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Harem [Import]

Sarah Brightman Audio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Price: £17.24 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Music

Image of album by Sarah Brightman

Photos

Image of Sarah Brightman

Biography

October 2008 (New York, NY) In a genre-defying music career that could be described as nothing less than spectacular, Sarah Brightman has established herself as the world’s best selling soprano of all time.

Her extraordinary abilities as a consummate recording artist and live performer have allowed her to achieve sales of more than 26 million albums and two million DVDs, and earned ... Read more in Amazon's Sarah Brightman Store

Visit Amazon's Sarah Brightman Store
for 103 albums, 17 photos, discussions, and more.

Frequently Bought Together

Harem + Dive + La Luna
Price For All Three: £27.88

Buy the selected items together
  • Dive £5.27
  • La Luna £5.37

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Product details

  • Audio CD (10 Jun 2003)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Import
  • Label: Angel
  • ASIN: B00008W2QZ
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 391,436 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Harem (Cancao Do Mar) 5:45£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  2. What A Wonderful World 3:40£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  3. It's A Beautiful Day 3:56£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  4. What You Never Know 3:24£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  5. The Journey Home 4:56£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  6. Free 3:45£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  7. Mysterious Days 5:17£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  8. The War Is Over Now 5:15£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen  9. Misere Mei0:54£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen10. Beautiful 4:35£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen11. Arabian Nights (Medley) 8:50£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen12. Stranger In Paradise 4:27£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen13. Until The End Of Time 4:32£0.89  Buy MP3 
Listen14. You Take My Breath Away 6:48£0.89  Buy MP3 


Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A blend of past, present, and future... 27 July 2003
Format:Audio CD
So here it is - for fans of Sarah Brightman this is the long awaited brand new studio album (still yet to be released in the UK). Its release has been delayed for months - particularly due to the track "The War is Over" - a duet with an Iraqi singer, which many critics believed was a blatant attempt at a political statement. Personally I think it was an unfortunate coincidence as Sarah has been working on the album and its Middle-Eastern theme for two years, (but that's another debate altogether).

So what is it like? Well, on the whole the album is built upon the same formula as the last three Sarah albums (Classics, La Luna, Eden) and Sarah's crystalline voice is prevalent and gorgeous as ever, but she has taken a new direction, as roughly half of the tracks are much more up tempo with a handful having a disco/synth/pop foundation - drawing on some of the digital sounds of much current pop music. Others are more anthemic, rock-influenced tracks echoing her earlier work (the albums Divé, and Fly).

The title means "forbidden place", and the Arabic theme runs throughout, blending well with the up tempo tracks as well as the ballads, and making the whole album generally more dramatic and energetic than its two predecessors.

The album opens with the title track - which acts as an overture, setting the Middle-Eastern precedent from the outset, with an orchestral and foreboding first half which erupts into a euro/disco flavoured Turkish dance. Next is an unlikely cover of the Louis Armstrong classic "What a Wonderful World", which seems slightly out of place and is arguably the weakest track on the album.
"It's a Beautiful Day" is a futuristic/Arabic hybrid of an original soprano score from Puccini, with added lyrics and vocals, and a slight rock influence. Almost quite radical, but works well - perhaps indicating the direction Sarah wishes to move in. "What you Never know" follows, a simple and gentle ballad along the lines of "So Many Things" from the Eden album.
"The Journey Home" is a reunion of Sarah with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and although the West End Musical influence is clear the track is no worse for it - a mysterious Eastern opening featuring female Arabic background vocals in the distance, which grows into a moving and filmic ballad. The next Track "Free" is a more pensive love song (co-written by Sophie B Hawkins), with a melancholy and gentle sound; a more European flavour and a little like the sound of Enigma; less Arabic flavoured than much of the album.

Mysterious Days is heavily influenced with Middle Eastern traditional dances, with the swirling mystical strings and Arabic instruments creating a lively and exciting sound. This is followed by The War is Over Now a duet with Kadim al Sahir - which is essentially a fairly ordinary ballad, but moving nonetheless.

This is followed by a short and sweet choral interlude with an excerpt from "Misere Mei", which serves as an intro for "Beautiful" - an ethereal and brilliant cover of the original by Mandalay. This melts into an 8-minute epic "Arabian Nights" which is Sarah's mini interpretion of the original - made up of 5 segments, with a different mood and tempo for each, but returning to the traditional Arabic flavour with full force.

"Stranger in Paradise" starts with a gentle oboe, and is much more like the classical sound we are used to from Sarah, with her soprano vocals sounding divine. This is nicely followed by another ballad - "Until the End of Time", which again is more like the sound of La Luna et al, but with a subtle Eastern echo adding a mystical edge. The finale is another gentle ballad called "Gueri de Toi", sung in French and actually identical musically to the earlier track "Free", again featuring a solo violin from Nigel Kennedy.

On the whole the album is a triumph - varied yet consistent, and a rare example of an artist developing and experimenting freely whilst retaining the essence of style that makes her so unique. Fans will not be disappointed, and new listeners couldn't ask for a better introduction to Sarah Brightman - as the album shows just how creative and diverse she is.

Brilliant!

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album is much different from Timeless, Eden and La Luna, but Sarah’s great soprano voice is as beautiful as ever. She is so talented. Sarah’s voice shone with joy. You can hear her warm-heartedness and arrangement in every word she sings throughout this album. All songs are recorded with a symphony orchestra. Harem is a brilliant album.

The song HAREM takes you on a fantasy-voyage into the Arabian Nights (1001 nights fairy-tales). The song has a mysterious Oriental sound. The song “Cancao do Mar” is used for HAREM. Sarah’s voice is so beautiful, very bright and crystal-clear. Great rhythm.
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, same lyrics as with Louis Armstrong but in a new style. Sarah sings passages from Puccini’s “Un bel di vedremo”, from Madama Butterfly during IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. It would be phenomenal to hear Sarah sing the original versions of “Vissi d’arte” by Puccini and “Casta Diva” by Bellini.

WHAT YOU NEVER KNOW, is a very beautiful song - when you get to know it. THE JOURNEY HOME from the Indian musical “Bombay Dreams” has a fresh rhythm. Sarah sings it incredible with her lovely voice. FREE, is a marvellous song with Nigel Kennedy playing violin at the end of the song

MYSTERIOUS DAYS, fantastic song. Ofra Haza (a Jewish female singer, who sadly passed away 3 years ago) has a fabulous beautiful voice too. Ofra’s and Sarah’s voices suit each other perfectly. The song has a great dance beat.
THE WAR IS OVER (fortunately). Sarah sings it marvellous. She sings duet with an Iraqi singer Kazem Al-Sahir. He sings in Arabic: “Welcome all people of the world”.

MISERE MEI is an interlude to BEAUTIFUL. Two very beautiful songs. ARABIAN NIGHTS. Great beat. Again a voyage-song, like you are travelling on a flying carpet and seeing exotic places. Sarah sings even in Hindi (Indian). Wonderful.

STRANGER IN PARADISE is from “Prince Igor” (Polovtzian Dance). A magnificent song and melody. Sarah sings it superior.
UNTIL THE END OF TIME, is like a fantasy-voyage. You travel in your mind to the sound of Sarah’s amazing voice.

YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (USA bonus track) taken from Sarah's old album FLY - same recording.

When you buy a CD with Sarah, you always get MUCH MORE than you pay for. This album is not just another brick in the wall, but a milestone in the music-universe – like the other Sarah-albums.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album is much different from Timeless, Eden and La Luna, but Sarah’s great soprano voice is as beautiful as ever. She is so talented. Sarah’s voice shone with joy. You can hear her warm-heartedness and arrangement in every word she sings throughout this album. All songs are recorded with a symphony orchestra. Harem is a brilliant album.

The song HAREM takes you on a fantasy-voyage into the Arabian Nights (1001 nights fairy-tales). The song has a mysterious Oriental sound. The song “Cancao do Mar” is used for HAREM. Sarah’s voice is so beautiful, very bright and crystal-clear. Great rhythm.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, same lyrics as with Louis Armstrong but in a new style. Sarah sings passages from Puccini’s “Un bel di vedremo”, from Madama Butterfly during IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY. It would be phenomenal to hear Sarah sing the original versions of “Vissi d’arte” by Puccini and “Casta Diva” by Bellini.

WHAT YOU NEVER KNOW, is a very beautiful song - when you get to know it. THE JOURNEY HOME from the Indian musical “Bombay Dreams” has a fresh rhythm. Sarah sings it incredible with her lovely voice. FREE, is a marvellous song with Nigel Kennedy playing violin at the end of the song

MYSTERIOUS DAYS, fantastic song. Ofra Haza (a Jewish female singer, who sadly passed away 3 years ago) has a fabulous beautiful voice too. Ofra’s and Sarah’s voices suit each other perfectly. The song has a great dance beat.

THE WAR IS OVER (fortunately). Sarah sings it marvellous. She sings duet with an Iraqi singer Kazem Al-Sahir. He sings in Arabic: “Welcome all people of the world”.

MISERE MEI is an interlude to BEAUTIFUL. Two very beautiful songs. ARABIAN NIGHTS. Great beat. Again a voyage-song, like you are travelling on a flying carpet and seeing exotic places. Sarah sings even in Hindi (Indian). Wonderful.

STRANGER IN PARADISE is from “Prince Igor” (Polovtzian Dance). A magnificent song and melody. Sarah sings it superior. Rhythm and style a bit like TIME TO SAY GOODBYE. UNTIL THE END OF TIME, is like a fantasy-voyage. You travel in your mind to the sound of Sarah’s amazing voice.

When you buy a CD with Sarah, you always get MUCH MORE than you pay for. This album is not just another brick in the wall, but a milestone in the music-universe – like the other Sarah-albums.

Comment | 
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Could listen to this all day
This album is a real joy to listen to, especially in the car, driving home after another stressful day at work! Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2009 by Angie
5.0 out of 5 stars Harem, the music i love
One of the best Sarah albums. I love every single song on the album and a DVD with behind the scene videos. Great album from a great singer.
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by Zlata Orehek
5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A TALENT-A TRUE STAR
I am only 29 and enjoy most modern music but I find myself time and time again coming back to sarah's music and this album is one of the best. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2004 by "srlewsey"
5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL
I bought this album after having heard her single "harem" and I think it is the best album sarah has done (I have all her albums)
It is a mixture of dance, classical (and even... Read more
Published on 20 July 2004 by "mestesso2004"
5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah does it again...
Once again Ms. Brightman has brought out a new look for herself and even more beautiful music to grace our lives. The topic this time is the desert and Arabian Nights. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2004 by Mandi R. Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars A taste of arabia!
Yet again Sarah Brightman has done a wonderful album with a fusion of different sounds and I especially like the mix of East meets West. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2004 by "phillipdarlington"
5.0 out of 5 stars Exotically different
This album will not really appeal to everyone and it could well be one you either love or loathe - I fall into the former category. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2003 by "slowginlondon"
4.0 out of 5 stars Harem delivers Eastern Promises!
I took a big gamble in buying this album, as I'm not a fan of Eastern sounding music or Classical singing for that matter, and not usually within Sarah's listening audience, but I... Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2003 by J. M. Laugharne
2.0 out of 5 stars Harem - scarem
Sarah's latest offering is a great dissapointment. In most of the tracks she appears to be standing close to the mike and almost wispering the [often] too highly pitched words. Read more
Published on 15 July 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah 's Sahara a hit!
I brought this album with the confidence that it would live up to her last excellent work La Luna, I must say I wasnt disappionted! Read more
Published on 14 July 2003 by Phill Potter
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