The Pure Tour 2004 reviews

[stevemacdonald]

Tuesday, 17-February 2004

Concert pure delight

"Pure" really is the most apt adjective for Christchurch singer Hayley Westenra and her voice.

Only 16 years old and already launched on an international performing and recording career, Westenra showed why her album Pure is the biggest selling debut classical album worldwide in the first of her New Zealand "The Pure Tour 2004" concerts to a full house in Dunedin's Regent Theatre last night.

Her singing was as polished and perfect as her CD but warm, alive and engaging.

Like a rainbow ribbon of silk, her voice flowed from one note to the next, never straining or hesitating.

Unfortunately, during the first half, the speakers could not always handle her top notes, particularly during her duet with Dunedin opera singer Brandon Pou, All I Ask of You.

A confident and polished performer, Westenra showed remarkable poise and lack of nerves, but her introductions between songs were full of giggles, showing she remains a natural unspoilt teenager.

In a world full of singing teen sensations amping up their sex appeal, it was refreshing to see a young woman being herself.

Westenra was generous with the limelight, giving guest artists Pou and singer/songwriter Hinewehi Mohi, her younger siblings Sophie and Isaac, and even the band, all of whom had their own sets throughout the show, a chance to shine unobstructed.

The show finished with a Maori lullaby Hine E Hine, sung by all the singers, and the rapturous applause started even before the last bars were played.

The enthusiastic Dunedin audience got value for money, demanding three encores, including the spine-tingling Wuthering Heights, which really ought to have been included in the main programme.

All in all, it was a concert of pure delight.

[stevemacdonald]

Thursday, 25th March 2004

Hayley Westenra @ Bridgewater Hall

Rashid Razaq


IN an age when youth is king, a pixie from the land of The Lord Of The Rings popped up to entertain classical music fans last night.

New Zealander Hayley Westenra, looking a refreshingly real 16-year-old rather than a raunched-up Britney or Christina, played convincingly to a receptive and record-buying audience.

Delivering the sort of shot to the arm the Beethoven industry requires once in a while, Hayley combined pop and classic with a touch of Maori and a twist of folksiness.

Her album, Pure, became the fastest-selling classical debut last year, and she continued to ride the wave of easy listening music to wash dishes by with numbers such as Never Say Goodbye.

The teenager's performance of Amazing Grace was powerful and her stab at Ave Maria was as beautifully moving as any operatic fat lady's.

In between her numerous dress changes she was ably supported by the classical Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins, who sang traditional Celtic shanties.

The show wobbled thematically with New Age mysticism as Hayley did her Maori songs to a backing video of California-style gymnastics on a beach.

Then her younger brother and sister, Isaac and Sophie, appeared on stage with a sweet if slightly cloying rendition of Greensleeves.

With the little lad got up like a junior snooker player and his sister all sparkly, they looked like a family entry at a pub talent contest at one point.

Nevertheless, Hayley stormed to the finale with her single-release cover of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, capturing all the off-kilter and kooky appeal of the original.

[Dave]

Better late than never, I came across this nice review of Hayley at St Georges Hall, Bradford in March - posted on 8th. April:

Hayley Westenra -- St George's Hall, Bradford

Hayley Westenra tops the lot when it comes to prodigious talent at a tender age.

16-year-old Hayley is a multi-million selling artist thanks to her international debut Pure, speaks four languages, is a talented ballet dancer and plays a host of instruments.

If her other talents go even part way to matching her voice, then this truly is a girl with the world at her feet.

Her amazing voice enthralled a packed venue as she worked her way through songs which made Pure the fastest selling classical album ever in the UK.

Her vocal range belies her years and her simple, if slightly nervous presence on stage made this very pretty young woman all the more likeable.

Hayley's encore of Kate Bush's awesomely difficult Wuthering Heights was perhaps the best illustration of how good the New Zealander actually is.

Hitting every note and getting Bush's singing style just right, she definitely saved the best until last.

Stuart Roberts
This is Bradford (towards the bottom of the page)