Illuminations

Tear's Serenade and Nocturne are sterling performances, fervent and expressive without falling into preciousness. Harper's passionate Illuminations makes a strong case for a female voice in these fevered poems. Civil, Marriner and Tate provide atmospheric support.

Illuminations is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban, produced by Rick Rubin. Similar to his previous albums, Illuminations contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with Lester Mendez and Carlinhos Brown. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, selling 190,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipping over a million copies. The album has since sold over 800,000 copies in the US. In Canada, the album debuted at #4 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified platinum for shipping over 80,000 copies.

Illuminations is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban, produced by Rick Rubin. Similar to his previous albums, Illuminations contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with Lester Mendez and Carlinhos Brown. South African Tour Edition with 3 bonus songs.

Illuminations is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban, produced by Rick Rubin. Similar to his previous albums, Illuminations contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with Lester Mendez and Carlinhos Brown. Barnes & Noble exclusive limited edition 13-track CD album which also unlocks a live streaming concert. Housed in a fold-out digipak picture sleeve.

Britten’s dramatic cantata Phaedra is the resonant centre of this new release in EMI’s excellent British Composers series. The steely gleam at the core of Felicity Palmer’s mezzo-soprano, and the hard white light of the Endymion’s outstanding ensemble playing make for a fierce kindling of Britten’s music with Robert Lowell’s words at one exceptional moment in the work’s performing history. John Whitfield’s direction ensures that the Five French Folksongs are nicely poised between raw simplicity and elegant sophistication, while the Endymion’s incisive playing warms to the sensuousness of Jill Gomez’s Les Illuminations.

Les Illuminations was premiered by Sophie Wyss in 1939, but, as with much of Britten's work, has been colonised since by tenors. Here, it is a joy to hear Felicity Lott singing a soprano version. Her voice is in the full bloom of youth, and she sings with a thrilling freshness and verve, entirely in keeping with the mood of excitement. There are many delicious moments – how wittily she confides "Des drôles trés solides" in Parade, and explodes with an ecstatic "J'ai seul la clef de cette parade sauvage !" echoing the sole phrase in the opening fanfare, but with a completely different tone. When the same phrase appears again, in Interlude, she sings it in yet another way, echoing the instrumental colouring around it.