indeed, perhaps to establish her songwriting credentials, Morricone has allowed several of his most famous compositions to be rewritten by the now-grownup star, including one of his most famous pieces, "Gabriel's Oboe" (now "Whispers in a Dream"), and the themes to 1970 films La Califfa and Malena, all of which show she's more than up to the rather imposing job. The less obvious song selections also indicate Westenra is no longer content to follow the crowd, with only the soothing harmonies of "Jill's Theme" (Once Upon a Time in the West), the beautifully lilting vocal adaptation of "Deborah's Theme" (Once Upon a Time In America) and the string-soaked "Profumo di Limone" and "Would He Ever Know Me Now?" (both from Cinema Paradiso), likely to be familiar to mainstream audiences. Instead, the album rummages around the more obscure corners of Morricone's back catalog, with contributions from 1968 sci-fi comedy H2S (the whimsical scale-climbing "Lezione di Musica"), the docudrama Sacco e Vanzelli (Joan Baez's slow-building protest song "Here's to You"), and 1969's Metti una Sera a Cena (the bossa nova-tinged title track), sitting alongside a cover of Dulce Pontes' Portuguese-sung "Amalia por Amor," and two new tracks, the Disney-esque French festive tale, "Per Natale," and the Tim Rice-penned potential show tune, "The Edge of Love." A huge leap forward from her previous attempts, Paradiso suggests Westenra may be a far more intriguing proposition outside her teenage years than she was during them.

Martin D

[Sing]

This is the review from the ClassicFM Magazine:

Paradiso 4/5
New arrangements from Morricone's film scores, including: The Mission, Cinema Paradiso, and Once Upon a Time in the West
Hayley Westenra (sop) Sinfornietta di Roma/Ennio Morricone
Decca
The Music: Paradiso sees star soprano Westenra team up with legendary film composer Ennio Morricone. Many of the famous cinema themes are here, some of them with new lyrics by the singer herself.

[Libby]

Nice articles, for the most part. I kind of resent the one from AllMusic, at the end where it calls Hayley's previous albums "attempts". I kind of get where they're coming from; Paradiso is definitely a standout, probably the most impressive overall, but all of her albums have been good. Oh, well, the article's fine, otherwise.

[pjrcorreia]

Hi everyone,

How about this one!


www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/music/cdreviews/9218998.Hayley_Westenra___Ennio_Morricone__Paradiso__Decca_______/?ref=fbrec

Hayley Westenra & Ennio Morricone, Paradiso (Decca) *****

12:37pm Friday 26th August 2011

By Ian Sime

Many have tried, but few have successfully covered Ennio Morricone’s glorious portfolio.

Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli and Metallica all lent their craft to an interesting project We All Love Ennio Morricone a short while ago, and Amii Stewart delivered an entire album of the Academy Award winner’s finest compositions, which is now rather hard to find. Paradisio is in an entirely different league.

On this collection, the 83-year-old maestro created bespoke arrangements of his most haunting melodies including themes from The Mission and Cinema Paradisio and personally conducts the 120 piece orchestra, Sinfonietta di Roma.

For good measure English lyrics are provided by Sir Tim Rice and Don Black. Hayley Westenra must have been beside herself with glee when she landed this gig.

She can probably expect a Grammy and a platinum disc or two for this set.

Now we're talking!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif


Best wishes,
Paulo Correia

[postscript]

Aug 27, 2011 10:01:53 GMT pjrcorreia said:

Hi everyone,

How about this one!


www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/music/cdreviews/9218998.Hayley_Westenra___Ennio_Morricone__Paradiso__Decca_______/?ref=fbrec

Hayley Westenra & Ennio Morricone, Paradiso (Decca) *****

12:37pm Friday 26th August 2011

By Ian Sime

Many have tried, but few have successfully covered Ennio Morricone’s glorious portfolio.

Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli and Metallica all lent their craft to an interesting project We All Love Ennio Morricone a short while ago, and Amii Stewart delivered an entire album of the Academy Award winner’s finest compositions, which is now rather hard to find. Paradisio is in an entirely different league.

On this collection, the 83-year-old maestro created bespoke arrangements of his most haunting melodies including themes from The Mission and Cinema Paradisio and personally conducts the 120 piece orchestra, Sinfonietta di Roma.

For good measure English lyrics are provided by Sir Tim Rice and Don Black. Hayley Westenra must have been beside herself with glee when she landed this gig.

She can probably expect a Grammy and a platinum disc or two for this set.

Now we're talking!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif


Best wishes,
Paulo Correia

ABSOLUTELY

Peter Such

[Libby]

Or at least a Classical Brit Award! Or Classic Brit award. Whatever they call it these days. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

He called it Paradisio! More than once, too! See, I'm not the only one who made that mistake.

[Elliot Kane]

Aug 28, 2011 23:22:40 GMT Libby said:

Or at least a Classical Brit Award! Or Classic Brit award. Whatever they call it these days. i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

He called it Paradisio! More than once, too! See, I'm not the only one who made that mistake.

Needs to look at his Dante again, clearly!

[Joe]

Aug 27, 2011 10:01:53 GMT pjrcorreia said:

Hi everyone,

How about this one!


www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/music/cdreviews/9218998.Hayley_Westenra___Ennio_Morricone__Paradiso__Decca_______/?ref=fbrec

Hayley Westenra & Ennio Morricone, Paradiso (Decca) *****

12:37pm Friday 26th August 2011

By Ian Sime

Many have tried, but few have successfully covered Ennio Morricone’s glorious portfolio.

Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli and Metallica all lent their craft to an interesting project We All Love Ennio Morricone a short while ago, and Amii Stewart delivered an entire album of the Academy Award winner’s finest compositions, which is now rather hard to find. Paradisio is in an entirely different league.

On this collection, the 83-year-old maestro created bespoke arrangements of his most haunting melodies including themes from The Mission and Cinema Paradisio and personally conducts the 120 piece orchestra, Sinfonietta di Roma.

For good measure English lyrics are provided by Sir Tim Rice and Don Black. Hayley Westenra must have been beside herself with glee when she landed this gig.

She can probably expect a Grammy and a platinum disc or two for this set.

Now we're talking!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif


Best wishes,
Paulo Correia

This is a great review...I wonder if they've made the Gold disc yet

[Libby]

Well, they have in New Zealand, haven't they?

And what's a Dante?

[Joe]

Aug 31, 2011 3:56:52 GMT Libby said:

And what's a Dante?

Dante was a person, an Italian poet from year 1300. Paradiso is the name of the third and last part of his work "The Divine Comedy".

That's all I can remember!

[Elliot Kane]

Aug 31, 2011 4:09:11 GMT Joe said:

Aug 31, 2011 3:56:52 GMT Libby said:

And what's a Dante?

Dante was a person, an Italian poet from year 1300. Paradiso is the name of the third and last part of his work "The Divine Comedy".

That's all I can remember!

The first two being Inferno (The most famous) and Purgatorio, yes

[Libby]

Okay, but what does "looking at his Dante" mean, then?

All I can think of is Dante's Prayer by Loreena McKennitt (sp?)

[mattmonteith]

Hey Libby,

I think what he meant was if that host who mispronounced it 'Paradisio' were to familiarize himself by "looking at his Dante", he would know how to pronounce it correctly.

Matt

[Libby]

Okay, I guess I get it now.